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11 January 2022
Bowie, Maryland Nurse Practitioner Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute and Dispense OxycodoneRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – Justina Aburime, age 53, of Bowie, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to one count of conspiracy to distribute and dispense oxycodone and one count of distribution and dispensing of oxycodone.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington Division; and Special Agent in Charge Maureen Dixon, Office of Investigations, Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services.
According to her guilty plea, from February 2017 to February 2020, Aburime conspired with others, including Thomas Charles Johnson, to distribute and dispense oxycodone outside the scope of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose at Personal Touch Medical Spa, LLP (PTMS), a Largo, Maryland pain management clinic.
As licensed and registered nurse practitioners under the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the state of Maryland, Aburime and Johnson were legally authorized to prescribe controlled substances for legitimate medical purposes.
During her employment with PTMS, Aburime wrote oxycodone prescriptions without a legitimate medical need and outside the scope of professional practice. Aburime allowed an unauthorized person to write oxycodone prescriptions using her medical credentials. Specifically, Aburime allowed PTMS’s owner—who was not authorized to prescribe controlled substances—to prescribe oxycodone to individuals using pre-signed blank prescriptions bearing Aburime’s name and DEA registration number.
In some instances, Aburime was traveling outside the United States at the time of treatment or did not see the patient who was prescribed oxycodone using her credentials. Further, Aburime agreed that she prescribed oxycodone to patients when there was no legitimate need and without considering alternative treatment options. Aburime also agreed that she increased oxycodone dosage over time without a medical justification.
Co-defendant Thomas Charles Johnson, Jr. pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute oxycodone on October 28, 2021 and is scheduled to be sentenced on February 17, 2022 at 12:00 p.m.
Aburime faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison followed by up to a lifetime of supervised release for each count. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis has scheduled sentencing for April 26, 2022 at 1:00 p.m.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the DEA and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services- Office of Inspector General for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica C. Collins and Elizabeth Wright, who are prosecuting the case.
For more information on the dangers and effects of opioids, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach. 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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Boothbay Man Sentenced for Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: A Boothbay man was sentenced today in federal court for distributing child pornography, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.
Chief U.S. District Judge Jon D. Levy sentenced Joseph Pinkham, 35, to 15 years in prison and 10 years of supervised release. Pinkham pleaded guilty on June 23, 2021.
According to court records, in October 2019, Pinkham sent several text messages to an individual in Texas containing images of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. The individual in Texas reported the conduct to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators identified the sender as Pinkham and obtained a search warrant for his residence in Boothbay. In an interview with investigators, Pinkham acknowledged sending sexually explicit images of minors to the individual in Texas.
Pinkham was subject to an enhanced sentence because he had been previously convicted of child pornography offenses.
“As the defendant in this case himself noted at sentencing, the distribution of images of child sexual abuse revictimizes those children who are depicted in the images,” said U.S. Attorney McElwee. “Individuals who commit these offenses, particularly those like Mr. Pinkham who commit them after being convicted for similar conduct, face significant punishment under federal law.”
The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, the Dallas (Texas) Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department’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.justice.gov/psc.
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Berkeley County man sentenced for role in firearms conspiracyRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Detrick Lee Foston, of Martinsburg, West Virginia, was sentenced today to four years of probation for his role in a firearms trafficking conspiracy, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
Foston, 25, pleaded guilty in September 2021 to one count of “False Statement During Purchase of Firearms.” Foston admitted to making false statements to a firearms dealer to purchase a .40 caliber pistol and a 9mm pistol in March 2020 in Berkeley County.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives investigated.
Chief U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.
Belton Man Sentenced for Drug Trafficking, Illegal FirearmsRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Belton, Missouri, man has been sentenced in federal court for illegally possessing firearms and for drug trafficking and money laundering conspiracies.
Maurice L. Sneed, also known as “Sneedy,” 30, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner on Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022, to five years and eight months in federal prison without parole.
On Aug. 4, 2021, Sneed pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and marijuana, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
When Sneed was arrested on Jan. 9, 2020, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at his residence. Officers found a Diamondback 5.56mm short rifle under the bed and a Glock 9mm semi-automatic pistol in the bedroom dresser. Investigators also found $4,600 under a bathtub. In the basement, investigators found an elaborate marijuana growing operation. The operation contained approximately 106 live marijuana plants and approximately 401 grams of dried marijuana.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Sneed has prior felony convictions for conspiracy to possess cocaine with the intent to distribute and possession of a controlled substance.
Sneed admitted that, from Aug 2018 to Jan. 7, 2020, he was the leader of a conspiracy to distribute cocaine and marijuana. Through the course of the conspiracy, Sneed distributed, or possessed with the intent to distribute, at least 32.25 pounds of marijuana. High-grade marijuana can be sold for a profit of at least $1,000 per pound; Sneed admitted that he obtained at least $32,250 in proceeds as a result of his participation in the drug-trafficking conspiracy.
Sneed traveled to Texas to meet with co-conspirator Oscar C. Roberson, 29, of Houston, Texas. Roberson also made trips to Missouri to meet with Sneed. They also made trips to and from Colorado and Texas while driving in tandem. During those trips, one of them transported marijuana and the other transported money or worked as a decoy to divert possible law enforcement attention. Roberson also pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a term of probation.
Sneed also admitted that, from 2016 to Jan. 1, 2018, he and others caused multiple money transfers and cash deposits into various bank accounts across the United States. Sneed knew the funds used for these transactions were the proceeds of drug trafficking. Sneed admitted that he conducted these transactions in order to conceal and disguise the nature of the proceeds.
When Sneed was arrested in 2016, two of his cell phones were seized by law enforcement. Investigators found evidence on the phones that Sneed was directing the mailing of numerous parcels to the Kansas City area. Investigators interdicted a number of parcels and confirmed they contained marijuana. Another cell phone, which Sneed lost during a traffic stop in January 2019, contained additional evidence of money laundering, including photos of deposit slips.
A review of all the accounts named in the deposit slips located on Sneed’s phones revealed total cash deposits conducted in the Kansas City metropolitan area in the amount of $508,020. Shortly after cash deposits were made, the cash was then withdrawn in California. These accounts are known as funnel accounts, which are used to rapidly move cash from one geographic area to another. The identified funnel accounts utilized by Sneed also received cash deposits in other states around the country, including Virginia, Maryland, Florida, Texas, Iowa, Nebraska, and Nevada. The total cash deposits into these funnel accounts from across the country was over $1 million.
On July 2, 2019, Roberson was stopped by the Nebraska State Patrol. Roberson indicated he was travelling from Colorado to Missouri. He also admitted to troopers there was marijuana in the vehicle. In a subsequent search of his vehicle, troopers discovered seven bags of marijuana, weighing approximately four pounds.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashleigh A. Ragner and Mary Kate Butterfield. It was investigated by the FBI, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, IRS-Criminal Investigation, the Missouri Highway Patrol and the Kansas Highway Patrol.
Albuquerque man sentenced to two and a half years in prison for illegal possession of a firearm and ammunitionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Dan Keith Bobelu, 31, of Albuquerque, was sentenced today in federal court to two years and six months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Bobelu pleaded guilty on May 18, 2021.
According to the plea agreement and other court records, the offense took place in Albuquerque on Aug. 6, 2020. Bobelu admitted that he was carrying a revolver and ammunition in his pants pocket when he was taken into custody. As a previously convicted felon, Bobelu could not legally possess firearms or ammunition.
Upon his release from prison, Bobelu will be subject to three years of supervised release.
The Albuquerque Police Department investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Nayback prosecuted the case.
10 January 2022
Wolfe County Man Sentenced to 120 Months for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
LEXINGTON, Ky.— A Campton, Ky., man, Johnathan E. Garland, 34, was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison on Monday, by Senior U.S. District Judge Joseph Hood, after pleading guilty to distribution of 50 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine, distribution of 50 grams or more of actual methamphetamine, and distribution of fentanyl.
According to Garland’s plea agreement, between November 3 and November 27, 2020, law enforcement made multiple controlled purchases of drugs from Garland. During four separate transactions, Garland sold various amounts of methamphetamine and fentanyl. After Garland was arrested, a search warrant was served on his residence. There, law enforcement found additional methamphetamine, tablets marked as “M 30” (containing fentanyl), scales, baggies, more than $4,700 in cash, three shotguns, a rifle, and seven handguns.
Garland pleaded guilty to the charges in October 2021.
Under federal law, Garland must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for five years.
Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Shawn Morrow, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, Louisville Field Office; Colonel Phillip Burnett, Commissioner, Kentucky State Police; and Sheriff Berl Purdue, Clark County Sheriff’s Office, announced the sentencing.
The investigation was conducted by the ATF, KSP, and the Clark County Sheriff’s Office. The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Francisco Villalobos.
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Washington, D.C. Man Facing Federal Charges in Maryland for Carjacking and Brandishing a Firearm During a Crime of ViolenceRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – A federal criminal complaint was filed on January 7, 2022, charging James Albert Borum, age 19, of Washington, D.C., for carjacking and for using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
The criminal complaint 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; Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department; Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department; Chief Robert J. Contee III of the Metropolitan Police Department; United States Attorney for the District of Columbia Matthew M. Graves; Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy; and Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy.
According to the affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, Borum is alleged to have participated in a series of carjackings committed in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties in June 2021. As detailed in the affidavit, location monitoring data for an ankle bracelet that Borum was wearing at the time and cellular location information for Borum’s phone allegedly put him in the area of each of the three carjackings and an attempted carjacking. In addition, surveillance images from the locations of the crimes, witness and victim statements, forensic evidence, and items recovered from a search warrant executed at Borum’s residence on July 1, 2021, allegedly indicate that Borum participated in the carjackings. As detailed in the affidavit, at the time of the June carjackings, Borum was on pre-trial supervision with the condition that he be subject to location monitoring with an ankle bracelet in connection with an unrelated carjacking charge pending in D.C. Superior Court.
Specifically, the affidavit alleges that on June 4, 2021, Victim 1 was beaten and carjacked by two males, who also stole his Apple iPhone 8. Victim 1’s wallet, which contained several items, including a bank card, was inside the vehicle at the time of the carjacking. Law enforcement recovered Victim 1’s bank card and a social security card in the name of Victim 1’s spouse from Borum’s bedroom during the search on July 1, 2021.
On June 10, 2021, the affidavit alleges that two individuals committed an armed carjacking in Silver Spring, Maryland. After Victim 2 had parked his car, he began walking into a nearby apartment courtyard. Two individuals followed Victim 2 and approached him as he was in the courtyard. According to the affidavit, one of these individuals pointed a handgun at Victim 2’s forehead and stated, “I’ll kill you. Give me the keys,” while the second individual stood behind Victim 2. Victim 2 gave one of the individuals his keys and the carjackers drove away in Victim 2’s car. At the time of the carjacking, Victim 2 had $950 in his vehicle. The day after the carjacking, an unknown number texted Borum asking him what car he was in. Borum replied that he was in a “2 door Honda.” The vehicle taken from Victim 2 in the carjacking was a two-door Honda Accord.
As detailed in the affidavit, two individuals attempted to carjack Victim 3 in a parking garage in the 8700 block of Cameron Street in Silver Spring. During the attempted carjacking, Victim 3 saw her colleague pulling into the parking lot and told the two males that her colleague was coming and that she would not call the police if they left her alone. Both males fled. As they ran away, Victim 3 got into her colleague’s vehicle and as they left the garage, they saw the males running away and Victim 3 took a photo of them from behind. Victim 3 gave law enforcement a description of her attackers, including that one of the attackers had on an ankle monitor, a distinctive white hooded sweatshirt and a white facemask that was not covering his face.
According to the affidavit, surveillance footage obtained from the Rhode Island Avenue, Silver Spring, and Wheaton Metro stations both before and after the attempted carjacking shows Borum and a second individual wearing clothing that matched the descriptions Victim 3 provided and pictured in the photograph taken by Victim 3. The footage also shows Borum wearing an ankle monitor. The Silver Spring Metro station is located approximately 0.4 miles from 8700 Cameron Street.
Finally, on June 23, 2021, Victim 4 was carjacked by two men as he was entering his car. The first man allegedly approached Victim 4 from behind and held a black handgun at the left side of Victim 4’s head and repeated, “Give me the keys!” Victim 4 handed the man his keys and wallet. The man got into the driver’s seat and a second man jumped into the front passenger seat. The carjackers then fled in Victim 4’s vehicle. As alleged in the affidavit, Victim 4’s vehicle was located five days later parked on the same block as Borum’s residence and Borum’s fingerprints were identified on the car.
If convicted, Borum faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison for carjacking and a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in federal prison and a maximum of life in prison, consecutive to any other sentence, for using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Borum is currently detained in Washington, D.C. and no court appearance in Maryland has been scheduled yet.
A criminal complaint is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by criminal complaint is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.
This case is a result of the Regional Carjacking Prosecution Task Force, which was created to ensure the prosecution of individuals who engage in carjacking and robberies in multiple jurisdictions. Federal and state prosecutors and law enforcement are working together to ensure that investigations and prosecutions encompass all of a perpetrator’s crimes, even if they are committed in multiple jurisdictions. Members of the Regional Carjacking Prosecution Task Force are the United States Attorney’s Offices for Maryland and for the District of Columbia; the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office; the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Office; and the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia. This cross-border partnership between federal and state prosecutors’ offices mirrors similar collaboration among the police departments in Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties, Washington, D.C., and among the FBI and ATF.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI, the Montgomery County Police Department, the Prince George’s County Police Department, the Metropolitan Police Department, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office and the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution. Mr. Barron thanked Special Assistant United States Attorney Jared C. Engelking and Assistant United States Attorney Dana J. Brusca, who are prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/regional-carjacking-prosecution-task-force.
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Virginia man sentenced for drug chargeRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Terry William Jimenez Morales, of Strasburg, Virginia, was sentenced today to time served for a drug charge, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
Morales, 26, pleaded guilty in July 2021 to one count of “Aiding and Abetting Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine Hydrochloride.” Morales admitted to having more than 85 grams of cocaine hydrochloride in March 2019 in Jefferson County.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Eastern Panhandle Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, and the Ranson Police Department investigated.
Chief U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.
Virginia Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography OffenseRead the Press Release
BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – A Virginia man pleaded guilty today to production of child pornography.
According to the plea agreement and statements made in court, Nicholas Aaron Icenhour, 25, of Tazewell, Virginia admitted that in October and November 2020 he directed his then girlfriend, Lacosta Steele, to have a 12-year-old girl engage in sexually explicit conduct, including masturbation and the lascivious exhibition of her genitals, for the purpose of creating videos of this conduct. Icenhour admitted that Steele then sent those videos to him. Icenhour also admitted that during this same time frame he had Steele transport the same 12-year-old girl to R.D. Bailey Lake, where he engaged in sexual intercourse with the child.
Icenhour faces at least 15 years and up to 30 years in prison when he is sentenced on April 4, 2022.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the West Virginia State Police and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Rada Herrald is handling the prosecution.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative of the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:21-cr-00187.
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United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha Announces Leadership TeamRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha today announced the appointment of Sara Miron Bloom, a veteran federal prosecutor who amassed a diverse and exceedingly distinguished record of accomplishment while serving in the United States Attorney’s Office for District of Massachusetts for over two decades, to lead his team of supervisors in the District of Rhode Island.
As an Assistant United States Attorney and supervisor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boston, Ms. Bloom investigated and litigated complex financial crime cases in the Securities, Financial, & Cyber Fraud Unit, and served as Chief of the Civil Division’s Affirmative Litigation Unit and as Senior Litigation Counsel to the Criminal Division. In those roles, she led and prosecuted groundbreaking civil and criminal pharmaceutical marketing fraud cases against Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, and other companies that resulted in approximately $6 billion in total criminal and civil recoveries; she also served with distinction an Assistant United States Attorney in the Civil Division, litigating defensive and affirmative matters on behalf of the United States.
Ms. Bloom succeeds Assistant United States Attorney Richard B. Myrus as First Assistant, following Mr. Myrus’ term as Acting United States Attorney for the District of Rhode Island from February 2021 to December 2021. AUSA Myrus continues in his role as a prosecutor in the office’s Criminal Division, as well as in a newly created position as Counsel to the United States Attorney.
“I consider myself, and more importantly, this Office, to be extremely fortunate to have a prosecutor of Sara Bloom’s talent and hard-earned reputation join our team,” said U.S. Attorney Cunha. “Her work leading and handling large and complex investigations and holding the powerful to account is second to none. That background, and her experience handling and supervising virtually every category of case prosecuted or litigated by the United States perfectly complements the talented and dedicated staff of public servants in this Office who serve the people of Rhode Island every day. I would also like to thank Richard Myrus for his exceptional service as Acting United States Attorney, and distinguished work as a prosecutor in this Office for fifteen years. I value his experience and judgment and am pleased that he will be taking on this new role on my leadership team.”
Mr. Cunha today also announced the appointment of Assistant United States Attorney Bethany N. Wong to serve as Chief of the Civil Division. Ms. Wong was appointed an Assistant United States Attorney in the office’s Civil Division in August 2014. In addition to representing the United States in a wide range of civil affirmative and defensive matters, Ms. Wong has also served as the office’s Affirmative Civil Enforcement coordinator since October 2018. Ms. Wong succeeds United States Attorney Cunha as Civil Chief.
“Bethany Wong is a superlative civil litigator, whose talents as an attorney are equaled only by her sound judgment and dedication to the public interest,” U.S. Attorney Cunha remarked. “I am confident that she will continue and expand the critical and impactful work of the Civil Division, particularly in the vital area of affirmative litigation.”
Additionally, Mr. Cunha today announced that the remainder of current leadership team will continue in their respective capacities:
Sandra R. Hebert has led the Criminal Division since December 2020. In addition to prosecuting a wide variety of criminal matters, including several significant drug and white-collar crime cases, Ms. Hebert previously served as OCEDTF Chief and Criminal Division Deputy Chief. Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Rhode Island, Ms. Hebert served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Western District of Texas - Midland Division beginning in 2004. Prior to her appointments as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, Ms. Hebert served as an officer in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General Corps.
Lee H. Vilker, who has served as Deputy Criminal Chief since December 2020, joined the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island in June 2002, after serving as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of New Jersey for nearly three years. In his more than two decades as a federal prosecutor, Mr. Vilker has specialized in investigating and prosecuting complex white-collar fraud cases. Mr. Vilker has prosecuted a wide variety of criminal conduct, including Ponzi schemes, investment fraud and corporate embezzlement, as well as narcotics offenses and crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children.
Lauren S. Zurier will continue to serve in her role as Chief of Appeals, a position she has held since December 2019. Ms. Zurier litigates the District’s criminal cases in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Prior to being named an Assistant United States Attorney, Ms. Zurier served as an appellate prosecutor for over two decades in the office of the Rhode Island Attorney General.
“We are fortunate to have such a deep bench of talented and dedicated attorneys in positions of leadership in this Office,” said Cunha. “I have every confidence that this team has the experience, judgment, and skill that will enable us to continue and expand on our mission to protect the public safety, to serve all Rhode Islanders, and to maximize the impact and effectiveness of our enforcement efforts in every area.”
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Tulsa Woman Sentenced for Enabling the Abuse of a 3-Year-Old ChildRead the Press Release
A Tulsa woman who enabled the abuse of a young child was sentenced Monday in federal court, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
Chief U.S. District Judge John F. Heil III sentenced Amanda Lyn Walker, 42, to 10 years in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release.
On June 23, 2021, a federal jury found Walker guilty of two counts of enabling acts of child abuse in Indian Country and her boyfriend, Craig Allan Morrison, 37, guilty of two counts of child abuse in Indian Country. Morrison is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 14.
On June 23, 2021, a federal jury found Walker guilty of two counts of enabling acts of child abuse in Indian Country and her boyfriend, Craig Allan Morrison, 37, guilty of two counts of child abuse in Indian Country. Morrison is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 14.
“Amanda Walker lied to family and law enforcement about abuse inflicted on a young child by Craig Morrison,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “Saint Francis Hospital’s pediatric staff, who reported the abuse to authorities, is to be commended for their thorough examination of the victim and dedication to protecting children.”
During the trial, the jury received evidence describing two separate instances of child abuse involving a then three-year-old child. Prosecutors contended that Walker had ignored the abuse, allowed it to continue, and chose to protect her boyfriend instead of the child.
The first incident took place on or about Dec. 20, 2019, when other family members observed and photographed a hand-shaped bruise on the child’s face. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Walker told a relative that Morrison had hit the child in the face while sleeping due to a “night terror” and that the child’s other bruises were from falls. The relative also reported several other examples where Walker allowed Morrison to mistreat the child, including shoving food into the child’s mouth, causing him to choke.
Walker was further warned by one of Morrison’s family members in text messages to distance herself from Morrison because he was dangerous. The family member also reported that Morrison said the child cried for no reason, so Morrison gave the child reason to cry.
The second incident took place on or about Feb. 18, 2020, when the victim was taken to the Saint Francis Hospital Pediatric Emergency Room with injuries and extensive bruising to the child’s head, back, shoulder, abdomen, buttocks, and leg. Laboratory testing showed elevated liver enzymes and elevated amylase. A pediatrician who treated the victim testified these laboratory tests indicated liver and pancreatic injuries and that the child’s injuries showed the child had suffered blunt force trauma and were the result of child abuse. The hospital contacted authorities.
When interviewed by Tulsa police officers, Walker claimed the child sometimes jumped off his bed and injured himself on the concrete floor, so she assumed that may have been what occurred. She decided to take the child to the hospital when she felt a contusion on the child’s head.
The crimes took place within the Muskogee Nation Reservation and the minor is a citizen of the Comanche Nation.
The FBI and Tulsa Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melody Noble Nelson and Chantelle D. Dial prosecuted the case.
Temple Terrace Woman Pleads Guilty to Bank Fraud Involving COVID-19 Paycheck Protection Program LoansRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Bridgitte Keim (52, Temple Terrace) has pleaded guilty to bank fraud. Keim faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.
According to the
plea agreement , between April and May 2021, Keim executed a scheme to defraud a federally insured financial institution (“Bank 1”) and the U.S. Small Business Administration (“SBA”) by submitting false and fraudulent loan applications and supporting documentation for federally guaranteed Payment Protection Program (“PPP”) loans that were designed to assist businesses suffering adverse economic effects from the COVID-19 pandemic. In furtherance of her bank fraud scheme, Keim recruited family members to provide their personal information in exchange for free “COVID money.” Keim prepared and submitted false and fraudulent PPP loan applications to Bank 1 on behalf of her relatives in the names of fictitious businesses, knowing that her relatives did not have existing businesses, did not have employees, had no business income, and no payroll expenses as required by the SBA to qualify for PPP loans. To further deceive Bank 1, Keim created email addresses in the names of her relatives and communicated with bank employees by impersonating her relatives to convince loan officers that they were communicating with the actual prospective borrowers. Additionally, Keim sent text messages, which contained the fictitious business names, false financial information, and the email addresses she created, to her relatives so that her relatives could answer questions from loan officers about the loan applications.Specifically, on March 21, 2021, Keim submitted to Bank 1 a PPP loan application in the name of a relative she had recruited. The application contained a fictitious business name, fictitious number of employees, falsified business income, and fraudulently represented that the PPP loan funds would be used for payroll. Based on these false statements, Bank 1 approved and funded a $20,833 PPP loan in the name of Keim’s relative. Keim subsequently diverted $7,500 in loan proceeds to her personal bank account.
The intended losses associated with Keim’s bank fraud scheme are at least $588,693.14.
This case was investigated by the Federal Housing Finance Agency – Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Small Business Administration – Office of Inspector General, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Chris Poor.
Taney County Man Sentenced to 25 Years for Child Sexual ExploitationRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Merriam Woods Village, Missouri, man has been sentenced in federal court for the sexual exploitation of children.
Mark Nicholas Cobb, 60, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark on Friday, Jan. 7, to 25 years in federal prison without parole.
On June 23, 2021, Cobb pleaded guilty to the sexual exploitation of a minor. Cobb admitted that he received and distributed child pornography.
Investigators received several CyberTips regarding Cobb from different sources. On Sept. 16, 2017, a private citizen contacted the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to report that his 9-year-old daughter had been contacted by Cobb through Secretchattalktostrangers, a communication and social media application. On March 5, 2019, Facebook reported a Facebook Messenger chat session that contained possible images of child pornography. On Dec. 17, 2019, Google reported a file of possible child pornography stored in Cobb’s Google Photos account. Investigators confirmed the images were child pornography.
On Feb. 25, 2020, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Cobb’s residence. Investigators found a video and images of child pornography on Cobb’s cell phone. Some of the images and the video were pornographic images and video that depicted Cobb and included children.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Storm Lake Man Pleads Guilty to Illegal Firearm PossessionRead the Press Release
A man who illegally possessed a firearm and ammunition pled guilty January 6, 2022, in federal court in Sioux City.
Leonard Weimer, 47, from Storm Lake, Iowa, was convicted of illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition. Weimer was previously convicted of felony offenses including Terrorism, Burglary, and controlled substance offenses. Each of these convictions prohibited Weimer from legally possessing firearms or ammunition.
At the plea hearing, evidence showed that on April 2, 2021, Storm Lake law enforcement stopped a vehicle for a traffic violation. Weimer was the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle. It was determined Weimer was barred from driving, therefore was placed under arrest. During a search of Weimer at arrest, law enforcement discovered a small amount of methamphetamine and several rounds of .22 ammunition in Weimer’s pocket. Weimer admitted to being a felon. A drug detection K-9 was then deployed on the vehicle and indicated to the presence of controlled substances. A search of the vehicle uncovered a .22 Marlin Rifle and additional .22 ammunition.
Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Weimer remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Weimer faces a possible maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and not more than 3 years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and was investigated by Buena Vista County Sheriff’s Office, Storm Lake Police Department, Sac County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 21-4058.
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Serial Tax Fraudster Sentenced to More Than 19 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Roy B. Dalton, Jr. today sentenced Michael Dexter Little to 19 years and 6 months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and aggravated identity theft. The Court also ordered Little to forfeit at least $12.3 million, which are traceable to proceeds of the offense.
Little had pleaded guilty on October 20, 2021.
According to court documents, from 2019 to 2021, Little filed a series of false tax returns claiming massive, bogus fuel tax credits. He filed the false returns in his own name and in the names of co-conspirators and identity theft victims. As a result of this scheme, Little and his co-conspirators obtained at least $12.3 million in fraudulent tax refunds and attempted to obtain at least $27 million more. Little and his co-conspirators also conspired to launder their ill-gotten gains and used significant portions of the fraudulent tax refunds to purchase real estate and other assets.
Little was previously convicted of tax fraud twice, in 1999 and 2003.
“Identity theft schemes often leave their victim’s financial lives in ruin,” said IRS-CI Special Agent in Charge Brian Payne. “These crimes are a high priority for IRS-CI, especially when the stolen identities are used to file false tax returns. Today’s sentencing makes it clear that we will vigorously pursue those who steal personally identifiable information and use it to undermine the integrity of the U.S. tax system.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Emily C. L. Chang.
Second Former Inmate Admits Role in Scheme to Use Drones to Smuggle Contraband into Fort Dix Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Union County, New Jersey, man today admitted his role in a scheme to use drones to smuggle contraband, including cell phones and tobacco, into the federal correctional facility at Fort Dix, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Johansel Moronta, 29, of Linden, New Jersey, a former inmate at Fort Dix, pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo to an information charging him with one count of possessing and obtaining contraband while in prison. Moronta, who had been released from custody several months after the offense occurred and was on federal supervised release thereafter, also pleaded guilty to violating the terms of his supervised release.
Another former federal inmate, Jason Arteaga-Loayza, previously pleaded guilty to his participation in the scheme as well as to distributing narcotics and was sentenced in September 2021 to 43 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton. Two other men, Adrian Goolcharran, aka “Adrian Ahoda,” aka “Adrian Ajoda,” aka “Adrian Ajodha,” and Nicolo Denichilo, also have been charged with participating in the scheme to use drones to smuggle contraband into Fort Dix prison.
According to the documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Moronta, an inmate at Fort Dix from April 2018 to March 2019, participated in multiple drone deliveries of contraband into Fort Dix while incarcerated. Between October 2018 and June 2019, Arteaga-Loayza arranged for Goolcharran, with Denichilo’s assistance, to fly drones over Fort Dix and drop packages of contraband into the prison, where Moronta took possession of the contraband and helped sell it to inmates for a profit. The packages that Moronta helped to smuggle in to FCI Fort Dix included cell phones, cell phone accessories, tobacco, weight loss supplements, eyeglasses, and various other items. Moronta, from inside the prison, helped coordinate inmate requests for specific items of contraband and assisted in the collection of payments.
Moronta’s conspirators took various steps to prevent BOP officials from detecting and intercepting the contraband. They planned drone drops during the late evening hours or overnight when it was dark and the drones were less likely to be seen. Goolcharran, the drone pilot, with Denichilo’s assistance, flew the drones from concealed positions in the woods surrounding the prison. The lights on the drones were covered with tape to make it more difficult for prison officials to spot the drones against the dark evening sky.
Moronta and his conspirators used cell phones, including contraband phones concealed within the prison, to coordinate the drone drops. A contraband cell phone used by Moronta while an inmate at Fort Dix contained text messages with Arteaga-Loayza about the collection of profits from the sale of the contraband inside of the prison. In one exchange, for instance, Moronta messaged Arteaga-Loayza about an inmate, “Ok so I am tell him 10 phones and 100 baco [i.e. tobacco] he has to pay 10 bands and 500 on each phone?” Arteaga-Loayza responded, “And well (sic) even give him an ounce of weed tell him.”
Moronta admitted in court that, on Oct. 30, 2018, he received a bag dropped by a drone onto the roof of a housing unit at FCI Fort Dix which contained contraband tobacco, cellphone chargers and charging cables. Prison officials recovered that bag which contained 127 bags of Bugler tobacco, 10 cell phone chargers and 10 USB charging cables. Moronta also admitted to possessing a contraband cell phone on that date, which he had used to coordinate the drone drop.
During a search of Arteaga-Loayza’s residence on June 27, 2019, agents found a kitchen closet containing packages of empty cell phone boxes, including a package with empty cell phone boxes that had been shipped to Arteaga-Loayza the day before the drone drop of Oct. 30, 2018, cell phone chargers, empty boxes of SIM cards, and several cell phones.
Moronta also admitted to physically assaulting his girlfriend in June of 2021 while at a gas station in Fort Lee, after his release from federal prison.
Moronta faces a maximum penalty of one year in prison and maximum fine of $100,000 for the plea to possession of contraband while being a federal inmate. Moronta also agreed to a term of imprisonment of 14 months for violating the terms of his supervised release by assaulting his girlfriend, a term which will be served consecutively to whatever term of imprisonment he receives for the contraband charge. Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 10, 2022.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited agents of the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General, Cyber Investigations Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Keith A. Bonanno; the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Detachment 307, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Nicholas Kaplan; and the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, Northeast Region, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Joseph Harris, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
He also thanked Federal Bureau of Prisons personnel at Fort Dix; special agents of the FBI; special agents of the U.S. Attorney’s Office; and officers with the Pemberton Borough Police Department; the Pemberton Township Police Department; and Chesterfield Township Police Department, for their assistance.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark J. McCarren of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Special Prosecutions Division in Newark.
The charges and allegations contained in the criminal complaints issued against the remaining defendants are merely accusations, and they are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Rachael S. Rollins Sworn in as United States Attorney for the District of MassachusettsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – Rachael Splaine Rollins was sworn in today as the United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts. U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV administered the oath of office in federal court in Boston during a private ceremony. A formal investiture will be planned for a later date.
U.S. Attorney Rollins was nominated by President Joseph R. Biden on July 26, 2021 and was confirmed by the United States Senate on Dec. 8, 2021 in a tie-breaking vote cast in favor by Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Today’s swearing was a proud and humbling moment for both myself and my family. It was particularly special for me to have my parents with me, on my father’s 74th birthday. Their support has been unwavering, and I owe so much of this moment to them. As I reflect upon the path that led me here, I cannot help but think about the many colleagues and mentors who have supported me along the way. I want to acknowledge my friends, colleagues and law enforcement partners at the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office whose steadfast commitment and dedication to keeping our neighborhoods healthy and safe has truly made a difference in the lives of so many. I am enormously proud of what we accomplished together,” said U.S. Attorney Rollins.
“As I begin this next chapter as the United States Attorney, I look forward to the challenges ahead. There is much to be done and I am blessed to be walking into an office with highly skilled attorneys and staff who have the same commitment to public safety and community wellbeing and health.”
U.S. Attorney Rollins, 50, of Boston, is now the top-ranking federal law enforcement official in the District of Massachusetts, which is comprised of 14 counties. With over 20 years of legal experience, U.S. Attorney Rollins will lead a team of more than 250 federal prosecutors and staff with three offices located in Boston, Worcester and Springfield.
U.S. Attorney Rollins has been the Suffolk County District Attorney (DA) for the last three years. In 2019, the people of Suffolk County elected her as the first woman to serve as their DA and the first woman of color to serve as DA in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Rollins is now the first Black woman to ever serve as U.S. Attorney in the District of Massachusetts, one of the two first U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the nation, established in 1789.
U.S. Attorney Rollins previously served as Chief Legal Counsel to the Massachusetts Port Authority. Prior to that she served as General Counsel for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. From 2007 to 2011, she was an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts serving in both the Civil and Criminal Divisions.
Earlier in her career, U.S. Attorney Rollins was an attorney at Bingham McCutchen LLP and from 1999 to 2002 she was a field attorney for the National Labor Relations Board. U.S. Attorney Rollins began her legal career as a clerk for Associate Judge Frederick L. Brown of the Massachusetts Appeals Court.
U.S. Attorney Rollins earned a Juris Doctor from Northeastern University School of Law and a Masters in Law from Georgetown University Law Center. She received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Education and African-American Studies from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Princeton Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Drug DistributionRead the Press Release
BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – Charles Boyett Mitchell, Jr., 35, of Princeton, was sentenced today to three years and 10 months in federal prison for distribution of cocaine and methamphetamine.
According to court documents, Mitchell sold a quantity of cocaine to a confidential informant in Princeton on May 7, 2018. As part of the plea, Mitchell also admitted to distributing cocaine and methamphetamine on three other occasions, and to possessing a quantity of methamphetamine that he intended to distribute. Law enforcement officers also recovered a small amount of U.S. currency and a firearm during the investigation.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Southern Regional Drug and Violent Crime Task Force. The Southern Regional Drug and Violent Crime Task Force is composed of officers from the West Virginia State Police, the Mercer County Sheriff’s Department, the Bluefield Police Department and the Princeton Police Department.
Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy D. Boggess handled the prosecution.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:21-cr-00089.
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Philadelphia Felon Federally Indicted for November 2021 Armed Robbery of City Line Avenue PharmacyRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Patrick Harrison, 39, of Pottstown, PA, was arrested and charged by Indictment with Hobbs Act robbery; carrying, using, and brandishing a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence; and being felon in possession of a firearm in connection with a pharmacy robbery in West Philadelphia last year.
The Indictment alleges that in November 2021, the defendant entered a Rite-Aid located at 5040 City Ave, in West Philadelphia. Harrison brandished a firearm and demanded money from store employees. The defendant then allegedly fled the store after stealing approximately $600. The defendant is also charged with illegally possessing a firearm, in this case a loaded Smith and Wesson 9mm pistol, as a previously convicted felon.
“As alleged, this defendant waved a loaded gun in the faces of Rite-Aid employees simply doing their jobs and got away with $600,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “Law enforcement experts have said that the majority of violent crimes committed in and around Philadelphia are perpetrated by a small number of brazen criminals. The charges in this Indictment demonstrate that assertion and are exactly why our All Hands On Deck initiative is committed to investigating and prosecuting those violent, repeat offenders.”
“As the indictment alleges, Harrison recklessly brandished a firearm during this brazen armed robbery, placing everyone in the community in danger,” said Matthew Varisco, Special Agent in charge of ATF’s Philadelphia Field Division. “ATF, along with our local, state, and federal partners will continue to work every day to identify and remove violent criminals who threaten the safety of our citizens.”
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of life imprisonment, five years of supervised release, and a $750,000 fine, and a $300 special assessment.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Philadelphia Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Eckert.
An indictment, information, or criminal complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Peoria Man Sentenced to 190 Months in Prison for Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to DistributeRead the Press Release
PEORIA, Ill. – A Peoria, Illinois, man, Dustin R. Test, 39, of the 1900 block of South Stanley Street, was sentenced on January 6, 2022, to 15 years and 10 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by eight years of supervised release, for possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.
At Test’s sentencing hearing, U.S. District Court Judge James E. Shadid stated that Test had a troubled upbringing and noted he was in foster care for part of his childhood. The judge also considered Test’s criminal history, which included several convictions for aggravated battery, forgery, and residential burglary.
At the hearing, the government explained that Test’s offense conduct included Test working with other drug associates to purchase and resell large amounts of ice methamphetamine. At the height of his drug trafficking, Test and an associate purchased three pounds of ice methamphetamine.
Test was indicted in September 2020 and pleaded guilty in July 2021.
The statutory penalties for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine for a person with prior felony convictions are not less than ten years and up to forty years of imprisonment, an 8-year to life term of supervised release, and an up to $8 million dollar fine.
The Pekin Police Department and Drug Enforcement Agency investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine G. Legge represented the government in the prosecution.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF)’s 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.
North Port Man Pleads Guilty to Dealing in Firearms Without A LicenseRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – Larry Alan Goldman (63, North Port) has pleaded guilty to dealing in firearms without a license. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. Goldman has also agreed to forfeit the 29 firearms that he had possessed or acquired during the commission of the offense, and to pay a fine of $25,000. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.
According to the
plea agreement , between February 2020 and August 2021, undercover agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and a confidential informant purchased approximately 14 firearms from Goldman’s vendor booth at a flea market in North Fort Myers. During this time period, Goldman did not have a Federal Firearms License (FFL) authorizing him to lawfully engage in the business of dealing in firearms. In September of 2021, ATF agents visited Goldman at his home in North Port and served him with a Notice of Unlicensed Firearms Dealing Violation, and Goldman agreed to stop selling firearms.Following ATF’s meeting with Goldman, undercover ATF agents purchased two additional firearms from Goldman at the flea market in September and October 2021. On October 19, 2021, ATF agents executed a federal search warrant on Goldman’s residence and a truck and trailer that Goldman used to facilitate the sale of firearms. Agents seized approximately 29 firearms and approximately $36,828 in cash. Authorities determined that, between January 2020 and September 2021, Goldman had purchased approximately 313 firearms.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Trent Reichling.
North Hampton Man Sentenced to 18 Months for Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
CONCORD - Christopher Pierro, 29, of North Hampton, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, United States Attorney John J. Farley announced today.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 3, 2020, postal inspectors and police officers executed a search warrant at Pierro’s North Hampton residence. Investigators located nearly $80,000 in cash, a Rolex watch and other jewelry, body armor, drug packaging materials and an extensive amount of packaging consistent with mailed parcels. Investigators also located over 84 grams of methamphetamine.
Pierro previously pleaded guilty on August 3, 2021. Following his arrest, Pierro forfeited cash, cryptocurrency, and a substantial amount of additional property.
“Methamphetamine traffickers seek to reap profits from selling a very dangerous drug,” said U.S. Attorney Farley. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to identify and prosecute these drug dealers and hold them responsible for their unlawful activities.”
This matter was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John S. Davis. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Rabuck assisted in the forfeiture portion of the case.
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New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Firearm and Drug Trafficking Charges Stemming from His Participation in a Shootout at a Local HotelRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that BLAKE BATISTE, age 19, from New Orleans, pled guilty on January 5, 2022, to various firearm and drug charges. His guilty plea stems from his participation in a December 28, 2020, shootout on the 15th floor of the Jung Hotel on Canal Street.
Earlier this year the federal Grand Jury handed down related indictments, charging a total of nine individuals with various violations of the Federal Gun Control and Federal Controlled Substances Acts. BATISTE pled guilty to Counts 1, 2, and 4 of the Superseding Indictment pending against him.
Count 1 charges BATISTE with attempting to commit a Hobbs Act Robbery, in violation of Title 18, United Stated Code, Sections 1951 and 2. Count 2 charges BATISTE with participating in a conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute quantities of marijuana, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(D), and 846. Count 4 charges BATISTE with participating in a conspiracy to possess firearms in furtherance of a crime of violence and a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(o).
Counts 1 carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000.00, and up to 3 years supervised release. Count 2 carries a maximum sentence of 5 years in prison, up to a $250,000.00 fine, and at least 2 years supervised release. Counts 4 carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, up to a $250,000.00 fine, and up to 3 years supervised release. The defendant must pay a total of $300 in mandatory special assessment fees.
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 case was investigated by the New Orleans Police Department and the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorneys Maurice Landrieu and Elizabeth Privitera are in charge of the prosecution.
New Haven Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Distribution ChargeRead the Press Release
Leonard C Boyle, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that TASHUAN MINOR-DAVIS, 24, of New Haven, pleaded guilty today via videoconference before U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Dave Vatti to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, at approximately 10:00 p.m. on September 25, 2020, members of the West Haven Police Department’s Street Crime Unit conducting surveillance observed Minor-Davis engage in what appeared to be a street-level drug transaction from his vehicle while parked at a gas station in West Haven. Officers attempted to stop on the car that Minor-Davis was operating, but Minor-Davis fled the scene. Officers located the car a short time later, apprehended Minor-Davis after a brief foot chase, and recovered from him approximately 34 grams of cocaine and 19 grams of fentanyl.
Minor-Davis is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny on April 5, 2022, at which time he faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.
Minor-Davis is released on a $100,000 bond pending sentencing.
This investigation has been conducted by the DEA New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad and the West Haven Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara E. Levens.
Mineral County man sentenced for firearms chargeRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Donald Mark Tillotson, of Burlington, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 87 months of incarceration for a firearms charge, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
Tillotson, 24, pleaded guilty in July 2021 to one count of “Unlawful Possession of Firearm.” Tillotson, a person prohibited from having a firearm because of a prior felony conviction, admitted to having a .40 caliber pistol with an obliterated serial number in January 2021 in Mineral County.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives and the Mineral County Sheriff’s Office investigated.
Chief U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.
Martinsburg man sentenced for firearms chargeRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Brandon Leigh Gable, of Martinsburg, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 41 months of incarceration for a firearms charge, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
Gable, 33, pleaded guilty in July 2021 to one count of “Unlawful Possession of a Firearm.” Gable, a person prohibited from having a firearm because of a prior conviction, admitted to having .380 caliber prison in September 2020 in Berkeley County.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Eastern Panhandle Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, and ATF investigated.
Chief U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.
Man Arrested for Allegedly Robbing Two Suburban Chicago BanksRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A man has been arrested for allegedly robbing two suburban Chicago banks in recent weeks.
ANTONIO E. COLLINS has been charged with robbing a Chase Bank branch in Bolingbrook, Ill., on Dec. 21, 2021, and a BMO Harris Bank branch in Homewood, Ill., on Jan. 3, 2022. In each robbery, Collins handed the teller a handwritten note demanding money and stating that he would shoot people if the teller did not comply, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago. Collins made off with approximately $2,868 from the Chase robbery, and approximately $21,836 from the BMO Harris heist, the complaint states.
Collins, 26, of North Riverside, Ill., was arrested on Jan. 6, 2022. The complaint charges him with two counts of bank robbery. A detention hearing in federal court in Chicago is scheduled for Tuesday at 3:00 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sunil R. Harjani.
The arrest and charges were announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. Substantial investigative assistance was provided by the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, Illinois State Police, and Police Departments in Bolingbrook, Ill., Homewood, Ill., North Riverside, Ill., Evergreen Park, Ill., and Orland Park, Ill. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andréa Campbell.
The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Each bank robbery charge is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
KC Man Pleads Guilty to Armed Carjacking That Resulted in Police Pursuit, Fatal CollisionRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Missouri, man has pleaded guilty in federal court to his role in an armed carjacking that led to a high-speed chase in which he collided with another vehicle and killed another motorist.
Derrell M. Wade, 20, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough on Friday, Jan. 7, to one count of carjacking and one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.
Co-defendants Michael A. Brown, 20, and Curtis R. Daniels, 19, both of Kansas City, Mo., also have pleaded guilty to carjacking. Brown and Daniels both have been sentenced to five years in federal prison without parole.
Wade and his co-defendants participated in a carjacking that occurred at approximately 10:35 p.m. on Aug. 24. Wade pressed the barrel of his gun against the forehead of the victim, identified in court documents as “T.R.,” and demanded the keys to his gold 2007 Prius. Another person took T.R.’s cell phone from his hand. T.R. was repeatedly struck in the back with an unknown object by a third person, and told to stay on his knees. The three men then fled in T.R.’s vehicle.
T.R. immediately contacted law enforcement, and used his wife’s cell phone to track his stolen cell phone, using the Find My Phone app. Police officers saw the stolen Prius driving southbound on Lister Avenue, passing over the main thoroughfare of East 23rd Street, at about 11:09 p.m. the same day. Officers pulled behind the vehicle, which was being driven by Wade, and the vehicle accelerated a high rate of speed away from the officers. Officers activated their emergency equipment and initiated a pursuit of the vehicle.
The stolen vehicle traveled at speeds up to 75 miles per hour and ran several stop signs during the pursuit. After running the stop sign at 23rd Street and Lawn Avenue, the Prius collided with another vehicle. This collision resulted in the fatality of an occupant from that vehicle and injuries to another person.
Wade attempted to run away but fell to the ground. As he was falling, he pulled a loaded Smith and Wesson 9mm semi-automatic handgun from his waistband and threw it in the grass.
Brown got out of the passenger side rear door of the Prius and began running toward Elmwood Avenue. He was found hiding near a grill in a residential backyard and arrested.
Daniels, who was sitting in the front passenger seat of the Prius, was arrested without incident.
If the court accepts the binding plea agreement, Wade will be sentenced to 13 years in federal prison without parole. A sentencing hearing will be held on June 2, 2022.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily A. Morgan. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the FBI.
Operation LeGend
Operation LeGend is a federal partnership with local law enforcement to address the increase in homicides and violent crime in Kansas City, Mo., in 2020. The operation honors the memory of four-year-old LeGend Taliferro, one of the youngest fatalities during a record-breaking year of homicides and shootings. Additional federal agents were assigned to the operation from the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the U.S. Marshals Service.
Justice Department Settles with Frozen Food Company to Resolve Immigration-Related Discrimination ClaimsRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice today announced that it has reached a settlement agreement with Buddy’s Kitchen Inc., a Minnesota-based company that produces and distributes frozen foods. The settlement resolves claims that the company discriminated against non-U.S. citizens based on their citizenship status when checking their permission to work in the United States.
“Under federal law, employers may not discriminate by asking workers for specific documents to prove their permission to work based on the workers’ citizenship, immigration status or national origin,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Employers must allow all employees — U.S. citizens and non-U.S. citizens alike — to provide any valid, acceptable document of their choice to prove their permission to work. The Civil Rights Division will continue to investigate and take action to stop unlawful discrimination on the basis of citizenship, immigration status and national origin. We look forward to working with Buddy’s Kitchen to secure compliance with this settlement.”
The department initiated the investigation to determine whether the company was violating the Immigration and Nationality Act’s (INA) anti-discrimination provision. The department’s investigation revealed that the company routinely discriminated by asking non-U.S. citizens, primarily lawful permanent residents, to present specific, Department of Homeland Security-issued documents to prove their permission to work in the United States, while making no such request of U.S. citizens. All employees have the right to choose the valid documentation they wish to present when demonstrating that they have permission to work in the United States.
The INA’s anti-discrimination provision prohibits employers from asking for unnecessary documents — or specifying the type of documentation a worker should present — to prove their permission to work, because of a worker’s citizenship, immigration status or national origin.
Under the settlement, Buddy’s Kitchen will pay $40,000 in civil penalties, change their employment policies to comply with the anti-discrimination provision of the INA, and train its employees who are responsible for verifying workers’ permission to work in the United States.
The Civil Rights Division’s Immigrant and Employee Rights Section (IER) is responsible for enforcing the anti-discrimination provision of the INA. The statute prohibits discrimination based on citizenship status and national origin in hiring, firing, or recruitment or referral for a fee; unfair documentary practices; and retaliation and intimidation.
Learn more about IER’s work and how to get assistance through this brief video. Find more information on how employers can avoid citizenship status discrimination on IER’s website. Applicants or employees who believe they were discriminated against based on their citizenship, immigration status, or national origin in hiring, firing, recruitment or during the employment eligibility verification process (Form I-9 and E-Verify); or subjected to retaliation, may file a charge. The public can also call IER’s worker hotline at 1-800-255-7688 (1-800-237-2515, TTY for hearing impaired); call IER’s employer hotline at 1-800-255-8155 (1-800-237-2515, TTY for hearing impaired); email [email protected]; sign up for a free webinar; or visit IER’s English and Spanish websites. Subscribe to GovDelivery to receive updates from IER.
Jefferson County man sentenced for firearms chargeRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Aaron Patrick Stamets, of Charles Town, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 33 months of incarceration for a firearms charge, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
Stamets, 43, pleaded guilty in July 2021 to one count of “Unlawful Possession of a Firearm.” Stamets, a person prohibited from having a firearm, admitted to having two firearms in August of 2020 in Jefferson County.
This charge is the result of investigations supported by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) under the Attorney General-led Synthetic Opioid Surge (SOS)/Special Operations Division (SOD) Project Clean Sweep. This initiative seeks to reduce the supply of synthetic opioids in “hot spot” areas previously identified by the Attorney General of the United States, thereby reducing drug overdoses and drug overdose deaths, and identify wholesale distribution networks and sources of supply operating nationally and internationally.
OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy D. Helman prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Charles Town Police Department investigated.
Chief U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.
Hustlas Don’t Sleep Drug Gang Defendant Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA – An incarcerated individual pleaded guilty in federal court a charge of violating federal narcotics laws, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
Curtis Saxton-Smith, age 32, no known address, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl at count one of the Indictment before United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that Saxton-Smith was a participant along with approximately 20 other individuals in the Hustlas Don’t Sleep (HDS) Drug Trafficking Organization. The HDS Organization operated out of the Penn Hills, Wilkinsburg and Monroeville areas selling drugs including fentanyl, heroin and cocaine. Saxton-Smith was one of the regular sellers on behalf of the organization. Saxton-Smith was otherwise referred to as “Big J”.
Judge Horan scheduled sentencing for March 22, 2022 at 10:30 a.m. The law provides for a total sentence of not less than five (5) years in prison, a fine of $5,000,000, 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.
Pending sentencing, the court remanded the defendant back into the custody of the U.S. Marshals.
Assistant United States Attorney Brendan T. Conway is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
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.
Houma Man Indicted for Possession with Intent to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JARRETT SCURTO, age 34, a resident of Houma, Louisiana, was charged on January 7, 2022, in a one-count indictment by a Federal Grand Jury with possession with intent to distribute fifty grams or more of methamphetamine in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(A), announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
If convicted, SCURTO faces a statutory mandatory minimum sentence of ten years, up to life imprisonment, a fine of up to $10,000,000, at least five years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
U.S. Attorney Evans reiterated that the indictment is merely a charging document and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Terrebonne Parish Sherriff’s Office. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney J. Benjamin Myers.
Hartford Man Sentenced for Theft of Government Property and Fentanyl Distribution OffensesRead the Press Release
Leonard C Boyle, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JOSE NUNEZ-TORRES, also known as “Jose Nunez” and “J-Money,” 21, of Hartford, was sentenced today via videoconference by U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny to approximately 16 months of imprisonment, time already served, followed by three years of supervised release, for theft and narcotics offenses. Judge Chatigny ordered Nunez-Torres to serve the first four months of supervised release in home confinement.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on January 29, 2019, Nunez-Torres and Dominque Perry stole a 2016 Honda Accord from a residence in Newington. The vehicle was the property of a federal law enforcement agency and contained fully loaded firearm magazines for multiple weapons, ammunition, handcuffs and other restraints, a ballistic vest and its component parts, and raid jackets. After stealing the vehicle, Perry drove the Accord to a location in Bloomfield where he Nunez-Torres removed the vehicle’s tires and rims. Nunez-Torres and Perry subsequently sold the tires and rims, and advertised the sale of loaded firearm magazines, ammunition, ballistic vest and other items.
Nunez-Torres was arrested on March 1, 2019. The vehicle and its tires and rims have been recovered, but some of the law enforcement equipment that was in the car has not been located.
In the afternoon of November 14, 2020, while he was released on bond in his federal case, Nunez-Torres was arrested on state charges after law enforcement officers encountered him sleeping in a stolen car that was parked on an I-91 off ramp in Hartford. A search of the car revealed two stun guns, a black metal collapsible baton, and distribution quantities of fentanyl and marijuana. He has been detained in state custody since that date.
On May 11, 2021, Nunez-Torres pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of theft of government property and one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
Nunez-Torres subsequently pleaded guilty in state court to risk of injury of a minor related to his intending to impair the morals of a minor under the age of 16, and to larceny offenses related to his earlier theft of two additional vehicles, a 2016 Nissan Maxima valued at $17,000 and a 2012 BMW 528 valued at $22,000. Nunez-Torres is expected to be released from state custody on February 8.
Perry pleaded guilty in federal court to theft of government property and, on February 3, 2020, was sentenced to 12 months and one day of imprisonment, followed by four months of home confinement.
Judge Chatigny ordered Nunez-Torres and Perry to pay $1,560 in restitution for the missing equipment.
This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with the assistance of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Newington Police Department, the Hartford Police Department and the Connecticut State Police. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter S. Jongbloed.
Harrison County woman admits to drug and firearms chargesRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Sandra Lynn Burt, of Wallace, West Virginia, has admitted to firearms and drug charges, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
Burt, 51, pleaded guilty today to one count of “Distribution of Fifty Grams or more of Methamphetamine” and one count of “Unlawful Possession of a Firearm.” Burt admitted to selling more than 50 grams of methamphetamine in August 2020 in Harrison County. Burt, a person prohibited from having firearms, admitted to having a .380 caliber piston in September 2020 in Harrison County.
Burt faces at least 10 years and up to life in prison and a fine of up to $10,000,000 for the drug charge and faces up to 10 years of incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000 for the firearms charge. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon S. Flower is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Greater Harrison Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.
Hampshire County man sentenced for role in drug trafficking operationRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Joshua Michael Bourne, of Shanks, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 24 months of incarceration for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
Bourne, age 37, pleaded guilty in July 2021 to one count of “Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Heroin. Fentanyl, and Cocaine Base.” Bourne admitted to working with another individual to distribute the controlled substances from January 2020 through October 2020.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara K. Omps-Botteicher prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The U.S. Attorney’s Office worked closely with the Hampshire County Prosecutor’s Office to bring this case forward. In addition, the Potomac Highlands Drug & Violent Crime task Force, a HIDTA funded initiative, investigated. The task force is comprised of the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI, the West Virginia State Police, the Mineral County Sheriff's Office, the Hampshire County Sheriff's Office, the Hardy County Sheriff's Office, the Keyser Police Department, and the Grant County Sheriff's Office
Chief U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.
Founder of Nationwide Tax Return Preparation Company Sentenced to Prison for Fraud and Tax CrimesRead the Press Release
An Ohio man was sentenced today to one year and one day in prison for conspiring with others to commit fraud in connection with the operation of a national tax return preparation company he owned and managed, as well as tax crimes.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Fessum Ogbazion, of Cincinnati, collected millions of dollars in fees while fraudulently inducing customers to visit ITS Financial LLC, the national franchisor of Instant Tax Service (ITS), a tax preparation business he created in 2004. The ITS advertisements offered tax refund anticipation loans through an independent third-party lender, despite the fact that ITS had no such lender to fund the promised loans. Ogbazion used the false advertising campaigns to entice customers to visit ITS locations for a loan, then used the loan applications to prepare and file income tax returns, often without the customer’s authorization. Between 2006 and 2011, ITS collected more than $70 million in fees.
Ogbazion also failed to pay approximately $1.3 million in payroll taxes due from ITS and another business during four tax quarters in 2009 and 2010. Ogbazion evaded IRS attempts to collect its unpaid payroll taxes by directing business revenue to nominee accounts, placing assets in the names of nominee entities, and making false statements to an IRS revenue officer who attempted to collect ITS’s tax debt.
Ogbazion was convicted by a federal jury on June 6, 2017, of tax evasion, willful failure to withhold and pay over employment taxes, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and bank fraud. After the trial, the court dismissed five counts of wire fraud but left intact the conviction for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and other counts of conviction.
In addition to the term of imprisonment, U.S. District Judge Timothy S. Black ordered Ogbazion to serve three years of supervised release and to pay approximately $933,708 in restitution to the United States.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.
IRS-Criminal Investigation investigated the case.
Senior Litigation Counsel Corey Smith and Trial Attorney Mark McDonald of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Paralegal Specialist Laura Strubbe of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio prosecuted the case.
Former Los Angeles City Attorney’s Official in Charge of Civil Litigation Agrees to Plead Guilty to Extortion ChargeRead the Press Release
INFORMATION
PLEA AGREEMENTLOS ANGELES – A former senior official at the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office has agreed to plead guilty to a federal charge for threatening to fire a plaintiffs’ attorney from a lucrative special counsel job with the city unless the attorney paid a substantial extortion demand from a former employee who was threatening to expose the city’s collusive litigation over its faulty water-and-power billing system, the Justice Department announced today.
Thomas H. Peters, 55, of Pacific Palisades, agreed to plead guilty to a one-count information charging him with aiding and abetting extortion, a crime that carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
The information and plea agreement were filed today in United States District Court. Peters is expected to make his initial court appearance on February 7.
This is the fourth plea agreement federal prosecutors have filed in relation to the ongoing investigation concerning corruption and collusion involving the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) and the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office. Peters is cooperating with the investigation.
Peters served as the chief of the Civil Litigation Branch of the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office from February 2014 to March 2019. By December 2014, the city and LADWP were facing multiple class-action lawsuits over the flawed rollout of a new billing system during the previous year.
Also in December 2014, the City Attorney’s Office hired Paul O. Paradis, 58, a New York-based lawyer, and Paul R. Kiesel, a Beverly Hills plaintiffs’ attorney, as special counsel to represent the city in an anticipated lawsuit against PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), the vendor the city blamed for the billing system debacle in which thousands of ratepayers were massively overcharged, while others were significantly undercharged, resulting in financial losses to the city and LADWP.
The city’s lawsuit, filed in March 2015, alleged that PwC caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damages due to the faulty billing system. The city agreed to pay Paradis and Kiesel 19.9 percent of any recovery in the litigation, meaning the two lawyers stood to gain tens of millions of dollars in attorneys’ fees from the case.
Around this time, Paradis simultaneously was representing Antwon Jones, an LADWP ratepayer suing the city and the department for billing overcharges he incurred from the billing system debacle. By January 2015, members of the City Attorney’s Office were aware that Paradis was simultaneously representing both the city and Jones.
In April 2015, an Ohio attorney whom Paradis had enlisted to purportedly represent Jones filed a Paradis-drafted lawsuit against the city and LADWP. Paradis secretly agreed to accept – and eventually did accept – an illegal kickback of nearly $2.2 million for steering the lawsuit to the Ohio attorney. Paradis has agreed to plead guilty to a bribery charge for this offense.
By the spring of 2015, Peters was informed by a senior City Attorney’s Office official that Jones v. City was a friendly lawsuit intended as a vehicle for the city to settle globally and on its desired terms all claims related to the LADWP billing debacle, that Paradis had referred the case to the Ohio attorney for that purpose, and that the senior City Attorney official had directed and authorized this strategy before the complaint was filed.
Despite objections in an internal email in August 2015 from the city’s class action counsel that a proposed $13 million attorney fee award was unjustifiably high because, in part, the Ohio attorney had done “little demonstrative work to advance the interests of the class,” the city agreed to the fee proposal.
In July 2017, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge issued a final approval of the $67 million settlement agreed to by the parties in Jones v. City, including approximately $19 million in plaintiffs’ attorney fees.
According to the plea agreement filed today, on November 16, 2017, Peters learned from Paradis that a former long-time employee of Kiesel’s – identified in court documents as “Person A” – had stolen or improperly retained from Kiesel’s law firm certain documents that would show the city’s undisclosed collusion with the Ohio attorney in the Jones v. City lawsuit. Person A had threatened to reveal the documents if Kiesel did not pay her to return them.
Peters, who knew Person A from when they worked together at Kiesel’s law firm, understood that she had demanded payment of more than $1 million. Person A also threatened to appear at the next hearing in the City v. PwC case – scheduled for December 4, 2017 – in which the court was set to hear arguments on PwC’s motion to compel the city to produce the Jones v. PwC draft complaint. Peters knew that this document would lead PwC to discover the undisclosed collusive origins of the Jones v. City case, which would be damaging both to the city’s litigation position and to the reputation of the City Attorney’s Office.
On November 17, 2017, Peters met with Kiesel, Paradis and Paradis’ law partner to discuss Person A’s threats. Kiesel complained that Person A’s threats and demands constituted extortion and expressed reluctance to pay her. During this meeting, Peters ordered Kiesel to pay Person A’s monetary demands – if necessary – or potentially be fired as the city’s special counsel in the PwC litigation. Peters did not have the direct authority to fire Kiesel.
By the time of the November 17, 2017 meeting, Kiesel and his law firm had invested thousands of hours of uncompensated labor into City v. PwC. Additionally, Kiesel had borne more than $30,000 in non-labor costs on behalf of the city for the PwC litigation.
On December 1, 2017, Peters met with other senior members of the City Attorney’s Office and updated them on the status of Person A’s threats. The update included the fact that Kiesel had unsuccessfully attempted to negotiate with Person A at LADWP headquarters, and the fact that Person A had threatened to appear at the City v. PwC hearing the following Monday and reveal the documents showing the city’s collusion. Among other things, Peters conveyed that Kiesel had described Person A’s threats as “extortion.” Peters was directed to take care of the situation, and he agreed to do so.
After the December 1, 2017 meeting, Peters sent a text message to Paradis advising that senior leadership at the City Attorney’s Office was “not firing anyone at this point” – meaning that a decision to seek termination of the special counsel contract had not been made at the meeting – but warning that others were concerned about “the prospect of a sideshow” if Person A made good on her threat to appear in court the following Monday and reveal the documents showing the city’s collusion.
On December 4, 2017, Peters, Kiesel, Paradis and Paradis’ law partner, along with a friend of Kiesel’s who knew Person A, attended the hearing in City v. PwC. Person A appeared at the December 4 hearing and attempted to give documents to a court employee, who advised Person A that the court would not accept documents from a non-party. Person A approached the lead counsel for PwC with the documents, stating that she had information that could help PwC’s case. PwC’s counsel exchanged business cards with Person A and asked her to call him.
Kiesel’s friend – acting at Kiesel’s direction – then approached Person A and asked to reinitiate negotiations of her monetary demands to Kiesel.
After the hearing, Peters, Kiesel, Paradis and Paradis’ law partner met in Peters’ office, where Peters reiterated that Kiesel needed to pay Person A’s monetary demands to obtain the return of the documents, or he would be fired, which would mean significant financial losses to Kiesel and his law firm.
On the evening of December 4, 2017, Person A, Kiesel and Kiesel’s friend met at a restaurant and further discussed Person A’s demands. At the dinner, Kiesel agreed to pay $800,000 to Person A to prevent her from releasing the documents.
At approximately 9:15 p.m. on December 4, 2017, via text message, Kiesel informed Peters of the terms of the agreement reached with Person A, including that Kiesel would pay Person A $800,000 and that Person A would return the documents to Kiesel. Peters replied to Kiesel later that night, stating, “Good job,” and directing Kiesel to ensure that there was a strong confidentiality agreement with Person A regarding the $800,000 payment and the documents.
In May 2019, after Peters had resigned from the City Attorney’s Office, he received an inquiry from that office asking what he recalled about the 2017 payment to Person A. Understanding that the City Attorney’s Office was probing whether Peters would, if asked by someone outside the city, reveal the extortion or the underlying collusion, Peters falsely replied that the matter had only involved an employment dispute.
According to his plea agreement, Peters conveyed that he would continue to conceal the extortion and collusion by intentionally omitting from his reply that the “settlement” had involved Kiesel paying Person A $800,000 in extortion money to conceal the city’s collusion, that Peters had directed Kiesel to satisfy Person A’s monetary demands or be fired as special counsel, and that Peters had discussed the situation with and received direction from senior members of the City Attorney’s Office.
In addition to Peters and Paradis, prosecutors have secured plea agreements from David H. Wright, 62, of Riverside, LADWP’s former general manager, and David F. Alexander, 54, of Arcadia, a former senior cyber official at LADWP, stemming from corruption at the department.
The FBI is investigating this matter. Any member of the public who has information related to this or any other public corruption matter in the City of Los Angeles is encouraged to send information to the FBI’s tip line at tips.fbi.gov or to contact the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office at (310) 477-6565.
Assistant United States Attorneys Melissa Mills, Jamari Buxton and Susan Har of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section are prosecuting this case.
Former Financial Controller Sentenced to Prison for Embezzling Almost Half a Million Dollars from Family-Owned San Diego BusinessRead the Press Release
Assistant U. S. Attorney Rebecca S. Kanter (619) 546-7304
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – January 10, 2022
SAN DIEGO – Derick Jonathan Cameron of Vancouver, Washington, was sentenced in federal court today to 20 months in prison for embezzling more than $400,000 when he was employed as the Financial Controller for San Diego-based RAL Investment Corporation.
Cameron previously pleaded guilty, admitting that he abused his access to the company’s accounting software by issuing more than 200 unauthorized checks to himself using the electronic signature of the company’s CFO and depositing them into his personal bank account. He then concealed the payments by manipulating the company’s accounting records to make it appear that each check was issued to a legitimate third-party vendor for a business expense. The company discovered Cameron’s fraudulent activity in April 2018, fired Cameron, and reported the conduct to law enforcement when Cameron was unable to make his promised repayments on schedule.
In addition to the 20 months of federal custody, U.S. District Judge Todd W. Robinson imposed three years’ supervised release, an $8,000 fine and ordered Cameron to pay restitution of $203,857 to the victim, RAL Investment Corporation, which is the difference between the amount Cameron embezzled ($403,857) and the amount he repaid his former employer in 2018 ($200,000) after his theft was detected. The Court specifically ordered Cameron to repay $10,000 by March 12, 2022, suggesting Cameron could sell a recently purchased motorcycle to pay the debt.
“The impact of fraud on small businesses can be devastating,” said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman. “This defendant abused his position of trust to enrich himself, and he has been held to account for his crime.” Grossman thanked the prosecution team and the FBI for the excellent work on this case.
“The FBI will continue to vigorously pursue those who use their workplace access for personal and financial gain over professional responsibility,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Suzanne Turner. “Mr. Cameron’s check-writing scheme hurt this small, family-owned business, endangered its livelihood, and impacted its employees. Today, Mr. Cameron faced judgement for those criminal actions.”
Cameron is scheduled to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on or before March 14, 2022.
DEFENDANTS Case Number 21cr2128-TWR
Derick Jonathan Cameron Age: 38 Vancouver, Washington
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Wire Fraud – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1343
Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and $250,000 fine, or twice the gain/loss, whichever is greater
AGENCY
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Felon Sentenced to Prison for Possessing FirearmsRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Kevan Curry, 49, of Huntington, was sentenced today to two years and 10 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of firearms.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Curry previously admitted that on November 18, 2020, officers with the Huntington Police Department executed a search warrant at Curry’s residence on 20th Street in Huntington. Officers seized a Comanche III .357 magnum revolver, a Browning .40 caliber handgun, and an American Tactical AR-15 rifle. Curry is prohibited from possessing firearms under federal law because of a 2009 felony conviction in Cabell County.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Huntington Police Department.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie S. Taylor prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:21-cr-00114.
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Fayette County Attorney Charged with Defrauding ClientsRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that John William “JW” Eddy, age 39, of Fayette County, Pennsylvania was charged by criminal information with one count of wire fraud for misappropriating funds from clients of his law practice between 2016 and 2020.
According to United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, the information alleges that Eddy was required to maintain a trust account for client funds, also known as an Interest on Lawyer Trust Account or “IOLTA.” This account was to be used for the securing of client funds, such as proceeds from legal settlements, fees advanced for services not yet performed, or money for court fees. The information alleges that Eddy misappropriated $242,975.89 of client funds during this time-period.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ravi Romel Sharma is prosecuting the case.
Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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.
The maximum penalty under federal law for wire fraud is 20 years’ imprisonment. This charge may also carry a fine and a term of supervised release following imprisonment. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.
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East Chicago Man Sentenced to 33 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
HAMMOND- Ernest Willis, 25, of East Chicago, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge James T. Moody after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of firearms, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
Willis was sentenced to 33 months in prison followed by 1 year of supervised release.
According to documents in the case, in November 2020, Willis possessed two firearms after having been previously convicted of a felony. Both firearms were loaded, and one of the firearms had a high-capacity magazine. Willis has prior felony convictions for robbery.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the East Chicago Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin F. Wolff.
This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Downriver Man Arraigned on Delivery of Methamphetamine Causing DeathRead the Press Release
DETROIT - A 52 year-old Downriver man was arraigned today on charges relating to the overdose death of a 28 year-old woman, announced United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison.
Ison was joined in the announcement by Acting Special Agent Josh Hauxhurst , Federal Bureau of Investigation, Detroit Division.
Scott Christopher Sams was charged by indictment with conspiracy, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and delivery of methamphetamine causing death.
According to filings in the case, Sams has been selling methamphetamine in the Downriver area for at least two years. In May 2021, it is alleged that Sams met the victim at a hotel room in Allen Park, where he gave her a fatal amount of methamphetamine. He is facing up to life in prison.
Law enforcement is currently investigating additional overdose fatalities. Anyone with information regarding Sams is urged to contact FBI at (313)965-2323.
This investigation is being conducted by the FBI as part of the Southeast Michigan Region Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Maggie Smith.
Doctor Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Stealing More Than $500,000 from Former EmployerRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – A doctor was sentenced today to 24 months in prison for defrauding his prior employer’s medical practice by stealing and forging the medical practice’s checks to pay personal expenses, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Walter Sytnik, 35, of Voorhees, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Joseph H. Rodriguez in Camden federal court to an information charging him with one count of mail fraud. Judge Rodriguez imposed the sentence by videoconference today.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Before attending medical school, Sytnik worked for a medical practice in southern New Jersey as a bookkeeper. While employed by the practice, Sytnik stole some of its checks and, from May 2013 through April 2018, used them to steal more than $500,000 from the practice. He opened and maintained credit card accounts at the same banks as used by the doctor at the medical practice, and forged the doctor’s signature on the stolen checks, which he sent through the U.S. Mail to pay his own credit card bills. When Sytnik ran out of checks, he reordered new ones so that he could continue the fraud.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Rodriguez sentenced Sytnik to two years of supervised release and ordered him to pay restitution of $415,995.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited agents of the FBI’s South Jersey Resident Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jacqueline Maguire in Philadelphia, with assistance from the Voorhees Township Police Department, under the direction of Chief Louis Bordi, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Diana Vondra Carrig of the U.S Attorney’s Office in Camden.
Doctor Pleads Guilty to Running Pill MillRead the Press Release
DEL RIO – A Carrizo Springs doctor pleaded guilty today to charges he ran a “pill-mill” by providing patients with unlawful prescriptions.
According to court documents, Dr. Alfonso Luevano, 52, admitted that he conducted appointments with patients that did not meet the accepted standard of care in which he prescribed controlled substances including hydrocodone, alprazolam, and tramadol. Undercover officers conducted multiple visits with the doctor, captured on audio/video recording, in which he prescribed controlled substances with almost no medical evaluation. The defendant also admitted that he pre-signed prescription pads and allowed his staff and employees to use them to create controlled substance prescriptions without him seeing the patient at all.
Luevano pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. He is set for sentencing on July 27, 2022. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Co-Defendant Ofelia Martinez, 53, also of Carrizo Springs, previously pleaded guilty on November 22, 2021 to conspiracy to commit health care fraud. The office manager and biller for Luevano’s practice, Martinez admitted to overbilling Texas Medicaid by listing Luevano as the providing practitioner on office visits when he had not seen the patient. Instead, the patients were seen by mid-level practitioners who were instructed to leave the medical record file open. The file was then later closed using Dr. Luevano’s account, resulting in a fraudulent medical record which listed Dr. Luevano as the provider. Martinez faces up to 10 years in prison and her sentencing is currently set for May 25, 2022.
U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff of the Western District of Texas and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Daniel Comeaux made the announcement.
The DEA Prescription Drug Diversion Task Force, DEA Del Rio, and the Texas Attorney General Medicaid Fraud Control Unit are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin Chung and Joshua Banister are prosecuting the case.
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District Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Killing Woman in Burst of Gunfire in Southeast WashingtonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - Nequan Carthens, 21, of Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for opening fire with a handgun on a Southeast Washington street and killing a woman who was walking in the area, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Carthens pleaded guilty in October 2021, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to voluntary manslaughter while armed. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for a 10-year prison term. The Honorable Danya A. Dayson accepted the plea and sentenced the defendant accordingly on Jan. 7, 2022. Following his prison term, Carthens will be placed on five years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, on March 20, 2020, at approximately 9:55 p.m., Carthens exited from the rear passenger door of a blue-colored, four door sedan as it turned into an alley alongside the 1900 block of 16th Street SE. He was holding a handgun and shot into the 1900 block of 16th Street approximately nine times in the direction of a group of individuals who were congregating across the street. He then ran back into the waiting vehicle and fled the scene.
An innocent bystander, Lagoria Brinkley, 36, was walking southbound on 16th Street towards U Street SE and was struck in the head by one of the fired bullets. Medical personnel arrived at the scene and were unable to revive her. Carthens was arrested on March 26, 2020 and has been in custody ever since.
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 acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Lashone Samuels; Victim/Witness Program Specialist Jennifer Allen, and Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin. Finally, they expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Shehzad Akhtar, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Detroit man sentenced for his role in a drug conspiracyRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Doriawn Eduane-Draphel Rogers, of Detroit, Michigan, was sentenced today to time served for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
Rogers, 21, pleaded guilty in August 2021 to one count of “Possession with Intent to Distribute Heroin and Fentanyl in Proximity to a Protected Location.” Rogers admitted to distributing heroin and fentanyl near Fairmont Senior High School and Fairmont State University in August 2020.
Rogers faces at least one and up 40 years of incarceration and a fine of up to $2,000,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon S. Flower prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Three Rivers Drug Task Force investigated.
U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
Convicted Felon Pleads Guilty in Macon PSN CaseRead the Press Release
MACON, Ga. – A Macon resident with prior felony convictions who was found in possession of a firearm during the course of an investigation into a check cashing scheme has pleaded guilty to a federal gun charge.
Jesse Seabolt, 42, of Macon, pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon before U.S. District Judge Marc Treadwell on Thursday, Jan. 6. Seabolt is facing a maximum ten years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing has been scheduled for April 6. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Individuals with prior felonies are breaking federal law when they are arrested in possession of a firearm,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “Convicted felons face the possibility of federal prosecution when they make the choice to illegally carry a weapon.”
According to court documents, the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) was investigating Seabolt for an alleged fraudulent check cashing scheme that occurred in June 2020. During the course of the investigation, a search warrant was obtained and officers executed the search warrant at Seabolt’s home on Aug. 28, 2020. In plain view, next to Seabolt’s mobile phone, was a 9mm pistol. Seabolt was previously convicted of multiple felony offenses including escape, forgery, unlawful possession of another’s identification documents, and unlawful acquisition, possession or transfer of a financial transaction card in Weber County, Utah. It is illegal for a convicted felon to possess a firearm.
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 case was investigated by the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex Kalim is prosecuting the case for the Government.
Citrus County Convicted Felon Arrested for Falsifying Federal Firearm PaperworkRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Darrell Pierre Hopkins (54, Dunnellon) with making a materially false statement in connection with the purchase of firearms and knowingly causing a licensed gun dealer to maintain false information in its official records. If convicted on both counts, Hopkins faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison.
According to court documents and evidence introduced in court, on or about November 23, 2021, Hopkins attempted to purchase two handguns from a federally licensed firearm dealer in Crystal River. While completing the mandatory firearm transaction paperwork, Hopkins certified that he had not previously been convicted of a felony. A criminal background check, however, revealed that Hopkins had prior felony convictions under an alias for robbery and conspiracy to deal cocaine. As a convicted felon, Hopkins is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law. When subsequently confronted by law enforcement, Hopkins admitted that he was the person who had attempted to purchase the firearms.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Bodnar, Jr.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Chiropractor Sentenced for Unlawful Distribution of Steroid-like DrugsRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va. – A New Jersey chiropractor was sentenced to eight months of imprisonment for distributing steroid-like drugs as purported dietary supplements, the Department of Justice announced today.
Nicholas Andrew Puccio, 41, of Columbus, New Jersey, pleaded guilty in June 2021 to distributing unapproved new drugs with the intent to defraud and mislead the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and consumers. In connection with his sentence, Puccio paid a forfeiture money judgment of $150,000 related to proceeds from his sales of illicit products. U.S. District Judge James P. Jones of the Western District of Virginia also ordered Puccio to pay a $10,000 fine.
In pleading guilty, Puccio admitted that, from 2016 to 2020, he marketed drugs as “dietary supplements” to the body-building and fitness community. The purported supplements included a product labeled as containing ostarine, a type of synthetic steroid known as a Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator (SARM). The FDA has warned against the use of SARMs, including stating in a 2017 warning letter to another firm that SARMs have been linked to life-threatening reactions, like liver toxicity, and that they have the potential to increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
“The public – and especially athletes – need to know and understand the risks associated with taking drugs labeled as dietary supplements. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia will continue to pursue criminal charges and seek to hold accountable those who choose to profit from selling unapproved drugs while recklessly disregarding the health risks to the consumers.”
The FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy Ramseyer for the Western District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Speare Hodges of the Department of Justice Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch prosecuted the case.
Business Vice President to Admit to Failing to Account for and Turn over More Than a Million Dollars in Payroll Taxes to the IRSRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – According to an information and plea agreement filed today in U.S. District Court in Providence, the vice president of two Providence businesses, who also acted as the business/finance manager of a trust, will plead guilty to charges that he allegedly failed to turn over to the Internal Revenue Service more than one million dollars in federal payroll taxes, including Medicare, and Social Security taxes withheld from employees’ paychecks.
It is alleged in charging documents that Mark Carlson, as Vice President of American Pride Insulation and of Atlantic Abatement Construction, and a manager of finances for the Leo Byrnes Trust, failed his responsibility to collect, truthfully account for, and turn over payroll taxes from the three entities.
Carlson is charged by way of an information with 14 counts of failure to truthfully account for and pay over withholding and FICA taxes and one count of filing a false tax return.
Court documents allege that, throughout calendar years 2015 through 2018, the three entities withheld taxes from their employees’ paychecks, but Carlson failed to file the appropriate IRS documents, failed to truthfully account for, and failed to turn over to the IRS the federal payroll taxes withheld and FICA taxes due to the United States on behalf of the businesses and their employees. In total, Carlson is alleged to have failed to turnover $1,086,816.50.
Court documents also allege that Carlson created 2018 W2s from American Pride and the Leo Byrnes Trust that falsely represented that a total of $8,946 dollars had been withheld in employment taxes on his behalf and paid over to the IRS, when in fact no money had been paid to the IRS. In May 2019, Carlson allegedly filed an individual tax return falsely stating that $8,946 had been paid to the IRS on his behalf.
An information is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dulce Donovan.
The matter was investigated by of Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation.
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