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23 November 2021
Former Columbus man sentenced to prison for hate crime that involved making antisemitic threats to neighbors, breaking their windowRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A former Columbus man was sentenced today in federal court to six months in prison, a $50,000 fine and one year of supervised release for criminally interfering with the right to fair housing. His charges stemmed from antisemitic threats the defendant made to his neighbors.
Douglas G. Schifer, 66, of Bucyrus, Ohio, threatened neighbors and their guests because of their religion during an outdoor gathering at the neighbors’ residence on Nov. 7, 2020.
Schifer was charged by a federal criminal complaint in March and pleaded guilty in June to interfering with the right to fair housing.
Plea documents detail that Schifer stated in part, “all you f***ing people, it’s no wonder Hitler burned you people in ovens,” “f***ing Hitler should have gassed you,” and “Jews burn, you belong in ovens.”
Court documents say that Schifer also said to the neighbors, “f***ing dog” and “I will poison your dog if it comes back to the fence.” Schifer admitted to threatening to shoot the neighbors and their dog, and to “burn to the ground” a garage the neighbors were remodeling.
Schifer shouted other antisemitic slurs, obscenities and other derogatory language about their religion at his neighbors and their guests on Nov. 7, 2020. He also broke one of their windows and spat at one of the neighbors. He also made reference to gassing Jewish people, chopping them up, and burning them in ovens.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Preston Deavers. Assistant United States Attorney Peter K. Glenn-Applegate, Senior Litigation Counsel Heather A. Hill, and Trial Attorney Cameron Bell of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division are representing the United States in this case.
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Felon Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun ChargeRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that MIKAL BLACK, age 23, of Ironton, Louisiana, pleaded guilty on November 23, 2021 to a single count of being a felon in possession of a firearm in violation of the Federal Gun Control Act, Title 18 United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2).
According to court documents, BLACK was previously convicted of manufacturing a Schedule I controlled dangerous substance. Being a felon, BLACK is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition. He has now been convicted of possessing a firearm on August 11, 2020.
BLACK faces a maximum term of imprisonment of up to ten (10) years, a fine of up to $250,000.00, up to three (3) years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
U.S. District Judge Wendy B. Vitter has set the sentencing hearing in the case for February 22, 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 works 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 Plaquemines Parish Sherriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.in investigating this matter. Assistant U. S. Attorney Charles D. Strauss is in charge of the prosecution.
Felon Arrested After High-Speed Chase in Vacaville Sentenced to 9 Years in Prison for Illegal Possession of GunsRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Eligio Nunez, 41, of Hayward, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb to nine years in prison for being a felon in possession of three firearms, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
After a three-day trial in August 2021, a federal jury found Nunez guilty of being a felon in possession of firearms. According to evidence presented at trial, on Aug. 7, 2020, Nunez led police in a high-speed chase while driving a stolen Lexus. He ended the pursuit by abandoning the car in a grassy area off of Shelton Lane in Vacaville. After running from police, he was apprehended by officers in a dry creek bed. Just after he fled on foot, the car caught fire, which caused ammunition inside the car to explode. Later, an investigation found three handguns inside the burned car, which the jury found Nunez to have possessed. Nunez was prohibited from possessing firearms a result of his 10 felony convictions, which include assault with a deadly weapon, felon in possession of a firearm, evading a peace officer, and two drug trafficking offenses.
This case was the product of an investigation by the FBI and the Vacaville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jason Hitt and Paul A. Hemesath prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as 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.
Federal Indictment Charges Five with Conspiracy to Traffic MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A federal criminal indictment has been unsealed, charging five individuals with conspiracy to traffic methamphetamine and related offenses, announced William T. Stetzer, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
The indictment charges Charles Ray Hildebran, 46, of Hickory, N.C.; Phillip Anthony Godfrey, 47, of Newton, N.C.; Jeffrey Ben Pavkovich, 52, of Gainesville, Georgia; Britton Nicole Metcalf, 34, of Morganton, N.C.; and Billy Dean Potter, 36, of Hickory, N.C., with conspiracy to traffic methamphetamine. The defendants are also charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and/or distribution of methamphetamine. Hildebran, Godfrey, Pavkovich and Metcalf are also facing firearms offenses. (See chart below for a list of charges and statutory penalties for each defendant).
According to allegations contained in the indictment, from at least 2018 to October 2021, the defendants were involved in a drug trafficking network that distributed methamphetamine in and around Buncombe, Burke, Catawba, and McDowell Counties. The indictment further alleges that the defendants engaged in multiple drug sales and that Hildebran, Godfrey, Pavkovich and Metcalf also possessed firearms in furtherance of their drug trafficking activities. Over the course of the investigation, law enforcement recovered 20 illegal firearms, narcotics, and more than $100,000 in U.S. currency.
The defendants are currently in federal custody following their initial court appearances.
The charges in the indictment are allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt in a court of law.
In making today’s announcement, Acting U.S. Attorney Stetzer thanked the Drug Enforcement Administration in Charlotte and Atlanta; the Department of Homeland Security- Homeland Security Investigations; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation; the North Carolina Highway Patrol; the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, Community Corrections; the Georgia Department of Corrections; the Burke County Sheriff’s Office; the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office; the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office; the McDowell County Sheriff’s Office; the Hickory Police Department; the Long View Police Department; and the Newton Police Department for their coordinated investigation of this case.
Assistant United States Attorney Christopher Hess, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte, is in charge of the prosecution.
CHARLES RAY HILDEBRAN
1
Methamphetamine Conspiracy
-50 grams or more actual
-500 grams or more mixture
10 years to life in prison, maximum fine of $10,000,000
8
Distribute Methamphetamine
-5 grams or more actual
5 to 40 years in prison, maximum fine of $5,000,000
9, 11
Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine
-Count 9: 500 grams or more mixture
-Count 11: 50 grams or more actual and 500 grams or more mixture
10 years to life in prison, maximum fine of $10,000,000
10
Distribute Methamphetamine
-50 grams or more actual and 500 grams or more mixture
10 years to life in prison, maximum fine of $10,000,000
12
Possess Firearms in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime
5 years to life in prison, consecutive to a sentence imposed on a drug count, maximum fine of $250,000
13
Possess Firearms by Felon
10 years in prison, maximum fine of $250,000
PHILLIP ANTHONY GODFREY
1
Methamphetamine Conspiracy
-50 grams or more actual
-500 grams or more mixture
10 years to life in prison, maximum fine of $10,000,000
3, 18
Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine
-Count 3: 50 grams or more actual
-Count 18: 50 grams or more actual and 500 grams or more mixture
10 years to life in prison, maximum fine of $10,000,000
4
Possess a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime
5 years to life in prison, consecutive to a sentence imposed on a drug count, maximum fine of $250,000
19
Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine
-5 grams or more actual
5 to 40 years in prison, maximum fine of $5,000,000
JEFFREY BEN PAVKOVICH
1
Methamphetamine Conspiracy
-50 grams or more of actual
-500 grams or more mixture
10 years to life in prison, maximum fine of $10,000,000
2
Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine
-50 grams or more mixture
5 to 40 years in prison, maximum fine of $5,000,000
15
Distribute Methamphetamine
-50 grams or more actual
10 years to life in prison, maximum fine of $10,000,000
16
Possess Firearms in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime
5 years to life in prison, consecutive to a sentence imposed on a drug count, maximum fine of $250,000
17
Possess Firearms by Felon
10 years in prison, maximum fine of $250,000
BRITTON NICOLE METCALF
1
Methamphetamine Conspiracy
-50 grams or more actual
-500 grams or more mixture
10 years to life in prison, maximum fine of $10,000,000
5
Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine
-50 grams or more mixture
5 to 40 years in prison, maximum fine of $5,000,000
6
Possess Firearms in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime
5 years to life in prison, consecutive to a sentence imposed on a drug count, maximum fine of $250,000
7
Possess Firearms by Felon
10 years in prison, maximum fine of $250,000
9, 14
Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine
-Count 9: 500 grams or more mixture
-Count 14: 50 grams or more actual and 500 grams or more mixture
10 years to life in prison, maximum fine of $10,000,000
BILLY DEAN POTTER
1
Methamphetamine Conspiracy
-50 grams or more actual
-500 grams or more mixture
10 years to life in prison, maximum fine of $10,000,000
21, 23, 24
Distribute Methamphetamine
-50 grams or more actual
10 years to life in prison, maximum fine of $10,000,000
Federal Grand Jury Indicts Man for Carjacking and Weapons ViolationRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that on Friday, November 19, 2021, KEON ESTEEN, age 18, a resident of Orleans Parish, was charged in a two-count indictment for carjacking and a gun violation. Count 1 of the indictment charges ESTEEN with a carjacking that occurred on April 3, 2021, in the Eastern District of Louisiana. Count 2 charges ESTEEN with using a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
In Count 1 of the indictment, ESTEEN is charged with carjacking, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2119(1). If convicted, ESTEEN faces a maximum sentence of up to fifteen (15) years of imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, a period of up to three (3) years of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100. In Count 2, ESTEEN is charged with using a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(ii). If convicted, ESTEEN faces a mandatory minimum sentence of seven (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, a period of up to five (5) years of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.
U. S. Attorney Evans reiterated that the indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the New Orleans Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Inga Petrovich of the Violent Crime/Strike Force Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Essex County Felon Admits Possessing Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – An Essex County man with a prior felony conviction today admitted illegally possessing a loaded handgun and a magazine, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Bilal Ward, 29, of Newark, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge William J. Martini in Newark federal court to an information charging him with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On Sept. 26, 2020, pursuant to a lawful search of Ward’s car in Newark, law enforcement officers recovered a 9mm Taurus handgun, loaded with 15 rounds of ammunition, a magazine loaded with nine rounds of ammunition, and a bag of marijuana. Ward had previously been convicted of a felony and was prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.
The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for April 7, 2022.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited the Newark Police Department, under the direction of Public Safety Director Brian O’Hara; special agents and task force officers of the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Susan A. Gibson in Newark; and special agents and task force officers with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Newark Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey L. Matthews, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Stacey E. Zyriek Enriquez of the Violent Crimes Unit and Assistant U.S. Attorney Francesca Liquori of the Organized Crime and Gangs Unit.
Drug Distributor for East Baltimore Monument Street Drug Trafficking Organization Sentenced to More Than Five Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Brian Blackston, age 32, of Baltimore, yesterday to 70 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine in the Monument Street area of East Baltimore.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Orville O. Greene of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.
According to Blackston’s plea agreement, in July of 2018, Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) Strike Force Group 1 began an investigation of the Monument Street corridor in East Baltimore, which is known to support a high volume of street-level drug distribution and acts of violence associated with the drug trafficking. During the investigation, law enforcement identified multiple street-level drug trafficking “shops,” with the two most prominent located in the 400 block of North Montford Avenue at Jefferson Street (“the Montford DTO”) and in the 2400 block of East Monument Street at Port Street (the “Out the Mud,” or “OTM DTO”).
As detailed in his plea agreement, investigators identified Blackston as a drug distributor for the OTM DTO who agreed with his co-conspirators to acquire and to assist in distributing controlled substances to others. Investigators conducted physical surveillance and intercepted calls between Blackston and his co-conspirators discussing the distribution of drugs, including cocaine, crack cocaine, fentanyl and heroin.
Throughout the course of Blackston’s involvement in the conspiracy, it was reasonably foreseeable to Blackston, and within the scope of the conspiracy that he or other members of the conspiracy would distribute between 500 grams and two kilograms of cocaine, as well as quantities of crack cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl, during the course of and in furtherance of the conspiracy.
Blackston is the final defendant to be sentenced of the 25 defendants charged as part of this investigation who either pleaded guilty or were convicted at trial.
This prosecution was brought as a part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Co-located Strike Forces Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations against a continuum of priority targets and their affiliate illicit financial networks. These prosecutor-led co-located Strike Forces capitalize on the synergy created through the long-term relationships that can be forged by agents, analysts, and prosecutors who remain together over time, and they epitomize the model that has proven most effective in combating organized crime. The specific mission of the Baltimore OCDETF Strike Force is to reduce violent, drug-related, and gang crime in the Baltimore area and surrounding region.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the DEA and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys LaRai Everett and James T. Wallner, who prosecuted the case.
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Dominican National Convicted of Fentanyl DistributionRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Dominican national was convicted yesterday by a federal jury of distributing fentanyl.
Bernardito Carvajal, 30, who most recently resided in Haverhill, was convicted following a five-day jury trial of two counts of distribution of fentanyl. U.S. Senior District Court Judge George A. O’Toole Jr. scheduled sentencing for March 22, 2022. Carvajal was indicted in January 2020 and has been in custody since his arrest in July 2019.
On or about June 12, 2019, Carvajal sold fentanyl in Lawrence to a 26-year-old victim, who died of an overdose the following day. Carvajal continued to sell fentanyl after the fatal overdose, including another sale on July 31, 2019 to an undercover officer, after which he was arrested. At trial, the jury convicted Carvajal of the underlying fentanyl distribution counts, but acquitted the defendant for the overdose death of the victim.
“Drug dealers make a living selling death on the installment plan – I think people lose sight of that. Drug dealers and traffickers made money off each of the 100,000 people who overdosed last year,” said Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell. “The jury in this case found that Carvajal distributed lethal drugs and Carvajal will pay a steep price for his crimes. My office will continue to pursue and prosecute those who prey on addicts by distributing deadly drugs.”
“Fentanyl is causing deaths in record numbers and DEA’s top priority is to aggressively pursue anyone who distributes this poison,” said Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division. “Today’s conviction not only holds Mr. Carvajal accountable for his crimes but serves as a warning to those traffickers who are fueling the opioid epidemic.”
The charge of distribution of fentanyl provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case arose from “Operation Devil’s Highway,” a 10-week coordinated enforcement operation in the Merrimack Valley. The enforcement operation was a coordinated effort by federal, state and local partners to focus on drug distribution activity in the City of Lawrence and between Lawrence and New Hampshire.
Acting U.S. Attorney Mendell, DEA SAC Boyle and Andover Police Chief Patrick Keefe made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elysa Wan and Stephen Hassink of Mendell’s Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.
Crossroads Hospice Agrees to Pay $5.5 Million to Settle False Claims Act LiabilityRead the Press Release
Carrefour Associates LLC; Crossroads Hospice of Cincinnati LLC; Crossroads Hospice of Cleveland LLC; Crossroads Hospice of Dayton LLC; Crossroads Hospice of Northeast Ohio LLC; and Crossroads Hospice of Tennessee LLC (Crossroads Hospice), operating in Ohio and Tennessee, have agreed to pay $5.5 million to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by submitting claims to Medicare for non-covered hospice services.
Hospice care is special, end-of-life care intended to comfort terminally ill patients. Patients admitted to hospice care generally stop receiving coverage for traditional medical care designed to cure their terminal condition and instead receive medical care focused on providing them with relief from the symptoms, pain and stress of a terminal illness. Medicare patients are considered to be terminally ill and hospice-eligible when they have a life expectancy of six months or less if their illness runs its normal course.
This settlement resolves allegations that Crossroads Hospice knowingly submitted false claims to Medicare for hospice services for patients who were not terminally ill. According to the settlement agreement, the United States alleged that from Jan. 1, 2012 to Dec. 31, 2014, Crossroads Hospice billed Medicare for hospice care for certain patients with a diagnosis of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease at its Ohio and Tennessee locations who were not terminally ill for at least a portion of the more than three years that the patients received care at these locations.
“Medicare’s hospice benefit provides critical end of life services that focus on palliative rather than curative care,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “This settlement demonstrates our continuing commitment to ensure that hospice services are provided to patients who truly need this care and that patients who are not terminally ill receive appropriate curative care.”
“This office is committed to pursuing providers who put profits ahead of patients,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Vipal J. Patel for the Southern District of Ohio. “We will continue to hold accountable those who abuse federal healthcare programs at the expense of the taxpayers.”
“The Medicare program provides older Americans with access to health,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph C. Murphy Jr. for the Western District of Tennessee. “When frauds like this are committed by serviced providers, it effectively deprives older Americans of health care resources. Our office will continue to take steps to prevent frauds like this from taking place in order to ensure that the Medicare program’s resources are used effectively.”
“The decision to provide hospice services should be prompted by a patient’s terminally ill medical diagnosis and desire for palliative care, not a hospice provider’s desire to boost its profits,” said Special Agent in Charge Lamont Pugh III of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Our agency is dedicated to safeguarding both the Medicare program and Medicare patients. This settlement reaffirms HHS-OIG’s commitment to holding accountable providers who knowingly submit false claims to Medicare.”
The civil settlement includes the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by Leanne Malone, Jackie Burns and Angela Heck, former employees of Crossroads Hospice, as well as Dr. David Weber, a home health physician in Tennessee. Under those provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. The qui tam cases are: United States ex rel. Leanne Malone et al. v. Carrefour Associates LLC et al., No. 1:15-cv-460 (S.D. Ohio) and United States ex rel. David Weber v. Crossroads Hospice of Tennessee, LLC, No. 2:16-cv-02684 (W.D. Tenn.). Under this settlement, the whistleblowers in the Malone action will receive approximately $1,045,000.
The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section; the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio; and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee. HHS-OIG assisted in the investigation.
The investigation and resolution of this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating healthcare fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).
The matter was investigated by Fraud Section Trial Attorney Jonathan Hoerner, Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Malek of the Southern District of Ohio and Assistant U.S. Attorney Eileen Kuo of the Western District of Tennessee.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
Cortland County Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Sexually Exploiting a 3-Year-Old ChildRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Lawrence Berry, age 28, of Marathon, New York was sentenced today by United States District Court Judge David N. Hurd to 30 years’ imprisonment for sexual exploitation of a child. 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.
As part of his previously entered guilty plea, Berry admitted that he conspired with Brittany Berry (who has pled guilty to her role in the offense and is scheduled to be sentenced in December 2021) to sexually exploit a 3-year-old minor child in August and September of 2018 and that he directed Brittany Berry to sexually exploit the child on five different occasions for the purpose of creating and sending images and videos (live and recorded) of the sexual abuse to him over the internet.
In addition to the imprisonment term, Judge Hurd sentenced Berry to 25 years of supervised release to begin after he serves his term of imprisonment. Upon release from prison, Berry also will be required to register as a sex offender in any state where he lives, is employed, or is a student.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the City of Cortland Police Department and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Gadarian and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian LaRochelle as 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), and is designed to marshal 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.
Columbia Man Sentenced to More Than Seven Years for Possessing AmmunitionRead the Press Release
Columbia, South Carolina --- Acting United States Attorney M. Rhett DeHart announced today that Leonard Earl Mitchell, 30, of Columbia, was sentenced to more than seven years in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of ammunition.
Evidence presented to the court showed that after officers with the City of Columbia Police Department received a report of shots fired on Two Notch Road, they located nine spent shell casings in a parking lot. In reviewing the surveillance footage, officers saw an unknown person discharge two rounds from a car in the direction of Mitchell as he was exiting a business. After getting in a parked car, Mitchell retrieved a firearm and discharged ten rounds at the passing car and fled.
A City of Columbia police officer was able to identify Mitchell as a person involved in the shooting from a prior encounter, in addition to Mitchell’s distinctive facial tattoos. When Mitchell was arrested, he had a 9mm pistol that matched the shell casings found in the parking lot.
Mitchell had previously been convicted of several felony offenses, including failure to stop for blue lights, assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, assault and battery second degree, distribution of marijuana, assault and battery first degree, possession of methamphetamine/cocaine, and carrying or concealing weapon by an inmate. As such, Mitchell is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition.
United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced Mitchell to 90 months in federal prison, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and City of Columbia Police Department.
The case was prosecuted as part of the 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.
Assistant United States Attorney William K. Witherspoon and Special Assistant United States Attorney Kristen Bales prosecuted the case.
Cindy K. Chung Sworn in as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of PennsylvaniaRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH – Cindy K. Chung was sworn in today as the 59th United States Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania and began her duties immediately.
“I am grateful to the President for my nomination and to Senators Casey and Toomey for their recommendation and endorsement,” said U.S. Attorney Chung. “I have dedicated my career to serving the public and am honored to continue to do so by leading this outstanding office. I look forward to working with our law enforcement and community partners to protect the public, pursue equal justice under the law, and serve the people of the Western District of Pennsylvania.”
Chief U.S. District Judge Mark R. Hornak administered to oath to Ms. Chung, 46, of Pittsburgh, in a ceremony this morning.
Prior to becoming U.S. Attorney, Ms. Chung served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania since 2014. Ms. Chung has held numerous positions during her tenure, including Deputy Chief of the Major Crimes Section from 2018 to 2020, Acting Deputy Chief of the Violent Crimes Section at various times in 2015 to 2017, Domestic Violence Coordinator from 2019 to 2020, Project Safe Neighborhoods Coordinator from 2018 to 2020, Border Security Coordinator from 2018 to 2020, and Civil Rights Coordinator from 2016 to 2018. Ms. Chung also served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law where she cotaught a course on Federal Hate Crimes in the Spring of 2021.
Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Ms. Chung worked as a Trial Attorney in the Criminal Section of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division from 2009 to 2014. From 2003 to 2007, Ms. Chung worked as an Assistant District Attorney at the District Attorney’s Office, New York County, and she continued her work there as an Investigation Counsel in the Official Corruption Unit from 2007 to 2009. Ms. Chung began her legal career as a law clerk for Judge Myron Thompson on the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama from 2002 to 2003.
Ms. Chung received her J.D. from Columbia Law School in 2002 and her B.A.s from Yale University in 1997.
Ms. Chung, who was nominated for U.S. Attorney by President Joe Biden on Oct. 27, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Nov. 19, 2021, assumes the office from Acting U.S. Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman. She leads an office currently staffed with 59 Assistant U.S. Attorneys across the criminal, civil and appeals divisions, and 56 professional support staff in offices in Pittsburgh, Erie, and Johnstown.
The Western District of Pennsylvania includes the 25 westernmost counties in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Chesapeake Businessman Pleads Guilty to $1.2 Million Tax FraudRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Chesapeake man and business owner pleaded guilty today to defrauding the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) out of more than $1.2 million in taxes.
According to court documents, from 2013 through 2017 Shane August, 36, owned and operated a home-healthcare business in Chesapeake. August defrauded the IRS by, among other things, hiding personal bank accounts, using undisclosed accounts to conduct business, maintaining a cash lifestyle to avoid the IRS, making false statements about his ability to pay, lying to IRS agents, and diverting large sums of money to pay for personal expenses.
August withheld employment taxes from approximately 60 of his employees and failed to consistently pay more than $900,000 of those withholdings to the IRS. Each year, August provided fraudulent employment tax forms to his employees, who filed their own taxes and mistakenly believed that the amounts withheld from their wages had been paid to the Social Security program.
Additionally, between 2014 and 2017, August reported personal income to the IRS of more than $900,000 but failed to pay taxes on this income and now owes more than $288,000 in personal income tax for those years. Instead of paying his taxes, August used large sums of money to pay for personal expenses like a building contract on a home and a luxury vehicle lease.
August is scheduled to be sentenced on March 24, 2022. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Darrell Waldon, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Washington, D.C., Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert J. Krask accepted the plea.
Assistant U.S. Attorney D. Mack Coleman is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:21-cr-62.
Chelsea Landlord and Property Manager Agree to $80,000 Settlement for False Claims Act ViolationsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Chelsea landlord, 44 Gerrish, LLC, and its property manager, HallKeen Management, Inc., have agreed to pay an $80,000 settlement for submitting false claims to the federal government after receiving illegal water utility payments from three low-income tenants while participating in a federal housing subsidy program.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provides federal funding through the Federal Housing Choice Voucher program, commonly referred to as “Section 8,” to assist low-income individuals in securing safe housing. HUD provides funding through vouchers that are administered by local public housing agencies. HUD pays the housing subsidy, which may cover all or a portion of a tenant’s monthly rent, including certain utilities, directly to the landlord or an agent of the landlord. As a condition for receiving the housing subsidy, the landlord, or an agent of the landlord, contractually agrees not to charge Section 8 tenants rent, including utilities, in excess of the amount set by the public housing agency.
Despite this restriction, from June 2014 to October 2020, the landlord and its property manager demanded and received monthly water utility payments from three Section 8 tenants on various occasions. One of the tenants brought a lawsuit against the defendants under the whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act. As part of today’s settlement, the defendants admit to demanding and receiving payments for the water utility from three Section 8 tenants in violation of housing assistance payment contracts.
“The purpose of the Section 8 program is to help low-income families afford safe housing and keep a roof over their heads, not to afford an illicit windfall to landlords and their agents,” said Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell. “We will continue to hold accountable those who fail to exercise integrity in HUD programs and take advantage of their tenants.”
“This settlement is the latest example of our continued commitment to hold landlords accountable for actions that seek to enrich themselves at the expense of our poorest neighbors,” said Christina Scaringi, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Region.
The False Claims Act allows private citizens with knowledge of fraud to bring civil actions on behalf of the government and to share in any recovery. The settlement agreement requires the defendants to pay $80,000 to the United States.
Acting U.S. Attorney Mendell and HUD OIG SAC Scaringi made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steven Sharobem and Alexandra Brazier of Mendell’s Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit handled the matter.
Capt. Phip’s Seafood Sentenced for Federal Visa Fraud Charge Resulting in Foreign Workers Being Paid Lower Wages Than Those to Which They Were EntitledRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander today sentenced Phillip J. “Jamie” Harrington III, age 50, of Dorchester, Maryland, to one year of probation, to pay a $10,000 fine, a $5,000 special assessment, and to perform 100 hours of community service for unlawful employment of undocumented workers. Judge Hollander sentenced Capt. Phip’s Seafood Inc. to three years of probation and to pay a $240,000 fine for visa fraud related to the employment of temporary workers employed at Harrington companies. In addition, Judge Hollander ordered Harrington and Captain Phip’s seafood to participate in a verification program for their employees and were debarred from participating in the H-2B visa program. The fines were paid today.
The sentences were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Special Agent in Charge Andrew Wroblewski of the Washington Field Office of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS); and Acting Special Agent in Charge Troy Springer of the Washington Regional Office, U.S. Department of Labor - Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG).
Philip J. Harrington, Jr. was Capt. Phip’s owner, President, and sole Director until his death on February 13, 2018. Since March 6, 2019, Capt. Phip’s has been owned and operated by Philip Harrington’s, son, Jamie Harrington. The primary business of Capt. Phip’s is the production and distribution of ice as well as the processing of seafood. For more than a decade, Capt. Phip’s has participated in the H-2B work visa program through which it has obtained temporary foreign workers to fill seasonal positions.
According to the company’s guilty plea, from 2013 through 2018, Captain Phip’s Seafood Inc. routinely sought prevailing wage determinations for multiple job descriptions, and then filed petitions for H-2B visas for only the jobs with the lowest prevailing wage, regardless of the actual work duties of the employees. The H-2B Visa Program is a temporary non-agricultural worker program in which an employer may seek temporary authorization for foreign workers to legally enter and work in the U.S. To obtain an H-2B Visa, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) must ensure the positions have been advertised to U.S.-based workers and assign the appropriate wage to be paid (“prevailing wage”) based on the job description.
As stated in the plea agreement, Captain Phip’s willfully submitted false and inaccurate job descriptions to obtain lower prevailing wages for its foreign workers. Capt. Phip’s omissions about the full scope of the job duties to be performed by its temporary foreign workers resulted in the DOL approving Capt. Phip’s to pay lower prevailing wage than it would have been authorized if Capt. Phip’s had provided truthful information.
For example, in 2016, Capt. Phip’s requested and received prevailing wage determinations for three position: ice conveyor operators with a prevailing wage of $12.51; oyster production workers with a prevailing wage of $16.96; and ice machine operators (ice production workers) with a prevailing wage of $11.10. Capt. Phip’s then filed a petition for ice production workers with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The petition was approved and the Department of State (DOS) issued 24 H-2B visas to non-immigrant Mexican nationals authorizing them to work for Capt. Phip’s as ice production workers in the United States. Once the Mexican ice production workers entered the United States, Capt. Phip’s used these workers for jobs beyond ice production, including for oyster processing, as maintenance workers, truck drivers and drivers’ assistants. Capt. Phip’s admits that it intentionally and falsely claimed that the foreign workers would only be engaged in ice production in order to pay them the lower prevailing wage. Had Capt. Phip’s truthfully filed for H-2B visas for many of these duties, these employees would have been entitled to a higher wage.
As stated in the company’s plea agreement, on August 31, 2017, a USCIS officer and government agents conducted a site visit at Capt. Phip’s location in Secretary, Maryland. At that time, Capt. Phip’s H-2B workers were authorized only to engage in oyster production work. During the site visit, three H-2B visa beneficiaries were interviewed through an interpreter and indicated that their current duties involved ice packing duties rather than oyster production work.
A USCIS officer and agents also interviewed Phillip Harrington, Jr., who signed all the H2-B visa petitions for Capt. Phip’s and his son, Jamie Harrington, who identified himself as the Vice President of Capt. Phip’s, responsible for “running the business,” to include the buying and selling of product, managing the levels of product, and hiring and/or firing. Jamie Harrington admitted that all of Capt. Phip’s H-2B workers were packing ice, and none of them were currently processing any oysters. The workers’ H-2B visas for 2017 only permitted them to work in oyster processing. Jamie Harrington admitted that Capt. Phip’s visa petitions should have been for workers for both ice and oyster processing.
During the August 31, 2017 interview, Jaime Harrington stated that he was also the President of Easton Ice Company, Inc. (“Easton Ice”). The principal office for Easton Ice is the same physical address as Capt. Phip’s premises in Secretary, Maryland. A subsequent interview of a recipient of multiple H-2B visas filed by Capt. Phip’s including in 2017, when the H-2B workers were only authorized for oyster processing, revealed that their duties that season were to drive a truck and deliver ice. In September 2017, an agent observed this person driving a truck bearing the name “Easton Ice.” The agent also saw another Capt. Phip’s H-2B recipient delivering ice and riding in the truck. Easton Ice did not apply for H-2B visas in 2017, and workers with H-2B visas obtained through Capt. Phips were not authorized to work for Easton Ice Company. Nevertheless, Jamie Harrington admitted that Capt. Phip’s H-2B visa recipients were routinely directed to perform work for Easton Ice and other businesses controlled by Philip and Jamie Harrington.
On August 9, 2018, government agents interviewed Jamie Harrington at Capt. Phip’s premises in Secretary, Maryland. Jamie Harrington admitted that the company was not in compliance with the requirements of the H-2B visa program and that some of Capt. Phip’s H-2B workers were driving trucks or performing other duties outside the scope of their visas, including performing work for other companies controlled by Philip and Jamie Harrington, including Easton Ice, Woodfield Ice Company, Inc. (“Woodfield Ice”), as well as two Ocean City, Maryland, motels owned by members of the Harrington family. Agents pointed out to Jamie Harrington that if the H-2B applications had been truthful about the location and job duties for workers at Woodfield Ice the prevailing wage would have been much higher because that business is in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
Between approximately 2013 and 2018, Capt. Phip’s filed petitions for H-2B visas for approximately 142, nonimmigrant workers. Capt. Phip’s officers involved in the H-2B process were aware that the nonimmigrant workers were intended to be employed to engage in work beyond the job descriptions authorized by the workers’ visas. Capt. Phip’s realized unlawful benefits through the use of fraudulently low prevailing wages between April 2013 to December 2018, although the exact amount cannot be determined. Capt. Phip’s has not participated in the H-2B visa program since at least January 2019.
Jamie Harrington is also the owner and operator of multiple other businesses involved the production and distribution of ice as well as processing of seafood, rental machinery, housing development, oyster farming, and other ventures including: Easton Ice; Woodfield Ice; PJH Oyster; Two Sons R.S., LLC; Philson Properties, LLC; Two Sons C.P. LLC; P&N Farms; Atlantic Rental, LLC; DMS Hurlock, LLC; The Preserve at Wright’s Wharf Homeowners Association; and Super Transporter, LLC. (together with Capt. Phip’s, the “Harrington Companies.”
Harrington admitted in his plea agreement that, beginning in 2013 and continuing through at least August 9, 2018, he engaged in a pattern and practice of hiring and employing workers without lawful immigration status at the Harrington Companies. Most of the unauthorized workers were Mexican citizens and nationals. Some of the undocumented workers Jamie Harrington hired and employed entered the United States lawfully and overstayed their visas, others never had lawful status to be present in the United States. Analysis of payroll and other records shows that approximately 89 undocumented workers were employed by the Harrington Companies between 2013 and 2018. Harrington continued to employ several of the workers even after he knew they had been placed into removal proceedings by immigration officials because they did not have lawful status to be present or working in the United States.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended HSI, DSS, and DOL-OIG for their work in the investigation and thanked the Baltimore District Office of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division for its assistance. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Judson T. Mihok, who prosecuted the case.
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Brooklyn Man Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for Possession of MachinegunRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Brooklyn man who is a previously convicted felon was sentenced today to 30 months in prison for possessing a machinegun, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Christian Cordero-Gotay, 29, previously pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton to one count of possession of a machinegun, one count of possession of ammunition by a convicted felon, and one count of possession of a machinegun not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On Aug. 31, 2020, officers of the Clinton Township Police Department conducted a motor vehicle stop of a vehicle occupied by Cordero-Gotay and Genesis Bertefabian, 28. The officers detected an odor of burnt marijuana emanating from the vehicle. Pursuant to a search of the vehicle, an officer observed a loaded Glock magazine under the driver’s seat. The officers attempted to place Cordero-Gotay and Bertefabian under arrest, but Cordero-Gotay resisted arrest and Bertefabian got in the vehicle and drove away.
A few minutes later, Bertefabian crashed into the side of a building. Bertefabian then exited the vehicle and walked into a wooded area behind the building. Law enforcement officers conducted a search of the wooded area where Bertefabian was seen, where they found a 9 mm Glock-type semiautomatic firearm. Law enforcement officials determined that the firearm was fitted with a Glock conversion device commonly referred to as “Glock Switch,” which has the effect of converting a semiautomatic Glock pistol into a machinegun. After obtaining a search warrant for the vehicle, law enforcement recovered two high-capacity magazines loaded with 9mm ammunition.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Wigenton sentenced Cordero-Gotay to three years of supervised release.
Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. 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, and the Clinton Township Police Department, under the direction of Lieutenant Thomas DeRosa, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.
The government is represented by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Stacey E. Zyriek Enriquez of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Violent Crimes Unit in Newark.
Bertefabian was charged by criminal complaint with illegal possession of a machine gun and possession of an unregistered firearm. The charges against Bertefabian remain pending, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Boulder man admits firearms crimes stemming from gun sales at Helena pawn shopRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS – A Boulder man admitted to firearms crimes today after being accused of illegally possessing firearms and aiding a straw purchase at his wife’s Helena pawn shop, U.S. Attorney Leif M. Johnson said.
Isaiah Maurice Morsette, 38, pleaded guilty to prohibited person in possession of a firearm and to false statement during a firearms transaction. Morsette faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. Chief Judge Morris set sentencing for March 30, 2022. Morsette was detained pending further proceedings.
In court documents filed in the case, the government alleged that earlier this year, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted an undercover investigation of Modern Pawn & Consignment, located in Helena. Morsette is the husband of co-defendant Catherine Suzanne Morsette, who is the federal firearms licensee for Modern Pawn. Morsette served as the shop’s firearms and ammunition expert, and he answered all questions regarding the pricing and selling of the firearms. Morsette also is a five-time convicted felon. At the time he possessed firearms, he knew he had been convicted of felony sexual intercourse without consent in December 2011 in Montana. Catherine Morsette has pleaded guilty to crimes in the case and is pending sentencing.
In March, an undercover ATF special agent went to Modern Pawn, where Morsette told the special agent that he would have two Smith & Wesson 9mm pistols available for sale in four days. Morsette handed the special agent both pistols and discussed other firearms for sale or coming up for sale.
In April, two undercover ATF special agents went to Modern Pawn where special agent #2 eventually bought a Savage 6.5 Creedmoor rifle from Morsette for special agent #1. Morsette handed the rifle to special agent #1. When special agent #1 asked about not having a Montana address yet, Morsette told the special agent to purchase the firearm from him anyway. Morsette told special agent #1, “there’s all these crazy rules, but I don’t give a (profanity), I was to sell it, you know what I mean?” With Morsette present, special agent #1 called special agent #2 and asked him to come to the store. While waiting for the second special agent to arrive, Morsette handed special agent #1 a box of ammunition. Special agent #2 arrived at the store and with Morsette filled out an ATF form for the rifle’s purchase. When special agent #2 asked about a question on the form regarding the actual purchaser of the firearm, Morsette responded, “yeah, it’s your gun brother, as far as I’m concerned.” Morsette knowing executed the ATF form stating that special agent #2 was the actual purchaser of the Savage rifle, when in fact he knew that special agent #1 was the actual purchaser.
The ATF investigated the case.
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Baltimore Woman Pleads Guilty to Racketeering Conspiracy, Admits to Assisting Inmate to Have Contraband Smuggled into Maryland’s Federal Pretrial Detention FacilityRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Lynette Carlest, age 49, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday to participating in a racketeering conspiracy, including drug distribution and bribery, by assisting a detainee at Chesapeake Detention Facility (CDF) in Baltimore, Maryland to have contraband smuggled into the facility.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Baltimore Field Office; and Secretary Robert Green of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS).
According to her guilty plea, between 2018 and March 11, 2019, Carlest conspired with others to assist a detainee to smuggle narcotics, cell phones, and other contraband into CDF. Specifically, Carlest used a mobile monetary transfer application to manage the financial aspects of the detainee’s smuggling operation. For example, Carlest used the application to send at least four bribe payments of $800 or more to Darren Parker, a correctional officer at CDF, in exchange for Parker’s assistance in smuggling contraband into the jail.
As detailed in the plea agreement, Carlest met with Parker and provided him with contraband on multiple occasions. For example, on March 10, 2019, Carlest met with Parker to give Parker a cell phone, charger, suboxone, and tobacco to be smuggled into CDF and given to the detainee. On March 11, 2019, Parker brought the contraband to work and was approached by law enforcement officers in the CDF parking lot. Later that day, Carlest received a call from the detainee, using a contraband cell phone inside CDF, informing her that Parker had been caught attempting to smuggle contraband into the jail.
Carlest faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for racketeering conspiracy. U.S. District Judge George L. Russell has scheduled sentencing for February 9, 2022 at 11 a.m.
Correctional officers Darren Parker, age 45, of Baltimore, Maryland and Talaia Youngblood, age 35, of Randallstown, Maryland, pleaded guilty to their roles in a racketeering conspiracy at CDF on October 18, 2021 and October 13, 2021, respectively. They admitted that they accepted bribes to smuggle contraband, including narcotics, tobacco, and cell phones, into the jail. Another co-defendant, Jasmine Coleman, age 29, of Baltimore, pleaded guilty on October 25, 2021, to arranging bribes and providing contraband to be smuggled into CDF on behalf of another detainee.
The U.S. Attorney expressed appreciation to the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, whose staff initiated the CDF investigation and have been full partners in this investigation.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI and DPSCS for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter J. Martinez and Harry M. Gruber, who are prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Assistant Commissioner of NYC Probation Department Sentenced to 12+ Years for Child Pornography OffensesRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Robert Costello, 54, of Bethlehem, PA, was sentenced to twelve years and seven months in prison, and lifetime supervised release by United States District Court Judge Joseph F. Leeson, Jr. for child pornography offenses.
In March 2021, Costello pleaded guilty to all counts against him: three counts of receipt of child pornography, one count of access with intent to view child pornography, and one count of possession of child pornography. The defendant admitted to receiving sexually explicit images of children over the Internet and possessing thousands of sexually explicit images and videos of children on several devices that he kept and stored at his residence. During the time that he committed these crimes, Costello was employed as Assistant Commissioner of the New York City Department of Probation.
“The defendant held a position of public trust paid by taxpayer dollars as an Assistant Commissioner with the City of New York,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “And at the same time, he was also downloading and storing sexually exploitative images of children – thus creating demand for those depictions to be produced and children to be victimized. Our Office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners in all jurisdictions to investigate and prosecute child sexual exploitation offenses – no matter what profession or status the offenders may hold.”
“Sexually exploiting children is a terrible crime, made even more reprehensible when the perpetrator is someone in a position of public trust,” said Brian A. Michael, Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations Philadelphia, “Robert Costello, as an Assistant Commissioner of New York City’s probation department, violated that trust, and now he will face the consequences. HSI will continue to pursue cases like this one, to protect children and ensure that those responsible are held accountable for their crimes.”
The case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security Investigations and Bethlehem Township Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Francis A. Weber and Kelly Harrell and Department of Justice Trial Attorney Jessica Urban of the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS).
Arizona Man Sentenced for Conspiring to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: A Glendale, Arizona, man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Bangor for conspiring to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.
U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Eric Waldron, 54, to 15 years in prison and five years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty in June 2021.
According to court records, between January 2017 and August 2018, Waldron and other members of the conspiracy distributed large quantities of methamphetamine in northern Maine. Waldron, acting as a source of supply for the conspiracy, coordinated multi-pound shipments of methamphetamine from Arizona to conspirators who distributed it in Aroostook County. Members of the conspiracy sent thousands of dollars in cash to Waldron in connection with this drug trafficking enterprise.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency investigated the case.
“I am so pleased to see this collaboration between DEA and MDEA in Aroostook County, where our local law enforcement partners have seen a dramatic increase in the use of methamphetamine,” said U.S. Attorney McElwee. “I am hopeful such collaboration will serve to disrupt the supply of this destructive substance to this region of Maine.”
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
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Area man pleads guilty to his role in carjacking plotRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – United States District Court Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk accepted a plea of guilty from Antwan Jones for his role in a carjacking, weapons charges and assaulting a federal officer on November 22, 2021.
A grand jury in the Eastern District of Missouri indicted Jones in May 2021 for aiding and abetting Paul Latham in carjacking a victim in St. Louis the previous year. According to the plea agreement, Latham stopped his SUV next to the victim on January 15, 2020. Latham waited in the SUV while Jones approached the victim at gunpoint and demanded her purse. The carjacking victim surrendered her purse, which contained the keys to her car. Latham and Jones drove around the area and used the victim’s key fob to locate her Mercedes Benz. Once they found the car parked nearby, Latham used the victim’s keys to drive her car away while Jones drove away in Latham’s SUV.
According to the indictment, Jones was prohibited from possessing a firearm due to a previous conviction.
Later that night, police tracked the victim’s phone to East St. Louis, Illinois. There, police discovered Latham’s SUV parked in the 1800 block of Boismenue Avenue with the victim’s purse still inside.
Days later as federal authorities arrested Jones, he resisted the attempt and physically assaulted a federal officer. For his role in the incident, Latham previously entered a plea of guilty in October.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.
Aransas man guilty of meth chargeRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A federal jury sitting in Corpus Christi has found a 59-year-old local man guilty of conspiracy to distribute more than five grams of meth and possession with intent to distribute 27 grams of meth, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
The jury deliberated for approximately three hours following a two-day trial before returning a guilty verdict on both counts against Ronald Flirt.
On Nov. 17, 2020, authorities were surveilling a known drug stash house when they witnessed Flirt stop at the location. A Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent testified at trial, describing how someone had exited Flirt’s vehicle, entered the stash house and returned to the truck.
Law enforcement then pulled Flirt over and found he had a total of 10 Ziplock bags of meth. They had a total street value of more than $4,000.
Further testimony revealed he tried to deceive authorities when the initially stopped him. However, jurors saw bodycam video in which law enforcement asked Flirt to show him his hands which demonstrated he had one finger missing as he attempted to hide a bag of meth.
The jury also heard that Flirt had a Santa Muerte statue to protect him from law enforcement. It clearly did not work.
The defense attempted to convince the jury the drugs were solely for personal use and that Flirt intended to smoke an entire ounce of meth. They did not believe those calins and found him guilty as charged.
U.S. District Judge David Morales set sentencing for Feb. 23, 2022. At that time, Flirt faces up to 40 years in prison and a possible $5 million maximum fine. He has been and will remain in custody pending that hearing.
The DEA and police departments in Corpus Christi and Mathis conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Marin and John Marck are prosecuting the case.
Appleton Man Sentenced to Prison for Defrauding Social Security of over $73,500 in Supplemental Security Income BenefitsRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Richard G. Frohling of the Eastern District of Wisconsin announced that on November 22, 2021, Senior U.S. District Judge William C. Griesbach sentenced Appleton resident John P. Fischer (age: 63) to 18 months’ imprisonment and three years’ supervised release after Fischer pled guilty to Supplemental Security Income (“SSI”) Fraud, in violation of Title 42, United States Code, Section 1383a(a)(3)(A).
From 2009 to 2017, Fischer fraudulently received over $73,500 in federal and state SSI benefits by knowingly concealing numerous resources from the Social Security Administration (“SSA”). SSI is a nationwide welfare program for the blind, disabled, and those over 65 years of age who have little to no income and no more than $2,000 in resources. SSI is funded by general tax revenues, unlike SSA pensions and SSDI that are funded by payroll taxes.
Fischer filed for SSI claiming that he met all criteria, but in fact, he had bank accounts, investment accounts, and vehicles that put him well above the $2,000 limit. Among them was a Roth IRA worth more than $42,000 that Fischer knowingly concealed from the SSA and secretly cashed out. Fischer also paid over $48,000 for two GMC Acadia SUVs without notifying the SSA that he had the money or the vehicles. In addition, Fischer’s scheme involved concealing his accounts and vehicles under the guise of two different “churches,” which were simply a front to hide his assets.
At sentencing, Judge Griesbach rejected Fischer’s request for probation and stressed that Fischer’s serious and long-standing criminal conduct warranted substantial prison time for purposes of punishment, deterring others from committing fraud, and reinforcing the public’s confidence in social-safety-net programs like SSI. The court also ordered Fischer to pay full restitution for his crime.
To that end, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has initiated an action to seize and auction two of Fischer’s vehicles, including a fully restored 1957 Chevy Bel Air that Fischer concealed from the SSA.
"SSI benefits are designed to help those in true need,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Frohling. “Individuals who lie about their own circumstances to wrongfully obtain such benefits harm every taxpayer and hurt those in need by undermining the integrity of these vital programs.”
“SSI is a critical safety net that provides much needed assistance,” said Andrew Boockmeier, Special Agent in Charge, Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, Chicago Field Division. “Mr. Fischer’s fraudulent actions—failing to report and attempting to hide his assets—caused SSA to improperly pay benefits to which he was ineligible to receive. SSA OIG will continue to work to protect SSA benefits from fraud and misuse. I thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for prosecuting this case.”
SSI Fraud is a felony punishable by up to five years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and three years’ supervised release.
This case was investigated by the SSA’s Office of the Inspector General in Milwaukee. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy W. Funnell and Kelly B. Watzka
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Public Information Officer Kenneth Gales 414-297-1700
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Anchorage Man Charged for Violating Marine Mammal Protection ActRead the Press Release
ANCHORAGE – An Anchorage man is charged by information on two counts of wildlife trafficking misdemeanors.
According to court documents, Uzi Levi, 70, of Anchorage purchased six non-handicrafted Pacific walrus tusks and one three-tusked non-handicrafted Pacific walrus head mount from an undercover U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service special agent, all of which is in violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, it is unlawful for a non-Alaskan native to transport, purchase, sell, export or offer to purchase, sell or export any marine mammal or marine mammal product for any purpose other than public display, scientific research or enhancing the survival of a species or stock or any marine mammal part that has not been made into an authentic native article of handicraft.
In June 2020, a special agent with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service observed what appeared to be an Alaskan Native male carrying a two-tusked, non-handicrafted walrus head mount into the car rental business office owned by Levi and then leave without it. A few weeks later, an undercover U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service special agent went to Levi’s car rental business and inquired about renting a vehicle. He explained that he didn’t have a lot of money and asked if there were other ways to rent a vehicle, such as trade or barter. The unidentified person at the business called Levi and handed the phone to the undercover agent. During this call and over the next eight months, Levi and the agent exchanged numerous phone calls and texts about the purchase of non-handicrafted walrus ivory, which resulted in Levi purchasing six non-handicrafted Pacific walrus tusks on July 13, 2020, and one non-handicrafted, three tusked walrus head mount on September 29, 2020
Levi is scheduled to make his initial court appearance on December 6, 2021, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Matthew M. Scoble of the U.S. District Court for Alaska. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of one year in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting U.S. Attorney Bryan Wilson of the District of Alaska made the announcement.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steve Skrocki and Yunah Chung are prosecuting the case.
8 Civilian Employees of the Philadelphia Police Department Indicted on Theft and Fraud Charges for Collecting Pandemic Unemployment AssistanceRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA –United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that the following defendants were charged with fraudulently obtaining emergency unemployment benefits related to COVID-19. Each of the following defendants was charged with one count of mail or wire fraud and one count of theft of government funds for obtaining Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) funds while working for the Philadelphia Police Department (PPD) and also collecting his or her City paycheck:
Shannon Reynolds, age 25, of Philadelphia, PA; Najah Harrell, age 32, of Philadelphia, PA; Korey Kinard, age 29, of Philadelphia, PA; Keely Maude, age 23, of Philadelphia, PA; Tashika White, age 50, of Cheltenham, PA; Paulette Johnson, age 55, of Philadelphia, PA; Monica Pelzer, age 45, of Philadelphia, PA; and Yarelis Feliciano, age 28, Philadelphia, PA.
Seven of the eight defendants are employed as radio dispatchers for the PPD: Reynolds, Harrell, Kinard, Maude, White, Pelzer and Feliciano. The eighth defendant, Johnson is employed as a clerk for the PPD. Each defendant is charged in a separate Indictment with the two counts noted above.
On March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) was signed into law. The CARES Act created the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program, which provides unemployment benefits to individuals not eligible for regular unemployment compensation or extended unemployment benefits, including individuals, families, and businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Eligibility to receive weekly PUA benefits is predicated on an applicant’s unemployment for reasons related to the pandemic, and it requires that the applicant was able to work each day and, if offered a job, would have been able to accept it. Once an applicant is approved to receive benefits, the applicant is required to submit weekly certifications indicating that he or she: was ready, willing and able to work each day; was seeking full time employment; did not refuse any job offers or referrals; and had reported any employment during the week and the gross pay or other payments received.
Each of the defendants is alleged to have submitted weekly certifications stating that they were not employed and were ready, willing, and able to work each day. The Indictments charge that these statements were false because each defendant was employed at the time by PPD. According to the Indictments, as part of the weekly certifications, each defendant also certified that he or she was not earning any wages or grossly unreported true wages to secure eligibility. However, these statements are also allegedly false according to PPD payroll records. As a result of these false statements, each defendant received PUA funds for multiple weeks in which he or she also collected his or her PPD salary.
“Pandemic Unemployment Assistance funds are intended to help Americans who are not working or who have experienced dramatically reduced working hours due to the pandemic, not people who are already gainfully employed,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “Thieves who attempt to take these funds are taking advantage of others’ misfortune – ripping them off while also ripping off all taxpayers who fund the program. As alleged, these eight defendants fraudulently obtained funds that could have helped struggling individuals.”
“It should go without saying that, if you’re a) employed, and b) working for a law enforcement agency, applying for any sort of unemployment compensation is a really bad decision,” said Jacqueline Maguire, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “It’s particularly disappointing when people with steady paychecks coming in are taking money set aside for those most affected by the pandemic. The FBI will continue to hold accountable anyone defrauding the government and taxpayers like this.”
These cases were investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General, and the Philadelphia Police Department with assistance from the Pennsylvania Department of Industry and Labor. These cases are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Lanni.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
3 defendants plead guilty in dark web drug sales caseRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Three of six defendants charged this spring with selling liquid psychedelic mushrooms online to customers all over the country have pleaded guilty in federal court in Columbus.
James Verl Barlow, 44, of Las Vegas, and Matthew Taylor Barlow, 35, of Murray, Utah, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today and Jennifer Helen Cambpell, 42, also of Murray, Utah, admitted her guilt yesterday. Each of the three defendants pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute a psychedelic mushroom analogue. James Barlow also pleaded guilty to conspiring to launder the drug proceeds.
According to James Barlow’s court documents, as part of his guilty plea, he will forfeit approximately $15 million in drug proceeds and property, including millions of dollars’ worth of cryptocurrency, more than half a million dollars in cash, a 2016 Tesla Model-X Wagon, and land in Brighton, Colorado, valued at more than $1.5 million, as part of this case.
Between November 2013 and April 2021, the defendants sold liquid psychedelic mushrooms in nine milligram vials for approximately $20 each on the darknet through the monikers TRIPWITHSCIENCE and PERFECTSHROOMS. Court documents detail that at least one customer was located in Columbus.
James Barlow used individuals in Nevada, Utah and Maryland to arrange shipments of both powder and liquid mushrooms from Las Vegas, Memphis, and Gulf Breeze, Florida, to customers throughout the United States and Europe.
In total, the investigation by the Central Ohio Cyber Drug Task Force determined Barlow’s organization was responsible for distributing 315 kilograms of powder mushroom analogues and 3,200 kilograms of liquid mushrooms.
The defendants face up to 20 years in prison. Congress sets the maximum statutory sentence. Sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Bryant Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation; Keith Martin, Special Agent in Charge, DEA; Vance Callender, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Lesley C. Allison, Inspector in Charge, United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS); and Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin announced the pleas entered into before U.S. District Judge Sarah D. Morrison. Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Hunter is representing the United States in this case.
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22 November 2021
Young Houstonian sent to prison for nearly 20 yearsRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 24-year-old Houston man has been ordered to federal prison following his convictions on robbery, brandishing and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer Lowery.
Dametric Marquise Hunter pleaded guilty Aug. 31.
Today, U.S. District Judge Vanessa Gilmore ordered him to serve a total of 234 months in federal prison. The sentence will be immediately followed by five years of supervised release.
Co-defendant Joshua Dawayne Prater, 23, Houston, pleaded guilty to one count each of robbery and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. He received a total sentence of 132 months Nov. 15.
In January and February of 2019, Hunter, Prater and others committed a series of commercial armed robberies, including several that took place at Walgreens stores.
On Feb. 12, 2019, a joint task force operation resulted in the surveillance and arrest of Hunter and Prater as they fled a robbery at a Walgreens on Westheimer Parkway in Fort Bend County. A shoot-out ensured and two others believed to be involved in the robbery were killed.
The investigation led to the discovery that Hunter and Prater also committed to multiple robberies in 2019.
Both men have been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The FBI and Texas Department of Public Safety conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Michael Lewis and Matthew Roy Peneguy are prosecuting the case.
Williston Woman Charged with Unlawful Handgun Possession During Road Rage IncidentRead the Press Release
The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that Grace Ross, 46, of Williston, Vermont has been charged by a federal grand jury in Burlington with unlawful possession of a firearm after having previously been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. The government is also seeking forfeiture of the seized Taurus 9mm pistol.
According to court records, on July 30, 2021 the Burlington Police received a report that the driver of a black Mazda, later identified as Ross, pointed a handgun at another vehicle which contained two adults and a baby. The incident occurred near Main Street and South Prospect Street in Burlington. According to the court records, Ross cut off another vehicle, nearly causing a collision. After the driver of the other vehicle honked the horn, Ross, who was then driving in front of the other vehicle, pulled a handgun out and pointed it at the other car through her rear window. Soon after, the Burlington Police Department pulled over Ross’s vehicle and seized the firearm. Ross was originally charged in state court with aggravated assault, though the state case was dismissed after the filing of federal charges.
Ross pled not guilty to the charge. United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle ordered Ross released on conditions pending further proceedings in the case.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. See https://www.justice.gov/psn.
The indictment is an accusation only. The defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The maximum sentence for the alleged offense is ten years of imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. If found guilty of the offense, the defendant’s actual sentence will be determined with reference to the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
This matter was investigated by the Burlington Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Perella. Ross is represented by Michael Desautels, Esq. of the Federal Public Defender’s Office.
United States Proposes Modification to EPA Consent Decree to Reduce Sewer System Overflows for the Hampton Roads Sanitation DistrictRead the Press Release
The United States lodged with the U.S. District Court of Eastern Virginia today a proposed modification of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 2010 consent decree with the Hampton Roads Sanitation District (HRSD) to require implementation of a comprehensive set of improvements to the sewer system to resolve longstanding problems with sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs). SSOs are releases of untreated or partially-treated sewage from a municipal sanitary sewer. They are especially prominent in older sewage systems due to deteriorating pipes and outdated sewage treatment systems. The HRSD sewer system serves 18 municipalities with 1.7 million residents.
“This modification to the consent decree will ensure that the sanitation district continues to take active measures to improve the sewer system for Hampton Roads and the surrounding region, resulting in a cleaner, safer Chesapeake Bay,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “This modification will help ensure local communities’ access to the Chesapeake Bay for recreation as well as for commercial shell fishing.”
“Today’s modification requires Hampton Roads Sanitation District to address the decades long problem of sanitary sewer overflows,” said Acting Assistant Administrator Larry Starfield, for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “EPA and the State of Virginia worked with the HRSD to develop a long-term solution that will improve water quality for all communities, including those that are historically underserved and overburdened by pollution.”
Specifically, the modification will incorporate and enforce projects and schedules that are included in HRSD’s Regional Wet Weather Management Plan. Under the wet weather plan, HRSD will spend about $410 million between 2020 and 2040 on 15 priority projects to improve HRSD’s system and greatly reduce the frequency and volume of SSOs.
The projects are scattered throughout the Hampton Roads region in Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Virginia Beach, Williamsburg and York County. They will help protect water quality in the Elizabeth River, James River, Nansemond River and York River, as well as the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.
HRSD, as part of an integrated plan with its wet weather projects, will also implement a $2.2 billion aquifer replenishment project – known as Sustainable Water Infrastructure for Tomorrow or SWIFT. This project will involve injecting treated wastewater into an underground aquifer rather than discharging it to local surface waters, reducing wastewater discharges to the Chesapeake Bay by 90%.
Once the modification is finalized and approved by the court, HRSD would be required to complete six of the projects by 2030 and the remaining nine projects by 2040. These projects focus on increasing the capacity of the regional sanitary sewer system. Projects will include upgrading and replacing pump stations and installing multiple wastewater storage facilities.
For more information on SSOs, visit: https://www.epa.gov/npdes/sanitary-sewer-overflows-ssos.
The modification to the consent decree, lodged today in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, is subject to a 30-day public comment period and approval by the federal court. A copy of the modification to the consent decree is available on the Justice Department website at http://www.usdoj.gov/enrd/Consent_Decrees.html.
Texas woman admits to role in drug distribution operationRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Narkevia Lewis, of Houston, Texas, has admitted to her role in methamphetamine, crack cocaine, fentanyl, and heroin drug distribution operation, United States Attorney William J, Ihlenfeld, II announced.
Lewis, age 23, pleaded guilty today to one count of “Aiding and Abetting the Maintaining Drug-Involved Premises.” Lewis admitted to working with another to run an apartment in Morgantown for the purpose of distributing methamphetamine, cocaine base, fentanyl, and heroin in the spring of 2020.
Lewis faces up to 20 years of incarceration and a fine of up to $500,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zelda E. Wesley and Sarah E. Wagner are prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The FBI's Northern West Virginia Drug Task Force in partnership with the Mon Metro Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated. The Task Forces have members from the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; West Virginia State Police; Monongalia County Sheriff's Office; and, the Morgantown, WVU, Granville and Star City Police Departments. The investigation was also assisted by the following law enforcement partners: the Monongalia County Prosecutor’s Office, the FBI in Houston, Texas; the Houston Police Department's Multi Agency Gang Initiative; the United States Postal Inspection Service in Houston; and, the FBI and DEA in Los Angeles, California.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.
Related case here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndwv/pr/25-people-indicted-drug-trafficking-operation-spanned-several-states
Superseding Indictments Charge Three Bank Employees and Eight Others in Alleged Counterfeit Checks and Bank Fraud SchemesRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Acting United State Attorney Richard B. Myrus announced today that a pair of superseding indictments unsealed in federal court in Providence charge eleven individuals, including three bank employees, with participating in schemes to defraud local banks by creating and depositing checks, then withdrawing bank funds prior to financial institutions discovering the fraudulent activity. The counterfeit checks contained personal account information belonging to, among others, individuals, small businesses, an insurance company, and an attorney’s office.
According to the indictments, four defendants allegedly participated in one scheme that defrauded banks for approximately one year beginning in April 2020. Seven individuals allegedly participated in an unrelated scheme that defrauded banks for approximately 14 months beginning in January 2020.
In one of the schemes, an indictment unsealed on Thursday alleges that Terrance Richardson, 30, of Providence, obtained and stole checks and bank account information belonging to businesses and individuals, and used the information to create counterfeit checks. The indictment alleges that Richardson gained the assistance of Machaela Farias, 26, of Providence, an employee at Santander Bank, to facilitate the deposit of the counterfeit checks.
It is further alleged that as part of the scheme, Richardson and others obtained debit card information of individuals who agreed to be compensated for allowing counterfeit checks to be deposited into their bank accounts. Once the checks were deposited, Richardson, Farias, Johanna Arias, 33, of Providence, Jordan Robertson, 24, of Providence, and others, quickly withdrew the funds from the accounts. The indictment alleges that members of the conspiracy deposited at least $165,154 in counterfeit checks and withdrew at least $89,453 in cash.
The indictment charges Richardson, Farias, Arias, and Robertson with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and 14 counts of bank fraud. Additionally, Richardson is charged with aggravated identity theft.
In an unrelated matter, an indictment unsealed on November 15, 2021, alleges that Richard Koboi, 26, of Providence, Maximillan Mwah, 38, and Godgift Rosler, 33, of Pawtucket, obtained and stole checks and bank account information belonging to small businesses and individuals. It is alleged that some of the account information and checks were accessed and provided by Savonnah Briggs, 26, and Isha-Lee Savage, 23, of Providence, while working at Citizens Bank and Santander Bank respectively. The information was allegedly used to create counterfeit checks that Koboi, Mwah, and others deposited into the bank accounts of individuals that were paid in exchange for their agreement to allow their bank accounts to be used. Nearly$70,000 in counterfeit checks was deposited into the accounts. The indictment alleges that Koboi, Mwah, Junior Richards, 24, of Pawtucket, Darren Maenza, 27, of Pawtucket, and others made rapid withdrawals, cash transfers, and debit card purchases from the accounts.
The indictment charges each defendant with conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Additionally, the indictment charges Richards, Maenza, and Rosler with 12 counts of bank fraud and Richard Koboi with 12 counts of bank fraud and one count each of aggravated identity theft and felon in possession of a firearm.
An indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ly T. Chin.
The matter was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
Acting United States Attorney Myrus thanks the FBI for its assisting in the arrest of several of the defendants.
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South Carolina Chiropractor Pleads Guilty and Agrees to $9 Million False Claims Act Consent JudgmentRead the Press Release
On Nov. 8, the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina entered a $9 million civil consent judgment for the United States against South Carolina chiropractor Daniel McCollum under the False Claims Act. On that same day, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina filed an information and plea agreement in which McCollum admitted to engaging in a conspiracy to pay illegal kickbacks and to defraud healthcare programs by billing for unnecessary medical services. The maximum criminal penalty McCollum could face is five years in prison and a fine of $250,000. A sentencing date has not been set.
McCollum owned and operated pain management clinics, laboratories and a pharmacy in South Carolina. He also operated pain management clinics in North Carolina and Tennessee. McCollum’s clinics did business collectively as Pain Management Associates.
On May 31, 2019, the United States filed a civil complaint alleging that McCollum caused the submission of false claims to federal health care programs arising from kickbacks he paid for urine drug testing (UDT) referrals in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute; referrals prohibited under the Stark Law from physicians with whom McCollum had financial relationships; and claims for UDT and other services that were not medically necessary and that lacked a legitimate medical purpose.
On Oct. 29, McCollum agreed to resolve the government’s False Claims Act allegations, including admitting that he violated the Anti-Kickback Statute by providing kickbacks in the form of a direct bill program whereby his laboratory, Labsource, gave referring providers an opportunity to earn revenue generated from their commercially-insured UDT referrals as an inducement for those providers to refer all of their federally-insured UDT patients to Labsource. McCollum also caused medically unnecessary prescriptions for pain creams often without the knowledge or approval of the patients’ healthcare providers and regardless of whether the prescription had a legitimate medical purpose. McCollum admitted that the aforementioned conduct constituted misrepresentations, fraudulent omissions and/or deceptive conduct, and that he engaged in this conduct with an intent to deceive the United States and cause the United States to pay false or fraudulent federal healthcare program claims.
Congress passed the Stark Law and the Anti-Kickback Statute to prevent financial incentives from improperly influencing medical decision-making, which can lead to excessive and unnecessary tests and services. Among other things, the Stark Law prohibits billing Medicare for laboratory testing services referred by a physician who has a financial relationship with the laboratory. The Anti‑Kickback Statute prohibits offering or paying anything of value to induce the referral of items or services covered by federal healthcare programs, including laboratory testing services.
“Improper financial relationships between healthcare providers and laboratories can lead to overutilization and increase the cost of healthcare services paid for by the taxpayers,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The provision of medical services and prescriptions should be based on a patient’s medical needs rather than the financial interests of providers.”
“This office will use all tools necessary to ensure justice, deterrence and prevention of healthcare fraud,” said Acting U.S. Attorney M. Rhett DeHart for the District of South Carolina. “The criminal guilty plea and the civil consent judgment entered against the defendant in this case demonstrates that effort.”
“McCollum engaged in deceptive conduct by exploiting the vital programs on which they depend,” said Special Agent in Charge Derrick L. Jackson of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to hold accountable individuals who endanger the integrity of federal healthcare programs and the beneficiaries they serve.”
“The TRICARE Program is vital to the health and readiness of our active duty service members, retirees and their families,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dillard of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Mid-Atlantic Field Office. “Today’s announcement should leave no doubt that DCIS and its law enforcement partners remain committed to rooting out fraud, holding bad actors accountable and protecting the integrity of the Department of Defense.”
The civil judgment resolves claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by Donna Rauch, Muriel Calhoun, Brandy Knight and Karen Mathewson, all former employees of pain management clinics owned or operated by McCollum. Under those provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. The qui tam cases are captioned United States ex rel. Rauch, et al. v. Oaktree Medical Centre, P.C., et al., No. 6:15-cv-01589-DCC (D.S.C.); United States ex rel. Mathewson v. Dr. Daniel A. McCollum, et al., No. 6:17-CV-01190-DCC (D.S.C.); and United States ex rel. Hawkins v. Pain Management Associates of the Carolinas, LLC, et al., No. 8:18-cv-02952-DCC (D.S.C.). In connection with this matter, the United States previously was awarded civil judgments totaling over $140 million against entities owned or operated by McCollum: Oaktree Medical Centre P.C., FirstChoice Healthcare P.C., Labsource LLC, Pain Management Associates of the Carolinas LLC, Pain Management Associates of North Carolina P.C., ProLab LLC and ProCare Counseling Center LLC.
The civil judgment and criminal plea obtained in this matter were the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina, with assistance from the FBI, HHS-OIG, the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office and the DCIS.
The investigation and resolution of this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating healthcare fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).
The litigation was handled by Fraud Section Attorneys Yolonda Campbell, Michael Kass, Christopher Terranova and David Wiseman and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Beth Warren and Bill Watkins for the District of South Carolina.
South Bend Man Sentenced to 70 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
SOUTH BEND – Jason Cochran, 44 years old, of South Bend, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Chief Judge Jon E. DeGuilio after pleading guilty to possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
Cochran was sentenced to 70 months in prison followed by 4 years of supervised release.
According to documents in the case, on January 27, 2021, Cochran possessed over 50 grams of methamphetamine that he intended to distribute and had a large amount of cash. Cochran has three prior felony convictions and eight misdemeanor convictions.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration with the assistance of the St. Joseph County Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Frank E. Schaffer.
Sioux City Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Selling MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
A Sioux City man who sold large quantities of methamphetamine around Sioux City was sentenced November 16, 2021 to more than 15 years in federal prison.
Marcus Anderson, age 43, from Sioux City, received the prison term after a June 22, 2021 guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
In a plea agreement, Anderson admitted he conspired to sell 15,000 grams of methamphetamine around the tri-state area. Anderson further admitted he traveled to Kansas City in the fall of 2018 to obtain methamphetamine for redistribution. He was stopped after picking up approximately nine pounds of ice methamphetamine for redistribution.
Anderson was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Anderson was sentenced to 183 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 10-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Anderson is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jack Lammers and was investigated as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program of the United States Department of Justice through a cooperative effort of the Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, that consists of law enforcement personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office; South Sioux City, Nebraska, Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; and Woodbury County Attorney’s Office..
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 20-4087.
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Second Brother Sentenced to over Ten Years in Federal Prison for Distributing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialsRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Brian J. Davis has sentenced Nicholas Stephen Woodyard (30, St. Augustine) to 10 years and 8 months in federal prison for distributing child sexual abuse materials, to be followed by a life term of supervised release. The court also ordered Woodyard to pay $5,000 in restitution to a victim of his crime. Nicholas Woodyard had pleaded guilty on March 5, 2021. Co-defendant Patrick Woodyard (Nicholas Woodyard’s twin brother) was sentenced to 15 years and 8 months in federal prison December 2020, following his pleading guilty on August 28, 2020. Both men had been indicted on March 4, 2020, for the distribution, receipt, and possession of images and videos depicting children being sexually abused.
According to court documents, Homeland Security Investigations began investigating the internet upload of an image depicting the sexual abuse of a child. The image had been distributed from the Woodyard brothers’ residence in St. Augustine. Agents executed a search warrant and seized electronic devices that contained hundreds of files of child sex abuse materials, including videos of the sexual assault of a toddler-aged child. A forensic examination of one of these devices revealed Nicholas Woodyard’s efforts to secretly record his close family members while they were naked and his attempts and desires to engage in incest.
"Children are the most vulnerable victims, and predators such as this use extraordinary means and sophisticated deceptions to target and victimize innocent children across our communities,” said Homeland Security Investigations (Jacksonville) Assistant Special Agent in Charge K. Jim Phillips. "Thanks to the incredible work and dedication of our HSI special agents and our partners with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, this predator will no longer have access to such victims.”
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, working with the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelly S. Karase.
This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
San Bernardino County Man Found Guilty of Federal Charges for Paying for Sex from Underage Girl He Met on InternetRead the Press Release
RIVERSIDE, California – A San Bernardino County man has been found guilty of criminal charges for paying a teenager he met on the internet to have sex with him on two occasions, the Justice Department announced today.
Jason Dee Taylor, 41, of Fontana, was found guilty of one count of sex trafficking of a minor and one count of enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity. A federal jury returned the verdict on Friday afternoon.
According to the evidence presented at his four-day trial, Taylor contacted the victim on a public website. They exchanged messages through that website’s messenger feature and then switched to communicating via Instagram messenger.
Although she initially represented that she was 19 years old, the victim told defendant almost immediately that she was 16, even though she was 15 years old at the time. In response, Taylor wrote her, “I’ll be honest. I like your age, it’s kinda hot.”
Twice in April 2020, Taylor drove to Santa Barbara County, picked up the victim, took her to a hotel, and paid her a total of $600 for sex.
That same month, the victim’s family friend, whose phone she used to communicate with Taylor, found the messages between Taylor and the victim. When a member of the victim’s family sent Taylor a message informing him that they were going to report him to law enforcement, Taylor deleted his Instagram account, but not before the family friend had taken screenshots of the incriminating communications.
United States District Judge Jesus G. Bernal has scheduled a February 7, 2022 sentencing hearing, at which time Taylor will face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
The FBI investigated this matter, with the assistance of the Guadalupe Police Department, the Santa Maria Police Department, and the Fontana Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorney Sonah Lee of the Riverside Branch Office is prosecuting this case.
Queens Man Sentenced to 19 Months in Prison for Threatening to Murder Members of CongressRead the Press Release
Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, Brendan Hunt was sentenced by United States District Judge Pamela K. Chen to 19 months’ imprisonment for threatening to assault and murder members of the United States Congress to impede, interfere with and intimidate those members and to retaliate against them on account of their performance of their official duties. Hunt was convicted of that charge after a jury trial in April 2021, which was the first trial to address the consequences of the January 6, 2021 assault on the Capitol.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the sentence.
“We will not tolerate threats to members of the United States Congress or calls to overthrow our democratically elected government,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “Not only will we investigate and vigorously prosecute these crimes, but today’s sentence sends a clear message that those who seek to harm our representatives and bring chaos to our democracy will be punished.”
On January 8, 2021, two days after the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., Hunt posted a video titled “KILL YOUR SENATORS” that included the summary “Slaughter them all,” to BitChute, an Internet-based video sharing site. In the video, Hunt made dangerous additional threats, exhorting his viewers to violence and telling them that “[w]e need to go back to the U.S. Capitol when all of the Senators and a lot of the Representatives are back there, and this time we have to show up with our guns. And we need to slaughter these m-----f-----s.” Hunt also advocated for the violent overthrow of the federal government, claiming that “our government at this point is basically a handful of traitors . . . so what you need to do is take up arms, get to D.C., probably the inauguration . . . so called inauguration of this m-----f-----g communist Joe Biden . . . [T]hat’s probably the best time to do this, get your guns, show up to D.C., and literally just spray these m-----f-----s . . . put some bullets in their f------g heads.” Hunt stated, “If anybody has a gun, give me it, I’ll go there myself and shoot them and kill them . . . [W]e have to take out these Senators and then replace them with actual patriots. This is a [Zionist Occupied Government].”
On January 9, 2021, the defendant posted another video in which he stated “[t]hose 100 Senators should really be afraid about going into public now” and that “We have the first amendment, that’s still around, remember? And we have the second as well. There are really only a hundred of these weakling Senators. They are mass murdering psychopaths who are intent on our destruction, and they form an illegitimate government. Every single one of them just needs to go.”
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and Cybercrime Section. Assistant United States Attorneys David K. Kessler, Ian C. Richardson and Francisco J. Navarro are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
BRENDAN HUNT
Age: 37
Ridgewood, QueensE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 21-CR-086 (PKC)
Providence Man Sentenced to Ten Years in Prison for Trafficking CocaineRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A Providence man who previously served nearly twenty years in federal prison for trafficking cocaine has been sentenced to ten years in prison for possessing 500 grams or more of cocaine with the intent to distribute, announced Acting United States Attorney Richard B. Myrus.
According to court documents, while on federal supervised release less than four years after being released from federal prison, Jesus Martinez, 49, was found in December 2020 by U.S. Postal Inspection Service Inspectors to be in possession of more than three kilograms of cocaine.
Beginning in the fall of 2020, Postal Inspectors tracked several parcels that exhibited strong evidence that they contained narcotics that were mailed to Martinez. As part of the investigation, on December 9, 2020, Postal Inspectors executed court-authorized searches of Martinez’s Providence residence and a vehicle he was known to drive frequently. From inside Martinez’s apartment Postal Inspectors seized nearly 202 grams of cocaine and $52,880 in cash. From inside the vehicle, law enforcement seized nearly 3,000 grams of cocaine.
Martinez admitted to investigators that about six months prior to his arrest, he had begun having parcels of cocaine shipped from Puerto Rico to various locations in Providence. Martinez claimed to have paid $37,000 per kilo of cocaine, selling them to customers for $42,000.
Martinez pleaded guilty on September 8, 2021, to possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. He was sentenced on Friday by U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith to 120 months in federal prison to be followed by eight years of federal supervised release.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Zechariah Chafee.
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Previously Convicted Felon Sentenced to Nine Years for Unlawful Possession of FirearmRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Kenneth Blakeney, 29, of Philadelphia, PA, was sentenced to nine years in prison and three years of supervised release by United States District Court Judge Gene E. K. Pratter for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
In June 2021, the defendant was convicted at trial for being a felon in possession of a gun stemming from an incident the previous year. In March 2019, Philadelphia Police Officers found a loaded gun in the defendant’s possession during a traffic stop. The defendant was a convicted felon and was not allowed by law to possess a firearm. When officers attempted to recover the gun, the defendant fled from the police, leading officers on a car chase for multiple blocks until the defendant eventually jumped out of his car and ran. The defendant was arrested several months later and was charged by Indictment in October 2019.
“Being a felon illegally in possession of a firearm is a serious offense, particularly in Philadelphia where gun violence is rampant,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “Today’s sentence should serve as an example to others who have previously been convicted of felony offenses and are considering carrying firearms: our ‘All Hands on Deck’ initiative uses every law enforcement tool at our disposal to find and stop you. If you choose to illegally carry a firearm, you are going to face serious federal charges.”
“Today’s sentence ensures that a violent criminal is taken off the streets for a long time,” said Matthew Varisco, Special Agent in charge of ATF’s Philadelphia Field Division. “Keeping our communities safe from violent felons like Blakeney will always be our top priority. I would like to thank our partners at the Philadelphia Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s office for their continued support in our joint effort to maintaining public safety.”
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Philadelphia Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney J. Jeanette Kang.
Pennsylvania’s United States Attorney’s Offices and the Pennsylvania Sheriffs’ Association Join Forces to Educate the Traveling Public About Safe Firearms TransportRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Jennifer Arbittier Williams, the United States Attorneys for the Middle and Western Districts of Pennsylvania, and the Pennsylvania Sheriffs’ Association are joining forces this holiday season to educate airline travelers on the safe and proper way to transport firearms and thereby reduce risk and delay to the traveling public.
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers in Pennsylvania are on pace to seize a record number of firearms at Pennsylvania airport security checkpoints in 2021, despite greatly reduced air traffic due to the pandemic. Most of the firearms seized by TSA are loaded. Firearms at security checkpoints pose a serious security risk to the public and to TSA officers. Passengers who bring firearms to security checkpoints also disrupt the security screening process and delay travelers from getting to their departure gates.
The number of airline travelers is expected to surge over the next six weeks, so it is important for the public to hear this message now. Responsible gun owners can protect the public by personally and carefully checking to make sure that their carry-on bags do not contain firearms.
“By partnering with the Pennsylvania Sheriffs’ Association to increase awareness and education regarding safe firearm transportation, we aim to reduce the number of firearms seized at airport security checkpoints. At the same time, to protect the traveling public and TSA employees, we will pursue all options including prosecution and referral of concealed carry permit holders to the appropriate Sheriff,” said U.S. Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, U.S. Attorney John C. Gurganus of the Middle District of Pennsylvania, and Acting U.S. Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman of the Western District of Pennsylvania in a joint statement.
“As the law enforcement body that processes licenses to carry in the Commonwealth, Pennsylvania Sheriffs support Second Amendments rights. An overwhelming majority of Pennsylvanians with a license to carry are responsible gun owners, who comply with all state and federal laws, including not knowingly taking a weapon onto an airplane. We appreciate the U.S. Attorneys’ concerns about concealed weapons and are glad to work with them to bring attention to this matter. Therefore, we encourage all gun owners to double and triple-check your carry-on luggage to make sure you have not forgotten to remove any weapons,” said Pennsylvania Sheriffs’ Association President, Joseph Groody, who also serves as the Schuylkill County Sheriff.
In October, Acting U.S. Attorney Kaufman announced a deterrent strategy to reduce the number of guns at Pittsburgh International Airport security checkpoints. In addition to possible criminal charges and stiff civil penalties, passengers with guns in carry-on bags could face revocation of their concealed gun carry permit due to negligence. As a result of the collaboration between the Pennsylvania Sheriffs’ Association and the U.S. Attorney’s Offices, County Sheriffs in all 67 counties have agreed to provide permit holders with information about safe firearm transport and to review referrals from federal authorities for possible revocation of the offender’s concealed carry permit.
Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms in checked baggage if they are properly packaged and declared at their airline ticket counter. Firearms must be unloaded, placed in a hard-sided locked case, and packed separately from ammunition. Then the locked case must be taken to the airline check-in counter to be declared. Learn more at https://www.tsa.gov/travel/transporting-firearms-and-ammunition.
TSA may issue a $3,000 to $13,910 civil penalty to travelers who bring weapons to the security checkpoint. Civil penalties apply to travelers with or without concealed firearm carry permits because even though an individual may have a concealed carry permit, it does not allow for a firearm to be carried onto a plane.
The Pennsylvania Sheriffs’ Association is dedicated to preserving the time-honored Office of Sheriff in Pennsylvania and assisting the Commonwealth’s 67 County Sheriffs in acquiring the education and training required for law enforcement officers. More information on the organization is available at https://pasheriffs.org/.
Pennsylvania’s United States Attorney’s Offices and the Pennsylvania Sheriffs’ Association Join Forces to Educate the Traveling Public About Safe Firearms TransportRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - The Pennsylvania Sheriffs’ Association and the United States Attorney’s Offices for the Western, Middle, and Eastern Districts of Pennsylvania are joining forces this holiday season to educate airline travelers on the safe and proper way to transport firearms and thereby reduce risk and delay to the traveling public.
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers in Pennsylvania are on pace to seize a record number of firearms at Pennsylvania airport security checkpoints in 2021, despite greatly reduced air traffic due to the pandemic. Most of the firearms seized by TSA are loaded. Firearms at security checkpoints pose a serious security risk to the public and to TSA officers. Passengers who bring firearms to security checkpoints also disrupt the security screening process and delay travelers from getting to their departure gates.
The number of airline travelers is expected to surge over the next six weeks, so it is important for the public to hear this message now. Responsible gun owners can protect the public by personally and carefully checking to make sure that their carry-on bags do not contain firearms.
“As the law enforcement body that processes licenses to carry in the Commonwealth, Pennsylvania Sheriffs support Second Amendments rights. An overwhelming majority of Pennsylvanians with a license to carry are responsible gun owners, who comply with all state and federal laws, including not knowingly taking a weapon onto an airplane. We appreciate the U.S. Attorneys’ concerns about concealed weapons and are glad to work with them to bring attention to this matter. Therefore, we encourage all gun owners to double and triple-check your carry-on luggage to make sure you have not forgotten to remove any weapons,” said Pennsylvania Sheriffs' Association President, Joseph Groody, who also serves as the Schuylkill County Sheriff.
“By partnering with the Pennsylvania Sheriffs’ Association to increase awareness and education regarding safe firearm transportation, we aim to reduce the number of firearms seized at airport security checkpoints. At the same time, to protect the traveling public and TSA employees, we will pursue all options including prosecution and referral of concealed carry permit holders to the appropriate Sheriff,” said U.S. Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, U.S. Attorney John C. Gurganus of the Middle District of Pennsylvania, and Acting U.S. Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman of the Western District of Pennsylvania in a joint statement.
In October, Acting U.S. Attorney Kaufman announced a deterrent strategy to reduce the number of guns at Pittsburgh International Airport security checkpoints. In addition to possible criminal charges and stiff civil penalties, passengers with guns in carry-on bags could face revocation of their concealed gun carry permit due to negligence. As a result of the collaboration between the Pennsylvania Sheriffs’ Association and the U.S. Attorney’s Offices, County Sheriffs in all 67 counties have agreed to provide permit holders with information about safe firearm transport and to review referrals from federal authorities for possible revocation of the offender’s concealed carry permit.
Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms in checked baggage if they are properly packaged and declared at their airline ticket counter. Firearms must be unloaded, placed in a hard-sided locked case, and packed separately from ammunition. Then the locked case must be taken to the airline check-in counter to be declared. Learn more at https://www.tsa.gov/travel/transporting-firearms-and-ammunition.
TSA may issue a $3,000 to $13,910 civil penalty to travelers who bring weapons to the security checkpoint. Civil penalties apply to travelers with or without concealed firearm carry permits because even though an individual may have a concealed carry permit, it does not allow for a firearm to be carried onto a plane.
The Pennsylvania Sheriffs’ Association is dedicated to preserving the time-honored Office of Sheriff in Pennsylvania and assisting the Commonwealth’s 67 County Sheriffs in acquiring the education and training required for law enforcement officers. More information on the organization is available at https://pasheriffs.org/.
Pennsylvania’s United States Attorney’s Offices and the Pennsylvania Sheriffs’ Association Join Forces to Educate the Traveling Public About Safe Firearms TransportRead the Press Release
Collaboration includes statewide referrals to Sheriffs for review of concealed carry permits
Harrisburg - The Pennsylvania Sheriffs’ Association and the United States Attorney’s Offices for the Western, Middle, and Eastern Districts of Pennsylvania are joining forces this holiday season to educate airline travelers on the safe and proper way to transport firearms and thereby reduce risk and delay to the traveling public.
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers in Pennsylvania are on pace to seize a record number of firearms at Pennsylvania airport security checkpoints in 2021, despite greatly reduced air traffic due to the pandemic. Most of the firearms seized by TSA are loaded. Firearms at security checkpoints pose a serious security risk to the public and to TSA officers. Passengers who bring firearms to security checkpoints also disrupt the security screening process and delay travelers from getting to their departure gates.
The number of airline travelers is expected to surge over the next six weeks, so it is important for the public to hear this message now. Responsible gun owners can protect the public by personally and carefully checking to make sure that their carry-on bags do not contain firearms.
“As the law enforcement body that processes licenses to carry in the Commonwealth, Pennsylvania Sheriffs support Second Amendments rights. An overwhelming majority of Pennsylvanians with a license to carry are responsible gun owners, who comply with all state and federal laws, including not knowingly taking a weapon onto an airplane. We appreciate the U.S. Attorneys’ concerns about concealed weapons and are glad to work with them to bring attention to this matter. Therefore, we encourage all gun owners to double and triple-check your carry-on luggage to make sure you have not forgotten to remove any weapons,” said Pennsylvania Sheriffs' Association President, Joseph Groody, who also serves as the Schuylkill County Sheriff.
“By partnering with the Pennsylvania Sheriffs’ Association to increase awareness and education regarding safe firearm transportation, we aim to reduce the number of firearms seized at airport security checkpoints. At the same time, to protect the traveling public and TSA employees, we will pursue all options including prosecution and referral of concealed carry permit holders to the appropriate Sheriff,” said U.S. Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, U.S. Attorney John C. Gurganus of the Middle District of Pennsylvania, and Acting U.S. Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman of the Western District of Pennsylvania in a joint statement.
In October, Acting U.S. Attorney Kaufman announced a deterrent strategy to reduce the number of guns at Pittsburgh International Airport security checkpoints. In addition to possible criminal charges and stiff civil penalties, passengers with guns in carry-on bags could face revocation of their concealed gun carry permit due to negligence. As a result of the collaboration between the Pennsylvania Sheriffs’ Association and the U.S. Attorney’s Offices, County Sheriffs in all 67 counties have agreed to provide permit holders with information about safe firearm transport and to review referrals from federal authorities for possible revocation of the offender’s concealed carry permit.
Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms in checked baggage if they are properly packaged and declared at their airline ticket counter. Firearms must be unloaded, placed in a hard-sided locked case, and packed separately from ammunition. Then the locked case must be taken to the airline check-in counter to be declared. Learn more at https://www.tsa.gov/travel/transporting-firearms-and-ammunition.
TSA may issue a $3,000 to $13,910 civil penalty to travelers who bring weapons to the security checkpoint. Civil penalties apply to travelers with or without concealed firearm carry permits because even though an individual may have a concealed carry permit, it does not allow for a firearm to be carried onto a plane.
The Pennsylvania Sheriffs’ Association is dedicated to preserving the time-honored Office of Sheriff in Pennsylvania and assisting the Commonwealth’s 67 County Sheriffs in acquiring the education and training required for law enforcement officers. More information on the organization is available at https://pasheriffs.org/.
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Operation False Haven: Convicted Child Rapist Sentenced for Naturalization Fraud and Judicially DenaturalizedRead the Press Release
GREENSBORO, N.C. – A Lee County resident was sentenced on November 17, 2021, to 6 months in prison and was judicially denaturalized.
Ruben Rosas-Avalos, age 25, a naturalized citizen of the United States, born in Mexico and residing in Lee County, was sentenced by United States District Judge Loretta C. Biggs. Rosas-Avalos pleaded guilty to naturalization fraud on July 20, 2021.
According to court records, on February 23, 2016, Rosas-Avalos fraudulently obtained U.S. citizenship by making materially false statements under oath regarding his naturalization application. In response to the question “Have you ever committed, assisted in committing, or attempted to commit, a crime or offense for which you were not arrested?” he answered, “No.”
On March 28, 2019, in the Superior Court of North Carolina in Lee County, Rosas-Avalos was convicted of statutory rape of a child and indecent liberties with a child. Rosas-Avalos was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of over 26 years and ordered to register as a sex offender. According to court records, Rosas-Avalos committed the offense of indecent liberties with a child on July 27, 2015 and committed the offense of statutory rape of a child on September 13, 2017. The victims of those crimes were two different children. Rosas-Avalos was not arrested until after he naturalized, thus immigration officials were unaware of his crimes.
Sandra J. Hairston, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina, made the announcement. Agents with ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations assigned to the Document Benefit Fraud Task Force investigated the case as part of Operation False Haven, an ongoing initiative purpose-built to aggressively identify and prosecute child molesters and other egregious felons who fraudulently obtained U.S. citizenship. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank J. Chut.
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Omaha Man Sentenced for Obtaining Firearms by FraudRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Jan Sharp announced that Blake D. Colson, 29, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on November 19, 2021 by United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher to twelve months’ imprisonment for wire fraud. After Colson’s release from prison, he will begin a two-year term of supervised release. Judge Buescher ordered Colson to pay $15,349.58 in restitution.
Colson was a manager for Frontier Justice Omaha (FJO). In late 2020, he used his managerial access at the business to create phony gift cards, then used the phony gift cards to obtain seventeen firearms, ammunition, and firearm accessories. The fraud came to light as a result of FJO’s own internal review of its firearm transaction records. When confronted, Colson admitted to the scheme and cooperated in the return of stolen items, nearly all of which were recovered.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Omaha Police Department.
Northwest Arkansas Group Sentenced to 141 Years Combined in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – The final member of a Northwest Arkansas group has been sentenced to federal prison for the Distribution of Methamphetamine. The Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearings for the United States District Court in Fayetteville.
In the spring of 2019, Agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) launched an investigation into drug trafficking and money laundering in the Western District of Arkansas. For approximately a year between April 2019 and August of 2020, agents conducted extensive investigative activities into a large, Northwest Arkansas-based drug trafficking organization led by Nathan Martin.
This investigation resulted in the arrest, prosecution, and imprisonment of fifteen (15) individual drug traffickers and money launderers and the seizure of approximately 28 kilograms of methamphetamine, approximately 415 grams of heroin, approximately 61 grams of fentanyl, 5 firearms, and over $43,000.00 in funds derived from drug trafficking.
The sentencings of the drug trafficking organization members are as follows:
WDAR Case No. 5:20 CR 50044 – 001-012 – (Indictment issued August 26, 2020)
Nathan Martin: age 36, Rogers, Arkansas - Aiding and Abetting in the Distribution of More Than 50 grams of a Mixture or Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Methamphetamine – 300 months imprisonment, 4-year term of supervised release, a fine of $9,900, and a $100 special assessment.
Karla Avelar-Mejia: age 23, Rogers, Arkansas - Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine - 60 months imprisonment, a 3-year term of supervised release, a fine of $1,400, and a $100 special assessment. Rogers
Evan Boyd: age 26, Springdale, Arkansas - Distribution of Methamphetamine -130 months imprisonment, a 3-year term of supervised release, a fine of $2,400, and a $100 special assessment.
Gary Boyd: age 40, Bella Vista, Arkansas - Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine – 180 months imprisonment, 3-year term of supervised release, a fine of $1,900, and a $100 special assessment.
Patrick Ford: age 23, Rogers, Arkansas - Distribution of Methamphetamine -120 months imprisonment, a 5-year term of supervised release, a fine of $2,400, and a $100 special assessment.
Humberto Noel Gonzalez: age 38, Rogers, Arkansas - Distribution of Methamphetamine – 78 months imprisonment, a 3 -year term of supervised release, a fine of $1,400, and a $100 special assessment.
Christopher Lee Jackson: age 59, Rogers, Arkansas - Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine – 100 months imprisonment, a 3 -year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
Michael Moran: age 38, Bentonville, Arkansas - Distribution of Heroin -120 months imprisonment, a 3-year term of supervised release, a fine of $1,400, and a $100 special assessment.
Thomas Porras: age 32, Bentonville, Arkansas - Distribution of More Than 50 Grams of a Mixture Containing Methamphetamine- 110 months imprisonment, a 4 -year term of supervised release, a fine of $1,400, and a $100 special assessment.
Katie Putty: age 41, Springdale, Arkansas - Distribution of More Than 5 Grams Actual - 30 months imprisonment, a 3-year term of supervised release, a fine of $1,400, and a $100 special assessment.
Dakota Siller: age 26, Springdale, Arkansas - Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering- 84 months imprisonment, a 3-year term of supervised release, a fine of $1,400, and a $100 special assessment.
Ruben Zapien: age 35, Rogers, Arkansas – Aiding and Abetting in the Distribution of More Than 50 grams of a Mixture or Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Methamphetamine- 188 months imprisonment, a 5-year term of supervised release, a fine of $900, and a $100 special assessment.
Natalie Urbina: age 26, Rogers, Arkansas - Aiding and Abetting the Possession with Intent to Distribute of More Than 50 Grams of a Mixture or Substance Containing Methamphetamine - 87 months imprisonment, a 4-year term of supervised release, a fine of $900, and a $100 special assessment.
Bernardo Carcamo: age 29, Rogers, Arkansas - Aiding and Abetting the Possession with Intent to Distribute of More Than 50 Grams of a Mixture or Substance Containing Methamphetamine - 63 months imprisonment, a 4-year term of supervised release, a fine of $900, and a $100 special assessment.
Helena Belena Sorimle: age 23, Springdale, Arkansas - Conspiracy to Distribute More Than 50 Grams of a Mixture or Substance Containing Methamphetamine: - 42 months imprisonment, a 4-year term of supervised release, a fine of $400, and a $100 special assessment.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The Drug Enforcement Administration Fayetteville Division, Benton County Sheriff’s Office, Rogers Police Department, Benton County Drug Unit, Bentonville Police Department, Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Springdale Police Department, 4th Judicial District Drug Task Force, Arkansas National Guard Counter Drug Unit, Homeland Security Investigations Fayetteville Division, United States Postal Service, United States Marshals Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and the Arkansas State Probation and Parole investigated the case.p
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Harris prosecuted the case for the United States.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Nigerian Email Scammers Sentenced to Combined 22+ Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Two Nigerian fraudsters arrested in DOJ’s Operation reWired have been sentenced to a combined 22 ½ years in federal prison, announced acting U.S. Attorney Chad E. Meacham.
Opeyemi Abidemi Adeoso, 46, pleaded guilty in June of 2020 to 17 counts of wire fraud, eight counts of money laundering, six counts of use of a false passport, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. He was sentenced Thursday by Chief U.S. District Judge Barbara M.G. Lynn to 151 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $9.3 million in restitution.
His coconspirator, Benjamin Adeleke Ifebajo, 47, pleaded guilty in March 2020 to seven counts of wire fraud, six counts of money laundering, four counts of use of a false passport, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. He was sentenced in June to 120 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $2.1 million in restitution.
“These defendants utilized multiple tactics to deceive unsuspecting businesses out of their money. By assuming fictitious identities they defrauded dozens, which risks business health and in turn, erodes overall economic health,” said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Matthew J. DeSarno. “Along with our federal law enforcement partners, we will continue to hold fraudsters accountable for their crimes and the harm they cause.”
Agents initiated an investigation into the pair in August 2018, after receiving a report of a business email compromise scheme from a victim who had transferred more than $504,000 into a bank account registered to a “Daniel Sammy Campbell.” Using the address associated with the account, they traced it back to Mr. Adeoso. Agents then reviewed bank surveillance footage and traced funds to identify Mr. Adeoso and Mr. Ifebajo, Nigerian nationals in the U.S. on non-immigrant vias.
According to court documents, the defendants admitted they used fraudulent passports to open individual bank accounts under assumed names. Other members of the conspiracy then sent phishing emails – which spoofed the email addresses of victims’ employers, supervisors, and other known business contacts – to numerous individuals prompting them to initiate wire transfers from their personal bank accounts or from their employer’s bank accounts.
Once the money hit the defendants’ accounts, they withdrew the money, often tens of thousands of dollars at a time, in cash, via cashiers’ checks, or through electronic transfer, then deposited the funds into other alias accounts. Occasionally, they made purchases with the money.
Mr. Adeoso is believed to have used aliases including, but not limited to: Peter Kuffor, George Macharty, Nelson Johnson, Braheem Larke, Michael Albert, Michael Jaden Sean, Michael Jeff Brown, and Benjamin Zee Brown. Mr. Ifebajo is believed to have used aliases including, but not limited to: Joseph Eric Johnson, Jeremiah Alex Malcom, Tidwell Anthony Wilson, and Andrew James Williams.
A third co-conspirator, Temitope Aminat Folorunsho, 35, pleaded guilty in July 2020 to multiple counts of wire fraud, money laundering, use of false passport, and conspiracy and was sentenced in July 2021 to 37 months in federal prison and ordered to pay roughly $221,000 in restitution. Ms. Folorunsho used aliases Terri L. Brown, Michelle Angel Cole, Robyn L. Granell, and Deborah Kiki Philip.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office, the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), and Homeland Security Investigations’ Dallas Field Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany H. Eggers prosecuted the case.
Nicaraguan Man Charged with Illegally Using Social Security Number to Obtain EmploymentRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that EVERTO JAVIER URBINA-BALLADARES a/k/a “JOHAN MANUEL ALBIZU-ORTIZ, age 46, a native of Nicaragua, was charged on November 19, 2021 in a one-count indictment with illegally using a social security number in order to obtain employment, in violation of Title 42, United States Code, Section 408(a)(7)(B).
URBINA-BALLADARES faces up to a maximum term of imprisonment of not more than five (5) years, a fine of up to $250,000.00, up to three (3) year term of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00.
U.S. Attorney Evans reiterated that an indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of Homeland Security Investigations in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Carter K. D. Guice, Jr. is in charge of the prosecution.
New York Man Sentenced to over 19 Years’ Imprisonment for Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
SCRANTON- The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Lance Green, age 43, of Bronx, New York, was sentenced on November 19, 2021 to 235 months’ imprisonment followed by three years supervised release by United States District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani, for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
According to United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, on March 18, 2021, following a four-day trial, a jury convicted Green of possessing and displaying a firearm that had an obliterated serial number during a neighbor dispute in Kingston, Pennsylvania, on October 5, 2017.
Green had previously been convicted of multiple felony offenses and was on state parole at the time of the offense. On August 17, 2020, while on federal pretrial release, Green committed and was convicted by a Lackawanna County jury of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. In September, Green was sentenced to 7 ½ to 15 years of imprisonment on the state offense. Judge Mariani ordered that his federal sentence be served consecutively to the state parole violation and the Lackawanna County sentence.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Kingston Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Jenny P. Roberts prosecuted the case.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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New York Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Cyberstalking and SextortionRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Christopher Buonocore (35, Hicksville, NY) to 15 years in federal prison for cyberstalking multiple victims. As part of his sentence, the court also entered a restitution order of $164,295.01, payable to the victims of the offense.
Buonocore had pleaded guilty in January 2021.
According to court documents, over a seven-year period, Buonocore used fictitious phone numbers, text messages, and social media accounts to harass, intimidate, cyberstalk, and attempt to sextort six women, including a minor. Buonocore’s harassment campaign involved posting thousands of sexually explicit and nude images of the victims to the internet, as well as the victims’ personal identifying information, including phone numbers, addresses, and social media account identifiers. Buonocore also solicited individuals on the internet to contact and harass the victims, including, at times, enlisting those individuals to attempt to extort additional sexually explicit images from the victims (sometimes referred to as “sextortion”) and other times encouraging these individuals to rape a victim.
During the course of conduct, certain victims discovered that Buonocore was the source of the harassment and confronted him. Despite becoming aware of the emotional and psychological harm caused by his actions, Buonocore continued to engage in the same course of conduct.
“The victims in this case did not let fear silence them. They courageously came forward and worked with law enforcement to help bring this individual’s campaign of torment and terror to an end. The FBI urges any victim of online threats to report the crime. We have the resources and the commitment to investigate these cowardly acts,” said FBI Tampa Division Special Agent in Charge Michael McPherson.
Sextortion occurs when someone threatens to distribute another person’s private and sensitive material if they do not provide the perpetrator with sexually explicit images, sexual favors, or money. The perpetrator may also threaten to harm the victim’s friends or relatives by using information they have obtained from the victim’s electronic devices unless the victim complies with their demands. Cyberstalking and sextortion are serious crimes that are investigated and prosecuted, and victims’ identities can be shielded from the public. Anyone who has been the victim of cyberstalking or sextortion should contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL FBI (225-5324). More resources are available at https://www.fbi.gov/video-repository/newss-what-is-sextortion/view.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lisa M. Thelwell.
Nevada Resident Sentenced to 21 Months in Federal Prison for Serving as a Straw Purchaser of Firearms Confiscated at the Cyril E. King Airport, St. ThomasRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI –United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced today that Michael Kelly, 30, a resident of Las Vegas, NV, was sentenced to 21 months imprisonment followed by a three-year term of supervised release for assisting in trafficking firearms in interstate commerce.
According to court documents, on April 16, 2016, Kelly purchased two firearms, a Romarm/Century Arms Draco caliber 7.62x39mm and a Glock Model 22 pistol 40 caliber S&W, from a firearms dealer in Las Vegas, NV. While purchasing the firearms, Kelly completed ATF Form 4473 for the purchase. On that form, the defendant stated that he was the actual buyer and was not purchasing the firearms for another person. After purchasing the firearms, Kelly provided the firearms to his co-defendant, Naeem Smith, who paid the defendant $1,200.00 for the purchase.
On April 25, 2016, Kelly purchased two additional firearms, a Glock Model 22 pistol 40 caliber S&W and a Glock Model 22 pistol 40 caliber S&W, from another firearms dealer in Las Vegas, NV and again filled out and signed the ATF Form 4473 for his purchase. In the form, Kelly stated that he was the actual buyer and was not purchasing the firearms for another person. After purchasing the firearms, Kelly provided the firearms to Naeem Smith, who paid the defendant another $1,800.00 for the purchase.
On April 28, 2016, Naeem Smith traveled to St. Thomas, V.I. from Las Vegas, NV. At the Cyril E. King Airport in St. Thomas, V.I., Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officers inspected Naeem Smith’s checked bag and discovered multiple firearms, including the firearms that defendant Michael Kelly, had purchased for Naeem Smith described previously.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Delia Smith and Juan Albino prosecuted the case.This case is part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative. Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide initiative that brings together federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement officials, prosecutors, and community leaders to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in a community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. For more information on the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods, please see: https://www.justice.gov/psn.