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Thursday 7 October 2021
New Orleans Woman Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Stage Automobile Accidents in Order to Defraud Insurance and Trucking CompaniesRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that AISHA THOMPSON (“THOMPSON”), age 43, of New Orleans, Louisiana, entered a plea of guilty on October 6, 2021 to Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371, arising out of staged automobile accidents with tractor-trailers occurring in New Orleans.
According to the guilty plea, THOMPSON, along with her co-defendants, Dewayne Coleman, Erica Lee Thompson (“Erica Lee”), Donisha Lee, Passenger A, and Donreion Lee, conspired to commit mail fraud in connection with a staged accident with Cornelius Garrison, occurring on September 6, 2017. Today’s guilty plea brings the total number of defendants convicted in “Operation Sideswipe” to twenty-eight (28).
THOMPSON falsely claimed that on September 6, 2017, on the I-10 near the Almonaster exit, she was a passenger in co-defendant Erica Lee’s 2015 RAV4 being driven by their former co-defendant, when he intentionally crashed into a tractor-trailer owned by Averitt Express. After the staged accident, the driver exited the RAV4 and told Erica Lee to get behind the wheel of the RAV4 to make it appear that Erica Lee was driving the vehicle at the time of the staged accident. The defendants contacted the NOPD and falsely claimed that Erica Lee was the driver at the time of the collision. Passenger A falsely claimed to the NOPD that she was THOMPSON.
Approximately one or two days after the staged accident, Coleman, Donisha Lee, Donreion Lee, Erica Lee, and THOMPSON went to an attorney’s office for the purpose of collecting money from the insurance and trucking company. Coleman, Donisha Lee, Donreion Lee, Erica Lee, and THOMPSON sought medical treatment from doctors and healthcare providers. THOMPSON was treated despite not being in the RAV4 at the time of the staged accident. THOMPSON retained counsel and made a claim for damages. The total settlement for the Averitt accident was $30,000.
On March 26, 2019, Coleman, Donisha Lee, and Donreion Lee each provided false testimony in depositions taken in conjunction with the Thompson Lawsuit. On April 9, 2019, THOMPSON provided false testimony in a deposition taken in conjunction with the Thompson Lawsuit. In these depositions, THOMPSON, Coleman, Donisha Lee, and Donreion Lee, lied about the September 6, 2017 accident including, but not limited to, who was driving the RAV4 and the extent of their injuries.
THOMPSON faces a maximum sentence of five (5) years of incarceration. Upon release from prison, THOMPSON also faces a term of supervised release up to (3) three years, and/or a fine of $250,000 or the greater of twice the gross gain to the defendant or twice the gross loss to any person under Title 18, United States Code, Section 3571, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee. Sentencing in this matter is scheduled for February 16, 2022 before United States District Judge Sarah S. Vance.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office would also like to acknowledge the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Louisiana State Police, and the Metropolitan Crime Commission with this matter. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba, Chief of the Financial Crimes Unit; Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward J. Rivera; Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Carboni; and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Long.
New Jersey-based trader admits to involvement in options trading schemeRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – Mark Melnick has pleaded guilty to a criminal information charging him with conspiracy to commit wire and securities fraud arising from a years-long scheme to manipulate the prices of short-term call options in large, publicly traded companies. Melnick is the second defendant to plead guilty for his participation in this scheme. In December 2020, Bart Ross also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire and securities fraud.
“Melnick and others involved in this scheme profited not because of their financial acumen, but simply by cheating,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Kurt R Erskine. “We will prosecute all forms of securities fraud, whether it involves defrauding investors, insider trading, pump-and-dump schemes, or the type of sophisticated market manipulation at issue here.”
“Fraudulently manipulating securities may seem like a harmless crime, but there are real victims and their lives changed because of it,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to stop greed driven traders like Melnick from profiting illegally.”
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Erskine, the charges and other information presented in court: Between approximately October 2017 and January 2020, Melnick, Ross, and at least three other individuals, conspired to execute a scheme in which they traded securities—primarily short-term call options—in large, publicly traded companies (often Fortune 500 companies) based on materially false rumors about those companies that they generated and disseminated. These materially false rumors were intended to drive up the price of the securities (both the underlying stock and options).
Call options are essentially a contract that gives the options’ holder the right, but not the obligation, to buy shares of the underlying stock at a set price per share—the option’s strike price—on or before a set future date (the option’s expiration date). Generally, the holder of a call option benefits when the price of the underlying stock increases. Short-term call options are ones that generally expire within a week.
Ross, who was formerly a registered broker with FINRA, and the co-conspirators generated the rumors. The conspirators would often refine a proposed rumor by exchanging drafts among themselves using the Trillian instant messaging application. Melnick was a day trader and T3 Live Senior Trading Strategist. Melnick often provided a “technical evaluation” on whether a particular false rumor would be successful. After a rumor was formulated and finalized, one of the co-conspirators, identified as Individual-1 in the criminal information, was responsible for disseminating the rumor via Trillian to multiple accounts, which would in turn result in the false rumor being disseminated over one or more market subscription services, including Trade The News, TradeXchange, and Benzinga, as well as various Twitter accounts.
Before Individual-1 disseminated the rumor, Melnick, Ross, and the other co-conspirators would acquire a position in the publicly traded company that was the subject of the materially false rumor. The co-conspirators typically purchased short-term call options before (sometimes just minutes or seconds before) Individual-1 disseminated the rumor. The conspirators often (but not always) purchased short-term call options because the price of such options is more sensitive than the price of the underlying stock. It was therefore possible for Melnick and the others to earn a greater percentage return by trading short-term call options rather than the underlying stock. Melnick and the conspirators profited from their scheme by selling the options (or other securities) after they increased in price. They would typically sell off their positions shortly after the rumor was disseminated (and after the price of the option or underlying stock had increased). Melnick also had an agreement with Individual-1 to share a portion of his profits from the scheme with Individual-1.
Melnick executed at least 102 trades based on the generation and dissemination of false rumors, including in March and April 2018, when Ross traded short-term call options in Disney and Ben Franklin Resources, respectively. Overall, Melnick earned approximately $374,000 in profits from the scheme.
Mark Melnick, 41, of Marlboro, New Jersey, is scheduled to be sentenced December 16, 2021, at 9:30 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Leigh Martin May.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alex R. Sistla and Thomas J. Krepp are prosecuting the case.
The SEC is investigating potential civil violations of the U.S. securities laws relating to above-described scheme. In connection with its investigation, the SEC filed a separate civil enforcement action and consent judgment against Melnick in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Napoleon Grier Extradited from the Netherlands on Fraud ChargesRead the Press Release
Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Michael J. Driscoll, the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced today the extradition of NAPOLEON GRIER from the Netherlands on alleged wire fraud and wire fraud conspiracy charges. GRIER was taken into custody by Dutch authorities in Amsterdam on August 13, 2019. After contested extradition proceedings, GRIER arrived in the United States yesterday. He will be presented today before United States Magistrate Katharine H. Parker. The case is assigned to United States District Judge Richard M. Berman.
U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: “As alleged, Napoleon Grier was part of a criminal conspiracy that bilked victims out of more than $2 million in advance fees for promised project financing that was never delivered. Now, Grier is in U.S. custody and facing federal felony charges.”
FBI Assistant Director Michael J. Driscoll said: “Advance-fee schemes are based on false pretenses that criminals use to ensnare victims and trap them in their fraudulent plot. When victims pay these fees, they assume their alleged investor will put up the money promised to fund their venture, but that never happens. While Grier’s victims expected a loan they never received, he and his co-conspirators likely didn’t anticipate the FBI would deliver on its promise to hold con artists accountable.”
According to the allegations in the Complaint and the Indictment[1]:
From at least in or about April 2012, up to and including at least in or about August 2012, GRIER and others devised and participated in a scheme that defrauded victims of at least $2.275 million (the “Advance Fee Scheme”). GRIER and his co-conspirators – operating out of offices near Wall Street in New York, New York – held themselves out to victims as experienced financiers and promised that they could obtain financing for victims’ intended projects. GRIER and his co-conspirators promised victims that after the victims wired initial deposits into escrow accounts controlled by the co-conspirators, the victims would later receive the full amount of their promised financing, often in a few months’ time. GRIER and his co-conspirators never provided any of the financing they promised to victims and they never returned any of the more than $2.275 million in advance fees they defrauded the victims into depositing into escrow accounts.
The Advance Fee Scheme included at least four sets of victims. GRIER and his co-conspirators defrauded (1) a New Jersey-based woman, who was promised $2.5 million in financing to purchase, remodel, and reopen a concert hall in New Jersey, of a $225,000 advance fee; (2) two Pennsylvania-based men, who were promised $20 million in financing to start a fuel additive company in Ecuador, of a $150,000 to advance fee; (3) a Canadian filmmaker and a California-based filmmaker, who were promised $3 million of financing to make a movie, of a more than $900,000 advance fee; and (4) two Illinois-based men, who were promised up to $10 million in financing for the purchase of a Canadian wind turbine company, of a $1 million advance fee.
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GRIER, 56, is charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of wire fraud conspiracy, each of which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
Ms. Strauss praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI. She also thanked the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs of the Department’s Criminal Division and the Netherlands’ Ministry of Justice and Security for their assistance.
The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin V. Rodriguez is in charge of the prosecution.
[1] As the introductory phase signifies, the entirety of the texts of the Indictment and the Complaint, and the description of the Indictment and Complaint set forth below, constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Mission Man Indicted for Sexual AbuseRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Mission, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Sexual Abuse.
Buddy Robert Poor Bear, a/k/a Bud Poor Bear, age 55, was indicted on July 13, 2021. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on October 6, 2021, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to life in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, five years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that on April 15, 2021, in Todd County, South Dakota, Poor Bear knowingly engaged in a sexual act with the victim and that the victim was incapable of declining participation in the sexual act.
The charge is merely an accusation and Poor Bear is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson is prosecuting the case.
Poor Bear was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
Meth Trafficker Receives over 6 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
NEW BERN, N.C. – CiGi Potter, 37, of Pitt County North Carolina, was sentenced to 80 months in prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of 500 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing methamphetamine, and distribution of 50 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing methamphetamine.
According to court documents, evidence presented in court and other documents, Potter supplied methamphetamine distributors in Duplin, Pitt, and Onslow Counties. This included a violent white supremacist organization operating in Onslow County. Two members of the white supremist group and a third person had ordered a pound of methamphetamine from Potter. On April 12, 2019, at her residence in Farmville, NC, Potter only provided them with 8 ounces. One of the individuals produced a firearm and discharged the firearm into the ground after demanding the remainder. Potter produced an additional ounce of methamphetamine and the three left. Farmville Police had set up a license check in the area unrelated to this incident. The three drove towards the license check. One of the passengers fled from the van and hid the methamphetamine and the firearm in the woods. The methamphetamine was later retrieved and provided to a high-ranking member in the group. Two of the individuals who initially arranged the deal have been sentenced in federal court. The person to whom they ultimately provided with the methamphetamine is scheduled for sentencing in January 2022.
Prior to the above incident, on April 8, 2019, law enforcement stopped Potter for a traffic violation in Pitt County. During a search her car, law enforcement found more than 30 grams of methamphetamine and a set of digital scales. Later, on October 7, 2019, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Drug Administration conducted a controlled purchase of 4 ounces of methamphetamine in Lenoir County from Potter. ATF and DEA conducted a second controlled purchase of 3 ounces of methamphetamine from Potter on October 23, 2019. Potter was arrested on federal charges in November 2019.
During the investigation, law enforcement was able to determine that Potter was responsible for possessing with the intent to distribute and distributing more than 6 kilograms of methamphetamine from February 2018 until November 2019.
This is part of operation Fighting Jelly Fish which is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launders, 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.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Duplin, Craven, Lenoir, Pitt and Onslow County Sheriff’s Offices, and the Jacksonville, New Bern and Farmville Police Departments investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Severo prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:19-cr-00163-FL.
Marvin Man Sentenced to 30 years for Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Marvin, South Dakota, man convicted of Production of Child Pornography was sentenced on October 4, 2021, by U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann.
Adam Robert Lane age 35, was sentenced to 360 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Lane was indicted by a federal grand jury on February 2, 2021. He pled guilty on July 12, 2021.
The conviction stemmed from incidents on or about between July 18, 2020, and October 23, 2020, when Lane intentionally used his cellular phone to take pictures and videos of a minor female who was 7 years old at the time.
This case was investigated by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Clapper prosecuted the case.
Lane was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Man Sentenced to More Than 8 Years in Federal Prison for Trafficking Dozens of Firearms from Kentucky to ChicagoRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A suburban Chicago man has been sentenced to eight and a half years in federal prison for trafficking dozens of guns from Kentucky to Chicago.
From 2016 to 2018, JOHN PHILLIPS schemed with others to purchase rifles and semi-automatic handguns from private sellers in Kentucky and re-sell them in the Chicago area. Many of the guns were sold to convicted felons whom Phillips knew could not legally purchase or possess firearms. Several of the guns trafficked by Phillips were later discovered by law enforcement at crime scenes in Chicago.
Phillips, 26, of Lyons, Ill., pleaded guilty earlier this year to charges of unlawfully dealing firearms in interstate commerce. U.S. District Judge Edmond E. Chang imposed the 102-month prison sentence Tuesday after a hearing in federal court in Chicago.
The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Kristen De Tineo, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Valuable assistance was provided by the Louisville (Ky.) ATF Field Division, Chicago Police Department, Illinois State Police, and Chicago High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force.
“The breadth and extent of defendant’s firearms trafficking operation is staggering,” Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth R. Pozolo and Kalia Coleman argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “As a result of defendant and his co-conspirators illegally selling guns, violence ensued involving real victims and disrupting community safety.”
Two other defendants were charged and have pleaded guilty to federal firearm charges as part of this investigation. CHRISTOPHER HENDERSON, 26, of Louisville, Ky., was sentenced in 2019 to five and a half years in federal prison. JAIQAIL WRIGHT, 27, of Chicago, is set to be sentenced today by Judge Chang.
Disrupting illegal firearms trafficking is a centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s cross-jurisdictional strike force aimed at reducing gun violence. As part of the Chicago strike force, the U.S. Attorney’s Office collaborates with ATF, CPD, and other federal, state, and local law enforcement partners in the Northern District of Illinois and across the country to help stem the supply of illegally trafficked firearms and identify patterns, leads, and potential suspects in violent gun crimes. While this investigation began prior to the launch of the strike force, the initiative is designed to enhance efforts to investigate and prosecute similar cases.
Man Convicted of Aggravated Sexual Abuse and Abusive Sexual Contact of a ChildRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Jan W. Sharp announced that Warren Lee Mackey, 67, of Niobrara, Nebraska, was found guilty today of aggravated sexual abuse of a child and sexual abuse of a child after a three-day jury trial in Omaha, Nebraska. Aggravated sexual abuse of a child carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years’ imprisonment. Sentencing is set for January 3, 2022 at 10 a.m. before Senior United States District Judge Joseph F. Bataillon.
The charges in this case stem from a disclosure made by an 11-year-old child that the defendant touched her clitoris and her breast on or about August 4, 2019 while in the exterior boundaries of the Santee Sioux Nation Indian Reservation. Mackey reported during an interview with the Federal Bureau of Investigation that he was asleep and did not know whether he had done anything to the child, but claimed he was having a dream about cuddling an adult female.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Long Island MS-13 Gang Member Pleads Guilty to 2016 Murder in BrentwoodRead the Press Release
Earlier today, in federal court in Central Islip, Ever Flores, a member of the Sailors Locos Salvatruchas Westside (Sailors) clique of La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as the MS-13, a transnational criminal organization, pleaded guilty to racketeering charges relating to his participation in the murder of Dewann Stacks and a conspiracy to distribute cocaine and marijuana. The proceeding was held before United States Circuit Judge Joseph F. Bianco.
Jacquelyn M. Kasulis, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Stuart Cameron, Acting Commissioner, Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD), announced the guilty plea.
“Today’s guilty plea makes clear that the defendant, an MS-13 gang member who admittedly hunted on residential streets in Long Island in order to kill, actively participated in the butchering and beating death of the victim until he was almost unrecognizable,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Kasulis. “This Office and the Long Island Gang Task Force have vowed to end these horrific killings and dismantle the MS-13.”
“This case is a grim reminder of just how vicious MS-13 can be,” stated SCPD Acting Commissioner Cameron. “This victim was sought out like prey and killed in an act of savagery illustrating the danger this street gang poses. Today, there is one less murderer and drug dealer to plague the streets of Suffolk County, and I commend the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and our law enforcement partners for their continued dedication to bringing individuals like Ever Flores to justice.”
According to prior court filings and Flores’s statements during the plea proceeding, on October 13, 2016, Flores and other MS-13 co-conspirators drove around the streets of Central Islip and Brentwood hunting for rival gang members to attack and kill. They located Stacks on American Boulevard, a residential street in Brentwood and, believing him to be a rival gang member, decided to kill him. Flores, wielding a machete, and two other MS-13 members, one armed with a machete and the other a baseball bat, attacked the victim, beating and hacking him to death. The victim sustained severe sharp and blunt force trauma to the face and head, leaving him nearly unrecognizable.
In addition, Flores also pleaded guilty to participating in a drug conspiracy, admitting that between April 2016 and October 2017, he and other members of the Sailors clique conspired to distribute cocaine and marijuana to raise money for the MS-13.
Today’s conviction is the latest in a series of federal prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York targeting members of the MS-13, a violent, transnational criminal organization. The MS-13’s leadership is based in El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico, but the gang has thousands of members across the United States, comprised primarily of immigrants from Central America. With numerous branches, or “cliques,” the MS-13 is the most violent criminal organization on Long Island. Since 2003, hundreds of MS-13 members, including dozens of clique leaders, have been convicted on federal felony charges in the Eastern District of New York. A majority of those MS-13 members have been convicted on federal racketeering charges for participating in murders, attempted murders and assaults. Since 2010, this Office has obtained indictments charging MS-13 members with carrying out more than 60 murders in the Eastern District of New York and has convicted dozens of MS-13 leaders and members in connection with those murders. These prosecutions are the product of investigations led by the FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force, which is comprised of agents and officers of the FBI, SCPD, Nassau County Police Department, Nassau County Sheriff’s Department, Suffolk County Probation Office, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, the New York State Police, the Hempstead Police Department, the Rockville Centre Police Department and the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Long Island Criminal Division. Assistant United States Attorneys John J. Durham, Paul G. Scotti, Justina L. Geraci and Megan E. Farrell are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
EVER FLORES (also known as “Negro” and “Grone”)
Age: 29
Brentwood, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 16-CR-403 (S-7)(JFB)
Long Island Doctor Convicted of Illegal Distribution of OxycodoneRead the Press Release
A federal jury in Central Islip returned a guilty verdict this afternoon against Frank Parasmo, a medical doctor with an office in Deer Park, on 31 counts of unlawfully distributing oxycodone, a highly addictive prescription painkiller, and one count of unlawfully distributing hydrocodone without a legitimate medical purpose. The verdict followed four weeks of trial before United States District Judge Joan M. Azrack. When sentenced, Dr. Parasmo faces up to 20 years in prison.
Jacquelyn M. Kasulis, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Ray Donovan, Special Agent-in-Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration, New York Division (DEA), announced the verdict.
“By prescribing painkillers in the absence of any recognized medical need, the defendant not only betrayed his oath as a physician to do no harm, he also endangered the lives of vulnerable patients and contributed to the spread of the opioid epidemic by peddling dangerous drugs,” stated Acting United States Attorney Kasulis. “As today’s verdict demonstrates, this Office will continue to hold accountable medical professionals like the defendant who misuse their advanced education, specialized training and access to prescription painkillers to exploit drug dependency in our communities.”
“The egregious prescribing records detailed in court proceedings outlined clearly how the defendant disregarded his patients’ health, and instead, risked their lives while they suffered from substance abuse,” stated DEA Special Agent-in-Charge Donovan. “There is no excuse for a doctor, an individual who is given great trust and responsibility, to put their patient’s lives and the public’s health, in jeopardy. I commend the DEA Long Island District Office Tactical Diversion Squad and the U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of New York for their diligent work throughout this investigation.”
As proven at trial, between January 2014 and December 2015, Dr. Parasmo provided prescriptions for oxycodone and hydrocodone pills to 18 of his patients without a legitimate medical purpose and outside the course of a professional medical practice. Parasmo issued prescriptions to patients who had just completed detox treatment in rehabilitation facilities, as well as patients who had just been discharged from the hospital following an overdose, In addition, Parasmo issued prescriptions to many patients he knew were taking illegal drugs or who he suspected were addicts. There is a significant risk of an overdose when oxycodone is taken with heroin and cocaine. From 2010 to 2015, Dr. Parasmo prescribed over 1.5 million oxycodone and hydrocodone pills making him one of the top prescribers of the painkiller in New York State during that time period.
This case was investigated by the DEA’s Long Island District Office Tactical Diversion Squad comprising agents and officers of the DEA, Nassau County Police Department, Suffolk County Police Department, Port Washington Police Department, and Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Long Island Criminal Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Michael Maffei and Charles P. Kelly are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
FRANK PARASMO
Age: 75
Great River, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 19-CR-1 (JMA)
Lockport Man Pleads Guilty to Drug ChargeRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y.—U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Brian Grant, 22, of Lockport, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. to possession with intent to distribute cocaine. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles E. Watkins, Jr., who is handling the case, stated that the Niagara County Drug Task Force executed a search warrant at the defendant's residence on Elmwood Avenue in Lockport and on his vehicle. During the search, officers recovered cocaine, crack cocaine, marijuana, and $215.00 in cash.
The plea is result of an investigation by the Niagara County Drug Task Force, under the direction of Niagara County Sheriff Michael Filicetti and Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Scarpino.
Sentencing is scheduled for February 3, 2021, before Judge Sinatra.
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Lil’ Rob gets significant sentence in federal firearms and drug trafficking caseRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 36-year-old Corpus Christi gang member with a lengthy criminal history has been ordered to federal prison following his conviction of firearms and drug trafficking offenses, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
A federal jury convicted Robert Loya aka Lil’ Rob May 20 for possession with intent to distribute meth and possession of a pistol and a stolen .50 caliber long-range rifle following a two-day trial and approximately 45 minutes of deliberation. He is a convicted felon and ranking member of the Texas “Mexikan” Mafia.
Today, U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton handed Loya a total sentence of 360 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard that Loya had continued his drug trafficking activities, even after his arrest, by directing a female accomplice to smuggle narcotics into the facility where he was incarcerated.
Authorities obtained information through an unrelated investigation in Laredo that led to the execution of a search warrant at Loya’s residence Feb. 21, 2020. At that time, law enforcement seized two firearms, assorted ammunition and over seven kilograms of meth. The jury also heard that Loya was on federal supervised release for a previous firearms conviction at the time of the search. However, he had not provided his supervision officer with his actual address, falsely claiming to live with his parents next door.
After the search, Loya fled the area and remained a fugitive for almost three months before his arrest May 13, 2020, in Corpus Christi near his girlfriend’s home.
He has been in custody since that time where he will remain pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Corpus Christi Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Molly K. Smith and Brittany L. Jensen prosecuted the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Leupp Man Sentenced to over 20 Years for Second Degree MurderRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – On Tuesday, Melvin James, 44, of Leupp, Arizona, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Douglas L. Rayes to 246 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. James previously pleaded guilty to Second Degree Murder.
On November 17, 2018, James was staying at a residence on the Navajo Nation. That night, James attacked his girlfriend, stabbing her multiple times. She died at the scene from her injuries. When the victim’s father tried to intervene during the attack, James stabbed and seriously injured him as well. James is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation Indian Tribe.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christina Reid-Moore and Jason Crowley, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: 19-CR-08019-DLR
RELEASE NUMBER: 2021- 066_James# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Jury Convicts Leader of Large-Scale Fentanyl Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A federal jury returned verdicts of guilty late yesterday against Gerald Hunter, 55, of Los Angeles, for the offenses of conspiracy to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl, conspiracy to distribute cocaine, and two counts of money laundering. U.S. District Judge John A. Ross presided over the trial and will set a sentencing date. Hunter now faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years imprisonment and up to life.
The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted a long-term investigation of a fentanyl and cocaine distribution organization in St. Louis. Agents identified Hunter of Los Angeles as an out-of-state source of supply for the St. Louis organization. On April 27, 2017, DEA agents seized approximately 27 kilograms of fentanyl in Florissant, Mo. Hunter was in possession of the bags containing the fentanyl, and his fingerprint was recovered from packaging material. However, Hunter ran from investigators, and made good his escape.
The jury found that Hunter conspired to distribute fentanyl in St. Louis, but also that he possessed the fentanyl with the intent to distribute the drug in St. Louis. The evidence at trial established that the fentanyl was the equivalent of 270,000 usage units before being diluted, with a street value of $1 million. Hunter evaded arrest for three years before the U.S. Marshals Service arrested him. At the time of his arrest, Hunter was in possession of $220,000 in United States currency, 11 cellular phones and two identification cards with someone else’s name. Flight records established Hunter’s frequent pattern of travel to St. Louis from Los Angeles.
“At the time DEA seized Hunter’s 27 kilograms of fentanyl, it was the largest seizure in the region, indicating just how far-reaching his illicit business was,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Colin Dickey, supervisor of DEA operations in Eastern Missouri. “We know these drugs could have caused irreparable damage. We also know this is the end of one drug trafficking organization that will no longer wreak havoc in our communities, and Hunter's guilty verdict is vindication of the tireless efforts of DEA and its local and federal partners."
This case was investigated by the DEA, the U.S. Marshals Service, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, and the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. Assistant United States Attorneys Erin Granger, Stephen Casey and Jay Redd are handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Jury Convicts Alabama Man of Soliciting Videos and Webcam Shows of Filipina Children Being Sexually AssaultedRead the Press Release
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – A federal jury convicted a Morgan County man Tuesday for using Internet applications to seek images, videos, and live transmissions of the violent sexual abuse of Filipina children as young as five years old.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Benjamin Walter, 41, of Decatur, AL, used two web service provider accounts, including messenger and webcam applications, to get women in the Philippines to sexually abuse their own children and relatives. Walter’s requests to these women, which spanned approximately three years, included directions to arrange for the gang rape of young children and to sexually assault several young children in other harmful ways. Walter sent the money to the Philippines for these videos, images, and live transmissions via MoneyGram, Western Union, and other money remitters in $25 to $50 increments. In addition to the live webcam shows, Walter also sent and received emails to which the senders attached images and videos of young children engaged in sex acts with adult men. This investigation was part of a joint FBI and Homeland Security Investigations operation that targeted the buyers and sellers of these types of webcam shows in the Philippines.
“Today’s conviction sends a clear message that the protection of the most innocent and vulnerable victims, our children, from child exploitation is of the utmost importance,” said U.S. Attorney Escalona. “The jury’s decision to hold the defendant accountable for his conduct and to reject his defenses demonstrates that those who commit these horrific crimes will be met with swift and certain justice. We are grateful for the work of the FBI Birmingham Division and FBI Huntsville Resident Agency for their investigation of this case, and for the assistance of the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section in prosecuting the case.”
The FBI and our partners will continue to work diligently to bring individuals like Walter to justice and protect our most valuable asset, our children,” Sharp said
Walter was convicted of four counts of producing and attempting to produce child pornography and one count each of receiving and distributing child pornography. Sentencing is set for January 5, 2022. Walter faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years of imprisonment and a maximum of 160 years of imprisonment.
FBI Birmingham Division and FBI Huntsville Resident Agency investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Charles Schmitz and Nadia Prinz of the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Leann R. White of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama are prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
To report suspicious activity or instances of child sexual exploitation, contact your local FBI field office or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov. Reports can also be filed with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) or online at www.cybertipline.org.
For more information on the FBI’s guidance on child exploitation and protecting your kids visit https://www.fbi.gov/scams-and-safety/protecting-your-kids.
Judge sentences St. Louis man to prison for robbing man of drugs and shooting himRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – On today’s date, U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey sentenced Dominick Anderson, 41, of St. Louis, Missouri, to 117 months in prison for robbing a man of methamphetamine and shooting him.
On July 14, 2021, Anderson pled guilty to robbery and brandishing a firearm during the robbery that took place on August 25, 2019 in St. Louis City. The day of the robbery, a woman contacted the victim to buy methamphetamine from him. The woman agreed to pick up the victim and take him to his residence in the 8200 block of Michigan Avenue to complete the purchase. The woman, accompanied by Anderson and another person, drove to the victim’s home. When they arrived, the woman stated she and Anderson did not have enough money to purchase the methamphetamine and would return with money.
The victim showed the methamphetamine to Anderson, at which time Anderson displayed a handgun. Anderson demanded the victim give him the methamphetamine. The victim refused to hand over the methamphetamine and told Anderson to leave the residence. Anderson shot the victim in the abdomen. Anderson then took the methamphetamine from the victim. Anderson and the other person returned to the woman’s vehicle and fled the area. The victim contacted 911 and was taken to a hospital for injuries.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Szczucinski handled the case.
Joint Federal and State Law Enforcement Operation Makes Arrests for Drugs and Stolen Car OffensesRead the Press Release
KNOXVILLE, Tenn — Juan Lopez Gallardo, 44, Jairo David Posadas, 22, Josedad Delacruz, 24, Serguin Castro-Carias, 20, all of Sevier County, Tennessee, and Nolvia Rosme Carillo-Rodriguez, 42, and Pablo Daniel Suarez, 32, both of Miami, Florida, were arrested on a complaint on September 30, 2021 by agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI").
Lopez, Posadas, Delacruz, Castro-Carias, and Carillo-Rodriguez are charged with a conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. If convicted of that charge, each defendant could face at least 5 years and up to 40 years in prison.
Additionally, Lopez and Suarez are charged with two counts of conspiracy to transport stolen vehicles in interstate commerce and the interstate transportation of stolen vehicles. If convicted of those charges, each defendant could face up to 10 years in prison.
An initial appearance for Lopez, Posadas, Delacruz, and Castro-Carias, was held on October 1, 2021 in United States District Court in Knoxville, before the Honorable Debra C. Poplin, United States Magistrate Judge. The defendants were ordered held in custody pending the setting of a trial date.
An initial appearance for Suarez was held on September 30, 2021 in United States District Court in Miami, before the Honorable Lauren Louis, United States Magistrate Judge. The defendant was released and will travel to the Eastern District of Tennessee for arraignment.
An initial appearance for Carillo-Rodriguez held on October 1, 2021 in United States District Court in Fort Lauderdale, before the Honorable Lurana Snow, United States Magistrate Judge. The defendant was ordered detained and will be transported to the Eastern District of Tennessee for arraignment.
Details of some of the factual allegations underlying the charges are outlined in a criminal complaint and supporting affidavit on file with the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Knoxville.
Acting U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III of the Eastern District of Tennessee; and FBI Special Agent in Charge Joseph E. Carrico made the announcement.
The participant law enforcement agencies in this investigation include the FBI Knoxville High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Rocky Top Task Force, FBI Knoxville Smoky Mountains Economic Crimes Task Force, Sevier County Street Crimes Unit, Sevier County Sheriff’s Office, Sevierville Police Department, Pigeon Forge Police Department, Gatlinburg Police Department, Tennessee Department of Revenue - Special Investigations Unit, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Tennessee Highway Patrol, Humphreys County Sheriff's Office, FBI Miami, Miami Gardens Police Department, Hialeah Police Department, Fort Lauderdale Police Department, Miami-Dade Police Department, and the Medley Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Quencer will represent the United States in the prosecution of this case.
The ongoing investigation leading to the complaint was the product of a partnership between numerous federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies cooperating under the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program. The OCDETF program is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s drug supply reduction strategy. OCDETF was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multi-level attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. Today, OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s drug supply.
Members of the public are reminded that these are only charges and that every person is presumed innocent until their guilt has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
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Joint Federal and State Law Enforcement Operation Makes Arrest for Public Corruption OffensesRead the Press Release
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – On October 6, 2021, a Federal Grand Jury in Knoxville returned a multi-count Indictment against two individuals charging violations of federal offenses prohibiting public officials from taking cash payments in exchange for official acts.
Brandy M. Thornton, 44, and Roberta Lynne Webb Allen, 55, both of Sevier County, Tennessee, charged with two counts of taking cash payments in exchange for an official act. If convicted of those charges, they each could face up to 20 years in prison.
Allen appeared in court on October 7, 2021 before U.S. Magistrate Judge H. Bruce Guyton and entered a plea of not guilty to the charges in the indictment. She was released pending trial, which has been set for December 14, 2021, before the Honorable Judge Crytzer in United States District Court, in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Acting U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III, of the Eastern District of Tennessee, and Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI") Special Agent in Charge, Joseph E. Carrico, made the announcement.
The participant law enforcement agencies in this investigation include the FBI Knoxville High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Rocky Top Task Force, FBI Knoxville Smoky Mountains Economic Crimes Task Force, Sevier County Street Crimes Unit, Sevier County Sheriff’s Office, Sevierville Police Department, Pigeon Forge Police Department, Gatlinburg Police Department, Tennessee Department of Revenue - Special Investigations Unit, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Tennessee Highway Patrol, Humphreys County Sheriff's Office, FBI Miami, Miami Gardens Police Department, Hialeah Police Department, Fort Lauderdale Police Department, Miami-Dade Police Department, and the Medley Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Quencer will represent the United States in the prosecution of this case.
The ongoing investigation leading to the indictment was the product of a partnership between numerous federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies cooperating under the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program. The OCDETF program is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s drug supply reduction strategy. OCDETF was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multi-level attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. Today, OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s drug supply.
Members of the public are reminded that an indictment constitutes only charges and that every person is presumed innocent until his or her guilt has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
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Janesville Woman Sentenced to 3 Years for Role in Sex TraffickingRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Tonyiel Partee, 29, Janesville, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 36 months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit sex trafficking. This prison term will be followed by 5 years of supervised release. Partee pleaded guilty to this charge on July 8, 2021.
In September 2017, the mother of a minor female contacted the Janesville Police Department to report that she found Facebook messages on her daughter’s account that indicated her daughter was buying drugs from an adult man. The investigation revealed that not only was the adult man selling drugs to the minor, but he was also posting her on websites for commercial sex.
As the investigation continued, Partee was identified as a woman who also was engaged in commercial sex for the man. Over time, investigators were able to establish that Partee helped the trafficker recruit women, and that she knew the women she recruited were drug addicts and would be subject to violence and coercion by the trafficker.
While Judge Conley recognized that Partee had been “groomed” by the trafficker, and was a victim herself, he stated that the Court “could not ignore the role [Partee] played in victimizing others,” in imposing her sentence.
The charge against Partee was the result of an investigation conducted by the Janesville Police Department and the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Pfluger prosecuted this case.
Indictment Returned After Investigation Involving Seizure of 16.4 Kilograms of Methamphetamine, 3.14 Kilograms of Pills Containing Fentanyl, $400,000 in CashRead the Press Release
HONOLULU – A federal grand jury returned an indictment today charging Courtney Gene Jeter, 61, Janet Pauline Nelson, 62, and David Abraham Monalim, 46, with conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute (1) 50 grams or more of methamphetamine; (2) 400 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of N-phenyl-N-[1-(2-phenylethyl)-4-piperidinyl] propanamide, commonly known as fentanyl; (3) 100 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of heroin; and (4) 500 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine. Jeter and Nelson were previously arrested pursuant to criminal complaints containing related charges, on September 30, 2021, and October 1, 2021, respectively. Jeter was ordered detained earlier today, and Nelson’s detention hearing is scheduled for tomorrow.
The indictment also charges Jeter with four counts of distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, one count of felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition; and one count of money laundering. Nelson is also charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine, and Monalim is also charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of methamphetamine.
Judith A. Philips, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Hawaii, said that according to information presented in court, on the date of Jeter’s arrest, law enforcement seized approximately 16.4 kilograms of methamphetamine, 3.14 kilograms of suspected counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl, one kilogram of heroin, over two kilograms of cocaine, over 400 rounds of ammunition, two loaded handguns, and over $400,000 in cash.
If convicted, (1) each defendant faces a minimum of ten years and up to life in prison and a fine of up to $10,000,000, on the conspiracy charge; (2) Jeter faces the same penalties on the four counts of distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, a mandatory five years’ imprisonment that must run consecutive to any other sentence imposed on possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, up to ten years in prison for possession of the ammunition, and up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $500,000 or twice the value of the property involved in the transaction for money laundering; (3) Nelson faces the same potential penalties as the conspiracy charge on her other charge; and (4) Monalim faces a mandatory minimum of five years’ imprisonment and a fine up to $5,000,000 on his other charge.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 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.
The case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, and assisted by the Honolulu Police Department.
It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Margaret Nammar and Craig Nolan.
Indiana Man Sentenced to 9 Years in Federal Prison for Robbing A Hot Springs PharmacyRead the Press Release
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – An Anderson, Indiana man was sentenced yesterday to 108 months on each count (to run concurrently) in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release on one count of Robberies Involving Controlled Substances (Aiding and Abetting) and one count of Conspiracy and Possession with Intent to Distribute a Schedule II Controlled Substances. The Honorable Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Hot Springs.
According to court documents, on or about June 7, 2018, Jerome Scott King, 22, along with two (2) other unidentified males, entered the CVS Pharmacy in Hot Springs, Arkansas, brandished a weapon, and forced employees to give them several Schedule II controlled substances. The amount of controlled substance taken were valued at $22,421.87. In September of 2019, King was sentenced to 168 months in federal prison, out of the Western District of Missouri, Central Division, for a similar pharmacy robbery. Yesterday’s sentencing was ordered to run consecutive to that 168-month sentence.
Acting U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The Hot Springs Police Department and the FBI Little Rock investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Achorn and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Trent Daniels prosecuted the case.
This case was prosecuted as 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.
Illinois Women Charged in Yellowstone Case Involving a Grizzly Receives Four Days in Federal Custody and FinesRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Bob Murray announced today that SAMANTHA R DEHRING, age 25 of Carol Stream, Illinois, pleaded guilty to willfully remaining, approaching, and photographing wildlife within 100 yards. The other count, feeding, touching, teasing, frightening, or intentionally disturbing wildlife, was dismissed. Dehring appeared in front of Magistrate Judge Mark L. Carman in Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyoming on October 6, 2021, for her change of plea and sentencing hearing. She was sentenced to four days in custody, one-year unsupervised probation, and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine, a $1,000 community service payment to Yellowstone Forever Wildlife Protection Fund, a $30 court processing fee and a $10 assessment. Dehring also received a one-year ban from Yellowstone National Park.
According to the violation notices, Dehring was at Roaring Mountain in Yellowstone National Park on May 10, 2021, when visitors noticed a sow grizzly and her three cubs. While other visitors slowly backed off and got into their vehicles, Dehring remained. She continued to take pictures as the sow bluff charged her.
“Wildlife in Yellowstone National Park are, indeed, wild. The park is not a zoo where animals can be viewed within the safety of a fenced enclosure. They roam freely in their natural habitat and when threatened will react accordingly,” said Acting United States Attorney Bob Murray. “Approaching a sow grizzly with cubs is absolutely foolish. Here, pure luck is why Dehring is a criminal defendant and not a mauled tourist.”
According to Yellowstone National Park regulations, when an animal is near a trail, boardwalk, parking lot, or in a developed area, give it space. Stay 25 yards (23 m) away from all large animals - bison, elk, bighorn sheep, deer, moose, and coyotes and at least 100 yards (91 m) away from bears and wolves. If need be, turn around and go the other way to avoid interacting with a wild animal in close proximity. Read more about safety in the park, including how to behave around wildlife.
This case was investigated by Yellowstone National Park Rangers and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie Hambrick. For questions relating to Yellowstone National Park, please contact the Public Affairs Office at 307-344-2015 or [email protected].Hudson County Man Arrested for Scheme to Defraud InvestorsRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Hudson County, New Jersey, man will make his initial appearance today on charges that he defrauded victims by promising to invest their money in a ticket purchase and resale business, when in fact he diverted their investments for his own personal use and benefit and to pay back prior investors, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Michael J. Clarke, 62, of Jersey City, New Jersey, is charged by superseding indictment with two counts of wire fraud. He is scheduled to appear this afternoon by videoconference before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jessica S. Allen.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From October 2015 to October 2016, Clarke, who was a licensed municipal securities trader, represented to his victims that he separately operated a ticket brokering business that purchased tickets to entertainment and sporting events and then resold those tickets for a profit. Clarke also represented that he had access to permanent seat licenses for the U.S. Open Tennis Championships that could be purchased and resold for a profit. The victims relied on his misrepresentations and invested money with Clarke, believing that they would receive a share of the profits from the sales of those tickets or U.S. Open seat licenses. Instead of using the victims’ money as promised, Clarke used their investments for his personal expenditures or to pay back prior investors in his ticket brokering business. In total, Clarke obtained approximately $617,400 from the victims over the course of the fraudulent scheme.
The counts of wire fraud are punishable by a maximum of 20 years in prison and a maximum fine $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greatest.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge George M. Crouch Jr. in Newark, with the investigation leading to the charges.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer S. Kozar of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.
The charges and allegations contained in the superseding indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Hot Springs Man Sentenced to over 17 Years in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – A Hot Springs man was sentenced today to 210 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count of Distribution of a Controlled Substance Methamphetamine. The Honorable Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Hot Springs.
According to court documents, in the summer of 2019, Detectives with the 18th East Judicial District Drug Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Administration launched an investigation into Paul Scaife, 41, for drug trafficking in the Western District of Arkansas. In July of 2019, detectives conducted a controlled purchase of methamphetamine from Scaife.
Acting U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The 18th East Judicial District Drug Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations Little Rock, and the 18th East Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney’s Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Achorn and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Trent Daniels prosecuted the case.
Hortonville Man Indicted for Possession and Receipt of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Richard G. Frohling of the Eastern District of Wisconsin announced that on October 5, 2021, a federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment against Jeffrey J. Wagner (age: 48) of Hortonville, Wisconsin.
According to the indictment, in March of 2021, Wagner knowingly received and possessed sexually explicit videos of prepubescent children. Wagner faces one count of receipt of child pornography, contrary to Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252A(a)(2)(A), and one count of possession of child pornography, contrary to Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252A(a)(5)(b). He faces a mandatory minimum of 5 years and up to 20 years of imprisonment in federal prison on the receipt of child pornography count and a maximum of 10 years imprisonment on the possession of child pornography count.
“The protection of our nation’s children is a top priority of the Department of Justice,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Frohling. “Individuals involved in the receipt or distribution of child pornography will be prosecuted aggressively and will face real time in federal prison.”
Outagamie County Sheriff Clint Kriewaldt stated, “The Outagamie County Sheriff’s Office is committed to aggressively investigating all crimes against children and removing these child predators from our communities.”
This case was investigated by the Outagamie County Sheriff’s Office and the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alexander E. Duros.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006, by the U.S. Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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Highmore Woman Sentenced on Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Highmore, South Dakota, woman convicted of Sale or Transfer of Firearms to a Prohibited Person was sentenced on October 5, 2021, by Chief Judge Robert A. Lange, U.S. District Court.
Elissa Schultz, age 41, was sentenced to 18 months of probation and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Schultz was indicted for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person, Sale or Transfer of Firearms to a Prohibited Person, and False Statements During Purchase of a Firearm by a federal grand jury on October 14, 2020. She pled guilty on June 21, 2021.
The conviction stems from an incident on January 24, 2020, in Pierre, when Schultz transferred a firearm to her significant other, Stacey Hansen, knowing he had been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year. Hansen has pled guilty to Felon in Possession of a Firearm and will be sentenced on October 25, 2021.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case was investigated by Hyde County Sheriff’s Office, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan N. Dilges prosecuted the case.
Schultz was immediately released to begin her probation following the sentencing hearing.
Georgia Man Charged with Drug Trafficking in McLean CountyRead the Press Release
PEORIA, Ill. –Tidas Thompson, also known as Titus Thomas, 44, of Stockbridge, Georgia, was indicted on September 21, 2021, for charges related to drug trafficking and firearms.
The indictment alleges that Thompson knowingly possessed with the intent to distribute 28 grams or more of a cocaine-based mixture or substance, possessed a firearm during drug trafficking, and possessed a firearm as a felon.
Thompson was arrested after a traffic stop on I-55 South in McLean County, Illinois, on August 15, 2021, and is currently in the custody of the United States Marshals Service.
If convicted, Thompson faces a minimum statutory penalty of five years and maximum penalty of 40 years’ imprisonment on the drug trafficking charge, a minimum penalty of five years and maximum penalty of life imprisonment on the possession of a firearm during drug trafficking charge, and a maximum 10-year term of imprisonment on the possession of a firearm as a felon charge. Each count carries a maximum fine of $250,000.
Agencies participating in the investigation include the Illinois State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Keith Hollingshead-Cook is representing the government in the prosecution.
Members of the public are reminded that an indictment is merely an accusation; the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
General Contracting Company Sentenced for Causing Death of Employee who Fell Off Roof During Residential Roof InstallationRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A general contracting company based in Newark was sentenced today to five years’ probation for violating Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards, leading to the death of an employee, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Trustworthy LLC, d/b/a “Trustworthy Roofing and Siding,” (Trustworthy) via its owner, Derico Ferreira, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Falk in Newark federal court to an information charging it with one count of willfully violating OSHA standards by failing to provide fall protection to employees engaged in the construction of a residential home, which caused the death of an employee.
According to court documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On Oct. 15, 2016, Ferreira and four employees began installation of a new roof on a two-story residential home located in Fair Lawn, New Jersey. Trustworthy did not use or provide to its employees any personal fall protection equipment, such as safety harnesses, lanyards, tie-off ropes, guard rails, safety nets, or other feasible means of fall protection, while they were working on the roof.
During the installation of an ice and water shield, one of Trustworthy’s employees (Employee 1), fell off the left corner of the roof. Employee 1 was not wearing any fall protection gear at the time. Ferreira had the required equipment in his truck, and could have also installed a guard rail system around the perimeter of the roof from a ladder, prior to the start of roofing work, but failed to do so. Trustworthy LLC was previously cited by OSHA during an inspection in 2014 for failing to provide fall protection to its employees.
In addition to the five years of probation, Trustworthy will pay restitution of $305,275 to the estate of Employee 1. The plea agreement also includes specified conditions that Trustworthy must follow, including providing training procedures to all its employees and a requirement to follow enhanced safety provisions for future construction jobs. The company must also notify OSHA of each new construction job it undertakes and permit entry to OSHA employees at all of its worksites.
Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig credited special agents of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Inspector General, New York Region, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Mellone; Daniel Hennefeld, Counsel for OSHA Office of the Solicitor, Region 2, and OSHA Compliance Officers with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason P. Garelick of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Government Fraud Unit in Newark.
Fulton Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking OffensesRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Tyler Hull, age 38, of Fulton, New York, pled guilty today to conspiring to unlawfully distribute and possess with the intent to distribute eutylone, a Schedule I controlled substance.
The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Antoinette T. Bacon and Matthew Scarpino, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
As part of his guilty plea, Hull admitted that from November of 2020 through December 22, 2020, he participated in a conspiracy to distribute eutylone to others throughout Oswego County. Eutylone is a synthetic cathinone and has pharmacological effects on the central nervous system similar to other schedule I or II substances such as methylone, pentylone, cocaine, methamphetamine, and MDMA.
Hull faces up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $1,000,000, and a term of post-release supervision of at least 3 years and up to life when he is sentenced by Senior United States District Judge Thomas J. McAvoy on March 9, 2022. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
The case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the U.S. Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and the Oswego County Drug Task Force, comprised of Special Agents of HSI, members of the City of Oswego Police Department, the Oswego County Sheriff’s Office, Investigators from the Oswego County District Attorney’s Office, the SUNY Oswego Police Department and Agents of the U.S. Border Patrol. The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Adrian LaRochelle.
Fresno Felon Indicted for Possession of AmmunitionRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment today against Kevron Marques Byrd, 21, of Fresno, charging him with being a felon in possession of ammunition, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, Byrd, who was on supervision following a prison sentence for a 2019 conviction for a firearms offense, was stopped by officers on July 7, 2021. Officers found a backpack that Byrd had dropped inside an apartment that contained a ghost gun, a privately made firearm with no serial number, equipped with a high capacity magazine and 32 rounds of ammunition.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Fresno Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Jean Berger is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Byrd faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty 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.
Four Men Charged in Drug Trafficking Conspiracy, Including Two Charged with Possession of Machine Gun and Conspiracy to Commit RobberyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – An indictment was unsealed today charging four men with taking part in a drug trafficking conspiracy, including two who were charged with conspiring to rob pharmacies and unlawful possession of a machine gun.
The indictment was announced today by Acting U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips, Charlie J. Patterson, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
All four defendants were arrested yesterday. They include Juwuan Champion, 22, of Bowie, Md., also known as “Big Money;” Fitzgerald Hunt, 24, of Washington, D.C., also known as “GMoney;” Joshua Johnson, 18, of Capitol Heights, Md., also known as “Lil Josh,” and Keyshawn Lavender, 20, of Washington, D.C., also known as “Key.” They made their initial appearances this afternoon in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, and all remain detained pending further proceedings.
The indictment follows an investigation by ATF and MPD into a crew operating from approximately January 2021 through October 2021 in the Potomac Gardens area of Southeast Washington. As described in the indictment, members of the crew are alleged to traffic in Oxycodone, Alprazolam, and other illegal narcotics. Champion and Hunt are accused of conspiring to rob pharmacies and the driver of a truck delivering narcotics to a pharmacy, and of unlawful possession of a machine gun. Champion and Hunt also are alleged to have possessed a “converter switch” device designed and intended to convert a semiautomatic Glock-style handgun into a machine gun capable of fully automatic fire, without manual reloading, by a single function of the trigger.
“Drug trafficking and the prevalence of guns on our streets continue to plaque our community at alarming and unacceptable rates,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Phillips. “Working together with our law enforcement partners, we will aggressively investigate and prosecute individuals who are terrorizing and making our neighborhoods unsafe with their armed drug trafficking activities, such as those alleged in this indictment.”
“This investigation is focused on armed robberies, possession of machine guns, illegal possession of firearms, distribution of narcotics and other acts of violence within our community. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of the men and women of ATF and our valued law enforcement partners; we are making every effort to collaborate and work collectively to take violent criminals off our streets,” said Special Agent in Charge Patterson. “We will continue to do as such until people feel safe to live and enjoy life. We will not tolerate violent crime, especially gun violence on our streets.”
The ongoing investigation has focused on violent crimes, including a series of pharmacy robbery-related incidents in the District of Columbia and Maryland, culminating in the March 30, 2021 robbery of a pharmaceutical delivery van driver outside a pharmacy in Waldorf, Md.
ATF and other law enforcement partners yesterday executed search warrants for four residences in the District of Columbia, two residences in Maryland, and one vehicle. Agents recovered three firearms, including one with an obliterated serial number, ammunition, multiple bags of apparent marijuana, and cash currency totaling approximately $75,000.
Champion and Hunt are charged with a number of offenses related to these crimes, including conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce by robbery. All told, Champion was indicted on 12 felony counts, including conspiracy, narcotics, and weapons offenses. Hunt was indicted on 11 similar charges. Lavender faces three felony counts, and Johnson, one. The indictment also includes a forfeiture count seeking all proceeds from the crimes.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
This case is being investigated by the ATF Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Critical support was provided by the Charles County, Md. Sheriff’s Office, and additional assistance was provided by the U.S. Marshals Service, the Prince George’s County, Md. Police Department, and Anne Arundel County, Md. Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Candice Wong of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Assistance was provided by former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Jacobs.
Four Charged with Making False Statement to Purchase Firearms at Licensed Youngstown Area DealerRead the Press Release
Acting U.S. Attorney Bridget M. Brennan announced that a federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment charging four individuals with making a false statement during the purchase of firearms and possession of firearms by a person with prior misdemeanor domestic violence conviction.
Named in the indictment are Miechelle Barnes, 28, Dawon Maddox, 39, both of Youngstown, Ohio, Richard May, 19, and Davontae McCall, 19, both of Pittsburgh.
The indictment alleges that on or about February 18, 2021, Barnes intentionally deceived a licensed firearms dealer by representing that she was purchasing several firearms for herself when in fact, she was purchasing the firearms for another individual.
In addition, the indictment alleges that on or about April 23, 2021, Maddox illegally possessed three semiautomatic pistols. Maddox is prohibited from possessing firearms due to a 2002 conviction for misdemeanor domestic violence.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
If convicted, the Defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to this case, including the Defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the Defendant’s role in the offense, and the characteristics of the violation.
In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum, and in most cases, it will be less than the maximum.
The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by ATF. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Yasmine Makridis.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt
Fort Thompson Man Sentenced for RobberyRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Dennis Holmes announced that a Fort Thompson, South Dakota, man convicted of Robbery was sentenced on October 5, 2021, by Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court.
Jacob Hawk Wing, age 27, was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, restitution in the amount of $1,030, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Hawk Wing was indicted by a federal grand jury on August 11, 2020. He pled guilty on July 15, 2021.
The conviction stemmed from an incident that occurred on July 26, 2020, in Fort Thompson. Hawk Wing robbed a convenience store at gun point, and stole U.S. currency and two bottles of alcohol.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Bureau of Indian Affairs, Crow Creek Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy R. Morley prosecuted the case.
Hawk Wing was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Former police officer sentenced for using hidden camera to obtain child pornographyRead the Press Release
BROWNSVILLE, Texas – A 32-year-old former officer with the Primera Police Department (PPD) has been ordered to federal prison for possessing child pornography, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Joel Alex Sandate pleaded guilty April 15.
Today, U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. ordered him to serve a 120-month sentence. At the hearing, the court also heard additional information today including the victim impact statement from the victim and her mother. Sandate was further ordered to pay $4,320 in restitution to the known victim and ordered an additional $10,000 special assessment. Sandate will also serve 20 years on supervised release following completion of his prison term, during which time he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. He will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.
The investigation revealed that from September 2019 to March 2020, Sandate had installed hidden cameras to capture recordings of a minor female. He saved the recorded videos onto various computer media devices such as his cellphone, a sim card and a USB drive.
Another PPD officer had discovered the images and reported it to authorities.
Sandate will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations - Rio Grande Valley Child Exploitation Task Force conducted the investigation with the assistance of PPD, Texas Rangers and the Cameron County District Attorney’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ana C. Cano and Jose A. Esquivel Jr. prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page.
Former Taliban Commander Charged with Killing American Troops in 2008Read the Press Release
A federal grand jury in New York unsealed a superseding indictment today charging an Afghanistan national with federal terrorism-related offenses spanning approximately 2007 to 2009 and stemming from his role as a Taliban commander in Afghanistan.
According to court documents, Haji Najibullah, aka Najibullah Naim, Abu Tayeb, Atiqullah and Nesar Ahmad Mohammad, 45, of Afghanistan, was previously charged with crimes related to the 2008 kidnapping of an American journalist and two Afghan nationals. In addition to those charges, the superseding indictment charges Najibullah with attacks on U.S. troops conducted by Najibullah and the Taliban fighters under his command, including a June 26, 2008, attack on an American military convoy that killed three U.S. Army servicemembers – Sergeants First Class Matthew L. Hilton and Joseph A. McKay, and Sergeant Mark Palmateer – and their Afghan interpreter, as well as an Oct. 27, 2008, attack that resulted in the shooting down of a U.S. military helicopter. In October 2020, Najibullah was arrested and extradited from Ukraine to the United States where he remains in federal custody.
“Najibullah, who allegedly served as a Taliban commander in 2007 and 2008, is charged with numerous terrorism offenses relating to attacks against the U.S. military in Afghanistan, including an attack that killed three U.S. servicemembers, and others relating to taking an American journalist hostage in Afghanistan,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Mark J. Lesko for the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “He will now be held accountable in an American courtroom. The National Security Division and our partners are committed to identifying and holding accountable those who target and harm Americans anywhere in the world. I want to thank the agents, analysts, and prosecutors who are responsible for this case.”
“As alleged, during one of the most dangerous periods of the conflict in Afghanistan, Haji Najibullah led a vicious band of Taliban insurgents who terrorized part of Afghanistan and attacked U.S. troops,” said U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss for the Southern District of New York. “One of these lethal attacks resulted in the deaths of three brave American servicemembers and their Afghan interpreter, and another attack brought down a U.S. helicopter. Najibullah also arranged to kidnap at gunpoint an American journalist and two other men and held them hostage for more than seven months. Neither time nor distance can weaken our resolve to hold terrorists accountable for their crimes and to see justice done for their victims. Thanks to the outstanding work of our law enforcement partners, Najibullah will answer for his heinous acts in an American courtroom.”
According to court documents, as of in or about 2007, Najibullah was the Taliban commander responsible for the Jaghato district in Afghanistan’s Wardak Province, which borders Kabul. In this role, Najibullah commanded more than a thousand fighters, at times acted as a spokesperson for the Taliban, and reported to senior leadership in the Taliban. During that time, Najibullah and the Taliban fighters under his command conducted attacks intended to kill and which did kill American and NATO troops and their Afghan allies, using automatic weapons, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), and other anti-tank weapons, including an attack that destroyed an Afghan Border Patrol outpost in or about September 2008.
On or about June 26, 2008, Taliban fighters under Najibullah’s command attacked a U.S. military convoy in the vicinity of Sayed Abad, Wardak Province, Afghanistan, with IEDs, RPGs, and automatic weapons, killing three U.S. Army servicemembers, Sergeants First Class Matthew L. Hilton and Joseph A. McKay, and Sergeant Mark Palmateer, and their Afghan interpreter.
On or about Oct. 27, 2008, Taliban fighters under Najibullah’s command shot down a U.S. military helicopter using RPGs in the vicinity of Sayed Abad, Wardak Province, Afghanistan. The Taliban subsequently claimed responsibility for downing the helicopter, asserting that it was “shot down [by] the mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate.” The Taliban also falsely claimed that “[a]ll those onboard were killed,” when, in fact, no troops died as a result of the attack.
On or about Nov. 10, 2008, Najibullah and his co-conspirators, armed with machineguns, kidnapped an American journalist (Victim-1) and two Afghan nationals who were assisting Victim-1 (Victim-2 and Victim-3) at gunpoint in Afghanistan. Approximately five days later, on or about Nov. 15, 2008, Najibullah and his co-conspirators forced the three hostages to hike across the border from Afghanistan to Pakistan, where Najibullah and his co-conspirators detained the hostages. For the next seven months, Najibullah and his co-conspirators held the hostages captive in Pakistan.
During their captivity, Najibullah and his co-conspirators forced the victims to make numerous calls and videos seeking help. For example, on or about Nov. 19, 2008, while in Pakistan, Najibullah and a co-conspirator (CC-1) directed Victim-1 to call his wife in New York. In one of the videos, Victim-1 – the American journalist – was forced to beg for his life while a guard pointed a machinegun at Victim-1’s face.
Najibullah is charged with conspiring to provide material support for acts of terrorism resulting in death; providing material support for acts of terrorism resulting in death; conspiring to murder U.S. nationals; murdering U.S. nationals Hilton, McKay, and Palmateer; murdering officers and employees of the United States, and a person assisting them in their duties, by killing Hilton, McKay, Palmateer, and their interpreter; attempting to murder officers and employees of the United States; conspiring to destroy U.S. military aircraft; destroying a U.S. military aircraft; conspiring to use weapons of mass destruction; conspiring to take hostages; hostage-taking; conspiring to commit kidnapping; and kidnapping. Counts one through five and nine through 13 each carry a maximum penalty of life in prison. Counts six through eight each carry a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment. Count five also carries a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, which principally consists of agents from the FBI and detectives from the NYPD, is investigating the case. Valuable assistance was provided by the New York and New Jersey Port Authority Police and the Department of Defense, as well as the Ukrainian authorities and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, which assisted in the arrest and extradition of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sam Adelsberg, David W. Denton Jr., and Jessica K. Fender of the Southern District of New York are prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance provided by Trial Attorney Jennifer Burke of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Former Taliban Commander Charged with Killing American Troops in 2008Read the Press Release
Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Mark J. Lesko, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security, Michael J. Driscoll, the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), and Dermot Shea, Police Commissioner of the City of New York (“NYPD”), announced the filing of a 13-count superseding indictment charging HAJI NAJIBULLAH, a/k/a “Najibullah Naim,” a/k/a “Abu Tayeb,” a/k/a “Atiqullah,” a/k/a “Nesar Ahmad Mohammad,” with federal terrorism-related offenses spanning approximately 2007 to 2009 and stemming from NAJIBULLAH’s role as a Taliban commander in Afghanistan. NAJIBULLAH had previously been charged with crimes related to the 2008 kidnapping of an American journalist and two Afghan nationals. In addition to those charges, the superseding indictment charges NAJIBULLAH with attacks on U.S. troops conducted by NAJIBULLAH and the Taliban fighters under his command, including a June 26, 2008, attack on an American military convoy that killed three U.S. Army servicemembers – Sergeants First Class Matthew L. Hilton and Joseph A. McKay, and Sergeant Mark Palmateer – and their Afghan interpreter, as well as an October 27, 2008, attack that resulted in the shooting down of a U.S. military helicopter. NAJIBULLAH is already in federal custody on the initial indictment. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Katherine P. Failla.
U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: “As alleged, during one of the most dangerous periods of the conflict in Afghanistan, Haji Najibullah led a vicious band of Taliban insurgents who terrorized part of Afghanistan and attacked U.S. troops. One of these lethal attacks resulted in the deaths of three brave American servicemembers and their Afghan interpreter, and another attack brought down a U.S. helicopter. Najibullah also arranged to kidnap at gunpoint an American journalist and two other men, and held them hostage for more than seven months. Neither time nor distance can weaken our resolve to hold terrorists accountable for their crimes and to see justice done for their victims. Thanks to the outstanding work of our law enforcement partners, Najibullah will answer for his heinous acts in an American courtroom.”
Acting Assistant Attorney General Mark J. Lesko said: “Najibullah, who allegedly served as a Taliban commander in 2007 and 2008, is charged with numerous terrorism offenses relating to attacks against the U.S. military in Afghanistan, including an attack that killed three U.S. servicemembers, and others relating to taking an American journalist hostage in Afghanistan. He will now be held accountable in an American courtroom. The National Security Division and our partners are committed to identifying and holding accountable those who target and harm Americans anywhere in the world. I want to thank the agents, analysts, and prosecutors who are responsible for this case.”
FBI Assistant Director Michael J. Driscoll said: “We meant what we said when we told the public we wouldn’t stop aggressively pursuing charges against those who harm our citizens, servicemembers, and allies, whether at home or abroad. Najibullah’s alleged actions will not be forgiven or forgotten, and the FBI, along with our partners, will continue to pursue justice for all victims in this case.”
NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said: “Time and again, the FBI agents and our NYPD detectives of the Joint Terrorism Task Force have demonstrated that they will go to any corner of the globe to ensure terrorists are captured and brought to justice. Haji Najibullah was charged with kidnapping three men including a journalist from New York City. Even after those crimes were charged, the JTTF investigators continued to gather more evidence. These newest charges for the terrorist murders of U.S. servicemen in Afghanistan will hopefully bring some small measure of closure to the families of those soldiers who gave their lives for our country.”
According to the superseding indictment unsealed today in Manhattan federal court:[1]
As of in or about 2007, NAJIBULLAH was the Taliban commander responsible for the Jaghato district in Afghanistan’s Wardak Province, which borders Kabul. In this role, NAJIBULLAH commanded more than a thousand fighters, at times acted as a spokesperson for the Taliban, and reported to senior leadership in the Taliban. During that time, NAJIBULLAH and the Taliban fighters under his command conducted attacks intended to kill and which did kill American and NATO troops and their Afghan allies, using automatic weapons, improvised explosive devices (“IEDs”), rocket-propelled grenades (“RPGs”), and other anti-tank weapons, including an attack that destroyed an Afghan Border Patrol outpost in or about September 2008.
On or about June 26, 2008, Taliban fighters under NAJIBULLAH’s command attacked a U.S. military convoy in the vicinity of Sayed Abad, Wardak Province, Afghanistan, with IEDs, RPGs, and automatic weapons, killing three U.S. Army servicemembers – Sergeants First Class Matthew L. Hilton and Joseph A. McKay, and Sergeant Mark Palmateer – and their Afghan interpreter.
On or about October 27, 2008, Taliban fighters under NAJIBULLAH’s command shot down a U.S. military helicopter using RPGs in the vicinity of Sayed Abad, Wardak Province, Afghanistan. The Taliban subsequently claimed responsibility for downing the helicopter, asserting that it was “shot down [by] the mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate.” The Taliban also falsely claimed that “[a]ll those onboard were killed,” when, in fact, no troops died as a result of the attack.
On or about November 10, 2008, NAJIBULLAH and his co-conspirators, armed with machineguns, kidnapped an American journalist (“Victim-1”) and two Afghan nationals who were assisting Victim-1 (“Victim-2” and “Victim-3”) at gunpoint in Afghanistan. Approximately five days later, on or about November 15, 2008, NAJIBULLAH and his co-conspirators forced the three hostages to hike across the border from Afghanistan to Pakistan, where NAJIBULLAH and his co-conspirators detained the hostages. For the next seven months, NAJIBULLAH and his co-conspirators held the hostages captive in Pakistan.
During their captivity, the victims of NAJIBULLAH and his co-conspirators were forced to make numerous calls and videos seeking help. For example, on or about November 19, 2008, while in Pakistan, NAJIBULLAH and a co-conspirator (“CC-1”) directed Victim-1 to call his wife in New York. In one of the videos, Victim-1 – the American journalist – was forced to beg for his life while a guard pointed a machinegun at Victim-1’s face.
* * *
NAJIBULLAH, 45, of Afghanistan, is charged with (1) conspiring to provide material support for acts of terrorism resulting in death, (2) providing material support for acts of terrorism resulting in death, (3) conspiring to murder U.S. nationals, (4) murdering U.S. nationals Hilton, McKay, and Palmateer, (5) murdering officers and employees of the United States, and a person assisting them in their duties, by killing Hilton, McKay, Palmateer, and their interpreter, (6) attempting to murder officers and employees of the United States, (7) conspiring to destroy U.S. military aircraft, (8) destroying a U.S. military aircraft, (9) conspiring to use weapons of mass destruction, (10) conspiring to take hostages, (11) hostage-taking, (12) conspiring to commit kidnapping, and (13) kidnapping. Counts One through Five and Nine through Thirteen each carry a maximum penalty of life in prison. Counts Six through Eight each carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Count Five also carries a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.
Ms. Strauss and Mr. Lesko praised the outstanding efforts of the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, which principally consists of agents from the FBI and detectives from the NYPD. They also thanked the New York and New Jersey Port Authority Police and the Department of Defense for their assistance with this investigation, as well as the Ukrainian authorities and the Office of International Affairs of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division for their assistance in the arrest and extradition of the defendant.
This prosecution is being handled by the Office’s Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sam Adelsberg, David W. Denton, Jr., and Jessica K. Fender are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Trial Attorney Jennifer Burke of the Counterterrorism Section.
The charges contained in the superseding indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the superseding indictment and the description of the indictment set forth below constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Former SCANA CEO Sentenced to Two Years for Defrauding Ratepayers in Connection with Failed Nuclear Construction ProjectRead the Press Release
Columbia, South Carolina --- Acting United States Attorney M. Rhett DeHart announced today that Kevin B. Marsh, 66, former SCANA Corporation (SCANA) Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors, was sentenced to two years in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.
Evidence presented to the Court showed that Marsh intentionally defrauded ratepayers while overseeing and managing SCANA’s operations – including the construction of two reactors at the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station – so the company could obtain and retain rate increases imposed on its rate-paying customers and qualify for up to $2.2 billion in tax credits. In late 2016, confronted with information that the project was delayed and that the tax credits were at risk, Marsh and others withheld that information from regulators in an effort to keep the project going. Marsh’s false and materially misleading statements, as well as other false and materially misleading statements made by his coconspirators, allowed SCANA to obtain and retain rate increases imposed on SCANA’s rate-paying customers.
“Due to this fraud,” said Acting U.S. Attorney DeHart. “an $11 billion nuclear ghost town, paid for by SCANA investors and customers, now sits vacant in Jenkinsville, S.C. Hopefully, this prosecution will deter other corporate fraud in the future.”
“Kevin Marsh deceived regulators and customers to financially benefit SCANA,” said Susan Ferensic, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Columbia Field Office. “Unfortunately, Marsh’s and other executive’s actions resulted in South Carolinians bearing the financial brunt of the failed Summer Nuclear Station. This sentence should serve as a reminder to any corporation and their executives that there is a price to pay for those who conspire to commit fraud.”
According to evidence presented to the Court, Marsh has no prior criminal history, and has cooperated with federal and state investigators for more than a year in the ongoing investigation into criminal wrongdoing related to the V.C. Summer nuclear project. Marsh’s sentence reflects credit for his assistance in the ongoing investigation and prosecution of wrongdoing related to the failed nuclear construction project.
Marsh is the first defendant in the case to be sentenced in the investigation. The United States Attorney’s Office has additionally obtained felony guilty pleas from Stephen Byrne, former Executive Vice President of SCANA and former Chief Operating Officer of South Carolina Electric & Gas Company (SCE&G), and Carl Churchman, former Westinghouse Electric Corporation Vice President and the Project Director of the V.C. Summer Nuclear project. The United States Attorney’s Office has also executed cooperation agreements with Dominion Energy and Westinghouse Electric Company, which together provide over $4 billion in ratepayer relief; and it has charged Jeffrey Benjamin, former Westinghouse Electric Company Senior Vice President, in a sixteen-count felony criminal indictment.
United States District Judge Mary Lewis sentenced Marsh to 24 months in federal prison, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system. Judge Lewis also imposed a fine of $200,000. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Marsh paid $5 million in federal forfeiture prior to his sentencing.
This sentencing is the result of an exhaustive and multi-year joint investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office, and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Brook Andrews, Winston Holliday, Emily Limehouse, and Special Assistant United States Attorney John O’Halloran are prosecuting the case.
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Former Long Island Doctor Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Conspiring to Illegally Distribute OxycodoneRead the Press Release
Earlier today, in federal court in Central Islip, Tameshwar Ammar, a former medical doctor in Roslyn, New York, was sentenced by United States District Judge Denis R. Hurley to five years’ imprisonment for conspiring to illegally distribute oxycodone. In June 2020, Ammar relinquished his license to practice medicine. In July 2020, Ammar pleaded guilty to the charge. As part of his sentence, Ammar agreed to forfeit $245,700 in criminal proceeds.
Jacquelyn M. Kasulis, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Ray Donovan, Special Agent-in-Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration, New York Division (DEA), announced the sentence.
“Today’s sentence sends a stern warning that doctors who decide to betray their Hippocratic oaths by acting as profit-seeking drug dealers will face severe consequences,” stated Acting United States Attorney Kasulis. “This Office and our partners at the DEA are working tirelessly to combat the opioid epidemic on Long Island and elsewhere, including by prosecuting medical professionals who contribute to the risk of addiction, overdose and death by their callous actions.” Ms. Kasulis also thanked the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, New York Region, for their assistance during the investigation.
“Doctors are supposed to be among the most trusted professionals in our society. This defendant, on the other hand, used his position to prey upon members of our community,” stated DEA Special Agent-in-Charge Donovan. “By knowingly and intentionally writing prescriptions of addictive opioids that he knew would be resold, he violated not only his oath as a doctor, but the trust of his community. I applaud the efforts of the Long Island District Office’s Tactical Diversion Squad and the US Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of New York for their dedication to this investigation.”
As set forth in the indictment and other court filings, between 2013 and 2019, Ammar illegally prescribed thousands of highly addictive oxycodone pills to two individuals identified in the indictment as John Doe 1 and John Doe 2. According to a review of Ammar’s medical files for the two individuals, Ammar wrote the prescriptions without any diagnostic proof of legitimate medical need. Ammar prescribed oxycodone pills to John Doe 1, knowing that he intended to sell the pills to others. In addition, Ammar continued to prescribe oxycodone pills and methadone to John Doe 2, even after learning that he had been admitted to a psychiatric facility in March 2018.
The government’s investigation was led by the DEA’s Long Island Tactical Diversion Squad, comprised of agents and officers of the DEA, Nassau County Police Department, Suffolk County Police Department, Port Washington Police Department and Rockville Centre Police Department. The DEA Tactical Diversion Squad also worked in conjunction with officers and agents of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of the Inspector General and the Hempstead Police Department.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Long Island Criminal Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Bradley T. King and Madeline O’Connor are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
TAMESHWAR AMMAR
Age: 53
Amityville, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 19-CR-516 (DRH)
Former Liverpool Postal Carrier Sentenced for Stealing Gift Cards from MailRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Thomas J. Joslin, age 58, of North Syracuse, New York, was sentenced today in federal court in Syracuse to 3 years of probation after previously pleading guilty to three felony counts of stealing gift cards from the mail while employed as a carrier with the United States Postal Service, announced Acting United States Attorney Antoinette T. Bacon and Special Agent in Charge Matthew Modafferi, United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPSOIG), Northeast Area Field Office.
In pleading guilty previously, Joslin admitted that he stole multiple gift cards from mail entrusted to him in Onondaga County between March 2019 and June 2019, including a $160 prepaid Mastercard rebate card; a $300 Dick’s Sporting Goods gift card; and a $40 prepaid Visa card. The defendant admitted that he targeted pieces of mail he believed contained gift cards, and that he used the stolen gift cards to buy different gift cards in an attempt to distance himself from the thefts. Joslin is no longer employed by the U.S. Postal Service.
As part of his sentence, Joslin must pay a $2,000 fine; make restitution payments $500 to the known victims of his offenses; and perform 50 hours of community service. The sentence was pronounced by Senior United States District Judge Frederick J. Scullin, Jr., who presides over the case.
This case was investigated by USPSOIG, and it was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael F. Perry.
Former Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Emergency Dispatcher Indicted for Producing and Distributing Materials Depicting Children Being Sexually AbusedRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Scott Matthew Yotka (47, Jacksonville) with producing and distributing materials depicting young children being sexually abused. Yotka faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 15 years, and up to 80 years, in federal prison and a potential life term of supervised release. Yotka was arrested at his residence by FBI agents on September 17, 2021, and is currently detained awaiting trial.
According to court documents, on September 15, 2021, Yotka, using the name “Scottnjax44,” utilized a particular social media application (app) to engage in online private conversations with an undercover FBI task force officer in Washington, D.C., who was posing as the parent of a child. Yotka and the undercover officer discussed, in detail, the sexual exploitation of children. Yotka stated that he was sexually active with two young children, both of whom were unable to talk. Yotka sent the undercover officer several photos and a video that depicted two children being sexually abused. Yotka also stated that he was employed as an “emergency dispatcher” and worked “12 hour shifts.”
The FBI’s investigation traced the online messaging activity to Yotka’s residence in Jacksonville and determined that the same “Scottnjax44” user account was also accessed from the City of Jacksonville facility at the Ed Ball Building located in downtown Jacksonville. FBI agents coordinated with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) and confirmed that Yotka was employed by JSO as a Police Emergency Communications Officer and that he routinely worked a 12-hour night shift.
On the morning of September 17, 2021, the FBI, assisted by JSO, executed a federal search warrant at Yotka’s residence and arrested Yotka. Following his arrest, Yotka resigned his position with JSO.
An indictment is merely an allegation and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Jacksonville and Washington, D.C., and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
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.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation should contact the FBI Jacksonville office at 904-248-7000.
Former Alorton Police Officer Charged with Obtaining Funds from the Village of Alorton Police Department by FraudRead the Press Release
EAST ST. LOUIS, ILL. – Jay A. Cobb, 57, of Cahokia, Illinois, formerly a police officer with the
Village of Alorton Police Department, was charged in a one-count Indictment with “Obtaining Funds
by Fraud from the City of Alorton Police Department, a Unit of a Government that Received Federal
Funds.” The Indictment alleges that Cobb falsified time records for the period of January 2020
through April 2021 and acknowledges that he obtained funds by fraud from May 2018
through April 2021 claiming to be working when he was out of the jurisdiction, usually at his
residence in Cahokia, Illinois. The Indictment alleges that there was approximately 654 hours
where Cobb claimed he was working but he was outside the jurisdiction of the Village of Alorton
causing a financial loss of approximately $9,815.U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft said, “The allegations in this indictment should reassure the
public that allegations of police misconduct are investigated seriously; but the charges should not
undermine the public’s confidence in law enforcement, which is overwhelmingly made up of good and
decent public servants who risk their lives for our safety.”Embezzling money from an organization that receives federal funds carries a maximum sentence of ten
years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and restitution.An indictment is merely a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, the defendant is
presumed to be innocent of the charges until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the
satisfaction of a jury.The investigation was conducted by the Southern Illinois Public Corruption Task Force which
consists of agents with the FBI and the Illinois State Police.The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Norman R. Smith.
Citizens are encouraged to report suspicions of public corruption to the Southern Illinois Public
Corruption Task Force Tip Line at (618) 589-7373.
For the Third Time, Nashville Man Convicted of Being A Convicted Felon in Possession of A FirearmRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE – A federal jury yesterday, convicted Davian M. Greenlee, 40, of Nashville, with being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Mary Jane Stewart.
This conviction arose from an incident which occurred on March 16, 2018, when Greenlee and Darius Gustus, 28, broke into a home in Antioch, Tennessee. Officers with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department responded to a call from a neighbor and found Gustus on the roof of the home, trying to escape and Greenlee was found inside hiding under a pile of clothes in a closet.
A stolen, loaded .40 caliber Glock, taken from an earlier burglary, was found next to Greenlee, which he claimed belonged to the homeowner and a loaded 9mm pistol was found on the roof where Gustus was hiding. The homeowners testified that they did not own or possess a firearm.
Greenlee was previously charged in December 2002 with being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and pleaded guilty in July 2003. He was charged again with the same offense in May 2008 and also pleaded guilty to that charge. Greenlee was on supervised release when he committed the latest offense.
Sentencing in this case is set for February 14, 2022. If the Court finds that Greenlee is an Armed Career Criminal, he faces up to life in prison.
Darius Gustus previously pleaded guilty and will be sentenced early next year.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives and the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert E. McGuire and Kathryn W. Booth prosecuted the case.
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Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Delmar Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Jesse Clarence Odum, age 35, of Pensacola, Florida, pled guilty today to an indictment charging him with robbing a Pioneer Bank branch.
The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Antoinette T. Bacon; Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); and Chief Gina F. Cocchiara of the Bethlehem Police Department (BPD).
As part of his guilty plea, Odum admitted that on May 2, 2015, he entered the Pioneer Bank branch located at 184 Delaware Avenue in Delmar, New York, stopped at a counter, wrote a note, and approached a teller. Odum then passed the teller the note, which instructed her to be silent and give him $10,000. The teller partially complied, and Odum fled the bank with $5,000 in cash.
Odum was subsequently arrested on May 26, 2015, by BPD officers, in the vicinity of the same Pioneer Bank branch.
Odum faces up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of up to 3 years when he is sentenced by United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino on February 4, 2022. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the Bethlehem Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emmet O’Hanlon.
First Person Charged for Fraudulently Seeking COVID Relief Business Loans SentencedRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE - A Massachusetts man who became the first person in the country charged with fraudulently seeking forgivable pandemic relief small business loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, and who faked suicide shortly after his arrest resulting in a nationwide search for him by the U.S. Marshals Service, was sentenced today to 56 months in federal prison, announced Acting United States Attorney Richard B. Myrus.
David Adler Staveley, a/k/a Kurt David Sanborn, a/k/a David Sanborn, 54, of Andover, MA, conspired with David Andrew Butziger, 53, of Warwick, RI, to file four fraudulent CARES Act Paycheck Protection Program forgivable loan applications with a Rhode Island bank, falsely claiming they owned businesses with large monthly payrolls when, in fact, they did not own the businesses. Staveley admitted that as part of the scheme, on April 6, 2020, he and Butziger filed fraudulent loan applications seeking $185,570 to pay employees at Top of the Bay restaurant in Warwick, RI; $144,050 at Remington House Inn restaurant in Warwick, RI; $108,777 at On The Trax restaurant in Berlin, MA; and $105,381 to pay employees at Dock Wireless, an unincorporated business.
Staveley had no ownership interest in Top of the Bay, Remington House Inn, or On The Trax which were closed at the time the loan applications were submitted and remain closed. Dock Wireless had no employees and no wages were ever paid by the business.
Three weeks after being charged and appearing in U.S. District Court in May 2020, and released to home detention with electronic monitoring, Staveley removed his electronic monitoring device, staged his own suicide, and fled. Staveley left suicide notes with associates and left his wallet in his unlocked car that he parked along the ocean in Massachusetts. Further investigation determined that between May 26 and July 23, 2020, Staveley, who was to have appeared in federal court on June 2, 2020, traveled to various states using false identities and stolen license plates. He was apprehended by the United States Marshals Service in Alpharetta, GA., on July 23, 2020.
Appearing today before U.S. District Court Judge Mary S. McElroy, Staveley was sentenced to 56 months in federal prison to be followed by 3 years of federal supervised release.
Butziger is scheduled to be sentenced on November 1, 2021.
The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee H. Vilker.
The matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation.
The Justice Department acknowledges and thanks the SBA Office of Inspector General and the FDIC, Office of Inspector General for their assistance in the investigation.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID- 19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
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Felon Receives 57-Month Sentence for Firearm PossessionRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN – Deeric Walton, 25, has been sentenced to 57 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph C. Murphy Jr., announced the sentenced today.
According to information presented in court, on December 8, 2018, Memphis Police Department officers were searching for Deeric Walton at his residence on East Trophy Way. As officers announced their presence, they heard someone running throughout the apartment. Walton eventually answered the door, advising investigators that he was hiding guns. Law enforcement then transported the defendant to the MPD Homicide Office for a statement regarding a homicide.
A search warrant for his apartment revealed in the living room, a Lorcin .380 caliber handgun; in a bedroom, a Zastava Arms 7.62x39mm caliber firearm with a 30-round magazine, and a stolen Charles Daly 1911 .45 ACP caliber handgun; in another bedroom, an FNH USA 9mm handgun and a Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun. Walton was Mirandized and admitted to owning several of the handguns, having purchased all the guns "off the streets."
As a juvenile, Walton was previously convicted of a robbery and was prosecuted as an adult. As a result of his prior conviction, Walton is prohibited by federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition. On November 19, 2020, a Federal Grand Jury in the Western District of Tennessee indicted the defendant for this offense. Walton pled guilty, May 20, 2021.
On October 5, 2021, U.S. District Judge Mark S. Norris sentenced Walton to 57 months imprisonment, to be followed by three years supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
The Memphis Police Department and Project Safe Neighborhoods Task Force investigated this case. The Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative is 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. In 2017, PSN was reinvigorated as part of the Justice 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.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel D. Winnig and Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Rogers prosecuted this case on behalf of the government. SAUSA Winnig is currently assigned from the Shelby County District Attorney General’s Office for the purpose of prosecuting violent crimes and firearms offenses in federal court.
###Federal Jury Finds Illinois Man Guilty of Sex TraffickingRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – A federal jury found an Illinois man guilty of sex trafficking a woman and transporting another woman to engage in prostitution, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.
Following a four-day trial before Judge Patrick J. Schiltz, Darnell Deshawn Stennis, 29, was convicted of sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion, transporting an individual to engage in prostitution, and obstruction.
According to the evidence presented at trial, between January and March 2019, Stennis transported a woman between Minnesota and North Dakota for the purpose of engaging in prostitution. During this same time, Stennis used threats and physical violence to force another woman into performing commercial sex acts.
On March 25, 2019, officers with the Bloomington Police Department were dispatched to the La Quinta Inn in Bloomington, Minnesota, following a report that a hotel guest heard yelling and what sounded like someone being thrown against a wall. Upon arrival, officers encountered Stennis and the two women, identified as Victim A and Victim B. Officers checked the hotel room and observed obvious signs of a disturbance, including a toilet seat that was broken into multiple pieces and a towel rack that was bent. Victim A reported to officers that Stennis had violently assaulted her after she told him she didn’t want to engage in commercial sex work anymore. Victim A reported that Stennis choked her, bashed her head into the towel rack, and pushed her down onto the toilet seat. Stennis, who also had outstanding warrants, was arrested and placed into custody.
“Darnell Stennis is a violent sex trafficker whose singular goal was to make money by gaining physical, emotional, and financial control over his victims. I commend the trial team and our investigative partners who built a strong case against this defendant and brought him to justice,” said Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.
“The damage inflicted upon survivors of this form of sexual exploitation is immeasurable. The victims are subject to multiple forms of trauma, which never fully fade,” said Jamie G. Holt, acting special agent in charge of HSI St. Paul. “Stennis used violent assault, fear, coercion, and control to abuse and exploit two people for nothing more than simple greed. HSI special agents remain steadfast in our pursuit of all those who perpetrate this modern-day slavery.”
This case is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and the Bloomington Police Department.
This case was tried by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph H. Thompson, Manda M. Sertich, and Evan B. Gilead.
Federal Charges for Fresno Man Caught with Approximately 9,000 Fentanyl PillsRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned an indictment today against Salvador Ortiz-Padilla, 24, of Fresno, charging him with possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl pills, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, on Sept. 22, 2021, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at a residence of a suspected fentanyl-pill dealer, Ortiz-Padilla. During the search of the residence, agents found approximately 9,000 fentanyl pills hidden in a safe that Ortiz-Padilla controlled.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Fentanyl Overdose Resolution Team, a multi‑agency team composed of Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Fresno Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin J. Gilio is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Ortiz-Padilla faces a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $10 million fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is part of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (S.O.S.) a program designed to reduce the supply of deadly synthetic opioids in high impact areas as well as identifying wholesale distribution networks and international and domestic suppliers. In July 2018, the Justice Department announced the creation of S.O.S., which is being implemented in the Eastern District of California and nine other federal districts.
Fayetteville Drug Trafficker Receives 7½ Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
GREENVILLE, N.C. – Miguel Marquis Hutchinson, 35, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, was sentenced yesterday to 90 months in prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession with intent to distribute marijuana and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to court records, evidence presented in court and other court documents, on February 3, 2019, Hutchinson, during an encounter with Fayetteville police officers, gave a false name to the officers and made a suspicious movement with his arm as he exited the car.
During the encounter at the car, officers smelled the odor of marijuana and conducted a search of the car which resulted in locating 19.33 grams of marijuana inside the center console, baggies, and a digital scale. A loaded 9mm Taurus pistol was also located positioned and ready for use under the driver’s seat on the right side pinned against the center console.
Ten months later, while on state pre-trial release for this offense, Hutchinson was a passenger in a vehicle occupied by two others and was stopped for speeding on Fort Bragg. Military Police Officers located 3 firearms in the vehicle including an AK-47 assault rifle with an extended magazine and over $16,000 in cash at Hutchinson’s feet.
Hutchinson was previously convicted of second-degree murder in North Carolina state court in 2006 in Cumberland County, North Carolina and had just been released from custody two years prior.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle. Homeland Security Investigations, the Fayetteville Police Department and the Fort Bragg Military Police Traffic Unit investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Gabriel J. Diaz prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No.5:19-CR-523-BO.
Ex-President of Ohio Healthcare Management Company Sentenced to Prison in $59 Million Check Kiting Scheme Targeting S&T BankRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA - The former president of an Ohio healthcare management company has been sentenced in federal court to 42 months imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release on his conviction of bank fraud, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.
United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan imposed the sentence on Harold Sosna, age 68, of Cincinnati, Ohio.
“Harold Sosna received a long prison sentence which is consistent with the magnitude of his fraud scheme,” said U.S. Attorney Kaufman. “He cheated community banks in western Pennsylvania and Ohio of an astounding sum - $59 million. Sosna is responsible for the largest bank fraud scheme ever prosecuted in our District.”
“Mr. Sosna has now been sentenced and held accountable for his greed and negligence in gaming the banking system,” said FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Mike Nordwall. “The FBI investigates these matters aggressively to safeguard the financial industry. Fraud of this magnitude will not be tolerated.”
The court was advised that during the time of the check kite, Sosna was the president of Premier Healthcare Management (Premier), located in Blue Ash, Ohio. It owned and operated nine nursing care facilities in southern and central Ohio. Premiere provided in-facility, post-acute, and long-term care for individuals recovering from medical procedures, as well as assisted living services through various corporate entities. Each entity had a subsidiary relationship with Premier and operated individual bank accounts at various banks to include S&T Bank, headquartered in Indiana Pennsylvania, and First Financial Bank, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio.
According to information provided during his plea hearing, Sosna wrote checks between various S&T Bank and First Financial Bank accounts under his control and associated with Premier, in increasing dollar amounts. This was done to manipulate the numerical balance in the accounts and thereby create the false and fraudulent appearance that the defendant had sufficient legitimate available funds in various accounts, and to trick the banks into honoring checks drawn against accounts with insufficient funds. Between May 15, 2020, and May 18, 2020, by writing and negotiating checks, Sosna, sent more than $118,000,000.00 through S&T Bank and First Financial Bank, which were unfunded amounts and were the equivalent of obtaining money from the banks without actual properly secured loans. A total of 203 checks were negotiated in execution of his scheme. S&T Bank incurred a loss of $59,240,000.00.
Assistant United States Attorneys Robert S. Cessar and Jeffrey R. Bengel prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
Acting United States Attorney Kaufman commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Sosna.
Essex County Man Sentenced to 33 Months in Prison for Conspiring to Steal Mail and Commit Bank FraudRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – An Essex County, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 33 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to steal check books and credit cards from the postal system, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Tashon Ragan, aka “Ta,” 21, of Newark, previously pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Judge Wigenton imposed the sentence by videoconference.
Three of Ragan’s conspirators, Jeffrey Bennett, 27, of Irvington, New Jersey, and Jahaad Flip, 22, and Janel Blackman, 42, both of Newark, pleaded guilty before Judge Wigenton earlier this year to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and are awaiting sentencing. Blackman also pleaded guilty to filing fraudulent applications with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for Economic Injury Disaster Loans.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From February 2019 to May 2020, Ragan conspired to fraudulently obtain money from victim financial institutions by depositing counterfeit checks and checks stolen from the mail into accounts at victim financial institutions and withdrawing funds from those accounts before the fraudulent checks were identified and further withdrawals were blocked. Ragan and his conspirators arranged for USPS employees to steal credit cards and blank check books from the mail in exchange for cash payments. USPS employees provided the checks to Ragan and his conspirators. Ragan and his conspirators forged the signatures of the accountholders and negotiated the checks by making them payable to individuals, some of whom were New Jersey high school students and who had given Ragan and his conspirators access to their accounts, also in exchange for cash. Ragan and his conspirators created counterfeit checks, including counterfeit pandemic relief checks. Ragan and his conspirators deposited the fraudulent checks online and at various bank ATMs throughout New Jersey and later withdrew funds from the bank accounts before the victim financial institutions identified the checks as fraudulent and could block further withdrawals. Ragan and his conspirators obtained and attempted to obtain approximately $366,000 from victim financial institutions.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Wigenton also sentenced Ragan to three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay restitution of $61,438.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited postal inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Acting Inspector in Charge Raimundo Marrero; special agents with the U.S. Postal Service – Office of Inspector General, Northeast Area Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Matthew Modafferi; special agents with IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael Montanez; and special agents with the Office of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Andrew McKay, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing. She also thanked the Summit Police Department, the New Providence Police Department, the Piscataway Police Department, the Newark Police Department, the South Orange Police Department, and the Little Falls Police Department for their assistance.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan Fayer and Elaine K. Lou in Newark.