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6 January 2022
Former Puyallup, Washington, resident pleads guilty to pressuring young girls to send him sexually explicit imagesRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 23-year-old Seattle man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to receipt of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Nicholas Marshall, resided in Puyallup, Washington during most of the criminal conduct, pressuring young girls he met via the internet to send him sexually explicit images. Yesterday, Marshall was sentenced to 87 months in prison in Pierce County Superior Court for the exploitation of a Texas 12-year-old. The report from that victim brought the criminal conduct to the attention of law enforcement. Under the terms of the plea agreement, both sides will recommend 9 years in prison and 15-years of supervised release when Marshall is sentenced on April 1, 2022.
According to the plea agreement, between October 2018 and September 2019, Marshall communicated with various minor girls via the internet apps ‘Discord’ and ‘Snapchat.’ Homeland Security Investigations in Houston, Texas, began an investigation after the mother of a 12-year-old reported her daughter communicating with Marshall via text message and Discord, and the sexual nature of the contact. Puyallup Police investigated the case and Marshall was charged in Pierce County Superior Court for that conduct.
The investigation revealed there were at least four other victims who had been pressured or threatened into sending Marshall sexually explicit images: A 13-year-old girl residing in Washington State; a 16-year-old residing in Wisconsin; a 14-year-old residing in Texas; and a 15-year-old residing in Canada. In some cases, Marshall promised the victims money or gift cards, in others he threatened the girls or their families to get the images he wanted.
On September 10, 2019, investigators searched Marshall’s new residence in Seattle. On his electronic devices they discovered 38 videos of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Marshall was arrested at his job as a security guard in Seattle.
Marshall has been out of custody on the Pierce County charges. He was taken into state custody following the sentencing yesterday. Marshall was turned over to federal custody for today’s court proceeding. Ultimately the state and federal sentences will run concurrently.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Puyallup Police Department.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Angelica Williams in coordination with the Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office.
Former Member of New Bedford Latin Kings Chapter Sentenced for Drug Trafficking and ManufacturingRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A former member of the New Bedford Chapter of the Massachusetts Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation (Latin Kings) was sentenced yesterday on drug charges.
Tanairy Ruiz, a/k/a “Queen Tanairy,” 34, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Rya W. Zobel to time served (approx. 30 days) and three years of supervised release. On Sept. 8, 2021, Ruiz pleaded guilty to conspiracy to manufacture, distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base.
The Latin Kings are a violent criminal enterprise comprised of thousands of members across the United States. The Latin Kings adhere to a national manifesto, employ an internal judiciary and use a sophisticated system of communication to maintain the hierarchy of the organization. As alleged in court documents, the gang uses drug distribution to generate revenue, and engages in violence against witnesses and rival gangs to further its influence and to protect its turf.
Ruiz conspired with other Latin Kings members to manufacture and distribute cocaine base throughout the City of New Bedford. Ruiz resided in one of the many “trap houses” or multi-unit apartment buildings in New Bedford that were controlled by the Latin Kings. Ruiz’s apartment was used as a location where cocaine was “cooked” or manufactured into cocaine base.
In December 2019, a federal grand jury returned an indictment alleging racketeering conspiracy, drug conspiracy and firearms charges against 62 leaders, members and associates of the Latin Kings. Ruiz is the 41st defendant to be sentenced in the case.
Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Commissioner Carol Mici of the Massachusetts Department of Correction; and New Bedford Police Chief Paul Oliveira made the announcement. Valuable assistance was also provided by the FBI North Shore Gang Task Force and the Bristol County and Suffolk County District Attorney’s Offices. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Philip A. Mallard and Lauren Graber of Mendell’s Criminal Division prosecuted the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
FCI Allenwood Inmate Sentenced for Possessing Contraband in PrisonRead the Press Release
WILLIAMSPORT - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that on January 5, 2022, Jason White, age 27, an inmate at Federal Correctional Institution, Allenwood (FCI Allenwood) pleaded guilty to possessing a cellphone in prison. After accepting White’s guilty plea, Magistrate Judge William I. Arbuckle sentenced White to four months’ imprisonment to run consecutively to his current prison sentence.
According to United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, on November 16, 2020, FCI Allenwood staff found White to be in possession of a bundle containing a L8star mini cellphone and several scraps of paper soaked in a synthetic cannabinoid. Federal law prohibits inmates from possessing cellphones due to the institutional security risks posed by their use.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Drew O. Inman and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alisan V. Martin prosecuted the case.
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Edgeworth Tax Evader Sentenced to Prison and Ordered to Pay $1.9 Million in RestitutionRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A resident of Edgeworth, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 15 months’ imprisonment, three years’ supervised release, and 300 hours of community service on his conviction of tax evasion, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
United States Senior District Judge Nora Barry Fischer imposed the sentence on Dean Britton, 57, of Edgeworth, Pennsylvania.
According to information presented to the court, from September 2013 through February 2017, Britton evaded the payment of at least $1,103,352 of federal income tax due and owing by him to the Internal Revenue Service, for the calendar years 2004, 2006, 2007, and 2009 through 2013. He evaded the payment of his taxes by, among other things, failing to file required income tax returns, placing personal bank accounts in nominee names, disguising personal earnings by depositing them into business accounts, and titling his personal residence in the name of a nominee to place it beyond the reach of the Internal Revenue Service. The Court ordered restitution in the amount of $1,994,483.35, which includes tax loss plus interest accrued on the tax due and owing.
Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Fischer stated that the case was one of the more egregious tax evasion cases that she had had over her tenure as a district court judge. She noted that Britton had substantial income during the subject years, most significantly more than $1.9 million in 2007 from which he could have paid taxes. The court imposed a below-guideline sentence, highlighting that the defendant agreed to plead guilty prior to being formally charged and thereby exhibited post-conduct rehabilitation warranting a lesser sentence of imprisonment.
Assistant United States Attorney Carolyn J. Bloch and former trial attorney Kimberley G. Ang of the Department of Justice, Tax Division, prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Chung commended the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Britton.
Dominican Republic National Sentenced to 70 Months in Prison for Fentanyl Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A citizen of the Dominican Republic was sentenced today to 70 months in prison for her role in a drug trafficking conspiracy, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Yaquelin Altagracia Alberto Guerrero, 45, of the Dominican Republic, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Claire C. Cecchi to one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. Judge Cecchi imposed the sentenced today by videoconference.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
In August 2020, Guerrero and two conspirators conducted two sales of fentanyl in New York City to buyers they knew had traveled from New Jersey to New York to make the purchases. On Aug. 10, 2020, Guerrero and two conspirators participated in the sale of approximately one kilogram of fentanyl. On Aug. 12, 2021, Guerrero again worked with others to sell fentanyl to individuals whom she knew had traveled from New Jersey to New York for the sale. The aggregate weight of fentanyl involved in the case was approximately three kilograms.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Cecchi sentenced Guerrero to three years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Susan A. Gibson in Newark, and the Asbury Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Kelso, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Hayden M. Brockett of the Health Care Fraud Unit in Newark.
Demotte Man Sentenced to 72 Months of ImprisonmentRead the Press Release
HAMMOND-Raymond Upthegrove, 35, of Demotte, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Philip P. Simon following his guilty plea to receipt of child pornography and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
Upthegrove was sentenced to 72 months in prison, 5 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $10,000 in restitution.
According to documents filed in the case, on various dates prior to January 10, 2018, Upthegrove downloaded and received child pornography from various websites and forums to his computer. In addition, on January 10, 2018, at his Demotte residence, Upthegrove possessed methamphetamine that he intended to distribute to other individuals.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Jasper County Sheriff’s Department, and the Indiana State Police. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Nozick.
Connecticut and New York Companies Agree to Pay over $900,000 for Providing Chinese-Made Containers to Department of DefenseRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA, PA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that SoNo International LLC (“SoNo”) and Ark Capital Equipment LLC (“Ark”) have agreed to jointly pay $904,000 to the federal government to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by supplying the Department of Defense with shipping containers made in China and/or made from Chinese steel. The Department of Defense contracted for its agencies to purchase American-made materials or materials manufactured in specified allied countries, such as South Korea. Instead, in one contract, SoNo and Ark allegedly had a third-party company change the identifying plates on 100 shipping containers made in China to make them appear to have been manufactured in South Korea. On two other contracts, SoNo’s supplier used Chinese steel, and SoNo and Ark allegedly failed to detect the deception before providing the United States military those containers.
As part of the resolution with the United States, SoNo and Ark have entered into an administrative agreement with the Defense Logistics Agency establishing enhanced training and reporting requirements with respect to government procurement. The third-party company that physically switched the plates has reached a separate agreement with the United States under which it will provide training to its employees to enhance their compliance with Customs rules and regulations and improve their awareness of Buy American and other issues.
“Americans have the right to know that their tax dollars are being spent to support American jobs and American policies,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “When the Department of Defense purchased this material for our warfighters, SoNo agreed to acquire material from and support manufacturers in America or our allied nations. The United States Attorney’s Office is ready to investigate and punish contractors who do not follow these clear rules.”
“Protecting the integrity of the Department of Defense (DoD) procurement process and supply chain is a top priority for the DoD Office of Inspector General Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS),” stated Special Agent in Charge Patrick J. Hegarty, DCIS Northeast Field Office. “The DCIS will continue to work with its law enforcement partners and the USAO-EDPA to hold DoD contractors accountable to contract requirements and ensure that quality products and services are provided to the U.S. military.”
“AFOSI will continue to work with our law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, to protect the integrity of the Federal procurement process and ensure wrongdoers are held accountable for their actions,” said Special Agent in Charge William W. Richards, Air Force Office of Special Investigations.
This investigation was conducted as part of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania’s Affirmative Civil Enforcement Strike Force with investigators from DCIS, the Army Criminal Investigation Division, and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Regulatory Audit and Agency Advisory Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul W. Kaufman handled the investigation and settlement.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only; there has been no determination of liability.
Columbus, Ohio Man Sentenced to 63 Months for Defrauding Employer of over $4 MillionRead the Press Release
David Hudson, 56, of Columbus, Ohio, was sentenced yesterday by Judge Arthur J. Tarnow to sixty-three months in prison for defrauding his employer of over $4 Million, announced United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison.
Hudson was an employee of Cummins Bridgeway, LLC (“CBL”) and Cummins Inc. (“Cummins”), two companies operating in New Hudson, Michigan. Hudson worked for CBL from approximately 2003 through 2014, until it was acquired by Cummins. Post-acquisition, Hudson was employed by Cummins.
The owners of CBL established two entities to which CBL profits were paid for the purpose of sharing profits with CBL management and employees. While working at CBL, Hudson’s job involved transferring funds to these profit-sharing entities in the normal course of business. As part of his job, Hudson had authority to write checks from the profit-sharing entities. As part of the scheme to defraud, Hudson would, under false pretenses, direct an employee under his supervision to transfer CBL funds—and later Cummins funds—into one or more of the profit-sharing entities. Hudson would then, without authorization, write checks from the profit-sharing entities to himself. It was the goal of this scheme that Hudson would take advantage of his authority and position to enrich himself at the expense of his employers.
Between approximately 2008 and 2017, Hudson’s scheme resulted in the fraudulent transfer of over $4.5 million dollars. This money was spent by Hudson to support a lavish lifestyle. For example, Hudson used stolen funds to purchase a Cadillac, designer clothing, luxury watches, cigars, and rare wines.
Ison was joined in the announcement by Josh Hauxhurst, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
This case was investigated by special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Wyse.
Columbus man sentenced to more than 18 years in prison for robbing auto parts stores at gunpointRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Columbus man was sentenced in federal court here today to 225 months in prison for armed robbery.
Craishon Russell, 32, robbed two auto parts stores at gunpoint in June 2019.
According to court documents, on June 5, 2019, Russell brandished a firearm at the AutoZone store on East Main St. in Reynoldsburg. Russell had employees empty the safe and registers, totaling in $1,400 in cash.
On June 15, 2019, Russell robbed at gunpoint the O’Reilly Auto Parts store on Gender Road in Canal Winchester.
Employees at each store described the assailant’s tattoos, including those on his neck and under his right eye.
“Russell’s crimes are very serious – in particular because a firearm was involved in the commission of the offenses,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “Several employees and customers were present in both businesses at the time of the robberies making them even more brazen.”
On June 19, 2019, Russell was stopped by Columbus Division of Police officers on a complaint of a man waving a gun around. He was arrested after officers discovered a pistol in his vehicle.
Russell, also known as “Diablo,” was indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2020 and pleaded guilty in July 2021 to robbery and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Roland H. Herndon, Jr., Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF); and Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Court Judge Michael H. Watson. Assistant United States Attorneys Elizabeth A. Geraghty and Kevin W. Kelley are representing the United States in this case.
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Clinic owner sentenced in illegal kickback and money laundering schemeRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A Houston clinic owner has have been ordered to federal prison following her convictions in an illegal kickback and money laundering scheme at a Harwin Drive business, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Anurag Dass aka Anna Dass, 49, Houston, pleaded guilty to illegal kickbacks and money laundering for her role in the scheme in August 2019.
Today, U.S. District Judge Alfred Bennett ordered her to serve 24 months in prison to be immediately followed by two years of supervised release. She was further ordered to pay $2,242,899 in restitution.
Anna Dass operated A&A Pain and Wellness Center Inc. on Harwin Drive in Southwest Houston along with her brother Ankul Dass. Anna Dass admitted she submitted or caused others to file false claims with the Office of Worker Compensation Programs (OWCP) for patients Stephen Hunt directed to the clinic. Hunt was a former injured employee with the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) who filed his own injury claim with OWCP.
The Dass siblings conspired with Hunt for him to direct injured federal workers to the center for medical treatment and health care services. All three admitted Hunt would receive a fee as payment from the center for each claim OWCP paid. Hunt also charged a fee to injured federal workers he had referred for his representation and services through a company he controlled under the name “Zentec.”
Anna Dass was the manager of Clinical Operations at the clinic, while Anukul Dass was the clinic director. Anna Dass filed false claims for services which were not authorized and not performed by a licensed physical therapist. Anna Dass admitted she received $2,242,899 in reimbursements from the unlawful activity.
Hunt, 70, Waxahachie, and Anukul Dass aka Andy Dass, 44, Houston, were also convicted for their roles in the scheme – each pleading guilty to illegal kickbacks
Previously released on bond, Anna Dass was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The USPS - Office of Inspector General (OIG) and Department of Labor - OIG conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Day and Kristine Rollinson are prosecuting this case.
Citrus Heights Man Sentenced to over 24 Years in Prison for Sexual Exploitation of a ChildRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — U.S. District Judge Troy Nunley sentenced David John Alcock, 48, of Citrus Heights, today to 24 years and four months in prison, to be followed by 20 years of supervised release, for sexual exploitation of a child, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, Alcock sexually abused a 13-year-old victim for months, producing multiple visual depictions of those acts. Alcock sent at least one video recording of the victim engaging in sexual acts to another person over the internet in exchange for different files depicting children engaged in sexual acts. On the date of his arrest, over 200 videos depicting the sexual abuse of children, some as young as toddlers, were found on Alcock’s iPhone.
“Today’s sentence reflects the extremely serious and disturbing nature of Alcock’s criminal conduct, which targeted children,” said U.S. Attorney Talbert. “The defendant engaged in repeated sexual abuse of the victim over the course of many months, while simultaneously trafficking in videos and images of children being sexually abused and exploited. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to investigating, prosecuting and stopping those who prey upon the most vulnerable members of our society.”
“Sexual abuse against children is a pervasive and unfathomable crime that impacts innocent victims and threatens the safety of our youth, who are the future of our communities,” Citrus Heights Police Chief Alexander A. Turcotte said. “The Citrus Heights Police Department is committed to bringing the defendants in these cases to justice. We are especially grateful for the collaborative efforts with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office, the FBI, and the US Attorney's Office, who assisted with ensuring that Mr. Alcock was held accountable for his actions and that justice was sought for the involved victims.”
“This is one of many cases where our office worked jointly with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to successfully hold sex offenders accountable for the horrific crimes committed against children,” states Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert. “Our office’s Cybercrimes Unit and the Citrus Heights Police Department worked together to investigate a cyber tip, which resulted in child molestation charges. Given the additional resources and increased sentencing potential in federal court, we are grateful the U.S. Attorney’s Office took the lead on the prosecution of this case.”
“This case exemplifies the work the FBI and our law enforcement partners at the Citrus Heights Police Department do to identify and investigate child predators who exploit innocence and trust in our community,” said Special Agent in charge Sean Ragan of the FBI Sacramento Field Office. “David Alcock used his position as a trusted neighbor in his community to prey upon the innocence of a child who lived nearby. Not only did Alcock sexually abuse this child, he distributed videos of his abuse to others on the internet. Additionally, Alcock admitted to collecting child pornography for two decades. His actions revictimized the minors featured in these images and videos all over again. The FBI is committed to working with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to ensure anyone who sexually abuses children and/or produces, obtains or shares images of such abuse faces justice.”
This case was the product of an investigation by the Citrus Heights Police Department, the Sacramento District Attorney’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christina McCall prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.
Chinese National Pleads Guilty to Economic Espionage ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Xiang Haitao, 44, a Chinese national formerly residing in Chesterfield, Missouri, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit economic espionage.
According to court documents, Xiang conspired to steal a trade secret from Monsanto, an international company based in St. Louis, for the purpose of benefitting a foreign government, namely the People’s Republic of China.
“Despite Xiang’s agreements to protect Monsanto’s intellectual property and repeated training on his obligations to do so, Xiang has now admitted that he stole a trade secret from Monsanto, transferred it to a memory card and attempted to take it to the People’s Republic of China for the benefit of Chinese government,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “With his guilty plea, Xiang is now being held accountable for this unlawful conduct.”
“Mr. Xiang used his insider status at a major international company to steal valuable trade secrets for use in his native China,” said U.S. Attorney Sayler Fleming for the Eastern District of Missouri. “We cannot allow U.S. citizens or foreign nationals to hand sensitive business information over to competitors in other countries, and we will continue our vigorous criminal enforcement of economic espionage and trade secret laws. These crimes present a danger to the U.S. economy and jeopardize our nation’s leadership in innovation and our national security.”
“The American worker suffers when adversaries, like the Government of China, steal technology to grow their economies,” said Assistant Director Alan E. Kohler Jr. of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division. “It’s not just military technology developed in secret labs that adversaries want; in this case, it was agricultural technology used by American farmers to improve crop yields. The FBI will continue investigating the theft of technology from American companies because economic security is national security.”
According to court documents, Xiang was employed by Monsanto and its subsidiary, The Climate Corporation, from 2008 to 2017, where he worked as an imaging scientist. Monsanto and The Climate Corporation developed a digital, online farming software platform that was used by farmers to collect, store and visualize critical agricultural field data and increase and improve agricultural productivity for farmers. A critical component to the platform was a proprietary predictive algorithm referred to as the Nutrient Optimizer. Monsanto and The Climate Corporation considered the Nutrient Optimizer a valuable trade secret and their intellectual property.
In June 2017, the day after leaving employment with Monsanto and The Climate Corporation, Xiang attempted to travel to China on a one-way airplane ticket. While he was waiting to board his flight, Federal officials conducted a search of Xiang’s person and baggage. Investigators later determined that one of Xiang’s electronic devices contained copies of the Nutrient Optimizer. Xiang continued on to China where he worked for the Chinese Academy of Science’s Institute of Soil Science. Xiang was arrested when he returned to the United States.
Xiang pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit economic espionage and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 7. He faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, a potential fine of $5 million and a term of supervised release of not more than three years. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security Customs and Border Protection are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Drake for the Eastern District of Missouri, Senior Trial Attorney Heather Schmidt and Trial Attorney Adam Small of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, and Senior Counsel Jeff Pearlman of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section are prosecuting the case.
Chicago Man Sentenced to 37 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
HAMMOND- Clarence Brown, 30, of Chicago, Illinois, 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.
Brown was sentenced to 37 months in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release.
According to documents in the case, in June 2021, Brown possessed two firearms - a Taurus firearm and a Polymer 80/20 - after having been previously convicted of a felony (armed robbery). The latter firearm is commonly referred to as a “ghost gun” since it lacked a make, model, or serial number. Both firearms, which were loaded, had travelled in interstate commerce: the Taurus firearm had traveled in interstate commerce because it was not manufactured in the State of Indiana and the ghost gun had traveled in interstate commerce because Brown it had brought into Indiana from Illinois.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Hammond Police Department, and the Whiting 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.
Career Coach Is Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Stealing More Than $68,000 from Workforce Development ProgramRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Jessica Anne Miller, 39, of Hickory, N.C., was sentenced to 24 months in prison today on a wire fraud charge, for stealing more than $68,000 from a federally funded workforce development program, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. U.S. District Judge Kenneth D. Bell also ordered Miller to serve two years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney King is joined in making this announcement by Rafiq Ahmad, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Atlanta Region of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG).
According to filed court documents and today’s sentencing hearing, from July 2016 to November 2019, Miller was employed as a career coach by an entity contracted by a nonprofit association of local governments to provide training to job seekers, using federal funds made available by the U.S. Department of Labor under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). WOIA was signed into law in 2014, and it is designed to provide qualified individuals with access to training, education, and support services, and assistance with obtaining employment. As part of WOIA, qualified individuals can also be reimbursed for certain eligible expenditures such as mileage, costs and fees, and tools of the trade, among others.
As a career coach, Miller was responsible for providing career guidance, case management and follow up to participants in the youth program. Miller previously admitted in court that, while serving as a career coach, she engaged in a scheme to divert government funds for her own benefit, by creating fraudulent documents, falsifying signatures, and making false and misleading statements to qualified individuals who were supposed to be the recipients of the WOIA funds.
In some instances, Miller created fraudulent documents for mileage reimbursement on behalf of students enrolled in the program, and then cashed the checks and kept the proceeds for herself. In other instances, Miller created fraudulent documents that falsely indicated that qualified individuals had made reimbursable purchases, such as tools of the trade, and were seeking reimbursement for those costs. Miller then submitted the fraudulent documents and cashed the reimbursement checks. Miller also created and submitted fraudulent documents, that included students’ forged signatures, indicating that students had successfully completed certain milestones that would have entitled them to gift cards. Instead of providing those gift cards to qualifying students, Miller kept them for herself.
To further perpetuate the scheme, court documents show that Miller opened bank accounts and American Express accounts in the names of students without their knowledge and consent and used those accounts to cash the fraudulent reimbursement checks. In total, Miller defrauded at least 40 individuals and diverted more than $68,000 in government funds for her own personal enrichment.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King commended DOL-OIG for their investigation of the case and thanked the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and the Conover Police Department for their invaluable assistance.
Assistant United States Attorney Maria Vento, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte, prosecuted the case.
California man pleads guilty and is sentenced for his role in methamphetamine conspiracyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – United States District Court Judge Henry E. Autrey accepted a plea of guilty from Hector Soto on today’s date. Judge Autrey then sentenced Soto to 10 years in federal prison. Soto pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess, with the intent to distribute, actual methamphetamine.
According to the plea agreement, between September 2018 and the date of the indictment, Hector Soto reached an agreement with co-defendants and at least one unindicted co-conspirator
to distribute and possess, with the intent to distribute, actual methamphetamine.
On or about November 8, 2018, the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) intercepted a suspicious package being shipped from California to a local residence. USPIS obtained a search warrant for the package, conducted a search, and determined that the package contained approximately six (6) kilograms of actual methamphetamine. USPIS arranged for a controlled delivery of the package to the residence and obtained an anticipatory search warrant for the residence.
A co-defendant of Soto accepted delivery of the package into the residence. Upon the package being accepted a search of the residence was conducted, during which time nothing further was located. The palm print of a co defendant was located on the outside of the package. Hector Soto’s fingerprints were located on the inside of the packaging material that contained the methamphetamine.
The investigation was conducted by the United States Postal Inspection Service.
California Man Sentenced for Illegal Possession of a Firearm, Driving Stolen CarRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va. – A San Bernardino, California man, who stole a car in Kentucky and was stopped for speeding the following day in Marion, Virginia, was sentenced yesterday to 51 months in federal prison for possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon.
Christian Joseph Laxson McCool, 29, pleaded guilty in September 2021.
“We must be diligent in our efforts to keep firearms out of the hands of those who have lost the right to possess a weapon,” United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh said today. “Safe, responsible gun ownership is paramount to reducing gun crime in our neighborhoods.”
“This is a positive result of a job well done by ATF and our partners who work tirelessly to combat violent gun crime within our communities. We will continue to use all of our resources to disrupt the illegal possession of firearms, distribution of narcotics and other acts of violence within our community,” said ATF Washington Field Division Special Agent in Charge Charlie J. Patterson.
According to court documents, McCool was stopped for speeding in Marion on December 27, 2020. At the time of the traffic stop, McCool was the only occupant and informed officers he did not have a license. However, he did admit to having a gun with him.
Following the officers’ commands, McCool exited the vehicle but fled before being taken into custody after a short pursuit on foot. The vehicle McCool was driving had been reported stolen out of Kentucky the day before, and officers located a loaded, 9mm pistol under the front seat. In addition, officers found a loaded 9mm magazine, two syringes, and a small baggie containing what appeared to be methamphetamine.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Williamson, West Virginia Police Department, and the Marion Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lena L. Busscher prosecuted the case.
Boston Woman Sentenced on Federal Firearm OffenseRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Boston woman was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for illegally possessing a firearm and ammunition.
Bianca Blanchard, 34, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Rya Zobel to 78 months in prison and three years of supervised release. In September 2021, Blanchard pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Blanchard was arrested in May 2019 after law enforcement determined that she had fired a bullet in the direction of a moving vehicle on a residential street in Dorchester, which led to a retaliatory shooting in which six bullets were fired into the apartment of a neighbor uninvolved in the dispute. A search of Blanchard’s residence resulted in the recovery of a Ruger .380 caliber semi-automatic pistol and an extended magazine containing 12 rounds of .380 caliber ammunition. Due to prior convictions of possession of ammunition without a firearms identification card and possession with intent to distribute a Class A substance, Blanchard is prohibited from possessing a firearm and ammunition.
Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Boston Police Acting Commissioner Gregory Long made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elianna J. Nuzum of Mendell’s Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN is 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.
Billings meth trafficker sentenced to five years in prisonRead the Press Release
BILLINGS —A Billings woman who admitted to receiving packages of methamphetamine in the mail for distribution was sentenced today to five years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Leif M. Johnson said.
Holly Michele Hedberg, 38, pleaded guilty in August 2021 to possession with intent to distribute meth.
U.S District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.
In court documents filed in the case, the government alleged that in July 2020, an investigation of Hedberg began after the U.S. Postal Service located a suspicious package that was destined for Hedberg’s address. Law enforcement also had learned that Hedberg was receiving packages of meth from Washington through the mail. Agents served a search warrant on the suspicious package and determined it contained meth. Agents made a controlled delivery of the package and Hedberg accepted it. In a search of Hedberg’s residence, law enforcement found drug paraphernalia, a drug ledger and packaging from previous packages from the Washington address. Hedberg admitted to receiving about 10 packages of meth from Washington, with each package containing from two to four ounces of meth.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie R. Patten prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI’s Western Transnational Organized Crime Task Force and the Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a U.S. Department of Justice initiative to reduce violent crime. Through PSN, federal, tribal, state and local law enforcement partners in Montana focus on violent crime driven by methamphetamine trafficking, armed robbers, firearms offenses and violent offenders with outstanding warrants.
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Billings man admits sex trafficking, firearms and prostitution-related crimesRead the Press Release
BILLINGS — A Billings man accused in a large sex and drug trafficking investigation that involved multiple victims, including minors, admitted to crimes today, U.S. Attorney Leif M. Johnson said.
William Maurice Newkirk, also known as “Pelly,” 41, pleaded guilty to a superseding information charging him with sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, use of facility in interstate commerce in aid of racketeering, possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking and transportation of a person with intent to engage in prostitution. Newkirk faces a mandatory minimum 15 years to life in prison, a $250,000 fine and five years to a lifetime of supervised release on the sex trafficking crime and a mandatory minimum five years to life in prison, consecutive to any other sentence, a $250,000 fine and five years of supervised release on the firearms crime.
U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided. Judge Watters set sentencing for May 12. Newkirk was detained pending further proceedings.
The government alleged in court documents that in December 2018, Newkirk and an individual, identified as Jane Doe 1, began dating and had a tumultuous relationship. About this time, Newkirk met another individual, identified as Jane Doe 2. In February 2019, Jane Doe 2 started working in commercial sex for Newkirk, who provided her with cocaine in connection with commercial sex calls, posted ads and corresponded with customers. Newkirk kept the money from the commercial sex calls and decided how much to provide to Jane Doe 2. Newkirk had Jane Doe 2 stay up late doing commercial sex calls because he needed the money. Jane Doe 2 worked for Newkirk in Billings and elsewhere until about May 2019.
The government further alleged that in May 2019, Newkirk transported Jane Doe 1 from Montana to Wyoming with the intent that she engage in prostitution. Investigators obtained electronic communications between Newkirk and Jane Doe 1, witness statements and commercial sex ads for Jane Doe 1 about the Wyoming trip.
In April 2019, the government alleged, Newkirk met an individual identified as Jane Doe 6, a minor, and the two ultimately spent time together. Jane Doe 6 began to work in commercial sex. Newkirk posted ads for her and corresponded with customers using his cellular phone, including setting up a commercial sex call at a business in Billings.
The government also alleged that in March 2019, Newkirk met a minor and her friends and provided them with a ride in Billings. Newkirk distributed cocaine to the minor and possessed a firearm during the drug transaction.
Three other co-defendants, Anthony Marcos Chadwell, Djavon Lamont King and Mario Juan Drake, have pleaded guilty to charges in the case and are awaiting sentencing. A fourth co-defendant, Dejon Anthony Duncan, has informed the Court that he intends to plead guilty.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zeno B. Baucus, Bryan T. Dake and Benjamin D. Hargrove are prosecuting the case, which was investigated by the FBI, the Billings Police Department, and the Drug Enforcement Agency.
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Barbour County man admits to drug chargeRead the Press Release
ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA – Matthew Scott Mayle, of Philippi, West Virginia, has admitted to a drug charge, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
Mayle, 36, pleaded guilty today to one count of “Distribution of Fifty Grams or More of Methamphetamine.” Mayle admitted to selling more than 50 grams of methamphetamine in April 2019 in Barbour County.
Mayle faces at least 10 years and up to life incarceration and a fine of up to $10 million. 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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.
Baltimore County Hit Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Federal Prison for Murder-For-Hire and Extortion ChargesRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander today sentenced Stepfen Gerard Gaither, age 30, of Randallstown, Maryland, to 12 years in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release, for a murder-for-hire conspiracy and for interstate communications with intent to extort, in connection to the extortion and planned murder of a Baltimore County restaurant owner and his partner over a debt, as well as to possession with intent to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl and heroin.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department
According to his plea agreement and other court documents, Gaither was hired by codefendant Clement Robert Mercaldo, Jr. to send messages threatening victims and their families in order to extort money. As part of the plan to extort, Mercaldo paid Gaither to vandalize a victim’s car and set fire to a victim’s house. Later, Mercaldo agreed to pay Gaither to murder a victim. Gaither also possessed with the intent to distribute 723 pills containing fentanyl and heroin that were marked as Oxycontin.
“Stepfen Gaither terrorized several victims, including sending threatening messages, setting one victim’s house on fire while they were at home, and plotting the murder of a restaurant owner,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron. “I commend the FBI and Baltimore County Police Department whose investigative work stopped Gaither and his co-conspirator before they succeeded in their murder-for-hire. This sentence sends a strong message that threats and violence will not be tolerated and will lead to jail time.”
“This case serves as a reminder to those offenders who are a menace in our neighborhoods by committing violent acts, that the FBI continues to protect the public and hold accountable those who have such bold disregard for the law and more importantly human life,” said Thomas J. Sobocinski, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Baltimore field office.
Between 2008 and 2017, Mercaldo, a former restaurant owner, loaned over $1 million to the victim. The victim made payments to Mercaldo until 2019, when he was unable to make further payments. As a result, Mercaldo was in significant financial distress and sold his personal belongings in order to continue to pay his expenses.
Beginning in March 2019, Mercaldo hired Gaither to assist in his plot to collect the debt through a variety of extortionate means. Mercaldo gave at least $1,000 in cash to Gaither in exchange for Gaither agreeing to send threatening messages to the victim and destroy the victim’s property, with the intent to pressure the victim to repay Mercaldo.
According to Gaither’s plea agreement, on March 10, 2019, Gaither traveled to the victim’s residence to conduct surveillance, and contacted Mercaldo by cell phone while he was at the residence. Just prior to March 28, 2019, Mercaldo traveled to Florida. On the evening of March 28, 2019, Gaither again traveled to the victim’s residence and used an object smashed the windows of the victim’s car, while the car was in his driveway. Mercaldo returned from Florida on March 29th, when he supplied Gaither with another cash payment. Mercaldo also provided Gaither with the phone number to the victim’s restaurant. Immediately before and after the windows were smashed, Gaither used an anonymous texting application to threaten the victim. The messages referenced a debt and threatened the victim’s wife. In the first few days of April 2019, Gaither also placed calls to the victim in which he took responsibility for smashing the windows and then threatened the victim’s wife.
On April 10, 2019, at Mercaldo’s request, Gaither, using the same number used to contact the victim, sent Mercaldo a message falsely purporting to be from a person from Delaware who was trying to collect money and threatening Mercaldo’s son. Mercaldo asked Gaither to send this message so that Mercaldo could show it to the police when he was questioned about the victim’s smashed windows and other threats. On April 12, 2019, Mercaldo was interviewed by a detective from the Baltimore County Police Department, regarding the destruction of property at the victim’s residence. Mercaldo falsely told the detective that he too had been receiving threatening messages from a person identifying themselves as “Robin.” Mercaldo then showed the detective the fake message Gaither sent him two days earlier, which included a screen shot of Mercaldo’s son playing lacrosse at his high school. Mercaldo also provided detectives with a false story about his loan to the victim, claiming that he obtained the money he loaned the victim from an unnamed person in Michigan, who loaned the money to Mercaldo at a high interest rate, and that Mercaldo pays this person in cash on the first of the month after receiving an anonymous text message providing the location to meet for the transaction. Additionally, Mercaldo told the detective that he returned home from Florida on March 29, 2019 to find that the windshield of his Mercedes was also smashed, although he did not report it to the police. Mercaldo stated that he believed that the smashing of his windshield was related to the smashing of the victim’s windshield. In truth, Mercaldo’s windshield was damaged by a rock from another car and was repaired on March 14, 2019, two weeks prior to the vandalism of the victim’s car.
From April 2019 through July 2019, Mercaldo withdrew more than $5,000 in cash from his bank account, which he paid to Gaither, who deposited similar amounts of cash into his bank account. For example, on April 26, 2019, May 7, 2019, and May 15, 2019, Mercaldo withdrew a total of $4,000 cash from his bank account in Maryland, and between May 3rd and July 19th, Gaither deposited $2,514 into his account. The purpose of the payments was for Gaither to set fire to the victim’s home.
After conducting surveillance at the victim’s house on July 29 and August 1, 2019, at Mercaldo’s direction, in the early morning hours of Sunday, August 4, 2019, Gaither traveled to the victim’s house, where he again conducted surveillance. While the victim and his wife were asleep upstairs, a rear basement window at the house was broken and a flammable liquid was ignited. Gaither left the area when he heard emergency vehicles responding to the fire.
The victim and his wife were awoken by the smoke detectors and escaped the fire with the family cat. Although no injuries were sustained to the family or emergency responders, the fire caused significant damage to the residence and destroyed much of the victim’s personal property. As a result of the damage, the victim and his wife were forced to move out of their home and to live elsewhere. In the days immediately following the arson, Mercado withdrew $1,500 cash from his bank account and gave it to Gaither, who deposited $1,290 in cash into his account.
The arson at the victim’s residence in August 2019 caused an estimated $302,774.89 of damage to the dwelling and contents, and a loss to the insurance company of $353,340.66 as a direct result of the fire.
In August and September 2019, Gaither sent numerous threatening text messages from anonymous texting applications to the victim and his business partner. The messages demonstrated that they were being followed. The threats referenced a debt, and many of the messages threatened to harm the victims and their families. For example, on August 30, 2019, Gaither sent a message to the victim, which referenced the arson as part of the efforts to collect the debt Mercaldo continued to instruct Gaither to send threatening messages and on October 22, 2019, the business partner received the message, “This is the third check you and your partner gave me that bounce i talked to him and he gave me your address saying you is stealing from him and do what i have to do to get my money from you he even gave me pictures of your wife and kids.”
On October 26, 2019, Gaither used the anonymous texting application to arrange for and receive a cash payment from the business partner. The payment was observed and recorded by law enforcement. Immediately after receiving the money, Gaither purchased an Apple watch, and deposited cash into his bank account. Gaither and Mercaldo subsequently exchanged text messages for several days about this payment, with Mercaldo stating that the victims told him a payment was made to Gaither and Gaither adamantly denying receiving any money from the victims.
Starting on October 29, 2019, and continuing through at least the end of January 2020, Mercaldo and Gaither began discussing “plan b” – the murder of one or both of the victims for their lack of payment. For example, on November 3, 2019 Mercaldo sent a text to Gaither, “Hope you whack his ass!” On November 8, 2019, Mercaldo texted Gaither, “Nail em plz !!” In January 2020, Gaither conducted surveillance at the residences and business of the victims, taking images and videos and during some of the videos, he narrated how he planned to follow and attack the victim. During two of the videos Gaither is seen holding two different handguns in his vehicle during surveillance. Gaither sent these videos and images to Mercaldo as attachments to numerous text messages, during, and immediately after, many of the incidents of surveillance. Gaither and Mercaldo continued to communicate about the victims and the debt through March 2020 and as late as May 30, 2020.
Gaither and Mercaldo were arrested on June 23, 2020 and remain detained. During the search of Gaither’s house on June 23, 2020, investigators recovered a loaded handgun and ammunition in a safe in Gaither’s dresser drawer. Also found during the search was a permit to carry a handgun – dated April 2, 2020. In the same bedroom, on the top shelf of the closet was a second safe, containing 732 pills marked as 30 mg OxyContin, which has a street value of approximately $22,000. The pills were seized and analyzed by the Baltimore County Police Department Forensic Services Laboratory, and it was determined that the pills contained a detectable amount of fentanyl and heroin. Next to the safe in Gaither’s bedroom closet was a Glock handgun box containing two boxes with a total of 68 rounds of .9mm caliber ammunition.
An examination of Gaither’s phone revealed drug trafficking activity, going back at least three years, including text messages discussing the wholesale purchase and sale of narcotics, including messages in June 2020, just days before Gaither’s arrest. The phone also contained images of large quantities of apparent narcotics, and two June 2020 videos of the defendant using a digital scale to weigh apparent crack cocaine. Gaither’s phone contained numerous images and videos of firearms over several years.
Clement Robert Mercaldo, Jr., age 62, of Timonium, Maryland pleaded guilty to his role in the murder-for-hire on August 5, 2021 but died prior to being sentenced.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI and Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Budlow, who is prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Attempted Robbery of over 100 Kilos of MarijuanaRead the Press Release
FLINT - Justin D. Cooper, 30 of Flint was sentenced today to 17 years in federal prison for his participation in the deadly attempted robbery of over 100 kilograms of marijuana from a residence in Sanilac County, announced United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison. Cooper was sentenced by United States District Judge Stephanie Dawkins Davis following his guilty plea in August of 2021.
Ison was joined in the announcement by Acting Special Agent in Charge Josh Hauxhurst of the Federal Bureau of Investigation-Detroit Division (FBI), Paul Rich, Sanilac County Sheriff, Keith LaMont, Michigan State Police, and Brenda Sanford, Sanilac County Prosecuting Attorney.
According to court documents, at various times prior to November 19, 2017, Cooper and his co-conspirators drove to a residence in Sanilac County where they attempted to break into a building on the property in order to steal over 100 kilograms of marijuana, which they later intended to distribute. When those attempts at stealing the marijuana failed, Cooper and his co-conspirators planned to take the marijuana by force by way of an armed robbery.
On or about November 18, 2017, and continuing until November 19, 2017, Cooper and his co-conspirators gathered at a residence in Flint to prepare for the robbery. Some members of the conspiracy armed themselves with firearms to use during the robbery. Cooper and other members of the conspiracy then traveled to a Marathon Gas Station on S. Dort Highway in Flint to obtain gasoline to facilitate their travel to Sanilac County and to purchase items to be used in the robbery. While at the Marathon Gas Station, Cooper purchased two boxes of lawn and leaf bags to be used by members of the conspiracy to carry away the 100 plus kilograms of marijuana they intended to rob. After they left the Marathon Gas Station, Cooper and other members of the conspiracy drove to the residence in Sanilac County. Cooper and his co-conspirators covered their faces and put on gloves while some of the co-conspirators brandished firearms as they approached the front door of the residence. As the group reached the front door, they kicked it in, forcibly entering the residence. Some members of the conspiracy discharged their firearms, exchanging gunfire with one of the residents. One resident was shot in the leg by the intruders. One of the residents shot two of the intruders, killing them both. Cooper and his co-conspirators retreated, fled the scene, and drove off in their vehicles.
“Combatting violent crime is a top priority for the Department of Justice and for our office. This deadly attempted robbery left one resident injured and two of the intruders dead, and our office is pleased that this sentence reflects our commitment to combat violent crime. I commend the efforts of our local and federal law enforcement partners in bringing those involved to justice. The U.S. Attorney’s office will work aggressively to protect the citizens of Sanilac County and across the Eastern District of Michigan”, said U.S. Attorney Ison.
Judge Davis sentenced Cooper to 84 months for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana, followed by a consecutive sentence of 10 years for aiding and abetting the discharge of a firearm during the incident. This resulted in total sentence of 204 months. Davis also sentenced Cooper to a 4-year term of supervised release following his term of incarceration.
Two of Cooper’s co-conspirators, Paul M. Drinkwine and John C. Williams, have also pleaded guilty and are scheduled to be sentenced by Davis in February.
The case was investigated by the Sanilac County Sheriff’s Department, the Michigan State Police, and special agents of the FBI, with assistance from the Sanilac County Prosecutor’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jules DePorre, Ann Nee, and Anthony Vance.
Atlantic County Tax Preparer Admits Tax FraudRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – An Atlantic County, New Jersey, tax preparer today admitted using false information to increase her clients’ tax refunds and filing her own false tax returns, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Michele Griffin, 42, of Galloway, New Jersey, pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Joseph R. Rodriguez to Count 11 of an indictment charging her with aiding and assisting in the preparation of a false income tax return.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Griffin prepared multiple fraudulent tax returns on behalf of her clients by falsifying their education expenses, dependent care expenses, business income, dependent information, and unemployment income. As a result, her clients’ returns requested higher tax credits and higher refunds than the clients were entitled to receive. Griffin prepared 19 false tax returns on behalf of six clients for tax years 2013 through 2016 and filed three false tax returns for herself for tax years 2013 through 2015. She admitting causing a tax loss of approximately $135,000.
The charge to which Griffin pleaded guilty carries a maximum potential penalty of three years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for May 10, 2022.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael Montanez in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Bender of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Camden.
Asheville Jury Convicts Franklin, N.C. Man of Starting A Fire That Burned More Than 70 Acres of Federal LandRead the Press Release
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – U.S. Attorney Dena J. King announced today that a federal jury sitting in Asheville found Casey Lee Evans, 42, of Franklin, N.C., guilty of starting a fire that burned more than 70 acres of federal land.
According to filed court documents, evidence presented at trial and witness testimony, on April 3, 2020, law enforcement in Franklin received a call concerning a fire that was actively burning in the area of Cals Cove Road. According to trial evidence, over the course of the investigation law enforcement determined that Evans willfully started the fire, which originated within the Nantahala National Forest. The fire burned for several days before it was successfully extinguished. In total, the fire burned approximalely 70 acres of federal land and 20 more acres of private property.
Evans was convicted of willfully setting a fire on federal land, which carries a statutory maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Following the guilty verdict, Evans was remanded into federal custody. A sentencing date has not been set.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King thanked the U.S. Forest Service, the North Carolina Forest Service, and the Otto Fire Department for their investigation of the case.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville is in charge of the prosecution.
Arkansas Man Sentenced for Aggravated Sexual Abuse of ChildrenRead the Press Release
EL PASO – An Arkansas man was sentenced today to 50 years in prison for committing multiple acts of sexual abuse against children.
In addition to the prison term, United States District Judge David C. Guaderrama ordered the defendant to pay $20,000 to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Fund and be placed on supervised release for the remainder of his life after completing the prison term.
On May 7, 2021, a federal jury convicted Carl Monroe Gordon, 50, of Hot Springs, of one count of aggravated sexual abuse of a child; two counts of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct; and one count of abusive sexual contact with a child. Evidence presented during trial revealed that during Christmas 2018 and in July 2019, Gordon engaged in the sexual abuse of two minor children at residences located on Fort Bliss. Testimony during trial also revealed that Gordon had sexual contact with one of the minors over many years, beginning when the child was just seven years old.
An extensive investigation revealed that Gordon had engaged in a pattern of sexually abusing minor children for nearly three decades. This conduct occurred in Arkansas, California, Tennessee and Texas.
Gordon was arrested on December 22, 2019, at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, where he was returning from a work assignment in Baghdad, Iraq. He has remained in custody since his arrest.
“Perhaps the most concerning cases that my office investigates involve the violation of children by those responsible for their care. The details of this case are alarming. Equally unfathomable is the heroic effort of these children who stepped forward to ensure that this individual would not be able to victimize others,” said U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff. “Today’s sentence reflects the dedication of prosecutors and law enforcement within the Western District of Texas to vigorously pursue justice in these cases.”
“The partners of the FBI El Paso Crimes Against Children/Human Trafficking Task Force worked tirelessly to ensure this defendant will never intimidate, coerce or victimize a child again,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey R. Downey. “Today’s sentence of 50 years will hopefully bring some closure and allow the victims and their families to move forward from this heinous crime.”
The investigation was conducted by the FBI, El Paso Division, with assistance from the United States Army Criminal Investigation Division and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. FBI Atlanta, Airport Resident Agency, FBI Little Rock, FBI Knoxville, and FBI Wheeling Resident Agency also provided invaluable assistance.
Assistant United States Attorneys Michelle Winters and Ian Martinez Hanna prosecuted 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 CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
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Archdale, N.C. Man Is Sentenced to Almost Three Years in Prison for COVID-19 Relief FraudRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Today, U.S. District Judge Kenneth D. Bell sentenced Maurice Kamgaing, 42, formerly of Charlotte currently residing in Archdale, N.C., to 33 months in prison for fraudulently obtaining more than $1.5 million in COVID-19 relief funds, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. In addition to the prison term imposed, Kamgaing was ordered to serve five years under court supervision and to pay $1,454,296.14 in restitution. Judge Bell also entered a money judgment of $1,506,463 against Kamgaing, and a forfeiture order against the office building the defendant purchased with the fraudulently obtained loans as well as the two brokerage accounts he used to facilitate the fraud.
Robert R. Wells, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division, and Donald “Trey” Eakins, Special Agent in Charge of the of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division (IRS-CI), Charlotte Field Office, join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.
The CARES Act is a federal law enacted on March 29, 2020. It is designed to provide emergency financial assistance to millions of Americans who are suffering the economic effects resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. One source of relief provided by the CARES Act is through forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
According to filed court documents and today’s sentencing hearing, on April 7, 2020, Kamgaing filed a fraudulent application for a PPP loan with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for Apiagne, Inc. (Apiagne), a company that Kamgaing incorporated in 2019. Court records show that the Apiagne PPP loan application contained false information about the number of employees and its payroll. As a result of the fraudulent representations, on or about May 6, 2020, Apiagne received a PPP loan for $856,463, which Kamgaing used for unauthorized purposes and for his personal benefit.
Filed court documents also show that on April 27, 2020, Kamgaing filed another fraudulent PPP loan application on behalf of AKC Solutions, a company that Kamgaing had previously dissolved and subsequently reinstated in May 2020. The loan application for AKC Solutions also misrepresented the number of employees employed by the company and its monthly payroll disbursements. On May 5, 2020, a PPP loan for $650,000 was disbursed to AKC Solutions, and within days of receiving the loan Kamgaing used the funds for various improper purposes and to pay for personal expenses. To substantiate the representations in both loan applications, Kamgaing created and presented fraudulent documentation, including fake tax returns and bank statements.
According to court documents, Kamgaing used $850,000 of the PPP loan proceeds to purchase a commercial office building in Archdale and transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars to two brokerage accounts where he invested the funds in the stock market for his personal benefit.
On August 25, 2021, Kamgaing pleaded guilty to wire fraud in relation to a disaster benefit and engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King thanked the FBI and IRS-CI for their investigation of this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Caryn Finley, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte, prosecuted the case.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form. Members of the public in the Western District of North Carolina are also encouraged to call 704-344-6222 to reach their local Coronavirus Fraud Coordinator.
11 Indicted in Alleged Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Jackson, TN – A total of 11 individuals have been indicted for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana and fentanyl. U.S. Attorney Joseph C. Murphy Jr. announced the indictments today.
According to information presented in court, on July 12, 2021, eleven subjects were indicted with a second superseding indictment filed on December 14, 2021. The FBI Safe Streets Task Force investigated the distribution of marijuana and fentanyl pills coming from Washington and California into West Tennessee.
These defendants are alleged to have participated in a conspiracy to distribute narcotics throughout the Western District of Tennessee:
• Vinson Taylor, Jr.
• Alexis Ballard
• Isaiah A. Gauldin
• Ja’Quon Roberson
• Savontay Laquar Womack-Knight
• Cooper Keeling Hurt
• David LaFonta Ray, Jr.
• Quason Brent Taylor
• Jaci Rinae Neary
• Dwanyae Smith
• Daniel Michael Gutierrez
Since the original indictment, agents executed a search warrant at the residence of Womack-Knight and Neary in Lakewood, Washington, which resulted in the discovery of two firearms, $48,405 in U.S. currency, various items of jewelry, marijuana, heroin, cocaine, and numerous pills containing fentanyl. Based upon the investigation, evidence
revealed Womack-Knight would mail the narcotics to V. Taylor who then would distribute among the remaining co-conspirators. All eleven subjects have been placed in custody.
Utilizing social media, search warrants, traffic stops, search warrants in conjunction with the United States Postal Inspection Service, and search warrants from residences, the FBI, the United States Postal Service, and the Dyersburg Police Department, have seized over 44 kilograms of marijuana and over 5,000 fentanyl pills, which were being shipped via mail and then distributed in the Western District of Tennessee. Through social media search warrant returns, agents have photographs and video of the defendants in possession of additional marijuana and pills like those seized and testing for fentanyl. Furthermore, agents were able to seize numerous firearms and large amounts of cash.
"Our continued partnership with the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee, has resulted in the removal of 27 firearms, and the seizure of deadly fentanyl that has been linked to overdoses here in Dyersburg. We remain committed to the removal of this deadly drug, and illegally owned firearms from our community," said Dyersburg Police Chief Steven L. Isbell.
"The FBI and our law enforcement partners are dedicated to disrupting and dismantling drug trafficking organizations and ending the violence they bring to our communities," said Douglas M. Korneski, Special Agent in Charge of the Memphis Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. "As exemplified by the successful combined efforts of our team, we are committed to eliminating these criminal enterprises."
If convicted, the defendants each face sentences of five years’ imprisonment up to life.
This case was investigated by the FBI, United States Postal Service, and the Dyersburg Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Hillary Parham is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The charges and allegations in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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5 January 2022
Wise Man Sentenced for Conspiring to Traffic Methamphetamine from Atlanta, Georgia into Lee and Wise CountiesRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va. – A Wise, Virginia man was sentenced yesterday to 135 months in prison for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine.
Justin Shane Cress, 33, pleaded guilty in October 2021 to one count of conspiring to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
According to court documents, between July 2019 and December 2020, Cress conspired with co-defendants Daniel Eugene Rowland, Jonathan Adam Rollins, Eric Matthew Glass, and others to distribute methamphetamine throughout Lee and Wise counties in Virginia. Cress served as a “middle-man,” facilitating multi-kilogram sales of methamphetamine between co-defendants in southwest Virginia and a source of supply in Atlanta, Georgia. Additionally, Cress directly distributed significant quantities of methamphetamine in Lee and Wise counties.
Co-defendant Cory Austin Hammond was previously sentenced to 135 months in prison for his role in the same conspiracy. The remaining co-conspirators are scheduled to be sentenced in federal court later this month.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh of the Western District of Virginia and Charlie J. Patterson, Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Washington Field Division made the announcement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Wise County Sheriff’s Office, and the Southwest Virginia Drug Task Force investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lena Busscher prosecuted the case.
Westfield Woman Going to Prison for Stealing Thousands of Dollars from Health Care AgencyRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Alicia Raynor, 44, of Westfield, NY, who was convicted of wire fraud and filing a false tax return, was sentenced to serve 18 months in prison and 18 months home detention by U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. The defendant was also ordered to pay restitution totaling $799,625.27.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Russell T. Ippolito and John D. Fabian, who handled the case, stated that while working as the business manager for Compassion at Home, Inc., Raynor opened an account with Intuit, Inc., a payroll and payment processing service located outside the state of New York, and used the accounting software package Quickbooks to make payments into the Intuit account. Raynor then diverted money from Compassion at Home’s bank accounts to accounts that she controlled. In order to avoid detection, Raynor disguised Quickbook entries to make it appear that the payments were to Bank of America, Capital One, or Compassion at Home employees.
Between August 2015 and June 2016, Raynor fraudulently diverted approximately $238,871.58 from the company’s bank account. In addition, for the tax years 2013 through 2016, Raynor received $1,214,444 in payments from Compassion at Home that she did not report as income on her tax returns for those years. The Internal Revenue Service estimates tax owed for these tax years is $370,005.
The sentencing is the culmination of an investigation by Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Steven Belongia, the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, under the direction of Thomas Fattorusso, Special Agent in Charge, New York Field Office, and the Westfield Police Department, under the direction of Chief Robert Genther.
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Wagner Man Sentenced for Voluntary ManslaughterRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Wagner, South Dakota, man convicted of Voluntary Manslaughter was sentenced on January 3, 2022, by U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier.
Ronald Bohn, age 51, was sentenced to 97 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Bohn was indicted by a federal grand jury on October 6, 2020. He pled guilty on October 15, 2021.
The conviction stemmed from an incident on September 15, 2020, when Bohn fatally stabbed Isaac Primeaux, Jr. Bohn was at Primeaux’s apartment in Wagner. At some point during the evening, an argument broke out and Bohn grabbed a knife and stabbed Primeaux deeply in the chest, killing Primeaux.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Yankton Sioux Law Enforcement, Charles Mix County Sheriff’s Office, Wagner Police Department, and the South Dakota Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann M. Hoffman prosecuted the case.
Bohn was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Collects over $12 Million in Criminal and Civil Actions in Fiscal Year 2021Read the Press Release
HARRISBURG - U.S. Attorney John C. Gurganus announced today that the Middle District of Pennsylvania collected $12,218,096.76 in criminal and civil actions in Fiscal Year (FY) 2021. Of this amount, $8,037,586.68 was collected in criminal actions and $4,180,510.08 was collected in civil actions.
“Our office is committed to protecting the citizens of the Middle District of Pennsylvania by bringing to justice those that violate the law and, when doing so, stripping them of their ill-gotten gains,” said United States Attorney Gurganus. “The office’s staff will continue to strive daily to obtain restitution for crime victims, and to recover funds pilfered through theft, fraud and false claims.”
The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, along with the department’s litigating divisions, are responsible for enforcing and collecting civil and criminal debts owed to the U.S. and criminal debts owed to federal crime victims. The law requires defendants to pay restitution to victims of certain federal crimes who have suffered a physical injury or financial loss. While restitution is paid to the victim, criminal fines and felony assessments are paid to the department’s Crime Victims Fund, which distributes the funds collected to federal and state victim compensation and victim assistance programs. The Middle District of Pennsylvania worked to collect from 2,247 criminal debtors and 127 civil debtors in FY 2021.
Additionally, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Middle District of Pennsylvania, working with partner agencies and divisions, obtained forfeiture judgments amounting to $10,213,652 in criminal and civil asset forfeiture actions in FY 2021, including both physical assets and forfeiture money judgments. Generally, under federal law assets such as currency, real property, and personal property can be forfeited to the government when they constitute proceeds of illegal activity or were used to facilitate crime. Forfeited assets deposited into the Department of Justice Asset Forfeiture Fund are used to restore funds to crime victims and for a variety of law enforcement purposes.
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U.S. Attorney's Office recovers more than $36 million in civil, criminal actions in Fiscal Year 2021Read the Press Release
SAVANNAH: The Southern District of Georgia recovered more than $36 million in criminal and civil actions in Fiscal Year 2021, including nearly $24 million in civil actions and more than $4 million in restitution to crime victims.
Additionally, the Southern District of Georgia U.S. Attorney’s Office worked with other U.S. Attorney’s Office and components of the Department of Justice to collect an additional $47,853 from criminal actions and $23,000 from civil actions, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.
The Southern District’s recovery total in 2021 was $26 million higher than 2020’s $10.7 million total, including $20 million in the Argos USA settlement coordinated with the Department of Justice Antitrust Division.
“Asset recovery is a vital part of our office’s role in enforcing the law and protecting citizens and the public treasury,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “Identifying and collecting these restitutions, forfeitures and judgments and initiating the actions to recover these funds helps to ensure that crime does not pay.”
Examples of major recoveries in FY 2021 through the U.S. Attorney’s Office Financial Litigation Program include nearly $1 million in restitution in a Savannah bank fraud case; more than $218,000 in restitution to repay funds embezzled from a Statesboro medical practice; and more than $177,000 in restitution of funds from an Appling County pharmacist’s healthcare fraud scheme.
Additionally, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, working with partner agencies and divisions, recovered more than $8 million in asset forfeiture actions in FY 2021, ranking the Southern District of Georgia U.S. Attorney’s Office second in the nation among Medium-sized districts across the country. The recovered funds included those from money-laundering investigations, proceeds from fraud – including from COVID-19 programs – and proceeds from drug trafficking, illegal gambling and animal fighting. Forfeited assets deposited into the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund are used to restore funds to crime victims and for a variety of law enforcement purposes.
The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, along with the Justice Department’s litigating divisions, are responsible for enforcing and collecting civil and criminal debts owed to the U.S. and criminal debts owed to federal crime victims. The law requires defendants to pay restitution to victims of certain federal crimes who have suffered a physical injury or financial loss. While restitution is paid to the victim, criminal fines and felony assessments are paid to the department’s Crime Victims Fund, which distributes the funds collected to federal and state victim compensation and victim assistance programs.
The Southern District’s Asset Recovery Unit, let by Section Chief and Assistant U.S. Attorney Xavier A. Cunningham, includes Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Sue Robichaux, Financial Litigation Analyst Michael Palmer, Data Analyst Leiandra Moran, Records Examiner Teisha Lovett, Paralegal Wanda Jackson, and Paralegal Specialists Rosylen Givens and Margrita Brady.
Tokio, ND, Woman Pleads Guilty to Second-Degree MurderRead the Press Release
Fargo – United States Attorney Nick Chase announced that Tammy Longie, a/k/a Tammy Onebear of Tokio, ND, appeared before Chief Judge Peter D. Welte, U.S. District Court, Fargo, ND, and plead guilty to Second-Degree Murder within Indian Country; three counts of Child Abuse in Indian Country; and Child Neglect in Indian Country.
On May 6, 2020, agents with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Federal Bureau of Investigation responded to the home of Erich and Tammy Longie on the Spirit Lake Reservation. Law enforcement observed a deceased 5-year-old child in the basement of the home and observed bruising throughout the body. An autopsy concluded the death a homicide and identified the cause of death as bilateral subdural hematomas incurred from assault. The pathologist observed abrasions and contusions consistent with "multiple episodes of inflicted trauma." The child’s sibling was examined at a local hospital and determined to need a higher level of care and was hospitalized for more than a month. An attending physician explained the child had bruising over the child’s body consistent with abuse. The primary medical concern, however, was heart failure due to malnutrition.
Spirit Lake Tribal Social Services ("SLTSS") had placed the two children in foster care in the Longie home in July of 2019.
The investigation revealed that two biological children were also abused including with objects and hands.
Sentencing for Tammy Longie before Chief Judge Peter D. Welte is scheduled for April 14 & 15, 2022.
Co-defendant Erich Longie previously plead guilty to First-Degree Felony Murder; three counts of Child Abuse in Indian Country, and Child Neglect in Indian Country and is scheduled for sentencing.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and is being prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s office, with Assistant United States Attorney Loir H. Conroy assigned to the case.
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St. Louis man sentenced for drug trafficking charge connected to 2017 murderRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Stephan Jones, 31, of St. Louis, Missouri, was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment for one count of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances. Jones was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Henry E. Autrey on today’s date.
According to court records, on October 3, 2017, Jones transported himself and his associates in his vehicle to the 4700 block of Goodfellow Boulevard in St. Louis to buy controlled substances from an individual. After the group bought drugs from this individual and left the area for approximately an hour, Jones transported the group back to the same location.
While seated in his vehicle, Jones observed his associates steal drugs, money, and other valuables from that same individual. Jones’ associates were armed with loaded firearms. During the robbery, Jones’ associates shot the victim multiple times. The victim died from his gunshot wounds.
Upon seeing the victim shot, Jones fled the area in his vehicle. Minutes later, Jones returned to the area, looked for his associates, found them, and transported them from the murder scene.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated the case.
Sioux City Man Pleads Guilty to Meth ChargesRead the Press Release
A man who possessed meth with intent to distribute pled guilty January 4, 2022, in federal court in Sioux City.
Kory Mammen, 51, from Sioux City, Iowa, was convicted of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. In 2012, Mammen was convicted in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.
At the plea hearing, evidence showed that on March 26, 2021, Mammen was stopped by law enforcement for a traffic violation in Sioux City, Iowa. During the traffic stop, a K-9 was deployed and indicated to the presence of controlled substances from within the car. Mammen admitted to officers that something illegal would be in the truck but did not say what it was. A search of the vehicle revealed a black bag under the driver’s seat which contained two syringes and 17 smaller bags containing a total of 42.88 grams of methamphetamine. Mammen planned to distribute some or all of the methamphetamine to others. On November 15, 2021, during Mammen’s arrest on the charges in this case, he again had several baggies on his person which contained approximately 65 grams of methamphetamine mixture.
Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Mammen remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Mammen faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, an $8,000,000 fine, and at least eight years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and was investigated by Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, that consists of law enforcement personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office; South Sioux City, Nebraska, Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; and Woodbury County Attorney’s Office.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 21-4091. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Semmes Duo Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Counterfeiting CurrencyRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Semmes man and woman were each sentenced to two years in federal prison for counterfeiting U.S. currency.
According to court documents, Bernardo Guerrero Semana, 28, and Kendra Nicole Sullivan, 27, were arrested in May 2021 in possession of more than $5,600 in counterfeit U.S. currency. In addition to the counterfeit money, law enforcement seized from the defendants’ house several tools commonly used for counterfeiting, including computers, printers, and a paper cutter, as well as a document identifying the federal law that prohibits the printing or reproduction of U.S. currency. Both defendants confessed to their roles in producing counterfeit money and checks. In August 2021, while on release pending trial, the defendants absconded from pretrial supervision and were later apprehended by police in Biloxi, Mississippi.
Senior United States District Judge William H. Steele ordered the defendants to serve two-year terms of supervised release upon their release from prison, during which time they will undergo drug testing and treatment. The court did not impose a fine, but Judge Steele ordered each defendant to pay $100 in special assessments.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The United States Secret Service and the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
San Francisco Design Company’s Controller Charged in $1.9 Million Dollar Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO – Kerry Kit Yee Tang was arrested yesterday and appeared in federal court today to face bank fraud charges stemming from fraud committed upon her former employer, announced United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent in Charge Tatum King.
According to the federal indictment unsealed today, Tang, 44, of San Francisco, was employed as the controller of a San Francisco-based company that provides interior design services. The indictment alleges that Tang made unauthorized payments to herself and to outside companies from two of the victim company’s bank accounts, embezzling a total of about $1.9 million.
The indictment alleges that from March 2019 to December 2020, Tang engaged in a scheme in which she obtained checks from her company’s bank accounts and inserted “Kerry Tang” on the payee line. The indictment describes that Tang, without authorization to do so, signed the checks with the signatures of one or more of the authorized signers. Tang then deposited these checks into her own personal bank accounts. The indictment alleges that in this manner Tang obtained approximately 66 unauthorized checks from her company and deposited them to her personal bank accounts. The total amount of these deposits exceeded $1.6 million.
The indictment further alleges that in November 2020 and December 2020 Tang wrote checks from a company bank account in amounts up to $99,000 to pay various companies for providing services to Tang’s company. The indictment alleges that Tang signed each check with the signature of her company’s authorized signers. However, Tang’s company never engaged the services of these companies, and Tang was not authorized to write the checks. Moreover, the indictment describes that three of the companies shared the same location, a residential address in Bayonne, New Jersey.
Tang made her initial appearance in federal court today in San Francisco before United States Magistrate Judge Sallie Kim. Her next court appearance is scheduled for March 15, 2022, at 2:30 p.m. before United States District Judge Richard Seeborg in San Francisco. Tang is out of custody.
The federal indictment charges Tang with five counts of bank fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1344(2). The maximum statutory sentence for a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1344(2) is 30 years in prison, a fine up to $1,000,000 or twice the gross gain or loss amount, and five years of supervised release following prison. However, any sentence following a conviction would be imposed by a court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
The charges contained in the criminal indictment are only allegations. As in any criminal case, the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
The case is being prosecuted by the Corporate and Securities Fraud Section of the United States Attorney’s Office. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the San Francisco Police Department.
Rutland Man Indicted for Firearm and Drug Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced today that Lawrence Jackson, aka “Boo-Bee,” 50, of Rutland, Vermont was indicted by a federal grand jury on December 29, 2021. The indictment alleges that Jackson engaged in drug trafficking and unlawfully possessed a Taurus The Judge .410/.45 caliber revolver. Jackson is currently detained on related state charges. He is scheduled to be arraigned in federal court on January 25, 2022. The government has moved for Jackson’s continued detention pending trial.
According to court records, Jackson was arrested on November 23, 2021 while in possession of approximately 430 grams of powder cocaine and 33 grams of cocaine base. A Taurus The Judge .410/45 caliber revolver was seized during a law enforcement search of Jackson’s Rutland residence. The Judge revolver was located in a bedroom identified by witnesses as belonging to Jackson. At the time it was seized, the revolver was loaded with both .45-Long Colt bullets and .410 shotshells. Jackson is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to his extensive criminal history.
In its detention motion, the government asserted that Jackson has recently been the perpetrator of significant violence in the Rutland community. Witnesses have reported that Jackson has “pistol-whipped” multiple people with The Judge revolver and held a woman at gunpoint. Witnesses have reported that Jackson has raped and sexually assaulted multiple women in the Rutland area. In addition, Jackson is being investigated for using drugs to coerce women to perform commercial sex acts and for his involvement in the facilitation of prostitution.
The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that an indictment contains allegations only and that Jackson remains presumed innocent until and unless he is convicted of a crime. Due to his criminal history, Jackson faces a mandatory 15 years of imprisonment if convicted on the firearm violation. Jackson faces a maximum of 20 years of imprisonment if convicted on the drug trafficking allegations.
United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the collaborative investigatory efforts of the Rutland City Police Department, the Vermont Drug Task Force, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations.
The Rutland Police Department requests that anyone with information regarding Jackson’s criminal activities, including any involvement in coercing women to perform commercial sex acts, to please contact either Detective Corporal Adam Lucia or Detective Tyler Billings. Rutland detectives can be reached at (802) 773-1816.
The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan Ophardt. Jackson is represented by the Federal Public Defender.
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 https://www.justice.gov/psn
Robbery and related assault sends violent gang members to prisonRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Three Houston gang members have been ordered to federal prison following their convictions of robbery and assaulting at least one customer at a Love’s Travel Stop, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Christopher Bernard Brown aka Chris and C, 39, pleaded guilty Sept. 30, 2021.
Today, U.S. District Judge David S. Morales handed Brown a 90-month federal prison sentence to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. He must also pay restitution. At the sentencing hearing, the court heard about approximately 33 related truck stop robberies and numerous employees and customers who were traumatized as a result of Brown’s and others’ actions.
Brown and Thomas Alec Buckley, 26, worked in concert with co-conspirators Wesley Jerome Davis, 28, and Kevin Wilson aka KCosa or KC, 33. They threatened or used physical force towards customers or employees to steal or attempt to steal ATMs and the currency they contained from at least nine Love’s Travel Stops throughout Texas and Louisiana.
The multi-district and interstate Hobbs Act conspiracy occurred between May 29-Sept. 2019. During the robberies, Brown typically served as a scout or lookout while Davis, Wilson, Buckley or others wore masks and gloves and placed straps or chains around the ATMs. Then, a vehicle connected to the chains would accelerate to dislodge the bolted-down machines. Co-conspirators would lift the dislodged ATMs into the waiting vehicle and quickly drive away.
The attempts failed in Angleton, Natalia and Domino. However, the robbery crew was able to obtain monies from the stolen ATMs in Hungerford, Seguin, Lufkin, Cleveland, and Three Rivers as well as Vinton, Louisiana.
In the Three Rivers robbery, co-conspirators came into contact with Love’s employees or customers, at which time Brown stated, “What are you gonna do?!! What are you gonna do?!!” The masked or hooded suspects also made menacing gestures towards the employees. Love’s Travel Stop employees did not intervene with the men for fear of sustaining serious bodily injury.
In Seguin, a good Samaritan attempted to stop the ATM robbery but Davis struck him twice, at which time he fell to the floor and suffered bodily injury from a head wound.
Davis and Wilson pleaded guilty July 29, 2021. Previously, Judge Morales sentenced Wilson to 90 months imprisonment, while Davis was ordered to serve a 60-month sentence. Wilson and Buckley also pleaded guilty in a related robbery case Nov. 22, 2019.
Buckley remains on bond pending sentencing.
Brown will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of sheriff’s offices in Live Oak, Angelina, Brazoria, Wharton, Medina and Cass Counties; and police departments in Angleton, Cleveland, Seguin and Lufkin and Vinton, Louisiana.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Reid Manning is prosecuting the case.
Richmond Man Sentenced to More Than 19 Years for Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
OAKLAND – Ranbir Singh was sentenced today to 230 months in prison in Oakland federal court today for the production of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent in Charge Tatum King. The sentence was handed down by United States District Judge Haywood S. Gilliam, Jr.
“No statute of limitations exists for federal child pornography crimes, including the production of child pornography,” said United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds. “This tragic child sexual abuse occurred nine years ago, yet we still obtained justice for these victims. Their strength and perseverance in coming forward enabled our successful result. For those who suffered at any time from a similar crime, please find the strength to come forward as these victims did.”
“HSI special agents worked closely with Richmond Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California to hold Singh accountable for the production of child sexual abuse material which involved the exploitation of a 16-year-old victim,” said Tatum King, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Francisco. “Singh’s sentence will hopefully bring closure to the impacted victims and their families so they can begin the process of healing after surviving this horrible crime.”
Singh, 47, of San Pablo, California, pleaded guilty on September 15, 2021, to one count of production of child pornography. In his plea agreement, Singh admitted that on March 13, 2013, he engaged in sexual acts in an Alameda County hotel room with a female high school student. At the time, the minor female was 16 years old. He was 38 years old. The plea agreement describes that Singh set up a video camera in the hotel room before the crime occurred. Singh then persuaded the minor female to engage in sex acts. Singh positioned the camera, he admitted, to record the acts. The minor female repeatedly protested during sex and told Singh to stop, but he continued.
Singh further admitted that earlier, in January 2013, he video-recorded the same minor female sitting in a car’s backseat in a compromising and exposed sexual position.
In a memo filed for sentencing, the government describes that Singh first contacted the minor female on Facebook after he observed her at a local temple when she was 14 years old. He made in-person contact with her when she was 15 years old. At that time Singh told her he was in his 20s, despite being 38 and married with three children. In the months that followed, Singh picked up the minor female from her high school after classes or during breaks. He made ongoing attempts to pressure her into sexual acts. The sexual contact eventually occurred when the minor female was 16, a high school junior.
Singh also admitted in his plea agreement that he traveled later, in May 2013, to a casino hotel in Placer County with a different minor female. Singh admitted he knew this female was also a minor. The government’s sentencing memo describes that Singh enticed the minor female onto the trip using a ruse about tickets to a concert. Singh admitted in his plea agreement that he rented a casino hotel room for them and then showed this minor female a video recording depicting Singh’s sexual acts with the other minor female described above. Singh admitted he engaged in sex with this minor female in the Placer County casino hotel room.
Singh’s conduct traumatized both minor female victims, as the government’s sentencing memo describes. The first victim suffered severe adverse consequences that have become well documented. The second victim could not, years later, describe what happened in the Placer County hotel without weeping uncontrollably.
The initial federal charges were brought against Singh in a complaint filed March 1, 2021. The complaint reflects that a local law enforcement investigation began when the two minor female victims came forward, but they did not know Singh’s true name. After determining his identity, and years after Singh had sexually abused these minor victims, the video recordings were discovered on Singh’s laptop, having been stored there for years.
The federal investigation began when the video recordings were discovered on Singh’s laptop. There is no federal statute of limitations for charges relating to child pornography crimes, including production of child pornography, under 18 U.S.C. § 3299.
In addition to the 230 month prison term, United States District Judge Haywood S. Gilliam Jr. sentenced Singh, who was in custody at the sentencing hearing, to a 15 year term of supervised release to follow his release from prison. He began serving his prison sentence immediately.
Jonathan U. Lee is the Assistant U.S. Attorney who prosecuted the case, with the assistance of Leeya Kekona, Kay Konopaske, and Kathleen Turner. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Richmond Police Department.
This federal case was brought in U.S. District Court 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 CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Pre-Prosecution Program Grant Awarded to Woonsocket Police DepartmentRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Bureau of Justice Assistance has awarded the Woonsocket Police Department a three-year, $819,109 grant to implement their proposed Law Enforcement Assisted Deflection, Engagement, and Retention (LEADER) in Treatment program, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
The LEADER in Treatment program will divert individuals with a substance use disorder or co-occurring disorders before formally entering the criminal justice system at the post-arrest/pre-prosecution stage.
The LEADER in Treatment program establishes a pre-prosecution treatment program that serves individuals at high risk for overdose or suffering from substance use disorder. The Woonsocket LEADER in Treatment program will begin accepting referrals within six months and will serve an anticipated 80 individuals per year.
The program, to be based out of the city of Woonsocket, is expected to also serve residents of Lincoln, Cumberland, North Smithfield, Pawtucket, Central Falls, and Providence who are routinely arrested by the Woonsocket Police Department due to geographic proximity.
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Pine Ridge Man Sentenced for Conspiracy to Distribute MethRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Pine Ridge, South Dakota, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine was sentenced on January 3, 2022, by Judge Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Court.
Michael LeBeau Sr., age 36, was sentenced to seven years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. LeBeau was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine by a federal grand jury on February 19, 2020. He pleaded guilty on June 17, 2020. His sentencing was delayed because LeBeau absconded from a furlough between June 23, 2020, and August 2021.
During the course of the conspiracy, LeBeau obtained approximately a pound of methamphetamine from multiple sources. From approximately December 2017 through March 2020, LeBeau distributed the methamphetamine to others. During a search of his residence, law enforcement located a handgun, methamphetamine, and distribution paraphernalia. On another occasion, LeBeau fled from law enforcement and was located after a short foot pursuit.
This case was investigated by the Badlands Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, which is comprised of agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Bureau of Indian Affairs Division of Drug Enforcement, Martin Police Department, and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn N. Rich prosecuted the case.
LeBeau was immediately returned to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Operator of Illegal Pharmacy Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
A man who illegally sold thousands of doses of controlled substances and prescription drugs pled guilty today in federal court in Cedar Rapids.
Jon Stidham, age 57, from McClelland, Iowa, was convicted of conspiracy to deliver, distribute or dispense methyltestosterone, a Schedule III controlled substance, by means of the Internet without a valid prescription and without complying with federal and Iowa licensing requirements, and one count of conspiracy to introduce misbranded drugs into interstate commerce with intent to defraud or mislead and to commit mail fraud.
In a plea agreement, Stidham admitted that he operated a business called Kennel Supply, LLC. Kennel Supply supplied a variety of items used for the operation of kennels and the care of farm animals at the brick-and-mortar location. On the Internet, Kennel Supply sold controlled substances and non-controlled prescription drugs that require prescriptions to lawfully dispense to the ultimate user. From 2015 through October 12, 2018, Stidham distributed and sold over 300,000 doses of methyltestosterone, a controlled substance, without valid prescriptions. He illegally profited by over $324,000. During that same time-period, Stidham illegally distributed over 50 types of prescription drugs without a valid prescription or authorization, and illegally profited over $200,000.
Sentencing before United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Stidham remains free on bond pending sentencing. Stidham faces a possible maximum sentence of up to 15 years’ imprisonment, a $750,000 fine, $200 in special assessments, and up to life on supervised release following imprisonment. The plea agreement also includes an agreement that Stidham will forfeit illegal profits of $527,510 to the United States.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick J. Reinert and was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Food & Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigation, and Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 21-CR-01036.
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Northeastern NC Drug Trafficking Organization Leader Sentenced to 25 YearsRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – A Bertie County man was sentenced to 300 months in prison for trafficking cocaine, cocaine base, and methamphetamine and conspiring to commit money laundering in northeastern North Carolina. On August 2, 2021, Levar Anthony Leary pled guilty or was convicted of the charges.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, Leary, 41, organized and led a drug trafficking organization from 2016 to early 2021, that was responsible for distributing cocaine, cocaine base (crack), methamphetamine, heroin, and marijuana throughout northeastern North Carolina. Leary and his associates used a hotel, nightclub, and convenience store in Bertie County as locations to distribute narcotics and launder money. Using surveillance and technical investigative tools, agents were able to track and observe Leary travel all over the country, including California, Texas, Florida, and Georgia, in order to obtain large quantities of drugs and return to North Carolina. A number of Leary’s associates have been convicted and sentenced: Johnny Earl Jordan (72 months); Fred Rudolph Robbins, Jr. (90 months); and Alexander Leander Williams, Jr. (132 months). As a result of the investigation, law enforcement has seized numerous vehicles and properties used to conceal the profits of this illegal activity as well as recovered multiple firearms and additional narcotics.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation; and the State Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. They were assisted by the United States Marshals Service; Joseph K. Roberts, Department of Justice Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Financial Investigations Section; the Bertie County Sheriff’s Office; Chowan County Sheriff’s Office; the Dare County Sheriff’s Office; the Hertford County Sheriff’s Office; the Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office; the Perquimans County Sheriff’s Office; and the Elizabeth City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nick J. Miller prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:21-CR-5-D.
North Carolina Physician Indicted for Adulterating Medical Devices for Reuse on Patients, Fabricating Records, and Other ChargesRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – A federal grand jury returned an indictment today charging a Raleigh woman with Adulteration of Medical Devices, Paying Illegal Remunerations, Making and Using Materially False Healthcare Documents, Mail Fraud, and Conspiracy.
According to the Superseding Indictment, between 2014 and 2018, Anita Louise Jackson, 58, billed Medicare more than $46 million for allegedly rendering more than 1,200 incidents of “balloon sinuplasty” services to more than 700 patients. Her practice, Greater Carolina Ear, Nose, and Throat (GCENT), received more than $5.4 Million for the services. During portions of this same time period, Jackson was the top-paid provider of balloon sinuplasty services in the United States, despite the location of her practice outside of a major metropolitan area. Jackson profited substantially from these billings to the Medicare program.
Jackson is charged with Adulteration of Medical Devices, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 331(k), 333(a)(1), 333(a)(2), and 351(a)(2)(A); ten counts of Paying Illegal Remunerations, in violation of 42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b(b)(2)(B); 3 counts of Making False Statements Relating to Health Care Benefits, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1035(a)(2); two counts of Aggravated Identity Theft, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 102A(a)(1); three counts of Mail Fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1341; and Conspiracy, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371. If convicted, Jackson faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years for Mail Fraud, 10 years for Paying Illegal Remunerations, and 5 years for Conspiracy and Making False Statements. Aggravated Identity Theft carries a 2-year mandatory prison sentence, consecutive to any other punishment. Jackson also faces fines exceeding $250,000.
The speaking Superseding Indictment is attached in full to this press release.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. The United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG), the United States Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations (FDA-OCI), and the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service are investigating the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney William M. Gilmore is prosecuting the case.
If you feel that you or someone you know may be a victim in this case, you are encouraged to contact HHS-OIG at (336) 542-1494 to make a report.
An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
New York Man Who Supplied Southeastern Connecticut Drug Trafficker with Cocaine is SentencedRead the Press Release
Leonard C Boyle, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that GEOFFREY GORDON, 51, of Brooklyn, New York, was sentenced today via videoconference by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden to 75 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for supplying cocaine to a southeastern Connecticut drug trafficker.
This matter stems from an investigation led by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Connecticut Statewide Narcotics Taskforce East, Connecticut Department of Correction and the New London, Waterford, City of Groton and Stonington Police Departments, into the distribution of narcotics and illegal possession of firearms in southeastern Connecticut. The investigation included court-authorized wiretaps and controlled purchases and seizures of heroin, cocaine and firearms.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Anthony Whyte, also known as “Jak Mac,” of New London, obtained heroin, fentanyl and cocaine from various sources in Connecticut, New York and elsewhere, and distributed the narcotics to others who then sold the drugs to customers and other street-level drug dealers. Gordon supplied at least five kilograms of cocaine to Whyte for redistribution in Connecticut.
On February 21, 2019, Whyte and several other co-conspirators were arrested. On that date, a search of Whyte’s New London apartment revealed more than 1.5 kilograms of cocaine; approximately 185 grams of heroin; approximately 100 grams of fentanyl and fentanyl pills; 10 firearms, several of which were stolen; and approximately $25,000 in cash. Investigators seized additional narcotics, another firearm, and nearly $200,000 in cash from other members of the conspiracy.
Gordon was arrested on August 8, 2019. A search warrant executed in association with his arrest yielded almost a kilogram of heroin and fentanyl, a 9mm handgun and $29,241in cash.
Gordon has been detained since his arrest. On April 28, 2021, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute, and possession with the intent to distribute, 500 grams or more of cocaine.
On September 28, 2021, a jury found Whyte guilty of one count of conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, various narcotics; one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments (“money laundering”); three counts of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, various narcotics; and one count possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He awaits sentencing.
Twenty-Three others charged as a result of this investigation have been convicted.
This investigation has been conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Marshals Service, Connecticut Statewide Narcotics Taskforce East, Connecticut Department of Correction and the New London, Waterford, City of Groton, Stonington, Norwich, Old Saybrook and UConn Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natasha M. Freismuth and Angel M. Krull through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
New York Accomplice of Former Chestnut Hill Private School Teacher Arrested and Charged with Child Pornography OffensesRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Kray Strange, 19, of Carthage, NY, was arrested earlier today and charged by federal Criminal Complaint with manufacturing and distributing child pornography, and willfully causing and aiding and abetting the manufacture and distribution of child pornography.
Strange was arrested after the FBI executed a federal search warrant at his residence. He made his initial appearance in federal court in the Northern District of New York this afternoon, and will be detained pending his removal to Philadelphia to face the charges in this Complaint.
The charges stem from the defendant’s alleged involvement in an online catfishing scheme with former Springside Chestnut Hill Academy teacher Andrew Wolf, which they operated for more than a year during 2020 and 2021. According to the Complaint, Strange targeted school-age boys on social media platforms while impersonating a teenage girl in order to entice the boys to produce sexually explicit images and videos of themselves and send them to Strange, who then shared them with Wolf via the internet.
Strange’s co-conspirator, Wolf, was arrested in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on October 7, 2021, and remains in federal custody.
“As alleged in the Criminal Complaint, the defendant communicated with children for the purpose of sexually exploiting their innocence,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “The convenience and accessibility of digital communications, coupled with the ease with which child sexual exploitation crimes can be concealed online, make these cases extremely difficult to investigate and prosecute. However, our Office and our law enforcement partners are committed to doing this difficult work in order to hold child sexual predators accountable.”
If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 40 years’ imprisonment.
The case was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
An indictment, information, or criminal complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
New Haven Man Sentenced to 51 Months for Possessing Gun and Drugs While on Federal Supervised ReleaseRead the Press Release
Leonard C Boyle, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that RONNELL ROGERS, 28, of New Haven, was sentenced today via videoconference by U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall to 51 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for narcotics distribution and firearm possession offenses, and for violating the conditions of his supervised release that followed a prior federal conviction.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in July 2019, Rogers was released from federal prison after serving approximately 17 months for unlawful possession of ammunition by a felon. On January 17, 2021, while he was on federal supervised release, Rogers was arrested in New Haven on after officers searched his car and found distribution quantities of fentanyl and crack cocaine, and a loaded Smith & Wesson .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol. The firearm had been reported stolen in Virginia.
In addition to his prior federal conviction, Rogers’ criminal history includes state convictions for firearm, larceny and risk of injury offenses.
Rogers has been detained since his federal arrest on January 28, 2021. On September 2, 2021, he pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Judge Hall sentenced Rogers to 37 months of imprisonment for the narcotics and firearm offenses, and an additional 14 months of imprisonment for violating the conditions of his supervised release.
This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the New Haven Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah P. Karwan.
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.
Multiple Individuals Sentenced to Federal Prison for a Money Laundering ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Miami, Florida – Two Miami residents, Reinier Gonzalez Caballero age 39, and Alexeis Napoles Manresa, age 37, were each sentenced yesterday to 51 months in federal prison for their role in a money laundering conspiracy. The two co-defendants were convicted of money laundering after a jury trial in September 2021.
Based on court documents and the record at trial, from July 2019 to October 2019, these defendants and two other co-defendants, Alfredo Ruiz a/k/a “Mike,” and Pedro Ferreiro Conde a/k/a “Titi,” conspired to launder over $4,366,039 in health care fraud proceeds by setting up shell corporations and opening corporate bank accounts to conceal and disguise the source and the ownership of the illegally obtained money. Gonzalez Caballero and Napoles Manresa established themselves as the sole officers for their own shell corporations, RGC Flooring Corp. and JMP Flooring Corp., respectively, and each laundered over $400,000 through their corporate bank accounts.
A large portion of the money that was being laundered was received directly from a fraudulent durable medical equipment company called Universal Ortho Supplies, Inc. located in Miami, that was filing false claims with Medicare. Between July 2019 and October 2019, Universal Ortho Supplies, Inc. billed Medicare for over $3 million dollars in durable medical equipment, such as orthosis and prosthetics, that were never prescribed by physicians or provided to patients. These four defendants were convicted for participating in a conspiracy to launder those health care fraud proceeds.
On September 14, 2021, the lead defendant Alfredo Ruiz a/k/a “Mike,” age 30 from Miami, was sentenced to 105 months in prison for his role in the money laundering conspiracy and agreed to forfeit over $4,366,039, following his money laundering conviction. Ruiz was also held accountable for at least $648,731 in money laundering based on a separate wire fraud scheme. As part of his plea, Ruiz agreed to forfeit assets valued in excess of $360,000 including: $141,580.76 in proceeds from the sale of a Rolls Royce and Lamborghini; $120,480 in proceeds from the sale of pawned jewelry, and $70,000 in cash seized from him at the time of his arrest. United States v. Alfredo Ruiz et al., 21-CR-20111-CMA.
On October 28, 2021, another co-defendant Pedro Ferreiro Conde a/k/a “Titi,” age 34 from Miami, who participated in the money laundering conspiracy was sentenced to 42 months in prison for money laundering and has agreed to forfeit over $766,155, following his money laundering conviction.
Two other co-conspirators from related cases have been charged with, and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering in connection with this criminal activity:
- Yunior Alberto Lopez Concepcion, 38, of Miami, Florida pleaded guilty on June 4, 2020 was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment on September 29, 2020. United States v. Yunior Alberto Lopez Concepcion, 20-CR-20115-RS
- Liliam Maria Castro, 59, of Miami, Florida, pleaded guilty on June 9, 2021 and was sentenced to 48 months’ imprisonment on August 21, 2021. USA v. Liliam Maria Castro et al., 21-CR-20152-JEM
Juan Antonio Gonzalez, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; Special Agent in Charge Omar Pérez Aybar, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Miami Region, Special Agent in Charge George L. Piro, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, Kyle A. Myles, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Office of Inspector General (FDIC-OIG), Atlanta Region and Special Agent in Charge Brian Swain, U.S. Secret Service (USSS), Miami Field Office made the announcement.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Timothy Abraham, Aimee Jimenez, and Stephanie Hauser. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Stone is handling forfeiture proceedings.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
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Montgomery County Man Pleads Guilty in Connection with Shooting of County Democratic Party HeadquartersRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Anthony Francis Nero, 48, of Norristown, PA, pleaded guilty today to charges of sending threatening communications and cyberstalking before United States District Judge Karen S. Marston.
According to court documents, on January 7, 2021, Nero sent an electronic message over the Internet to the Montgomery County Democratic Party (MCDP) that threatened “random acts of violence” and stated “you should probably beef up security.” On January 20, 2021, MCDP officials discovered that the front window to MCDP’s office, located in Norristown, PA, had been shot through three times by a firearm. In a February 2021 interview with Norristown Police and the FBI, Nero admitted sending the online threat to the MCDP and firing his .45 caliber pistol three times into the MCDP office. Ballistics tests by the Montgomery County Detective Bureau confirmed that two spent rounds recovered from the MCDP’s office were fired by Nero’s .45 caliber pistol. In March 2021, the defendant was arrested and charged by federal criminal complaint. He remains in federal custody.
“In the midst of a politically tumultuous time in our Nation, Anthony Nero sent a threatening communication and then turned those words into a violent act that could have resulted in catastrophic injury, or worse,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “I want to thank our partners in the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office and all agencies at the federal, state and local levels for their dedicated work on this case.”
“I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their efforts in prosecuting this defendant for terroristic threats against the Montgomery County Democratic Committee. There is no place for this kind of criminal behavior in our democracy, and our law enforcement will continue to stand together to make sure that those who act in this way are brought to justice,” said Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele.
“Threatening violence is bad enough – but then, Anthony Nero carried out his threat and fired multiple gunshots into the MCDP office,” said Jacqueline Maguire, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners are committed to investigating and holding accountable anyone engaged in such criminal behavior. Nobody should have to fear becoming the target of reckless violence.”
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Norristown Police Department, Montgomery County Detective Bureau, Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office, and the Pennsylvania State Police. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Vineet Gauri and Josh Davison, and Special Assistant United States Attorney Kathleen A. McLaughlin