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Friday 15 October 2021
Box Elder Man Sentenced to over 20 years for Drug Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Box Elder, South Dakota, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance and Possession of a Firearm During a Drug Trafficking Crime was sentenced on October 4, 2021, by U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier.
Charles Clark, age 42, was sentenced to 15 years and 10 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund for count one; and five years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund for count two. Sentences are to run concurrently.
Clark was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance and Possession of a Firearm During a Drug Trafficking Crime by a federal grand jury on July 23, 2020. He pleaded guilty to both counts on June 25, 2021. During his involvement in the conspiracy, multiple pounds of methamphetamine were brought to South Dakota from Mexico through arrangements made by the Defendant. Upon arrival in South Dakota, it was further dispersed to others for use and distribution. The Defendant also possessed a firearm while in the presence of others as a display of intimidation, in furtherance of the drug distribution conspiracy.
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.
This case was investigated by the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team (UNET), Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. UNET is comprised of law enforcement from the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Rapid City Police Department, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, South Dakota National Guard, and the South Dakota Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn N. Rich prosecuted the case.
Clark was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Belleville Nurse Pleads Guilty to Stealing Drugs from Elderly PatientsRead the Press Release
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A Belleville nurse, Angela Mohler, 40, pled guilty to five
counts of obtaining drugs by fraud on Wednesday, October 13, 2021.According to court documents, Mohler worked as a nurse for senior care and nursing facilities from
2018 to 2021, including facilities in Edwardsville, Belleville, Lebanon, and Caseyville. She used
her position of trust to steal pain medications like oxycodone, hydrocodone, and morphine from
vulnerable patients. After taking the drugs for her personal use, Mohler would often destroy or
modify the patient’s records to cover up the thefts. This meant the patient’s records would show
Mohler had given him or her pain medication, when in fact they had often suffered without it.Mohler is one of several medical professionals recently charged with stealing medication from
patients. In April, a nurse, Krista Brenner, was indicted on similar charges for
stealing pain medication while working at senior care facilities in the Metro East area in 2019.
In September, another nurse, Joseph Mattingly, was sentenced on charges of stealing pain
medication from residents while working at a center for adults with intellectual disabilities in
2018.The investigation was conducted by the United States Department of Health and Human Services,
Office of Inspector General - Office of Investigations and the Illinois State Police Medicaid Fraud
Control Bureau.If you suspect or know of an individual or company that is not complying with healthcare laws or
public aid programs, you may report this activity to the local office of the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, or you may call 1.800.447.8477.
Battle Creek Man Sentenced to 57 Months in Prison for Fentanyl ChargeRead the Press Release
Clay Shepherd Possessed 1.37 kilograms of the synthetic opioid
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN — U.S. Attorney Andrew Byerly Birge announced today that Clay Shepherd, 57, of Battle Creek Michigan, was sentenced to 57 months in prison after pleading guilty to possession of fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance, with the intent to distribute it. Following his release from federal prison, Shepherd will serve five years on supervised release. United States District Judge Paul Maloney imposed the sentence.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 80-100 times stronger than morphine, the substance to which heroin metabolizes. Drug traffickers add fentanyl to heroin to increase its potency or falsely claim that the fentanyl they are selling is highly potent heroin.
On April 18, 2018, Battle Creek Police officers executed a search warrant at Shepherd’s residence and discovered a package containing 399 grams of fentanyl and tramadol and a package containing 975 grams of fentanyl concealed behind insulation in the attic. The Battle Creek Police Department requested the assistance of federal authorities to investigate the matter further. Investigators from Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) developed evidence that Shepherd possessed the fentanyl with the intent to distribute it by investigating his known associates and customers, who confirmed that Shepherd was selling narcotics and possessed the fentanyl seized on April 18.
“Clay Shepherd profited from distributing fentanyl, an opioid nearly 100 times more potent than morphine, without any regard to the destruction it caused to families or communities here in Michigan,” Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent-in-Charge Vance Callender said. “This complex investigation could not have been brought to conclusion without the outstanding partnership between HSI and Battle Creek PD. Thank you to the hardworking and dedicated officers in Battle Creek.”
U.S. Attorney Birge said, “My office will continue to aggressively pursue those who illegally peddle fentanyl to our community. The illegal trafficking of this drug is responsible for a multitude of overdose deaths in our state, and we are committed to deterring the trafficking that leads to these tragedies.”
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Bakersfield Man Pleads Guilty to Burglarizing 8 Post OfficesRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Steven Martin, 39, of Bakersfield, pleaded guilty today to burglarizing a post office, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, in December 2018, Martin burglarized eight different post offices in Kern, Kings, and Tulare counties. He stole cash registers, packages containing clothes, and other mail, and caused thousands of dollars in damages.
This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Barton is prosecuting the case.
Martin is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd on Jan. 14, 2022. Martin faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
Aquilino Torres Sentenced to over 24 Years in Prison for Brutal Kidnapping of Mother and ChildRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that AQUILINO TORRES was sentenced to 292 months in prison for his kidnapping and stalking of an adult woman (“Victim-1”) and the kidnapping of her seven-year-old son (“Minor Victim-1”) in or around October 2020. TORRES was convicted following a one-week jury trial in July 2021 before U.S. District Judge Denise L. Cote, who imposed today’s sentence.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Aquilino Torres carried out a brutal kidnapping of a 7-year-old child and his mother, and threatened to kill the child. He held his victims captive and physically abused both mother and child. Thanks to the FBI and NYPD, Torres was apprehended, prosecuted, and convicted of these horrific crimes, and has now been sentenced to a lengthy prison term.”
According to court documents and the evidence presented at the trial of TORRES:
On or about October 5, 2020, TORRES texted and called Victim-1 hundreds of times, including a text threatening to “kick [Minor Victim-1’s] teeth out.” Later that night, TORRES took Victim-1 and Minor Victim-1 to a motel in the Bronx, where he hit Minor Victim-1 in the face and assaulted Victim-1, breaking both sides of her jaw. While TORRES assaulted Victim-1, he told her that he would hang Victim-1 and that Minor Victim-1 would be found dead in the river. TORRES then had sex with Victim-1 against her will. For the next five days, TORRES held Victim-1 and Minor Victim-1 against their will at an apartment in Washington Heights, without medical treatment for Victim-1’s broken jaw. On or about October 10, 2020, Victim-1 and Minor Victim-1 escaped from the apartment and were admitted to a hospital shortly thereafter. In response to their escape, TORRES once again sent Victim-1 hundreds of threatening text messages and called Victim-1 hundreds of times. For example, TORRES texted Victim-1, telling her that he had put GPS on her phone and that, if he made the decision to go looking for her, “there won’t be turning back.” TORRES then followed through on those threats and attempted to track down Victim-1 and also posted nude photographs of Victim-1 on the internet.
At the time of the events described above, TORRES had absconded from parole supervision, having been placed on such supervision following a 2014 New York State conviction for second degree assault against the mother of TORRES’s children, who was then pregnant.
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TORRES, 27, was found guilty after trial of (i) one count of kidnapping, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1201(a)(1) and (b); (ii) one count of kidnapping of a minor, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1201(a)(1), (b), and (g); and (iii) one count of stalking, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 2261A(2)(A) and (B), 2261(b)(3), and 2265A.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI-NYPD Violent Crimes Task Force.
This case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys David Robles, Sarah Kushner, and Andrew Dember are in charge of the prosecution.
Albany Man Charged with Drug Trafficking OffenseRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Wakeem Ricks, age 30, of Albany, was ordered detained today pending trial on a charge that he distributed cocaine base.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Ray Donovan, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division.
The complaint alleges Ricks distributed cocaine base to another individual on September 23, 2021. The charge in the complaint is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $1 million, and a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of at least 3 years. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
This case is being investigated by the DEA, Albany Police Department, and Albany County Sheriff’s Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dustin Segovia.
Acting U.S. Attorney Gonzalez Announces More Than $2.2 Million in Grants to Assist Domestic Violence Victims in IdahoRead the Press Release
BOISE – Acting U.S. Attorney Rafael M. Gonzalez, Jr. joins law enforcement partners, victim services professionals, advocates, and communities across the country in observing October as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month and announces that Idaho has received $2,255,613 in Office of Violence Against Women (OVW) grants. These OVW grants will help address domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking victims throughout the state.
Nationwide, OVW announced more than $476 million in grants. The funding supports projects that meaningfully address the needs of underserved and marginalized survivors, improve access to justice, enhance survivor safety, hold accountable those who have caused harm, and provide training and technical assistance to an array of professionals and systems working to address sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking in every state and territory, as well as dozens of tribal communities.
Four OVW awards were granted to four Idaho recipients, including the Idaho Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence, the Bingham Crisis Center, the YWCA of Lewiston and Clarkston, and the Coeur d’Alene Tribe. The awards will not only support local domestic violence and sexual assault victims with services, they will also provide funding to bolster the critical work of state and territory domestic violence and sexual assault coalitions.
The Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Idaho encourages Idaho residents to be aware of the serious problem that is physical violence, sexual violence, stalking, and other forms of emotional abuse by a current or former intimate partner. “These forms of abuse affect millions of Americans and Idaho is not spared of this trauma,” Acting U.S. Attorney Gonzalez said. “It is estimated that nearly 20 people, on average, in the U.S. are abused by an intimate partner every minute, or 10 million instances of domestic violence every year. Domestic violence is connected to more than half of homicides with female victims, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Victims need an escape, and these funds provide that life-line,” Gonzalez concluded.
“Domestic Violence Awareness Month is a sobering reminder of the harm domestic violence inflicts across our country, at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic means that for many survivors, abuse may be compounded by being isolated with an abuser, loss of income and stress over the virus itself,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “These OVW grants will provide local organizations with resources to support survivors as they heal, promote victim access to justice, and further local, state and tribal training efforts to best prepare officials to respond to these dangerous calls.”
The OVW grants awarded in Idaho include the State and Territory Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Coalitions Grant Program; the Transitional Housing Assistance Grants for Victims of Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Program; the Tribal Sexual Assault Services Program; and the Training and Technical Assistance Program.
The State Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Coalitions grant will allow the Idaho Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence to facilitate coordinating victim service activities and collaborating with federal, state and local entities engaged in addressing violence against women, provide training to Idaho’s tribal and community domestic and sexual violence organizations, public awareness activities, and public policy. In particular, the Idaho Coalition is focusing on increasing awareness and coordination on Missing and Murdered Indigenous People.
Also, the Training and Technical Assistance grant designated the Idaho Coalition as the national technical assistance provider on the prevention and response to teen dating violence and sexual assault in rural communities, focusing on increasing access to victim services for youth from historically marginalized communities who experience higher rates of dating violence and a lack meaningful access to intervention services.
Finally, the Transitional Housing Assistance grant will provide needed transitional housing funds to rural survivors of domestic and sexual assault in collaboration with domestic and sexual violence organizations and culturally specific service providers.
“We are honored to receive these grant awards from the Office on Violence Against Women,” said Kelly Miller, executive director of the Idaho Coalition. “We are committed to increasing access to services for survivors from communities that have been historically marginalized and are invested in creating the societal conditions so violence is no longer a common occurrence and everyone can thrive.”
Additional Idaho OVW grant recipients, the Bingham Crisis Center, the YWCA of Lewiston and Clarkston, and the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, were similarly pleased to receive this federal funding, which will be instrumental in furthering their missions to support victims of crime.
Through their domestic abuse and sexual assault programs, the YWCA of Lewiston and Clarkston is dedicated to providing safety and support through advocacy and education while working towards social change and to provide a safe and understanding environment that fosters hope, healing and empowerment. The mission of the Bingham Crisis Center is to work within the community to help eliminate domestic and sexual violence, promote healthy non-violent relationships by providing emergency services, shelter, individual and group treatment, education, and support services to survivors and their families. The Coeur d’Alene Tribe’s grant funding from OVW’s Tribal Sexual Assault Services Program will support the establishment, maintenance, and expansion of programs and projects within Indian country to assist those victimized by sexual assault. Acting U.S. Attorney Gonzalez commended the YWCA, the Center, and the Coeur d’Alene Tribe for their commitment to victim services.
To learn more about OVW, please visit www.justice.gov/ovw.
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Activity in the United States Attorney's OfficeRead the Press Release
Federal District Court Alan B. Johnson sentenced LUIS SALGUERO-NOLASCO, 33, of Brooklyn Center, Minnesota on October 15, 2021 for illegal re-entry of previously deported alien into the Unites States. He received 12 months and one day of imprisonment and ordered to pay a $100.00 special assessment. Salguero-Nolasco was arrested by Campbell County Sheriff’s Office on April 26, 2021, for no driver’s license and possession of a controlled substance. On April 27, 2021, he told a Homeland Security Investigations agent that he was an illegal alien and a former member of the violent street gang MS-13. On May 15, 2021, the agent filed a Complaint in federal court against Salguero-Nolasco for illegal re-entry of previously deported alien into the United States. The grand jury later returned an indictment re-alleging that charge. The United States Homeland Security Investigations investigated this case.
Federal District Court Judge Nancy D. Freudenthal sentenced VICTORIA RENEE WILSON, 39, of Gillette, Wyoming on October 12, 2021 for possession of child pornography. She received 37 months of imprisonment to be followed by five years of supervised release. Wilson was ordered to pay a $100.00 special assessment. Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations investigated this case.
Federal District Court Judge Nancy D. Freudenthal sentenced NATOSHA MARTIN, 37, of Cody, Wyoming on October 12, 2021 for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. She received 37 months of imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release. Martin was ordered to pay a $100.00 special assessment and a $300.00 community restitution. ThePostal Inspector with the United States Postal Service and the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation investigated this case.
Federal District Court Judge Nancy D. Freudenthal sentenced CHRISTOPHER RYAN GROSS, 34, of Cheyenne, Wyoming on September 30, 2021 for felon in possession of a firearm. He received 37 months of imprisonment to be followed by 37 months of supervised release. Gross was ordered to pay a $100.00 special assessment. The Laramie County Sheriff’s Office investigated this case.
Thursday 14 October 2021
Waterbury Man Pleads Guilty to Violating Federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification ActRead the Press Release
Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that CHRISTOPHER POSKUS, 47, of Waterbury, pleaded guilty today to two counts of failing to register as a sex offender.
Pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), the court proceeding before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert M. Spector occurred via videoconference.
The Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (“SORNA”), which was passed by Congress in 2006 as part of the Adam Walsh Act, provides a comprehensive set of minimum standards for sex offender registration and notification in the United States and seeks to strengthen the nationwide network of sex offender registration and notification programs. In part, SORNA requires registered sex offenders to register and keep their registration current in each jurisdiction in which they reside, work, or go to school.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in 2010, Poskus was convicted in state court of possession of child pornography and was sentenced to 14 years of incarceration, suspended after seven years, and 10 years of probation. He also was required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison. While on probation, Poskus violated several mandatory and special conditions, had his probation revoked, returned to prison, and eventually was placed under house arrest with GPS monitoring.
In July 2019, Poskus removed his GPS monitoring device and fled to California. On August 29, 2019, the U.S. Marshals Service located and arrested Poskus in San Francisco, where he was residing in a homeless shelter. Poskus failed to update his Connecticut sex offender registration to reflect an interstate change of residence, and he failed to register as a sex offender in California.
Poskus was detained from the date of his arrest until December 21, 2020, when he began serving a seven-year term of probation. On January 7, 2021, state probation officers were unable to contact Poskus, and they subsequently discovered that Poskus had left Connecticut by train shortly after his release from prison. He was again located in San Francisco, and has been detained in federal custody on March 18, 2021. Poskus again had failed to update his Connecticut sex offender registration to reflect an interstate change of residence, and he failed to register as a sex offender in California.
Poskus is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton on January 4, 2022, at which time he faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.
This matter is being investigated by the United States Marshal Service. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Vizcarrondo.
Vermont Man Pleads Guilty to Hiring A Person to Kidnap and Kill an Individual in a Foreign Country and Child Pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
A Vermont man pleaded guilty today to hiring a woman in Venezuela to kidnap an adult male and make a video of the man being beaten, tortured, and suffocated to death, and to conspiracy to produce child pornography and possession of child pornography.
According to court documents, Sean Fiore, 37, was arrested in May 2019, as part of an operation conducted by Vermont’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (VT-ICAC) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). VT-ICAC and HSI executed search warrants in one week on 15 residences based on cyber tips received by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and leads developed through undercover investigation. Fiore’s digital media, seized and searched by law enforcement, revealed that he paid a woman in Venezuela $4,000 to kidnap, torture, and murder a “slave” in Venezuela. According to the indictment, Fiore provided specific instructions about what he wanted, which included beating, burning with a cigarette, urinating and defecating on, and suffocating the so-called slave to death. Fiore requested a video of the torture and murder, which the woman sent to him over the internet.
According to the plea agreement, Fiore’s digital media also revealed that he paid the same woman $600 to create a video of her inflicting sexually motivated sadistic abuse on a child. The woman also created that video and sent it to Fiore online. In addition, Fiore possessed other images and videos depicting minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, including sexual intercourse and sadistic abuse.
Fiore pleaded guilty to murder-for-hire, conspiracy to kidnap or murder a person in a foreign country, conspiracy to produce child pornography, and possession of child pornography. He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 1, 2022, and faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison, and up to life. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors
The woman who sent Fiore the videos, co-defendant Moraima Escarlet Vasquez Flores, is charged with conspiracy to murder and kidnap a person in a foreign country, conspiracy to produce child pornography, production of child pornography, and aiding and abetting the receipt of child pornography. Vasquez Flores was arrested in Colombia pursuant to an Interpol Red Notice on Sept. 18, 2020. The United States is seeking her extradition from Colombia to the United States to face these charges. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara Masterson of the District of Vermont, Trial Attorney Patrick Jasperse of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section, and Trial Attorney Eduardo Palomo of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section are prosecuting the case with the assistance of the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.
U.S. Attorney’s Office recognized for work on Clarksburg VA Hospital Serial Murder caseRead the Press Release
AUSA Jarod J. Douglas and AUSA Brandon S. Flower receive a CIGIE award for their work on the serial killer case at the Clarksburg VA hospital.CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II is proud to announce that Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jarod J. Douglas and Brandon S. Flower are being recognized today for their tireless and superior work on the case of serial killer Reta Mays.
The Annual Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency Awards ceremony took place virtually this week. The award for excellence in investigation will be given to the Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General investigative team for the murders committed by a nursing assistant at the Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center in Clarksburg, West Virginia. This award is given in recognition of the personal sacrifice, exceptional investigative work, and unwavering dedication demonstrated in successfully investigating this case.
Douglas and Flowers will be recognized, along with VA OIG Resident Agent in Charge Keith Vereb, VA OIG Special Agent in Charge Colin Davis, VA OIG Special Agent in Charge Kim Lampkins, FBI Special Agent Ashley Archibald, and WV State Trooper Corporal John Smith.
In July 2020, Reta Mays, a former nursing assistant at the VA Medical Center in Clarksburg, admitted to killing seven veterans, and attempting to kill an eighth, with insulin injections. Mays was sentenced in May 2021 to seven consecutive life sentences plus 20 years.
For more information on the case, go to https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndwv/pr/former-va-hospital-nursing-assistant-sentenced-seven-consecutive-life-sentences.
The Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) is an independent entity established within the executive branch to address integrity, economy and effectiveness issues that transcend individual Government agencies and aid in the establishment of a professional, well-trained and highly skilled workforce in the Offices of Inspectors General.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Joins Broad Effort to Observe National Disability Employment Awareness MonthRead the Press Release
BOISE – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho today announced its participation in National Disability Employment Awareness Month, an annual awareness campaign that takes place each October. The purpose of National Disability Employment Awareness Month is to educate about disability employment issues and celebrate the many and varied contributions of America's workers with disabilities. This year's theme is "America’s Recovery: Powered by Inclusion."
The history of National Disability Employment Awareness Month traces back to 1945 when Congress enacted a law declaring the first week in October each year "National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week." In 1962, the word "physically" was removed to acknowledge the employment needs and contributions of individuals with all types of disabilities. In 1988, Congress expanded the week to a month and changed the name to National Disability Employment Awareness Month.
“Our national recovery from the pandemic cannot be completed without the inclusion of all Americans, in particular people with disabilities,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh. “Their contributions have historically been vital to our nation’s success, and are more important today than ever. We must build an economy that fully includes the talent and drive of those with disabilities.”
"The U.S. Attorney’s Office is proud to be a part of this year's National Disability Employment Awareness Month," said Gonzalez. "We want to spread the important message that we value all perspectives, including those of individuals with disabilities."
Employers and employees in all industries can learn more about how to participate in National Disability Employment Awareness Month and ways they can promote its messages — during October and throughout the year — by visiting www.dol.gov/NDEAM.
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U.S. Attorney Announces Four Additional Enforcement Actions as Part of Data-Driven National Effort to Combat P-Stim Fraud Scheme and Recover MillionsRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – Acting United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced three settlements and the filing of a complaint under the False Claims Act in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. These are the latest actions in the national investigation into the scheme of improper billing involving P-Stim electro-acupuncture devices. P-Stim is also branded as, among other things, ANSiStim, Stivax, NeuroStim, and NSS-2 Bridge. Federal healthcare programs do not reimburse for P-Stim devices, whether they are characterized as an electro-acupuncture device or as an implantable neuro-stimulator. This District has helped lead the national Department of Justice effort to apply analytics to healthcare claims data to identify providers who have fraudulently billed federal healthcare programs for P-Stim services. As detailed below, this District and others have pursued and settled various False Claims Act cases against P-Stim providers, recovering millions.
The four enforcement actions announced today involve certain parties who sold P-Stim devices and/or promoted them as billable to Medicare and other federal healthcare programs, which then caused providers to submit fraudulent claims. The United States alleges that these promoters profited by conspiring together to make false representations to providers that P-Stim was reimbursable under billing codes that paid thousands of dollars per procedure. Those codes were meant for legitimate, surgically implanted neuro-stimulators to manage chronic pain. However, P-Stim devices can be applied in a few minutes in an office setting without anesthesia by someone with minimal training. The promoters allegedly had knowledge that the P-Stim devices were not reimbursable by federal healthcare programs but pushed the non-surgical devices anyway.
The three settlements announced today are all pursuant to DOJ’s inability to pay policy:
- Mark Kaiser of Bradenton, Florida, and his company, Doc Solutions, LLC, have paid $1.15 million; and
- James Carpenter of Rockledge, Florida, and his company, Solace Advancement Institute, have paid $150,000; and
- Aaron Oxenrider of Carmel, Indiana, and his company Baron, Inc., doing business as Access 2 Integration (known commonly as A2I) have paid $54,150.
The parties involved in these settlements also agreed to exclusions from federal healthcare programs, with 20-year exclusions for the Kaiser and Carpenter parties and a 7-year exclusion for the Oxenrider parties.
In a related case, today the United States filed a complaint in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania against Timothy Warren of Wichita, Kansas, and his company, Titan Medical Compliance, LLC, alleging violations of the False Claims Act. Warren is a chiropractor who promoted himself as a medical reimbursement consultant. Various marketers and distributors of P-Stim devices paid Warren a monthly fee, including Kaiser, to provide coding recommendations to customers. Certain providers also paid Warren directly for his coding guidance. Beginning in 2014, Warren promoted P-Stim devices as reimbursable by Medicare and other federal healthcare programs and provided instructions on what codes to bill. But, as detailed in the Complaint, the United States alleges that Warren had knowledge that he was providing incorrect advice: Warren knew that P-Stim was not reimbursable by federal healthcare programs because it was acupuncture, and not a surgically implanted neuro-stimulator. The United States alleges that Warren caused providers to submit to the federal Medicare and TRICARE programs thousands of fraudulent claims for P-Stim devices worth at least $20 million dollars.
“Our office has led the national charge to hold alleged fraudsters accountable for this P-Stim scheme,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Williams. Acting U.S. Attorney Williams continued: “Those who cause false claims by marketing alleged fraud schemes are also responsible for the tainted claims paid by federal health insurers. Working with our partners and using innovative investigative tools like data analytics, we will find those who peddle and profit from alleged false healthcare schemes like P-Stim—and, as the complaint filed today shows, we will fight you in court if needed.”
This ongoing national effort to identify and combat P-Stim fraud is a collaboration between this District, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (“CMS”) Center for Program Integrity, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (“HHS-OIG”), other federal healthcare programs, state partners, and sister U.S. Attorney’s Offices around the country.
Including the three settlements announced today, the national P-Stim initiative has so far produced over 15 False Claims Act settlements across the country worth approximately $15 million—of which, 8 settlements worth over $3 million have come from this District. (Previous press releases are linked below.) Additionally, outside of DOJ litigation, there are administrative enforcement actions by other federal agencies as well. In particular, CMS, through its Unified Program Integrity Contractors, is auditing and recovering improperly paid P-Stim claims. HHS-OIG is also pursuing civil money penalties and exclusion remedies.
“CMS is dedicated to removing fraudulent actors and protecting the people who rely on our programs,” said CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. “We thank our partners at the Department of Justice and Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General for collaborating with us to identify, investigate, and eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse in our federal health care programs.”
“Accurately billing for services provided to Medicare beneficiaries is required of all health care providers,” said Maureen R. Dixon, Special Agent in Charge for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General, Region III. “HHS-OIG, CMS’s Center for Program Integrity, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to evaluate and pursue inaccurate billings of P-Stim and similar devices.”
All civil claims, including the settled claims, are allegations only. There has been no determination of civil liability. The cases in this District have been investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General. They have been handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Deborah W. Frey and Matthew E. K. Howatt, as well as former Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Crutchlow, Civil Chief Gregory B. David, Auditor Dawn Wiggins, and Investigator Frank O’Connor.
Prior DOJ press releases related to the P-Stim Initiative:
- Eastern District of Pennsylvania
- https://www.justice.gov/usao-edpa/pr/two-pa-chiropractic-practices-pay-over-800000-resolve-alleged-false-claims-act
- https://www.justice.gov/usao-edpa/pr/neurosurgeon-medical-practice-director-pay-over-1-million-resolve-false-claims-act
- https://www.justice.gov/usao-edpa/pr/chiropractor-and-related-practice-pay-nearly-100000-resolve-false-claims-act-liability
- https://www.justice.gov/usao-edpa/pr/doctor-and-physician-practice-pay-178000-resolve-false-claims-act-liability-arising
- Southern District of Texas
- https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdtx/pr/katy-anesthesiologist-pays-settle-allegations-arising-electro-acupuncture-device
- https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdtx/pr/katy-anesthesiologist-pays-settle-allegations-arising-electro-acupuncture-device
- Eastern District of Texas
- https://www.justice.gov/usao-edtx/pr/texas-company-agrees-reimburse-medicare-improper-billing-related-neurostimulators
- Western District of Texas
- https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdtx/pr/healthcare-practitioners-pay-over-1-million-resolve-false-claims-act-liability-arising
- Middle District of Tennessee
- https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdtn/pr/united-states-and-tennessee-resolve-claims-three-providers-false-claims-act-liability
- https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdtn/pr/comprehensive-pain-specialists-and-former-owners-agree-pay-41-million-settle-fraud
- Southern District of Georgia
- https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdga/pr/government-obtains-more-5-million-judgments-resolve-healthcare-fraud-allegations
Two Men Indicted in Connection with a Gun Trafficking Conspiracy Operating in Monmouth and Ocean CountiesRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – A New Jersey man and a Florida man were charged today with conspiring to illegally sell firearms, including multiple handguns and a semi-automatic rifle, in and around Monmouth and Ocean counties, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Manuel Espinosa-Ozoria, 31, aka “Chino,” of Bartow, Florida, and Enrique Quijada, 24, aka “El Enano 13,” aka “Kike,” of Freehold, New Jersey, are each charged by indictment with one count of conspiracy to engage in firearms trafficking. Espinosa-Ozoria additional charged with two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and Quijada is additionally charged with two counts of possession of a firearm by an alien unlawfully present in the United States.
According to the indictment:
From May 2020 through September 2020, Espinosa-Ozoria, Quijada, and others were members of a gun trafficking conspiracy operating in Monmouth and Ocean counties, in which they unlawfully obtained, possessed, and sold numerous firearms for profit.
The count of conspiracy to engage in firearms trafficking carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm by an alien unlawfully present in the United States each carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge George M. Crouch Jr. in Newark, with the investigation leading to the charges. She also thanked the FBI Tampa Division, the ATF Newark and Tampa Field Divisions, and the Freehold Borough, New Jersey, Police Department for their assistance.
In July 2021 the U.S. Department of Justice launched five cross-jurisdictional strike forces to help reduce gun violence by disrupting illegal firearms trafficking in key regions across the country. Leveraging existing resources, the regional strike forces will better ensure sustained and focused coordination across jurisdictions and help stem the supply of illegally trafficked firearms from source cities, through other communities, and into five key market regions: New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area/Sacramento Region and Washington, D.C. According to gun trace data, a significant number of firearms recovered in the New York/northern New Jersey area originate from outside the area. The new strike force will help ensure sustained and focused coordination between law enforcement and prosecutors in the New York/northern New Jersey area with their counterparts in those other locations.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ian D. Brater of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division in Trenton.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Top Prosecutors Seek Leads on Hurricane Ida Fraud CasesRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Ellison C. Travis and Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry are urging suspected Hurricane Ida fraud victims to file complaints with the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) via phone at (866) 720-5721 or online at www.justice.gov/DisasterComplaintForm. Since the storm, numerous complaints have been filed regarding contractor, FEMA, and Small Business Administration (SBA) fraud.
The NCDF is a nationwide organization of law enforcement agents that further detects, investigates, and prosecutes those responsible for disaster related fraud. The NCDF Hotline receives complaints that are reviewed by law enforcement and referred to Federal, State, and local agencies for investigation.
Acting U.S. Attorney Travis stated, “My office has no tolerance for criminals who target disaster victims. Working with Attorney General Landry and other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, we can protect victims of Ida from criminals who, out of wanton greed, exploit this tragedy for their own gain. Potential fraudsters must know that, under Federal law, there is a 30-year maximum sentence in Federal prison for those who commit fraud related to disasters. My office will continue to act aggressively to bring to justice those who would further harm victims of Hurricane Ida and other disasters. After a storm, fraudulent contractors will target those affected by offering to perform repairs quickly, while at the same time demanding payment before any work is completed. You can avoid becoming a victim by never paying a contractor for work that has not been completed, hiring well-known local contractors with a reputation for performing good work, asking your insurance claim adjuster to review a contract before you sign, ask for proof of liability insurance and state licensure, and never paying with cash since that leaves no trail if an investigation becomes necessary. Payment should only be made with a check or credit/debit card.”
“Our office and the NCDF share a common aim to aggressively investigate, apprehend, and prosecute those who exploit calamity for personal reward,” said Attorney General Landry. “We stand united with our law enforcement partners to ensure victims of Hurricane Ida receive the help they need and do not fall prey to another tragedy.”
If you were visited by a FEMA inspector or received a letter from FEMA or the SBA stating that you have filed a claim for disaster assistance when you have not, you may be a victim of Federal disaster-assistance fraud. If this applies to you, it is important for you to contact FEMA at 800-621-3362, or the SBA at 800-827-5722, to let them know the application is fraudulent.
Three Men Arrested and Face Charges Related to the Oct. 9 death of a Tulsa County ManRead the Press Release
Three men face federal charges related to the alleged homicide of a Tulsa County man whose body was discovered in his front yard Oct. 9, 2021, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
Stephen John Rose, 56, and Vernon Leon Weaver, 49, were charged by criminal complaint Thursday with murder in the first degree in Indian Country. Rose and Weaver were further charged, along with Christopher James Squirrel, 28, with conspiracy to commit robbery. The men were arrested by the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office and FBI Tuesday evening.
The affidavit filed with the complaint states that on or about Oct. 9, 2021, Rose, Weaver and Squirrel conspired to rob the victim and collect money owed to Rose. During the robbery, Rose and Weaver allegedly stabbed the victim using one or two knives, resulting in the victim’s death.
At approximately 3:15 pm on Oct. 9, the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call reporting the discovery of a man lying in the front yard of a home located at 1525 E. 56th St. North near Turley. Upon arrival, deputies observed the victim’s body and visible signs of injury to the victim’s head and what appeared to be stab wounds to the victim’s face, hands, arms, neck, upper back, back of the neck, upper chest, and top and back of his head. Law enforcement learned that at least one neighbor also observed discarded money near the victim’s body.
This matter will proceed in U.S. District Court in Tulsa, where the Complaint is currently pending. A Complaint is a temporary charge alleging a violation of law. For the case to proceed to trial, the United States must present the charge to a federal grand jury within 30 days. Once a Grand Jury returns an Indictment, a defendant has a right to a jury trial at which the United States would have the burden of proving the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
The Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office and FBI are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cymetra M. Williams is prosecuting the case.
Three Defendants Indicted for $437,000 Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Three Missouri residents have been indicted by a federal grand jury in a scheme to use the identities of deceased people to file hundreds of false stimulus claims under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
Warren W. Watkins, 39, and Marissia Jackson, 25, both of Kansas City, Mo., and Lamar K. Johnson, 40, of Eldon, Mo., were charged in a 37-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Oct. 5, 2021. The indictment was unsealed and made public following the arrests yesterday of Watkins and Johnson.
The federal indictment alleges that Watkins, Jackson, and Johnson participated in a conspiracy to defraud the federal government from March 28, 2020, while they were all living at the same Kansas City, Mo., address, to April 15, 2021.
They allegedly used the identities of other people to file a total of 238 false and fraudulent economic impact payment claims. Each claim sought a $1,200 economic impact payment available under the CARES Act, for a total of $285,600. Most of the individuals whose identities were used were deceased.
They allegedly also filed at least 28 false and fraudulent federal income tax returns in the names of other individuals seeking a total of $152,155 in income tax credits and refunds. (The IRS actually paid only $4,800 of the claims.) According to the indictment, the total attempted loss from both schemes was $437,755.
Watkins was associated with two Kansas City, Mo., funeral homes. According to the indictment, 226 of the individuals whose identities were used to file the false claims had received funeral services from the two funeral homes or a third associated funeral home.
In addition to the fraud conspiracy, the indictment charges 12 counts of false claims, 12 counts of wire fraud, and 12 counts of aggravated identity theft. Watkins is charged in each of the 37 counts of the indictment, while Jackson and Johnson each are charged in a total of 10 counts.
The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kate Mahoney. It was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation.
Theodore Man Sentenced to More Than Five Years for Knifepoint RobberyRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Theodore man was sentenced today to 63 months in prison for robbing a Raceway gas station in Theodore on December 27, 2020.
According to court documents, Corey Wilson Lyman, 29, threatened a cashier at the gas station with a knife and stole the victim’s money, cell phone, and car keys. Lyman then fled the scene of the robbery in the victim’s car and led police on a high-speed chase, blowing through several lighted intersections. During the chase, Lyman threw two bags from the car that contained cash and a knife. Lyman eventually ran the car into a grassy ditch and attempted to flee into the woods near Dauphin Island Parkway before police apprehended him. As part of his guilty plea, Lyman admitted that he committed the robbery, that he took the victim’s property by threatening force and violence, and that his actions obstructed, delayed, and affected interstate commerce in violation of the Hobbs Act.
United States District Judge Terry F. Moorer ordered Lyman to serve a three-year term of supervised release upon his release from prison, during which time he will undergo testing and treatment for substance abuse and will be subject to credit restrictions. The court did not impose a fine, but Judge Moorer ordered Lyman to pay $1,500 in restitution to the robbery victim and $100 in special assessments.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
The United States Attorney’s Office, Memphis Police Department, Faith Based Leaders and Community Stakeholders Announce Efforts to Reduce Violent CrimeRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN – Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph C. Murphy Jr., along with stake holders in the Frayser Community announced the “Better Community Summit” effort to reduce violent crime throughout our city. Organizers and participants in initial summit include the Memphis Police Department, represented by Deputy Chief Paul Wright, Pursuit of God Transformation Center, represented by Pastor Ricky Floyd, and Charles Caswell, Executive Director of Legacy of Legends, CDC.
The U.S. Department of Justice is committed to work with law enforcement and other stakeholders to reduce violent crime in Memphis and West Tennessee. To achieve this goal, the department has directed every U.S. Attorney’s Office to formulate a strategic plan designed to reduce violent crime. To that end, our office convened meetings with over 40 clergy leaders across the greater Memphis area to discuss violent crime and recommend possible solutions.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office, Memphis Police Department, non-profit organizations, clergy leaders, and other community stakeholders are pleased to announce the first of five “Better Community Summits” will be held at The Pursuit of God Transformation Center, 3759 North Watkins Street beginning on Saturday, November 6, 2021, at 10 a.m. The summit is tailored to address the needs of parents and children. Topics covered will include domestic violence prevention, gang talk, community conflict resolution, and de-escalation training.
Beginning in 2022, the remaining four workshops will be held quarterly in the areas of North Memphis; Whitehaven/Westwood; Hickory Hill/East Memphis and Orange Mound/South Memphis.###
Texas Woman Sentenced to over Four Years’ Imprisonment for Fraud OffensesRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG—The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Shannon Gray, age 41, of Houston, Texas, was sentenced today to 51 months’ imprisonment by United States District Court Judge Jennifer P. Wilson for bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.
According to Acting United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, Gray previously admitted that in September 2019, she purchased approximately $50,000 in postage stamps from post offices in Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and West Virginia by using personal checks that were not hers and that she was not authorized to use. Gray was arrested on September 13, 2019, outside of the post office in Mountville, Pennsylvania, after she attempted to purchase $935 in stamps using a fraudulent check. Gray was also ordered to pay $48,610.91 in restitution.
The case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the West Hempfield Township Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carlo D. Marchioli prosecuted the case.
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Superseding Indictment Charges Mexican Mafia Member and Associates with Murdering Inmate at Federal Jail in Downtown L.A.Read the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A federal grand jury today returned a superseding indictment charging three Pomona-area gang members and Mexican Mafia associates with murdering an inmate at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in downtown Los Angeles.
The superseding indictment alleges Jose Valencia Gonzalez, a.k.a. “Swifty,” 39, Carlos Gonzalez, a.k.a. “Popeye,” 38, and Juan Sanchez, a.k.a. “Squeaks,” 28, all of Pomona, killed the victim on June 28, 2020 at the direction of Mexican Mafia member Michael Lerma, a.k.a. “Big Mike,” 65, also of Pomona, who also is charged with the murder. The victim’s murder was ordered in retaliation for the victim’s failure to pay off a drug debt to the Mexican Mafia, according to the indictment.
These defendants previously were charged with conspiring to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act related to the Mexican Mafia’s control of the City of Pomona and surrounding areas, and included a separate conspiracy to murder, a kidnapping, and a carjacking. The superseding indictment alleges Lerma exercised control over, and extorted drug proceeds from, Latino street gangs in and around Pomona, as well as from inmates at Calipatria State Prison in Imperial County. Members of Lerma’s criminal enterprise also engaged in robberies, identity theft and fraud, drug trafficking, kidnapping, and other acts of violence, the indictment alleges.
The in-custody murder was committed while the defendants were in federal custody awaiting trial scheduled for April 12, 2022. In addition to the murder charges, the superseding indictment describes the enterprise’s takeover of MDC and seizing control of the drug trafficking within the facility. If convicted, these defendants would each face a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison or death. A decision whether to seek the death penalty will be made in the future.
This matter was investigated by the FBI’s Los Angeles Metropolitan Violent Crime Task Force in conjunction with the FBI’s San Gabriel Valley Safe Streets Task Force (SGVSSTF), which is comprised of agents and officers with the FBI, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the Pomona Police Department, the El Monte Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). The Pomona Police Department is the sponsoring agency of the SGVSSTF and has been the headquarters for the task force since its inception in 2008.
Assistant United States Attorneys Max B. Shiner of the Violent and Organized Crime Section, and Shawn J. Nelson and Keith D. Ellison of the International Narcotics, Money Laundering, and Racketeering Section are prosecuting this case.
Suffolk County Man Pleads Guilty to Receiving and Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Jacob Delaney, age 23, of Holtsville, New York, pled guilty yesterday to one count of receiving child pornography and three counts of possessing child pornography.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
As part of his guilty plea, Delaney admitted that between about September 2018 and December 12, 2019, while a resident of New Paltz, New York, he used the Internet to search for, and download, numerous still image and video files of child pornography.
Sentencing is scheduled for February 15, 2022 before Senior United States District Judge Thomas J. McAvoy in Albany. Delaney faces at least 5 years and up to 40 years in prison. The Court will also impose a term of supervised release of between 5 years and life. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors. Delaney will also be required to register as a sex offender.
This case was investigated by the FBI. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashlyn Miranda and Rick Belliss as a part of Project Safe Childhood.
Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Suburban Chicago Businessman Sentenced to Eleven Years in Federal Prison for Participating in Multi-Million Dollar Ponzi SchemeRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A suburban Chicago businessman who schemed with an attorney and two others to sell millions of dollars in phony mortgages has been sentenced to eleven years in federal prison.
ALBERT ROSSINI, the owner of Devon Street Investments in Lincolnwood, was sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Chicago. A jury in 2018 convicted Rossini, 73, of Skokie, on multiple counts of mail fraud and wire fraud.
The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; William Hedrick, Inspector-in-Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Chicago; Michael Powell, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General in Chicago; and Thomas J. Dart, Cook County Sheriff. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney John D. Mitchell.
Evidence at trial revealed that Rossini plotted with father-and-son co-defendants BABAJAN KHOSHABE, of Chicago, and ANTHONY KHOSHABE, of Skokie, to fraudulently induce more than a dozen victims into purchasing purported mortgage notes on apartment buildings in or near foreclosure. The defendants fraudulently promised that investors would receive title to the properties at the conclusion of the foreclosure process. In reality, the defendants did not own the mortgage notes, and instead the victims’ funds were misappropriated and used to make Ponzi-type payments to some of the investors.
The victims provided a total of more than $7 million in investment money to the defendants, and Rossini fraudulently pocketed more than $2.5 million of it.
A separate federal jury in 2019 convicted the Khoshabes for their roles in the scheme. They are awaiting sentencing.
A fourth defendant, Chicago attorney THOMAS MURPHY, claimed to validate the sale of the mortgage notes through a phony “Guaranty Agreement” that he prepared and gave to Rossini to present to the victims. Murphy pleaded guilty and admitted his role in the scheme. He is awaiting sentencing.
Stock Promoters Plead Guilty to “Pump and Dump” Securities Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – Two men have entered guilty pleas to securities fraud charges in connection to their illegal pump-and-dump stock manipulation scheme, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.
According to their guilty pleas, Mark Allen Miller, 44, of Breezy Point, and Christopher James Rajkaran, 36, of Queens, New York, and Guyana, participated in a scheme to hijack and assume control over dormant public shell companies. The defendants used their control over the companies to fraudulently manipulate and pump up the price of the companies' stock so that they could profit from the sale of stock to unwitting investors.
The defendants carried out their scheme by obtaining hundreds of thousands or even millions of shares of stock in dormant public shell companies that traded over-the-counter at low prices, often for less than a fraction of a penny per share. The defendants then assumed control over the shell companies by creating fake and filing fake resignation letters and board resolutions purporting to announce the resignation of the existing management team and the appointment of one or more conspirators as new officers and directors of the companies. The conspirators used their control over the hijacked shell companies to issue fraudulent press releases and filings designed to fraudulently inflate and “pump up” the price of the hijacked companies’ stock. The defendants then sold or “dumped” their stock at the fraudulently inflated prices.
The defendants each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud before Senior Judge David S. Doty in U.S. District Court. Miller entered his guilty plea earlier today and Rajkaran entered his guilty plea on October 7, 2021. Co-conspirator Saeid Jaberian, 59, of Hopkins, has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy, securities fraud, and wire fraud charges.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the FBI. The U.S. Attorney’s Office would also like to thank the Securities and Exchange Commission for its assistance on this matter.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph H. Thompson and Miranda E. Dugi are prosecuting the case.
Stafford County, Virginia, to Allow Islamic Cemetery in Response to Justice Department LawsuitRead the Press Release
The Justice Department today announced that it is dismissing its Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) lawsuit against Stafford County, Virginia, because it achieved the relief it sought in the case. Specifically, in response to the department’s complaint, the County repealed ordinances that prevented the All Muslim Association of America (AMAA) from developing a religious cemetery for persons of the Islamic faith, approved the AMAA’s site plan for the cemetery, and, in a private settlement with the AMAA to resolve the AMAA’s lawsuit, agreed to pay $500,000 in damages to the AMAA.
The notice of dismissal, which was filed today in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, describes additional steps the County undertook to comply with RLUIPA after the department notified the County of its investigation. For example, the County has implemented an internal procedure to address complaints by any person who believes that the County may have violated RLUIPA, provided RLUIPA training to County employees who are responsible for implementing and enforcing zoning and land use regulations, posted notices of its obligations to comply with RLUIPA on several County website pages, and placed RLUIPA notices in land use application documents.
“RLUIPA protects people of all faiths in their right to exercise their religion,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Department of Justice will continue to vigorously enforce RLUIPA — through litigation if necessary — against zoning regulations that unreasonably burden religious exercise, including by restricting a religious group’s right to bury its dead in accordance with religious rituals and customs.”
The complaint, filed in June 2020, alleged that Stafford County violated RLUIPA when it enacted an ordinance in December 2016 that prevented the AMAA from developing an Islamic cemetery; County officials had previously confirmed that the proposed cemetery was a permitted use at this property. The ordinance imposed new requirements, unsupported by any legitimate health or safety concerns, that the County knew the AMAA could not meet. After the United States sued, the County replaced the ordinance with another one, but it, too, imposed unreasonable constraints on the group’s ability to build a religious cemetery. In October 2020, the County repealed the second ordinance as well, and replaced it with one that allows for the establishment of cemeteries as a permitted use, without the approval of the County, in the zoning district where the AMAA’s property is located and removes other restrictions specific to cemeteries.
RLUIPA is a federal law that protects religious institutions from unduly burdensome or discriminatory land use regulations. In June 2018, the Justice Department announced its Place to Worship Initiative, which focuses on RLUIPA’s provisions that protect the rights of houses of worship and other religious institutions to worship on their land. More information is available at www.justice.gov/crt/placetoworship.
Individuals who believe they have been subjected to discrimination in land use or zoning decisions may contact the Civil Rights Division Housing and Civil Enforcement Section at (833) 591-0291, or may submit a complaint through the complaint portal on the Place to Worship Initiative website. More information about RLUIPA, including questions and answers about the law and other documents, may be found at http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/hce/rluipaexplain.php.
Stafford County to Allow Islamic Cemetery in Response to Justice Department LawsuitRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The Justice Department filed a notice to dismiss its Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) lawsuit against Stafford County because the County repealed ordinances that prevented the All Muslim Association of America (AMAA) from developing a religious cemetery for persons of the Islamic faith.
The original complaint, filed in June 2020, alleged that Stafford County violated RLUIPA when it enacted an ordinance in December 2016 that prevented the AMAA from developing an Islamic cemetery. County officials had previously confirmed that the proposed cemetery was a permitted use of the property. The ordinance imposed new requirements, unsupported by any legitimate health or safety concerns, that the County knew the AMAA could not meet. After the United States filed the lawsuit, the County replaced the ordinance with another one that also imposed unreasonable constraints on the group’s ability to build a religious cemetery.
In October 2020, the County repealed the second ordinance as well and replaced it with one that allows for the establishment of cemeteries by right in the zoning district where the AMAA’s property is located and removes other restrictions specific to cemeteries. This latest action allowed the AMAA to file its site plan application, which the County approved on July 9, enabling the organization to develop its cemetery. As a result, the Justice Department filed a notice to dismiss its RLUIPA lawsuit against Stafford County.
“RLUIPA protects people of all faiths in their right to exercise their religion,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Department of Justice will continue to vigorously enforce RLUIPA—through litigation if necessary—against zoning regulations that unreasonably burden religious exercise, including by restricting a religious group’s right to bury its dead in accordance with religious rituals and customs.”
The Notice of Dismissal filed today describes additional steps the County undertook to comply with RLUIPA after the department notified the County of its investigation. For example, the County has implemented an internal procedure to address complaints by any person who believes that the County may have violated RLUIPA, provided RLUIPA training to County employees who are responsible for implementing and enforcing zoning and land use regulations, posted notices of its obligations to comply with RLUIPA on several County website pages, and placed RLUIPA notices in land use application documents.
In a private settlement between the County and AMAA, Stafford County agreed to pay $500,000 in damages to the AMAA.
RLUIPA is a federal law that protects religious institutions from unduly burdensome or discriminatory land use regulations. In June 2018, the Justice Department announced its Place to Worship Initiative, which focuses on RLUIPA’s provisions that protect the rights of houses of worship and other religious institutions to worship on their land. More information is available at www.justice.gov/crt/placetoworship.
Individuals who believe they have been subjected to discrimination in land use or zoning decisions may contact the Civil Rights Division Housing and Civil Enforcement Section at (833) 591-0291, or may submit a complaint through the complaint portal on the Place to Worship Initiative website. More information about RLUIPA, including questions and answers about the law and other documents, may be found at http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/hce/rluipaexplain.php.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Springfield Man Sentenced to 14 Years for Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Missouri, man was sentenced in federal court today for receiving child pornography over the internet.
Scott James Wells, 56, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 14 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Wells to a lifetime of supervised release following incarceration, and ordered him to pay $15,000 in restitution to his victims.
On May 4, 2021, Wells withdrew his plea of not guilty on the day his criminal jury trial was scheduled to begin. Wells entered a nolo contendre, or “no contest,” plea, neither admitting nor disputing the federal charges against him, but acknowledging the government had sufficient evidence to convict him of the crimes charged beyond a reasonable doubt. The court found Wells guilty of one count of receiving and distributing child pornography. Wells has been detained in federal custody since that date.
Wells received child pornography over the internet between Dec. 15, 2016, through March 22, 2017. Law enforcement received two CyberTipline reports from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children after Wells used his Facebook account to transmit two images of child pornography to another Facebook user.
Officers executed a search warrant at Wells’s residence and seized his laptop computer, which contained child pornography.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys James J. Kelleher and Nhan Nguyen. It was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent J.D. Holdman and the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Southern California Man Pleads Guilty to Multimillion-Dollar Medical Device Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO – Joseph Albert Corey pleaded guilty in federal court today to one count of wire fraud conspiracy and three counts of wire fraud involving a multimillion-dollar medical device loan scheme, announced Acting United States Attorney Stephanie Hinds and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Craig D. Fair.
Corey, 56 and last known to live in or near Los Angeles, earlier pleaded guilty to mail fraud in a separate federal criminal case. He was released from custody in that case and then absconded from his February 2020 sentencing hearing. While a fugitive, he continued committing a second fraud scheme. Corey remained a fugitive until he was detained by Mexican immigration authorities in January 2021 and deported to the United States.
Today Corey pleaded guilty to the second fraud scheme. He now awaits sentencing in both fraud cases.
Corey pleaded guilty today to a wire fraud conspiracy to defraud medical device lenders that began no later than March 2019 and continued through October 2020. According to his plea agreement, Corey assumed the identities of multiple medical doctors. In the scheme, Corey would impersonate an actual doctor and apply to a loan company for a loan to purchase an expensive medical device from a medical device supply company. Once the lender approved the loan for the doctor Corey impersonated, Corey directed the lender to deposit the loaned purchase funds into a specific bank account. The bank account was opened earlier in the scheme under an account name that closely resembled or was identical to the name of a legitimate medical device supply company, and Corey controlled that bank account. Once the unsuspecting lender deposited the funds into the account, Corey appropriated the money and, under a different false identity, used the money to purchase gold from a precious metals dealer, thus obscuring the trail of the stolen loan money.
Corey admitted in his plea agreement that he defrauded more than 10 victims in this scheme and that the scheme caused losses of at least $3.5 million.
In the earlier mail fraud case from which Corey absconded, Corey was charged for depositing fraudulent checks into an account opened under a false name and then purchasing gold with the deposited money. Corey entered a guilty plea in November 2019 to the charge of mail fraud in that case and, while out on bond, failed to appear at his February 2020 sentencing hearing.
According to a filing by the government, when Corey was detained in January 2021 he possessed numerous false identifications, including one identifying him as a “special agent” of the CIA.
The sentencing of Corey on both criminal cases is scheduled for January 6, 2022, at 10 a.m. before the Honorable Edward M. Chen, U.S. District Court Judge.
Corey pleaded guilty today in the more recent case (CR 20-481 EMC) to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349 and three counts of wire fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343. The conspiracy and wire fraud charges carry a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine. The plea agreement specifies that restitution to the victims shall be ordered in an amount no less than $3.5million.
In his earlier case (CR 19-530 EMC), Corey pleaded guilty in November 2019 to one count of mail fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1341. In that case, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000, along with restitution in an as-yet unspecified amount.
While these are the maximum possible penalties, in a criminal case a court imposes a sentence only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
Mohit Gourisaria is the Assistant U.S. Attorney who is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Maddi Wachs and Maribel Gallegos. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
South Florida Resident Sentenced to 70 Years in Prison for Child ExploitationRead the Press Release
Miami, Florida – A United States federal district judge has sentenced Nikolas Cook, 23, of Stuart, Florida, to 840 months in prison and lifetime supervised release for producing, distributing, and possessing child pornography.
According to court documents, on September 10, 2020, Cook communicated with others in a social media group created for individuals interested in child sexual abuse material. While participating in the chat group, Cook produced and distributed multiple pornographic images of a three-year-old girl. An investigation led agents to Cook’s residence. Agents arrested Cook within 12 hours of learning of his activity in the chat group. During a search of Cook’s residence, agents located electronic devices containing multiple sexually explicit images and videos of minor children being sexually abused.
The sentence was imposed by Judge K. Michael Moore after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Juan Antonio Gonzalez and Special Agent in Charge for FBI Miami George L. Piro announced the sentence.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Martin County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel E. Funk and Luisa Berti are prosecuting it.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), 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 United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about the Project Safe Childhood initiative and for information regarding Internet safety, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 21-cr-14007.
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Sinaloa Cartel Money Launderer Sentenced to 10 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
A money launderer for the Sinaloa Cartel was sentenced yesterday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California to 10 years in prison and a $50,000 fine for laundering approximately $15 million from the sale of methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin that were smuggled into the United States by the Sinaloa Cartel.
Bianca Acedo-Ojeda, 34, of Sinaloa, Mexico, was extradited from Mexico to San Diego in November 2019, and on March 10, 2021, she pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering. According to court documents, Acedo-Ojeda agreed with others to arrange, and did arrange, for the drug proceeds in the form of U.S. bulk currency to be smuggled into Mexico through ports of entry in Southern California in vehicles with hidden compartments. She also agreed with others to and did arrange for much of the U.S. bulk currency to be converted into Mexican pesos and transferred to drug traffickers.
“Money launderers are the lifeblood of criminal organizations,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “We will continue to vigorously prosecute money launderers associated with violent transnational drug trafficking organizations such as the Sinaloa Cartel. I want to thank the Government of Mexico for extraditing Acedo-Ojeda to the United States to face criminal charges. Through such partnerships, we will attack and work to dismantle dangerous drug cartels and their money laundering facilitators.”
“Those who launder funds in support the Sinaloa Cartel’s efforts to flood our borders with deadly drugs will face justice in this district,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman for the Southern District of California. “Stopping the flow of funds to one of the most violent criminal organizations in the world is essential to disrupting their narcotics trafficking and other criminal efforts.”
“This investigation and prosecution serve as a prime example of how Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and federal prosecutors work together to bring down those involved in large scale money laundering in support of international drug trafficking organizations,” said Special Agent in Charge Chad Plantz for HSI San Diego. “HSI will continue to identify and investigate criminal organizations who seek to exploit our borders in furtherance of their illicit activity – if you engage in illegal finance activity to aid drug cartels, you will be caught and prosecuted.”
Six other defendants, including Acedo-Ojeda’s brother, have previously pleaded guilty in this case and been sentenced (Omar Ayon-Diaz; Osvaldo Contreras-Arriaga; Joel Acedo-Ojeda; Cesar Hernandez-Martinez, Gibran Rodriguez-Mejia, and Oscar Rodriguez-Guevara). Another defendant, Robert Gallegos-Lechuga, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering and is pending sentencing. In addition, approximately 20 other individuals linked to the conspiracy who served as drug and money couriers and drug stash house operators have entered guilty pleas and been sentenced in related cases.
The investigation was conducted by HSI. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Mexico to secure the arrest and extradition of Acedo-Ojeda in Mexico.
The case is being prosecuted by Senior Trial Counsel Mark Irish of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Larry Casper of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California.
Sinaloa Cartel Money Launderer Sentenced to 10 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
Assistant U. S. Attorney Larry Casper (619) 546-6734
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – October 14, 2021
SAN DIEGO – A money launderer for the Sinaloa Cartel was sentenced in federal court yesterday to 120 months in prison and a $50,000 fine for laundering approximately $15 million from the sale of methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin that were smuggled into the United States by the Sinaloa Cartel.
Bianca Acedo-Ojeda, 34, of Sinaloa, Mexico, was extradited from Mexico to San Diego in November 2019, and on March 10, 2021, she pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering. According to court documents, Acedo-Ojeda agreed with others to and did arrange for the drug proceeds in the form of U.S. bulk currency to be smuggled into Mexico through ports of entry in Southern California in vehicles with hidden compartments. She also agreed with others to and did arrange for much of the U.S. bulk currency to be converted into Mexican pesos and transferred to drug traffickers.
“Those who launder funds in support of the Sinaloa Cartel’s efforts to flood our borders with deadly drugs will face justice in this district,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman for the Southern District of California. “Stopping the flow of funds to one of the most violent criminal organizations in the world is essential to disrupting their narcotics trafficking and other criminal efforts.”
“Money launderers are the lifeblood of criminal organizations,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “We will continue to vigorously prosecute money launderers associated with violent transnational drug trafficking organizations such as the Sinaloa Cartel. I want to thank the Government of Mexico for extraditing Acedo-Ojeda to the United States to face criminal charges. Through such partnerships, we will attack and work to dismantle dangerous drug cartels and their money laundering facilitators.”
“This investigation and prosecution serve as a prime example of how Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and federal prosecutors work together to bring down those involved in large scale money laundering in support of international drug trafficking organizations,” said Special Agent in Charge Chad Plantz for HSI San Diego. “HSI will continue to identify and investigate criminal organizations who seek to exploit our borders in furtherance of their illicit activity – if you engage in illegal finance activity to aid drug cartels, you will be caught and prosecuted.”
Six other defendants, including Acedo-Ojeda’s brother, have previously pleaded guilty in this case and been sentenced (Omar Ayon-Diaz; Osvaldo Contreras-Arriaga; Joel Acedo-Ojeda; Cesar Hernandez-Martinez, Gibran Rodriguez-Mejia, and Oscar Rodriguez-Guevara). Another defendant, Robert Gallegos-Lechuga, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering and is pending sentencing. In addition, approximately 20 other individuals linked to the conspiracy who served as drug and money couriers and drug stash house operators have entered guilty pleas and been sentenced in related cases.
The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations. The Justice Department's Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Mexico to secure the arrest and extraditio of Acedo-Ojeda in Mexico.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Larry Casper of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California and Senior Trial Counsel Mark Irish of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section.
DEFENDANTS Case Number 15cr950-BEN
Bianca Acedo-Ojeda Age: 34 Sinaloa, Mexico
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Money Laundering Conspiracy – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1956(h)
Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and $500,000 fine
AGENCY
Homeland Security Investigations
Saratoga County Woman Pleads Guilty to Tax ChargesRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Elizabeth Doyle, age 49, of Ballston Lake. New York, pled guilty today to filing false tax returns. The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Thomas Fattorusso, Acting Special Agent in Charge, New York Field Office, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (“IRS-CI”).
Doyle operates a Saratoga County company that places home health care aides in patients’ homes. As part of her guilty plea, Doyle admitted to filing materially false tax returns that underreported business income in 2016 and 2017. Doyle admitted to underreporting a total of $647,263 in income, resulting in a loss to the federal government of at least $94,522.
Doyle faces up to 3 years in prison, a maximum fine of $100,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 1 year, when Senior United States District Judge Lawrence E. Kahn sentences her on February 16, 2022. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
In a related case, on March 24, 2021, Betty J. Marriott, age 71, of Gansevoort, New York – the prior owner of Doyle’s company – pled guilty to filing false tax returns; her sentencing is scheduled for October 21, 2021.
These cases were investigated by IRS-CI and are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily C. Powers.
Romanian National Sentenced in Connection with ATM Skimming SchemeRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Romanian national was sentenced on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2021 in federal court in Boston in connection with an ATM skimming scheme operating throughout Massachusetts and other states including Connecticut, New Hampshire, New York and South Carolina.
Nemanja Milosavljevic, 23, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge William G. Young to 27 months in prison and one year of supervised release. On March 31, 2021, Milosavljevic pleaded guilty to conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity (more commonly known as RICO conspiracy), conspiracy to use counterfeit access devices and aggravated identity theft.
Milosavljevic was a member of the Hornea Crew, led by co-conspirators Constantin Denis Hornea and Ludemis Hornea, and engaged in ATM skimming – obtaining debit card numbers and PINs from unsuspecting bank customers, creating counterfeit cards and making unauthorized withdrawals from the victims’ bank accounts. Over a period of 18 months, the Crew installed skimming devices to steal debit card numbers and PINs from unsuspecting ATM customers in Massachusetts, Connecticut, South Carolina, Georgia and other locations within the United States. The stolen information was then used by Milosavljevic and others to clone the victim customers’ debit cards and make unauthorized withdrawals from those victim customers’ bank accounts at ATMs throughout the United States. Members of the Crew transferred money throughout the United States and to Romania and the People’s Republic of China. Some of those transfers were for the purchase of skimming devices and related components from abroad.
In May 2018, Judge Young sentenced Constantin Denis Hornea to 65 months in prison, three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay $242,141 in restitution and a money judgment of $54,260. Also in May 2018, Judge Young sentenced Ludemis Hornea to 42 months in prison, three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay $57,422 in restitution and a money judgment of $11,124.
Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Colonel Christopher Mason, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, made the announcement. Assistance with the investigation was also provided by the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; U.S. Secret Service; U.S. Postal Service; Massachusetts Department of Correction; Connecticut State Police; the Amherst, Billerica, Braintree, Boston, Florence (S.C.); Greenwich (Conn.), Houston (Texas) New York City (N.Y.), Quincy, Saluda (S.C.), Southwick, Waltham, Whately, and Westwood Police Departments; South Carolina Law Enforcement Division; Richland County (S.C.) Sheriff’s Department; and the Solicitor’s Offices of Greenville and Saluda Counties. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy E. Moran, Chief of Mendell’s Organized Crime and Gang Unit, prosecuted the case.
Rollin' 40s Street Gang Member Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Crimes Committed While on ParoleRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE – A Nashville, Tennessee man convicted earlier this year of drug distribution and firearms offenses was sentenced today to 20 years in prison, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Mary Jane Stewart for the Middle District of Tennessee.
Gary Edmiston, 33, was indicted in October 2019 and pleaded guilty in April to four counts of distributing heroin, possession with intent to distribute heroin and cocaine; possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Edmiston, a member of the Rollin’ 40s Street Gang, was on state parole for conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery and a drug trafficking crime when he began selling heroin in front of his North Nashville residence in September 2018. After numerous sales of heroin to an informant and others in front of the residence, state parole officers made a surprise visit to his home and a search of Edmiston’s bedroom resulted in the seizure of approximately 36 grams of heroin, 17 grams of cocaine, a loaded assault rifle, a loaded handgun, and over $3,000 in cash.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; the Tennessee Department of Correction; and the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ahmed A. Safeeullah prosecuted the case.
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Robertsdale Man Sentenced to 15 Years on Drug and Firearms ChargesRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Robertsdale man was sentenced today to 15 year in prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking felony.
According to court documents, Patrick Earl Pool, 38, was first arrested in January of 2020 in Elberta by Baldwin County Sheriff’s deputies who found him in possession of methamphetamine, Ecstasy pills and three firearms. Pool was next encountered by sheriff’s deputies in May of 2020 when deputies received information that he was traveling to Baldwin County with trafficking amounts of heroin and methamphetamine. His vehicle was stopped and the deputies found heroin, ecstasy and marijuana in the vehicle. In June of 2020, Pool was again arrested when deputies responded to his residence and found crack cocaine, marijuana, various types of pills, $1,738 in cash and two firearms. Pool was arrested on the federal charges in October of 2020, and he has been detained in custody since that time. Pool pled guilty to the three charges in December of 2020.
United States District Court Judge Callie V. S. Granade imposed the sente of 15 years and one month in Pool’s case on October 13, 2021, consisting of 121 months on the drug charge and the felon in possession charge, to run concurrently with each other, and 60 months on the firearms charge, to run consecutively to the sentences on the other counts. The judge ordered that Pool will serve a total of five years under supervision when he is released from custody. Special conditions of his supervision include drug testing and treatment, a mental health evaluation and treatment if necessary, and a model search condition. No fine was imposed, but the judge ordered that Pool pay $300 in special assessments, and that the firearms seized during the investigation are to be forfeited to the United States.
The case was investigated by the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office, the Baldwin County Drug Task Force and the FBI Safe Streets Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Gloria Bedwell prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Robert Renner Charged for Unlawfully Possessing a FirearmRead the Press Release
The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that Robert Renner, 49, of Burlington, Vermont, was charged today by criminal complaint with unlawfully possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Renner is scheduled to appear on the charge before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle on Monday, October 18, 2021.
According to court records, Renner was found in possession of four firearms during the execution of a Vermont state search warrant on October 13, 2021. State law enforcement with the assistance of agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives searched Renner’s camper vehicle which was parked on Sears Lane in Burlington. The search of Renner’s camper also yielded ammunition and suspected controlled substances. Renner is prohibited from possessing firearms under federal law due to his criminal record.
If convicted of the charge alleged in the complaint, Renner faces a maximum sentence of ten years of imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the Court with guidance from the advisory Federal Sentencing Guidelines. The Acting United States Attorney emphasizes that the charge in the criminal complaint is merely an accusation, and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty.
The United States is represented in this matter by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Van de Graaf. Assistant Federal Public Defender Sara M. Puls represents the defendant.
This case is part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. The United States Attorney’s Office has prosecuted this case with support from the following Project Guardian and other law enforcement partners: the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Drug Enforcement Administration; and the Winooski Police Department. For more information about Project Guardian, please see http://www.justice.gov/projectguardian/.
Rhode Island Man Sentenced to over 33 Years in Federal Prison for Leadership Role in International Drug Trafficking OrganizationRead the Press Release
A Rhode Island man was sentenced today to 400 months in prison for his role in an international fentanyl distribution conspiracy.
Steven Barros Pinto, 40, of Rhode Island, was sentenced by Chief District Court Judge Peter D. Welte in Fargo, North Dakota today. Pinto was part of a Rhode Island organization that was distributing fentanyl and fentanyl analogues from Canada and China. After a five-week trial that began on June 8 in Fargo, the jury returned guilty verdicts against Pinto on various charges including conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, money laundering conspiracy, continuing criminal enterprise, and obstruction of justice. One of Pinto’s principal U.S.-based partners in this criminal conspiracy, Anthony Santos Gomes, 36, was sentenced to 30 years in prison on July 30.
This investigation started on Jan. 3, 2015, with the overdose death in Grand Forks, North Dakota, of Bailey Henke, and eventually led to the indictment, and subsequent conviction, of multiple defendants including Daniel Vivas Ceron, 41, of Colombia, who pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Alice R. Senechal in Fargo in July 2019 to continuing criminal enterprise, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and controlled substance analogues resulting in serious bodily injury and death, and money laundering.
In 2021, three Canadian nationals from Quebec, Canada, Jason Joey Berry, 38; Xuan Cahn Nguyen, 41; and Marie Um, 41, were extradited from Canada to the United States. These defendants are detained and are currently awaiting trial scheduled on Oct. 4, 2022 in Fargo. On Aug. 31, 2021, the U.S. Department of State offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of People’s Republic of China national Zhang Jian, aka Hong Kong Zaron, 42, a fugitive in this transnational investigation.
Assistant Attorney General, Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas W. Chase of the District of North Dakota, and Acting U.S. Attorney Scott Asphaug of the District of Oregon made this announcement.
This case is being investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations; North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation; U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; IRS-Criminal Investigation’s Fargo Field Office; Grand Forks Narcotics Task Force; Royal Canadian Mounted Police; Portland Oregon Police Bureau – Drugs and Vice Division, Portland HIDTA Interdiction Task Force; Oregon State Police; and the Grand Forks Police Department.
The case is part of “Operation Denial,” an Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation into the international trafficking of fentanyl and fentanyl analogues and was significantly aided by the national and international coordination led by the multi-agency Special Operations Division.
Trial Attorneys Kaitlin Sahni and Imani Hutty of the Justice Department’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section; Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher C. Myers of the District of North Dakota; and Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Kerin of the District of Oregon prosecuted this case.
Rhode Island Man Sentenced to 33 years in Federal Prison for His Leadership Role in a Large-Scale International Fentanyl Trafficking Operation, Investigated Under “Operation Denial”Read the Press Release
FARGO – Acting United States Attorney Nicholas W. Chase, District of North Dakota, along with Acting United States Attorney Scott E. Asphaug, District of Oregon, and Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr., U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division, announced that Steven Barros Pinto, age 40 of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Peter Welte, to 33 years imprisonment for the charges of Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances and Controlled Substances Analogues, Conspiracy to Import Controlled Substances and Controlled Substances Analogues into the United States, Money Laundering Conspiracy, Continuing Criminal Enterprise (CCE), and Obstruction of Justice.
On June 8, 2021, the trial of Steven Pinto commenced, in Fargo, North Dakota. Steven Pinto was part of a Rhode Island organization that was receiving fentanyl and fentanyl analogues from Canada and China. After a 5-week trial, the jury returned guilty verdicts against Steven Pinto on various narcotics trafficking charges. The partner of Steven Pinto in this criminal conspiracy, Anthony Santos Gomes, age 36 from Rhode Island, was sentenced to 30 years’ imprisonment on July 30, 2021.
This case is part of "Operation Denial," an Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation into the international trafficking of fentanyl and fentanyl analogues and was significantly aided by the national and international coordination led by the multi-agency Special Operations Division (S.O.D.) near Washington, DC, as part of "Operation Deadly Merchant." The investigation started in North Dakota, on January 3, 2015, with the overdose death in Grand Forks, ND, of Bailey Henke.
Operation Denial has led to thirty-one (31) defendants charged in North Dakota and three (3) defendants charged in Oregon. The investigation has resulted in nearly $1 million in cash and property forfeited from members of the organization.
In 2021, three Canadian nationals from Quebec, Canada, Jason Joey Berry, 38, Xuan Cahn Nguyen, 41, and Marie Um, 41, were extradited from Canada to the United States. These defendants are detained and are currently awaiting trial scheduled on October 4, 2022, in Fargo. On August 31, 2021, the U.S. Department of State offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of People’s Republic of China (PRC) national Jian Zhang, a fugitive in this transnational investigation.
This case is being investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement -Homeland Security Investigations; North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation; U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; IRS-Criminal Investigation, Fargo; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Grand Forks Narcotics Task Force; Royal Canadian Mounted Police; Portland Oregon Police Bureau – Drugs and Vice Division; Portland HIDTA Interdiction Task Force; Oregon State Police; and Grand Forks Police Department.
The prosecutors for this case are Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher C. Myers, District of North Dakota; Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Kerin, District of Oregon, also designated as a Special Assistant U.S Attorney in North Dakota; and Trial Attorneys Kaitlin Sahni and Imani Hutty, Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section, U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division.
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Preston County man sentenced to 14 years for drug and firearms chargesRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – David Ray Deberry, of Terra Alta, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 168 months of incarceration for drug and firearms charges, U.S. Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II announced.
Deberry, 34, of Terra Alta, West Virginia, pleaded guilty in June 2021 to one count of “Conspiracy to Distribute More Than Fifty Grams or More of Methamphetamine” and one count of “Unlawful Possession of Firearm as Felon.” Deberry admitted to working with others to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine from February 2017 to June 2018 in Harrison County and elsewhere. Deberry, a person prohibited from having a firearm because of a prior conviction, admitted to having a .45 caliber pistol in January 2018 in Marion County.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew R. Cogar prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Greater Harrison Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives investigated.
Senior U.S. District Judge Irene M. Keeley presided.
Portage Man Arrested on Federal Indictment Charging Fraud and Theft from Amazon’s Textbook Rental ProgramRead the Press Release
Geoffrey Mark Hays Talsma Faces Mail Fraud and Other Federal Charges
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN — U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge announced today that Geoffrey Mark Hays Talsma, 36, of Portage, Michigan, was arrested today on a felony indictment filed in the United States District Court in Grand Rapids, Michigan, charging mail and wire fraud, interstate transportation of stolen property, aggravated identity theft and making false statements to the FBI.
According to the indictment, from January 2016 to March 2021, Talsma rented thousands of textbooks from Amazon’s Textbook Rental Program with no intention of returning the textbooks by the specified return date or paying the established buyout price for the textbooks. Instead, Talsma allegedly sold the textbooks to local textbook businesses and through the internet. Talsma defrauded Amazon and the Textbook Rental Program by repeatedly creating new Amazon accounts and using variations of other data to avoid detection, the indictment claims. On many occasions, according to the charges, Talsma additionally defrauded Amazon by seeking and obtaining a credit to his account by claiming that he did not receive the textbooks or that he received other items he could not return. Also named in the indictment were Gregory Mark Gleesing (age 43) and Lovedeep Singh Dhanoa (age 25), both from Portage, Michigan, and Paul Steven Larson (age 32) of Kalamazoo, Michigan.
If convicted, Talsma faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years for each of the mail and wire fraud offenses; a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years for interstate transportation of stolen property; and a maximum term of imprisonment of 5 years for making false statements to the FBI. Additionally, if convicted of the aggravated identity theft charges, Talsma will serve a maximum term of imprisonment of four years consecutive to any sentence imposed for the other criminal offenses. Restitution and forfeiture of certain assets obtained with the proceeds of the scheme may also be ordered as a result of a conviction.
The offices of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Kalamazoo, and the United States Postal Inspection Service, Grand Rapids, are handling the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Ronald M. Stella is prosecuting the case.
The charges in an indictment are merely accusations, and a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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Ponsford Man Sentenced to Prison for Violent Assault on the White Earth Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
FERGUS FALLS, Minn. – A Ponsford man was sentenced today to 100 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for violently assaulting a man on the White Earth Indian Reservation.
According to court documents, during the early morning hours of June 3, 2020, Wesley Robert Warren, 23, and another man got into an argument with the victim. The argument escalated into a physical altercation and Warren and the other man knocked out the victim. Once the fight was over and the victim was laying face down on the ground, Warren continued the assault by picking up a 42-pound cinderblock and dropping it on the back of the victim’s head. As a result of the assault the victim was hospitalized for several weeks due to brain trauma and was later transferred to a long-term care facility.
On June 17, 2021, following a four-day jury trial, Warren was found guilty of one count of assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of assault resulting in serious bodily injury.
Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk for the District of Minnesota made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Nancy E. Brasel sentenced the defendant.
This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the Becker County Sheriff’s Office, the White Earth Police Department, and the FBI Headwaters Safe Trails Task Force.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Deidre Y. Aanstad and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Caleb J. Dogeagle.
Pittsburgh Woman Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Role in South Side Gang’s Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA – A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was sentenced in federal court for narcotics trafficking in connection with a large-scale investigation conducted by the Greater Pittsburgh Safe Streets Task Force, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.
Raelynn Stevenson, age 31, was sentenced ten years’ imprisonment to be followed by eight years of supervised release by United States District Judge William S. Stickman IV. This sentence comes after Stevenson pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing detectable amounts of fentanyl and heroin. Stevenson is one of 40 defendants that were charged in the Indictment and Superseding Indictment returned in this case.
In connection with the sentencing hearing, the Court was advised that in 2017, the Greater Pittsburgh Safe Streets Task Force, led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, initiated an investigation primarily targeting the Darccide/Smash 44, or DS44, neighborhood gang, and drug-trafficking activity in and around the South Side area of Pittsburgh. As part of this large-scale narcotics and firearms investigation, the United States received authorization to conduct a federal wire investigation, which continued through June of 2019. Intercepted communications revealed that the defendant both collaborated with lead defendant Christopher Highsmith and supplied her own drug customers. On several occasions during the conspiracy, the defendant and Highsmith discussed the weight, packaging, and distribution of narcotics.
Assistant United States Attorneys Carolyn Bloch and Brendan J. McKenna are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation led the multi-agency investigation of this case, which also included the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, Allegheny County Adult Probation, Allegheny County Police Department, Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office Bureau of Narcotics, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, and the Wilkinsburg Police Department. Other assisting agencies include the Green Tree Police Department, New York City Police Department, Mount Oliver Police Department, Pennsylvania State Police, Yonkers Police Department, United States Marshals Fugitive Task Force, and the United States Postal Inspection Service.
This prosecution is a result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles high-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten communities throughout the United States. OCDETF uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Old Orchard Beach Man Sentenced for Stealing Government PropertyRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine—An Old Orchard Beach man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for theft of government property, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.
U.S. District Judge George Z. Singal sentenced Michael Gamash, 65, to one year of probation. He was also ordered to pay over $62,000 in restitution to the U.S. Navy. Gamash pleaded guilty on June 2, 2021.
According to court records, from about April 2014 to June 2016, Gamash took scrap metal belonging to the Navy from dumpsters located on the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY) and sold the metal to two area metal dealers. Gamash was an employee of PNSY at the time. When investigators from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) interviewed him, he admitted routinely taking scrap metal items from several dumpsters at PNSY and selling the metal. He acknowledged that he knew it was illegal to take the metal and sell it for his personal profit.
NCIS investigated the case.
New York Man Sentenced for Threatening President and White HouseRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Jean-Paul Gamarra, 45, of Copiague, N.Y., was sentenced today on federal charges of threatening the President of the United States and the White House complex during an incident in March 2017, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Matthew R. Stohler, Special Agent in Charge, Washington Field Office, U.S. Secret Service.
Gamarra was found guilty on May 27, 2021, following a trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, of one count each of threats to the President and threatening and conveying false information concerning the use of an explosive. He was sentenced by the Honorable John D. Bates. Gamarra already had been in custody for 41 months, and the judge sentenced him to the time already served, which is an effective sentence at the higher end of the applicable guidelines range. Under the sentencing order, Gamarra will be placed on three years of supervised release. During that time, he must meet a number of conditions, including staying away from the White House, maintaining mental health treatment, cooperating with the Secret Service in assessing his future risk, and avoiding all physical and online contact with any Secret Service protectee.
As established at trial, on March 28, 2017, at about 10:17 a.m., Gamarra approached a uniformed, on-duty officer of the U.S. Secret Service at a pedestrian access gate l on Pennsylvania Avenue NW, within 100 yards of the White House. He presented the officer with a priority mail package, stating it contained a “nuclear bomb detonator” that was being presented for “safekeeping.” Written on the package, in what appeared to be Gamarra’s handwriting, were the words: “Warning this is a tre threat on the President and Senator life” and “Warning 100% threat Brand New Electronic Detonator Device,” as well as Gamarra’s name and address.
In response to Gamarra’s claims, the U.S. Secret Service cleared the surrounding area, including the north fence line of the White House, Lafayette Park, and other areas near 15th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW. People inside nearby buildings were instructed to shelter in place while the Metropolitan Police Department Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit evaluated the package. After approximately 90 minutes, the package was declared “safe,” and the area reopened. Inside the package was a Bluetooth keyboard and letter. Gamarra was arrested at the scene and was in custody until August 2020.
Gamarra was previously interviewed by the U.S. Secret Service in 2014 regarding threats to then-President Barack Obama. In 2014, Gamarra admitted to Secret Service agents that he had threatened President Obama in order to gain the “attention” of the Secret Service so he could “expose” “corruption.” During that interview, agents warned Gamarra that threats on the President of the United States are not protected speech and counseled Gamarra that such conduct was taken seriously by the Secret Service.
In announcing the sentence, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillips and Special Agent in Charge Stohler commended the work of those who investigated the case from the U.S. Secret Service and those who provided assistance from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
They also acknowledged the efforts of those who handled the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen Seifert, Nicholas Coleman, and Daniel Lenerz, and Paralegal Specialists Genevieve De Guzman and Jorge Casillas. They expressed appreciation for the work of former Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicole Hutchinson and Mary Freeman, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Pearlman, who handled prior stages of the matter.
New York Man Admits Role in Conspiracy to Distribute Heroin and Fentanyl from Drug Mill in the BronxRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Bronx, New York, man today admitted participating in a conspiracy to distribute heroin and fentanyl from a drug mill in the Bronx to locations in New Jersey, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Reimon Genao Rosario, 25, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Esther Salas in Newark federal court to an indictment charging him with one count of conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing fentanyl. Dilson Vazquez Genao, 24, Eddie Urena Rodriguez, 36, Francisco Mercedes Gil, 32, Daury Contreras Ulerio, aka “Majimbou,” 35, and Jose Antonio Vazquez Pena, aka “Tono,” 48, all of the Bronx, all have previously pleaded guilty before Judge Salas to the same charges.
One other individual – Jhan Carlos Capellan Maldonado, 32 – was indicted on the same charge as Rosario in August 2019. His case is pending.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
In early February 2019, law enforcement officers learned that Maldonado used an apartment in the Bronx to store, mix, and package heroin and fentanyl in distribution quantities. Pena stayed at the apartment in order to safeguard the narcotics and narcotics supplies. Maldonado employed five workers at a time – including Rodriguez, Ulerio, Rosario, Gil, and Genao – to assist in preparing the heroin and fentanyl for distribution, which Maldonado then distributed to customers in New Jersey.
On Feb. 25, 2019, law enforcement officers saw Maldonado drive to a retail store and emerge with several full shopping bags and then drive to the apartment. Genoa came out of the building and met with Maldonado, who got out of his vehicle and gave Genoa the plastic shopping bags. Law enforcement officers later learned that the plastic shopping bags contained materials to package heroin and fentanyl.
Genoa went back inside the building and was followed by law enforcement officers, who watched as Genoa entered Maldonado’s apartment with a key, still carrying the shopping bags. On Feb. 27, 2019, law enforcement officers searched Maldonado’s apartment and found seven individuals inside, including Rodriguez, Ulerio, Rosario, Gil, Maldonado, Pena, and Genao. All seven defendants attempted to escape out a window, and all but one – Rosario – were apprehended and arrested by law enforcement officers waiting outside. Rosario was arrested at a later date. Law enforcement officers recovered nearly a kilogram of fentanyl from the apartment, along with materials to grind and package fentanyl for distribution.
Rosario faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum potential penalty of life in prison, and a $10 million fine. Sentencing for Rosario is scheduled for Feb. 15, 2022.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, New Jersey Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jason J. Molina, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason S. Gould, Acting Chief of the Violent Crimes Unit in Newark.
The charge and allegations against Maldonado are merely accusations, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
New Orleans Man Who Sold Fake Louisiana Drivers’ Licenses Sentenced to 42 Months for Access Device Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft ViolationsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that RYAN CLARK, age 35, of New Orleans, LA, was sentenced on October 13, 2021 to 42 months of incarceration by U.S. District Judge Lance M. Africk for having committed conspiracy to commit access device fraud and aggravated identity theft (count 1) and aggravated identity theft (count 3).
According to court documents, the defendant was arrested after an investigation initiated by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office and the United States Secret Service. CLARK and others created and sold fake Louisiana drivers’ licenses with the names and dates of birth of real persons who were victims of identity theft. Using the fake licenses, CLARK facilitated the sale of at least six motor vehicles from several local dealerships. The fraudsters would use the stolen identities and the fake licenses to buy high end used cars. No money was ever paid and the loans went into default.
In addition to incarceration, CLARK was sentenced to three (3) years of supervised release and payment of a mandatory $200 special assessment fee. His self-surrender date is set for January 3, 2022, and a restitution hearing was set for January 5, 2022.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the agencies that contributed to this indictment, which represents a coordinated effort of federal and state law enforcement authorities within the United States Secret Service Louisiana Cyber Fraud Task Force (CFTF). U.S. Attorney Evans also thanked the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Jefferson Parish District Attorney’s Office for their assistance. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Edward J. Rivera.
New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Weapon ChargeRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that on October 13, 2021, defendant DARIUS WILLIAMS, of New Orleans, Louisiana, pled guilty as charged before U.S. District Court Judge Lance M. Africk.
Count 1 of the Indictment charges WILLIAMS with being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2). WILLIAMS faces a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, a period of up to three years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. WILLIAMS’s sentencing is scheduled for January 19, 2022.
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.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mike Trummel of the Violent Crime Unit.
New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Carjacking and Weapons ChargeRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that defendant TOMMIE MANGO, of New Orleans, Louisiana, pled guilty on October 13, 2021 before U.S. District Court Judge Lance M. Africk to carjacking and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
Specifically, TOMMIE MANGO pled guilty to Counts One and Two of a Superseding Bill of Information. MANGO pled guilty to Count One, which charges him with a carjacking, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2119(1) and 2. MANGO also pled guilty to Count Two, which charges him with brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, that is, a carjacking, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(ii).
As to Count One, MANGO faces a maximum sentence of 15 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, up to 3 years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. As to Count Two, MANGO faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 7 years up to a maximum of life imprisonment, to be run consecutive to any other sentence imposed, a fine of up to $250,000, up to 5 years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. MANGO'S sentencing is scheduled for January 19, 2022.
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.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Inga Petrovich of the Violent Crime Unit.
National Leader of Outlaw Motorcycle Gang Sentenced to 33 Months in Prison for Illegal Possession of FirearmRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Suffolk County, New York, man was sentenced today to 33 months in prison for illegally possessing a firearm, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Keith Richter, a/k/a “Conan,” 62, of Bay Shore, New York, previously pleaded guilty to an information charging him with one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Judge McNulty imposed the sentence today by videoconference.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Richter is the national president of the Pagan’s Motorcycle Club (the “Pagans”)—an outlaw motorcycle gang known by law enforcement to engage in illegal activity including narcotics trafficking, weapons trafficking, and violent crimes.
On or about February 20, 2021, the Pagans hosted a party in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. While Richter was traveling from the party to his home in Suffolk County, New York, law enforcement pulled the vehicle over in Mercer County, New Jersey. Law enforcement recovered a loaded Ruger P345 .45 caliber handgun from a front-seat compartment in the vehicle. As a result, law enforcement obtained a warrant for Richter’s arrest, which was executed on February 26, 2021.
Richter was previously convicted of felony offenses, including conspiracy to commit murder and aggravated assault in aid of racketeering, for which he served a 16-year term of imprisonment.
In addition to the prison term, Judge McNulty sentenced Richter to three years of supervised release.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Newark Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey L. Matthews; special agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Newark Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Susan A. Gibson; the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, under the direction of District Attorney Timothy D. Sini; the Union County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of William A. Daniel; and the New Jersey State Police, under the direction of Col. Patrick J. Callahan, with the investigation leading to today’s sentence.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert Frazer, R. Joseph Gribko, and Samantha C. Fasanello, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Newark.
Murder crew latest in violent crime arrestsRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A group of violent criminals are now facing possible severe federal penalties for firearms charges, to include use of a weapon resulting in death, carjacking, robbery and other felonies, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Authorities arrested three Houston men today - Charles Dawson, 42, Damon Randolph, 47, and Kiyon Marshal, 40, today. They are expected to make their initial appearances in federal court before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sam Sheldon at 2 p.m. Also charged is Curtis Sandel, 36, who is already in custody and expected to be transferred to federal authorities to also make his initial appearance. All now face up to life in federal prison, if convicted
These men are now among several others who are charged with committing violent crimes in the Houston area.
U.S. Attorney Lowery joined several other leaders from federal and local law enforcement agencies to discuss the pervasive problem and their ongoing commitment to ensuring violent criminals are held accountable. Whether in state or federal court, leaders stressed that they strive to keep the community safe. The problem stretches across the entire Houston area, not in just one neighborhood or area.
In the aforementioned case, the men are accused of committing a robbery. During the crime, they allegedly shot and killed the victim and stole money and drugs from a local warehouse. They are charged with robbery, conspiracy to distribute narcotics and discharging a firearm resulting in death. They all now face up to life in prison, if convicted.
Also highlighted today was a violent carjacking case recently indicted in federal court. Iveon Gillaspie, 21, allegedly committed a violent carjacking Oct. 16, 2019. He was originally charged in state court and later allegedly committed another violent crime. A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment charging him with carjacking and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. He also now faces up to life in federal prison.
Earnest Taylor, 27, is a convicted felon. As such, he is prohibited from possessing a firearm. However, on Aug. 24, he fired shots from such a weapon at IRS agents who were attempting to serve a summons for aggravated identity theft. He is charged with illegally possessing the firearm and assault of a federal officer. He faces up to 20 years in prison.
Two more Houston men - Frederick Crouts, 19, and Donvonte Wallace, 24 - are charged with robbing what should be safe places in June. They allegedly robbed a Subway and a Family Dollar, brandishing a firearm during the crimes. They face 20 years as well as an additional minimum of seven years for the firearms charges.
Other people are also charged with unlawfully possessing firearms, such as Sergio Cabrera, 28, and Jordan Allen, 29. They face up to 10 years in federal prison, upon conviction.
The FBI; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Houston Police Department; Harris County District Attorney’s Office; Harris County Sheriff’s Office; Houston Independent School District Police Department; Treasure Inspector General for Tax Administration; and U.S. Postal Inspection Service are all assisting in the various cases.
An indictment or complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence.
A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.