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28 October 2021
Nicholas County Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Nicholas County man was sentenced today to three years and five months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Ralph Floyd Barnett, Jr., 61, of Birch River, possessed a .22 caliber handgun on August 17, 2019, and used the firearm to shoot multiple times at another man. Barnett admitted that he was prohibited from possessing a firearm as a result of his prior federal conviction for aiding and abetting in maintaining a drug-involved premises. Deputies with the Nicholas County Sheriff’s Department initially responded to Barnett’s residence in Birch River after he made a series of 911 calls in which he threatened to shoot somebody and threatened to assault certain Deputies in the Sheriff’s Department.
United States Attorney William S. Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Nicholas County Sheriff’s Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin imposed the sentence. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nowles Heinrich prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:21-cr-00066.
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New York City Man Sentenced to 48 Months for Bank Fraud and Aggravated Identity TheftRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Jason Safford, age 46, of Queens, New York, was sentenced today to 48 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to bank fraud, attempted wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft, announced United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
In addition to his sentence of imprisonment, Safford was ordered to serve a 3-year term of supervised release following his release from incarceration and to pay restitution to his victims in the total amount of $1,322,295.
Safford, who holds himself out as a Wealth Architect, Investor, and Executive Coach, admitted in pleading guilty previously that he applied for a mortgage refinance loan in October 2016 on behalf of Safflyn Green Industries, Inc., a company in which he had an ownership interest. In support of that loan application, Safford submitted false bank statements, false deposit verification documentation, and a false appraisal for the property at issue, which is located at 350 Galina Lane in Mohawk, New York, and is commonly referred to as the “Gelston Estate.” RS Lending, a financial institution then operating in San Francisco, approved the loan application and funded it for more than $1.3 million in December 2016. The loan is now in default status, and nearly $1.2 million remains outstanding.
Safford also admitted in his guilty plea that in 2018 he applied for a $2 million mortgage refinance loan for the Gelston Estate through an upstate New York brokerage firm. Once again, Safford created and submitted false bank statements and a falsified appraisal in support of this loan application. When questioned about the appraisal by the brokerage firm about the appraisal, Safford obtained a letter from a licensed appraiser confirming that the appraiser had appraised property located at 980 Robinson Road in Mohawk, New York—which is next to the Gelston Estate—for $325,000 on September 16, 2014. Safford modified and forged this letter to say, falsely, that the appraiser had appraised the property located at 350 Galina Lane on January 31, 2018, for $2,448,500.00, and Safford sent the falsified letter to the brokerage firm, along with modified and falsified copies of the appraiser’s license and professional liability coverage information. This loan was never funded.
Finally, Safford admitted that he assisted in obtaining investments from multiple investors to develop the Gelston Estate and 980 Robinson Road properties and that the investors’ money was not all used to develop the properties. The restitution Safford was ordered to pay will go to four individual investors and to the company that purchased RS Lending when it went out of business.
This case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael F. Perry.
New Orleans Resident Sentenced to 42 Months for Trafficking Heroin with His Uncle and Six OthersRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that KEVIN COFFIL, age 25, a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana, was sentenced on October 26, 2021 to 42 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan for conspiring to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(A), and 846. The Court imposed a term of supervised release of 36 months. COFFIL must also pay a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
According to court records, COFFIL conspired with codefendant Arthur Johnson, his uncle, and six others to distribute heroin throughout the New Orleans and Baton Rouge areas.
A search warrant executed on Arthur Johnson’s residence in New Orleans East on December 28, 2017, resulted in the seizure of approximately 1.3 kilograms of heroin, a kilo press which is used to package heroin, digital scales, and other tools of the drug trade.
That evening, agents established surveillance in the vicinity of the 7500 block of Vanderkloot Avenue in New Orleans. Agents observed a blue Jeep Wrangler park in the driveway of an address in the area. COFFIL exited the car and began walking around the back carrying a Lululemon bag. Agents approached the car and detained COFFIL. Agents advised COFFIL of his rights. Agents searched the bag and saw that it contained over $113,000 in US currency. COFFILL, Arthur Johnson, and the other codefendants were charged in 2018 with conspiring to distribute heroin in the New Orleans and Baton Rouge areas.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the FBI’s New Orleans Gang Task Force in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney David Howard Sinkman is in charge of the prosecution.
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New Orleans Resident Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Distribute Illegal Narcotics and to Providing a Co-Defendant with a Loaded AK-47 Found in a Mercedes During a Traffic StopRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that LIONEL COOLEY, age 45, a resident of Slidell, Louisiana, pled guilty to conspiring to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and 28 grams or more of crack and to providing an AK-47 firearm to codefendant Blake Monroe that was used to facilitate crack sales.
COOLEY is facing a mandatory minimum sentence of five (5) years up to forty (40) years of imprisonment, a fine of up to $5,000,000, at least four (4) years of supervised release upon his release from prison, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee for the drug distribution offense, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B), and 846. COOLEY also faces a maximum sentence of twenty (20) years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, up to three (3) years of supervised release from prison, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee for the firearm offense, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(o).
According to court records, COOLEY and four others, Joseph Brown, Kendrick Demourelle, Kevin Gray, and Blake Monroe, conspired to sell illegal narcotics in New Orleans, including using a broken-down yellow school bus in the ‘Goose’ neighborhood in New Orleans East as a stash house. All five were indicted in February 2020, and, according to court records, a seized GMC Sierra pickup truck used by a member of this conspiracy contained nearly two kilograms of cocaine and 430 grams of crack.
During a December 11, 2019 traffic stop, New Orleans Police Department Officers also observed in plain sight a loaded AK-47, with the selector switch in the fire position, on the back floor of a white Mercedes driven by Blake Monroe. COOLEY had given Monroe this AK-47 so Monroe could sell crack cocaine.
U.S. District Judge Wendy Vitter will sentence COOLEY on February 1, 2022 at 2pm. COOLEY, Brown, Demourelle, Gray, and Monroe were charged in February 2020 with conspiring to distribute cocaine, crack, and heroin in the New Orleans area.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, Hammond Police Department, New Orleans Police Department, and Slidell Police Department in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney David Howard Sinkman is in charge of the prosecution.
New Jersey Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Attempted Sexual Exploitation of a MinorRead the Press Release
BOSTON - A New Jersey man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Worcester in connection with attempting to produce child pornography.
Jordan Winczuk, 36, of Bellmawr, N.J., pleaded guilty to one count of attempted sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of commission a felony offense involving the sexual exploitation of minor as a registered sex offender. U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman scheduled sentencing for Feb. 18, 2022. Winczuk was indicted in April 2019.
In January 2018, Winczuk, a Level 3 sex offender, contacted a Worcester boy through social media. Over a period of weeks, Winczuk attempted to convince the victim, who had disclosed that he was only 11 years old, to photograph his genitals and send those pictures to Winczuk via Instagram. During his contact with the victim, Winczuk posed as a teenage girl, the brother of the purported teenage girl and a first responder. In February 2018, a search of Winczuk’s New Jersey residence recovered cell phones that contained child pornography and included multiple conversations in which he requested sexually explicit images from other apparent minors. At the time, Winczuk was on parole following a state conviction in New Jersey for sexually assaulting a boy and endangering the welfare of a child through the distribution of child pornography.
The charge of attempted sexual exploitation of a minor provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and up to 30 years in prison, a minimum of five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. At sentencing, the court could find that Winczuk’s prior convictions subject him to a mandatory minimum of 35 years and up to life in prison for this charge. The charge of committing felony offense involving the sexual exploitation of minor as a registered sex offender provides for an additional sentence of 10 years in prison, to be served consecutively to any other sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Worcester Police Chief Steven M. Sargent made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by Homeland Security Investigations, the New Jersey State Police and the New Jersey State Parole Board. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kristen M. Noto and Danial Bennett of Mendell’s Worcester Branch Office are prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
New Jersey Man Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison for Attempted Possession of Nearly Two Kilograms of FentanylRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A New Jersey man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston in connection with attempting to retrieve narcotics from two Stoughton storage units.
Carlos Miguel Concepcion-Guilam, 30, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge William G. Young to nine years in prison and three years of supervised release. On June 4, 2021, Concepcion-Guilam was convicted by a federal jury of attempted possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.
On June 19, 2019, staff at a storage facility in Stoughton opened a storage unit to auction its contents and found drug paraphernalia inside. A search of that unit and a second related storage unit by law enforcement resulted in the recovery of nearly two kilograms of fentanyl and fentanyl analogue, nearly a kilogram of cocaine and drug distribution paraphernalia including cutting agents, blenders and packaging materials. Agents subsequently began surveilling the units to identity the owner of the drugs.
On June 20, 2019, Concepcion-Guilam arrived at the storage facility and opened the unit that previously contained nearly three kilograms of narcotics. Upon seeing that the drugs had been seized, Concepcion-Guilam sprinted away from the storage facility and attempted to flee in his vehicle. Concepcion-Guilam deliberately crashed his vehicle into a marked police cruiser before he was arrested. At the time of his arrest, Concepcion-Guilam was found in possession of additional fentanyl in his pocket.
Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Division; and Stoughton Police Chief Donna McNamara made the announcement. Special assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen Hassink, Lauren Graber and Benjamin Tolkoff of Mendell’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.
Navajo Nation member sentenced to 24 years in prison for sexual abuse of a child in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Jeremiah Elijah Jim, 31, of Teec Nos Pos, Arizona, and an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, was sentenced in federal court on Oct. 27 to 24 years in prison for aggravated sexual abuse of a minor in Indian Country. Jim pleaded guilty on April 5.
According to his plea and other court documents, on June 3, 2019, Jim and co-defendant Bryan Bull, also an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, threatened the 14-year-old victim with serious bodily injury and sexually abused him. The abuse took place in Shiprock, New Mexico, on the Navajo Nation.
Bull pleaded guilty on Aug. 30 and remains in custody pending sentencing.
Upon his release from prison, Jim will be subject to seven years of supervised release and will have a lifetime requirement to register as a sex offender.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department. The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico.
Muldrow Resident Sentenced for the Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Hunter Jacob James Hope, age 21, of Muldrow, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 290 months’ imprisonment and 25 years of supervised release for seven counts of production of child pornography, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2251, and one count of possession of child pornography, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252.
According to court documents, Hope engaged in a pattern of conduct that involved threatening to share sensitive (typically undressed or partially undressed) images of minors unless the minors either engaged in sex acts with him or provided him with sexually explicit images of themselves over the internet.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Sallisaw Police Department and the Department of Homeland Security - Homeland Security Investigations “(HSI)”.
Acting United States Attorney Christopher J. Wilson said, “Justice was delivered to multiple minor victims who were forced to acquiesce to this Defendant’s perverse desire to threaten and sexually abuse them for his own twisted gratification. Without their bravery in choosing to come forward, this Defendant would have been free to continue his pattern of criminal conduct.”
“This deviant predator will no longer pose a threat to children, earning every minute of his 24-year sentence for his callous acts of sexual exploitation of vulnerable minors," said Christopher Miller, Acting Special Agent in Charge HSI Dallas." Through our collaboration with our law enforcement partners, we will never relent in bringing the full weight of justice against sexual predators for the lasting harm they inflict on children.”
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
The Honorable Ronald A. White, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Muskogee, presided over the hearing. Special Assistant United States Attorney Gwendelynn Bills represented the United States. Hope was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshal to await commitment to a United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve his non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Monroe Man Charged with Fraudulently Obtaining COVID-19 Relief Funds and Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
SHREVEPORT, La. – A federal grand jury returned an indictment yesterday charging a Monroe, Louisiana man with fraudulently obtaining more than $1.1 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program loans, announced Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook, and Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, along with James E. Dorsey, Special Agent in Charge of Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and Inspector General Hannibal “Mike” Ware of the Small Business Administration-Office of Inspector General (SBA-OIG).
According to the indictment, Michael Ansezell Tolliver, 56, of Monroe, submitted nine fraudulent PPP and EIDL Program loan applications on behalf of several purported companies that Tolliver owned, including Tolliver Oil & Gas Corporation of Louisiana Inc. and Tolliver Petroleum Corporation of Louisiana. According to the indictment, Tolliver falsified information in the loan applications and supporting documents, including falsely claiming that some of his businesses had over 100 employees. He also submitted falsified federal tax returns. In total, Tolliver sought more than $7.6 million in PPP and EIDL Program loans and obtained more than $1.1 million. Tolliver then allegedly laundered and misused the loan proceeds, including by transferring the funds to personal bank accounts and purchasing cars and luxury goods.
Tolliver is charged with two counts of wire fraud and three counts of money laundering. A summons will be issued and he will make his initial appearance at a later date before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kayla D. McClusky of the U.S. District Court in the Western District of Louisiana. If convicted, Tolliver faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison per count of wire fraud and 10 years in prison per count of money laundering.
An indictment is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The IRS-CI and SBA-OIG are investigating the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth D. Reeg and Trial Attorney Justin M. Woodard of the Department of Justice’s Fraud Section of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.
The Fraud Section leads the department’s prosecution of fraud schemes that exploit the PPP. Since the PPP began, Fraud Section attorneys have prosecuted more than 100 defendants in more than 70 criminal cases. The Fraud Section has also seized more than $65 million in cash proceeds derived from fraudulently obtained PPP funds, as well as numerous real estate properties and luxury items purchased with such proceeds. More information can be found at https://www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/ppp-fraud.
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 of Justice’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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Minnesota Man Charged with Computer Intrusion and Illegally Streaming Content from Four Major Professional Sports LeaguesRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced that JOSHUA STREIT, a/k/a “Josh Brody,” was charged with conducting intrusions into Major League Baseball (“MLB”) computer systems, and illegally streaming copyrighted content from MLB, the National Basketball Association (“NBA”), the National Football League (“NFL”), and the National Hockey League (“NHL”), in connection with a website STREIT operated that offered the illegally streamed content to the public for profit. In addition, STREIT is charged with extortion for attempting to extort approximately $150,000 from MLB. STREIT is expected to be presented today before a U.S. magistrate judge in the District of Minnesota.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Joshua Streit is alleged to have illegally streamed sports content online from MLB, the NHL, the NBA, and the NFL for his own personal profit. Furthermore, Streit allegedly hacked MLB’s computer systems and attempted to extort $150,000 from the league. Thanks to this Office’s teamwork with all four major American sports leagues and the FBI, Streit has struck out on his illegal streaming and extortion scheme.”
FBI Assistant Director Michael J. Driscoll said: “We allege Mr. Brody hacked into the systems of several of our country's biggest professional sports leagues and illegally streamed copyrighted live games. Instead of quitting while he was ahead, he allegedly decided to continue the game by extorting one of the leagues, threatening to expose the very vulnerability he used to hack them. Now instead of scoring a payday, Mr. Brody faces the possibility of a federal prison sentence as a penalty.”
According to the Complaint[1] unsealed today in Manhattan federal court:
Beginning in or about 2017, to in or about August 2021, JOSHUA STREIT a/k/a, “Joshua Brody,” the defendant, operated a website that streamed copyrighted content, primarily livestreamed games from major professional sports leagues, including MLB, the NBA, the NFL, and the NHL, which STREIT had no authorization to stream. STREIT obtained the copyrighted content by gaining unauthorized access to the websites for those sports leagues via misappropriated login credentials from legitimate users of those websites. One of the victim sports leagues sustained losses of approximately $3 million due to STREIT’s conduct.
In addition, at the same time STREIT was illicitly streaming copyrighted content from MLB, STREIT was engaged in an attempt to extort approximately $150,000 from MLB via a threat from STREIT to publicize alleged vulnerabilities in MLB’s internet infrastructure. STREIT initiated the extortion scheme at the same time that he was exploiting MLB’s computer systems to gain unauthorized access to copyright content that he streamed for profit.
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STREIT, 30 of St. Louis Park, Minnesota, is charged with: (1) one count of knowingly accessing a protected computer in furtherance of a criminal act and for purposes of commercial advantage and private financial gain, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; (2) one count of knowingly accessing a protected computer in furtherance of fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; (3) one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; (4) one count of illicit digital transmission, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; and (5) one count of sending interstate threats with the intent to extort, which carries a maximum sentence of two 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.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding work of the FBI. He also thanked MLB, the NBA, the NFL, and the NHL for their ongoing support and assistance with the case.
The case is being handled by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Dina McLeod is in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Complaint 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 Complaint, and the description of the Complaint set forth herein, constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Milton Man Charged with Attempted Enticement of A Minor to Engage in Prostitution and Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
WILLIAMSPORT - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Erick Donnell Metzger, age 53, of Milton, Pennsylvania, was indicted today by a federal grand jury on an attempted enticement of a minor charge.
According to Acting United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, the indictment alleges that on October 23, 2021 Metzger knowingly attempted to persuade, entice, and coerce a minor to engage in prostitution and sexual activity.
The case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney George J. Rocktashel is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is life imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.
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Miami Man Pleads Guilty in Connection with Nationwide Gas Station Skimming SchemeRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Joan Jesus Manso Dieguez, age 35, of Miami, Florida, pled guilty today to a superseding indictment charging him with taking part in an access device fraud conspiracy and a related money laundering conspiracy.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); and Inspector in Charge Ketty Larco Ward, Boston Division, United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS).
The conspiracies involved a nationwide gas station skimming scheme in which the members of the access device fraud conspiracy stole banking and personal information of gas station customers in and around the Northern District of New York, as well as multiple other parts of the country, who used the “pay at the pump” feature to make gasoline purchases. Gift cards, money orders, and cash obtained using the stolen card information were then laundered by the members of the money laundering conspiracy.
As part of his guilty plea, Dieguez admitted to conspiring with others to commit access device fraud, between December 2015 and July 2019, by building skimming devices designed to steal gas station customer information, installing those devices inside gas pumps in Albany, Broome and Montgomery Counties, and elsewhere, and then using the information collected by those devices to create fake credit and debit cards; the fake cards were then used to obtain money orders, gift, cards, cash, and other things of value.
Dieguez also admitted to being part of a conspiracy to launder funds obtained through the access device fraud conspiracy. In facilitating that conspiracy, Dieguez caused the deposit of at least $505,739 into bank accounts he controlled. Dieguez further admitted to withdrawing $473,754 in cash from those same banking accounts, and to selling gift cards worth $1,731,169. The gift cards had been purchased using information stolen from approximately 2,900 cardholders. As part of his plea agreement, Dieguez agreed to be subject to a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $1,421,200.
Dieguez is the last of eight arrested defendants to plead guilty for their roles in this scheme. Four other defendants have been charged but remain fugitives.
A sentencing hearing is set to take place on March 1, 2022, before Senior United States District Judge Gary L. Sharpe. Dieguez faces up to 20 years in prison; a fine of up to $500,000 or twice the value of the property involved in the transaction, whichever is greater; and up to 3 years of supervised release. 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 Albany Field Office and USPIS Boston Division, with assistance from the FBI Field Offices in Miami, Pittsburgh, and San Juan, the USPIS Miami Division, the United States Secret Service Miami Field Office, as well as the New York State Department of Agriculture, Division of Weights and Measures and the New York State Cyber Command Center. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rick Belliss and Emily C. Powers.
Medfield Man Pleads Guilty to Two Online Fraud SchemesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Medfield man pleaded guilty yesterday in connection with an international business email compromise (BEC) scheme that defrauded companies of more than $850,000 and a romance fraud scheme that defrauded victims of at least $7,000.
Paul M. Iwuanyanwu, 41, pleaded guilty to wire fraud, mail fraud, conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and unlawful monetary transactions. U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper scheduled sentencing for Feb. 17, 2022. Iwuanyanwu was charged in a superseding indictment in July 2020.
With respect to the BEC scheme, Iwuanyanwu participated in a plan to breach the email systems of companies and install unauthorized computer programs that diverted company emails to accounts controlled by Iwuanyanwu and his co-conspirators. As a result, all emails sent by or to the companies were first routed through the conspiracy’s email accounts, where co-conspirators could view and respond to the messages as if they were representatives of the companies. Iwuanyanwu, and others, used this unauthorized access to cause the companies to redirect more than $850,000 in payments intended for legitimate business operations to bank accounts controlled by Iwuanyanwu and others.
With respect to romance fraud, Iwuanyanwu participated in a scheme to use fraudulent online relationships to deceive victims and persuade them to send money to Iwuanyanwu and others, or to receive money on Iwuanyanwu and other’s behalf. Victims wired at least $6,000 to accounts controlled by Iwuanyanwu and others and sent at least $1,000 via money orders to Iwuanyanwu.
The charge of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss. The charge of mail fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of unlawful monetary transactions provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell and Matthew B. Millhollin, Special Agent in Charge of the Homeland Security Investigations in Boston made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sara Miron Bloom and Benjamin Alfredo Saltzman of Mendell’s Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.
Maryland Man Indicted on Firearms ChargesRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG, - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that on October 27, 2021, Melton Montgomery, age 27, of Gwynn Oak, Maryland, was indicted by a federal grand jury for possession of a firearm by prohibited person.
According to Acting United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, the indictment alleges that Montgomery possessed a loaded Rossi .38 caliber revolver and ammunition, as a previously convicted felon, on November 20, 2020, in Adams County.
The case was investigated by the Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), the Adams County District Attorney’s Office and the Littlestown Borough Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jaime Keating is prosecuting the case.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.”
Indictments, Criminal Informations and Criminal Complaints are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is 10 years, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.
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Martinsburg man admits to role in drug trafficking and firearms conspiracyRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Sean Amos Robinson, of Martinsburg, West Virginia, has admitted to a drug charge, United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II announced.
Robinson, also known as “Zoo,” pleaded guilty today to one count of “Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Eutylone.” Robinson admitted to working with others to distribute Eutylone from June 2019 to December 2020 in Berkeley and Jefferson Counties and elsewhere.
Robinon faces up to 20 years of incarceration and a fine of up to $1,000,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The FBI; U.S. Marshals Service; Homeland Security Investigations; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives; the West Virginia Air National Guard; the Eastern Panhandle Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; the West Virginia State Police; the Harpers Ferry Police Department, and the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, D.C. investigated. The EPDTF consists of the West Virginia State Police, Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Ranson Police Department, the Charles Town Police Department, and the Martinsburg Police Department.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided.
Mansfield Man Previously Convicted of Domestic Violence Crimes Sentenced for Illegal Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
SHREVEPORT, La. - Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that a Mansfield man who was convicted by a jury earlier this year of illegally possessing a firearm was sentenced by United States District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote.
Orentha James Pea, 43, of Mansfield, Louisiana, was sentenced to 120 months (10 years) in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release. It was also ordered that this sentence run consecutive to any state court sentence Pea receives if convicted for aggravated battery against his wife. Pea was convicted after a two-day jury trial in May 2021 on two firearms charges, being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a firearm after having been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. Evidence introduced at the trial showed the jury that Pea held a gun to his wife’s head in front of their children and threatened to kill her following an argument between the two of them. Pea was previously convicted of misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence in 2017 and 2018 related to the domestic abuse battery of his daughter and the violation of his wife’s order of protection. Pea also has felony convictions for aggravated battery in 2005, related to shooting his pregnant wife with a firearm, and aggravated battery in 2014, related to striking his wife with a firearm. Testimony at trial revealed that Pea was commonly known to carry a firearm, despite knowing that he was prohibited from doing so as a convicted felon and a person convicted of misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence. After threatening to kill his wife, who is the victim in this case, Pea went to a cousin’s house and returned back home later that evening. He locked himself and the victim in their bedroom, took her cell phone from her, and berated her for most of the night.
The next morning when they awoke, the victim was able to get away from Pea and call the police to report the threat that he made to kill her the day before and that he had a gun in his possession. Officers with the Shreveport Police Department responded to their home and conducted a search and found the loaded firearm hidden in the house. Laboratory analysis determined that Pea’s DNA was present on the firearm.
The ATF and Shreveport Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cadesby B. Cooper prosecuted the case.
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Manchester Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Fraud and Identity Theft OffensesRead the Press Release
Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that JAIME PINTO, 45, of Manchester, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford to 60 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for fraud and identity theft offenses stemming from his involvement in a scheme to use stolen identities to lease and purchase vehicles and motorcycles.
According to court documents and statements made in court, beginning in late 2017, Pinto, Domingo St. Hilaire Rosario and another individual conspired to use stolen identities to obtain vehicles and motorcycles at dealerships in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Jersey. As part of the scheme, Rosario arranged for a car or motorcycle to be purchased or leased from a dealership in the name of an identity theft victim, and Pinto or another co-conspirator impersonated the identity theft victim at the dealership to complete the paperwork. Rosario supplied Pinto and others with fraudulent identification documents bearing the victim’s personal identifying information, and with a fraudulent photo identification that contained the identifying information of the victim and a photograph of a co-conspirator. Rosario intended to sell or export the vehicles.
Through this scheme, Rosario, Pinto and their co-conspirators acquired at least 13 vehicles and attempted to acquire at least two more. Some of the vehicles were recovered by law enforcement and returned to the dealers.
On March 20, 2019, Pinto pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of wire fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft. He has been detained since July 2019 after he violated conditions of his release and his bond was revoked.
On May 10, 2021, Rosario pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. On October 20, 2021, Judge Bryant sentenced him to 65 months of imprisonment.
Judge Bryant ordered Rosario and Pinto to pay $203,873.11 in restitution.
This matter has been investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), with substantial assistance from the Vernon Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anastasia E. King.
Maine Tax Preparer Charged with Defrauding ClientsRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Sean O’Hare, age 53, of South Portland, Maine, was arraigned today on an indictment accusing him of committing wire fraud.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Inspector in Charge Ketty Larco-Ward, Boston Division, United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS).
The indictment alleges that O’Hare, a tax preparer and accountant, defrauded his clients by submitting false and fraudulent sales tax returns to the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, and diverting client funds for his own use. The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
A grand jury returned the indictment on September 16, 2021. O’Hare was arraigned today in Albany before United States Magistrate Judge Christian F. Hummel and released pending trial.
If convicted, O’Hare faces up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release up to 3 years. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
This case is being investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, with assistance from the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander P. Wentworth-Ping.
Madison County man sentenced to prison for making online threats to kill individuals connected with abortion services non-profitRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A London, Ohio, man was sentenced in federal court today to 20 months in prison and five years of supervised release for making online threats to individuals connected with a non-profit organization whose mission is to help people access safe abortions.
James David Hampton, 41, was charged by a federal grand jury in April 2021 and pleaded guilty in June 2021.
According to court documents, on Aug. 26, 2020, Hampton searched “Abortion Support Network” on Facebook and commented on the ASN page, in part, “we kill scum like you…we follow you…we stalk you…then we kill you” and “there will be no pity when I myself stand over your cowering body as you beg and weep for your own life…just before I cut your throat.”
Hampton added, “we know where you live..your routines..we kidnap your kind…we torture you for information.”
He went into graphic detail about how he would cause pain and suffering to his victims before their death, telling one victim: “100 beatings with a hot chain ... then ... I will bury you alive in a whole with bleach water to drink (if you choose to) .. oh, and the earth above your body will be set on fire as well .. consider it a trial run for your time in hell ..”
In total, Hampton made more than a dozen threats to at least 10 victims.
In addition to the electronic communications, Hampton posted several public Facebook live videos to his profile on Aug. 26, 2020.
Hampton is clearly identified in the videos and stated, “My name is James David Hampton and I kill baby murderers.” He warned that a “great and ferocious wrath” was coming and spoke about burning down clinics and executing the doctors in the streets, as well as people who fund abortion clinics.
Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; and J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. Assistant Deputy Criminal Chief Jessica W. Knight is representing the United States in this case.
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Louisiana Man Indicted for Fraudulently Obtaining COVID-19 Relief Funds and Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury in Shreveport, Louisiana, returned an indictment yesterday charging a Louisiana man with fraudulently obtaining more than $1.1 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program loans.
According to the indictment, Michael Ansezell Tolliver, 56, of Monroe, submitted nine fraudulent PPP and EIDL Program loan applications on behalf of several purported companies that Tolliver owned, including Tolliver Oil & Gas Corporation of Louisiana Inc. and Tolliver Petroleum Corporation of Louisiana. According to the indictment, Tolliver falsified information in the loan applications and supporting documents, including falsely claiming that some of his businesses had over 100 employees. He also submitted falsified federal tax returns. In total, Tolliver sought more than $7.6 million in PPP and EIDL Program loans and obtained more than $1.1 million. Tolliver then allegedly laundered and misused the loan proceeds, including by transferring the funds to personal bank accounts and purchasing cars and luxury goods.
Tolliver is charged with two counts of wire fraud and three counts of money laundering. A summons will be issued and he will make his initial court appearance at a later date before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kayla D. McClusky of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison per count of wire fraud and 10 years in prison per count of money laundering. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Acting U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook of the Western District of Louisiana; Special Agent in Charge James E. Dorsey of IRS-Criminal Investigation’s (IRS-CI) Atlanta Field Office; and Inspector General Hannibal “Mike” Ware of the Small Business Administration, Office of Inspector General (SBA-OIG) made the announcement.
IRS-CI and SBA-OIG are investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Justin M. Woodard of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth D. Reeg of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana are prosecuting the case.
The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s prosecution of fraud schemes that exploit the PPP. Since the inception of the CARES Act, the Fraud Section has prosecuted over 100 defendants in more than 70 criminal cases and has seized over $65 million in cash proceeds derived from fraudulently obtained PPP funds, as well as numerous real estate properties and luxury items purchased with such proceeds. More information can be found at https://www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/ppp-fraud.
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.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Lost Creek Man Charged with Attempted Enticement of A Minor to Engage in Prostitution and Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
WILLIAMSPORT - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Frank A. Nork, age 47, of Lost Creek, Pennsylvania, was indicted today by a federal grand jury on an attempted enticement of a minor charge.
According to Acting United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, the indictment alleges that on October 21, 2021 Nork knowingly attempted to persuade, entice, and coerce a minor to engage in prostitution and sexual activity.
The case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney George J. Rocktashel is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is life imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.
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Lorain Man Sentenced to Six and a Half Years for Drug Trafficking and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
Acting U.S. Attorney Bridget M. Brennan announced that Jarvis Burns, Jr., 23, of Lorain, was sentenced on October 27, 2021, by Judge Solomon Oliver, Jr. to 78 months imprisonment after Burns pleaded guilty in June of 2021 to multiple drug trafficking offenses and being a felon in possession of ammunition.
According to court records, on May 29, 2019, Burns was arrested by the Lorain Police Department and taken to the Lorain City Jail and searched. During the search, officers observed Burns to be in possession of a bag of suspected drugs. When confronted, Burns became violent and ripped open multiple bags of crack cocaine, heroin and fentanyl, and began dispersing the drugs around the room and onto police officers. Following this incident, Burns and the police officers were taken to a local hospital for treatment of exposure to fentanyl. Subsequently, the Lorain City Jail had to be closed to allow for the Lorain Fire Department HazMat team to decontaminate the area.
Later, in November of 2019, the Elyria Police Department began an investigation into Burns’ drug trafficking activities. From November of 2019 through January of 2020, law enforcement officials set up a series of controlled buys and, on four separate occasions, Burns sold what was believed to be drugs to a confidential informant. Burns sold the informant a controlled substance on one instance and non-controlled substances on the other three.
While law enforcement officials were conducting their investigation, Burns was involved in a shooting incident in the city of Elyria. On November 25, 2019, the Elyria Police Department was dispatched to a reported shooting on Lake Avenue in Elyria. Police located six spent shell casings and later identified two vehicles involved in the incident. An investigation revealed that Burns and another individual were involved in an argument when the other individual hit Burns with a car. Burns then fired multiple gunshots at the other individual, who was attempting to flee at the time.
Burns is prohibited from possessing a firearm and ammunition due to previous convictions for drug trafficking in the Lorain County Common Pleas Court.
This effort was 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.
This case was investigated by the FBI, the Lorain Police Department, the Elyria Police Department, and the Lorain County Drug Task Force, with the assistance of the United States Marshal Service. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. Kolansky.
Leesburg Woman Charged with Fraud and Aggravated Identity TheftRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Karin Hoppmann announces the return of an indictment charging Elizabeth Carol Wininger (68, Leesburg) with three counts of aggravated identity theft and one count of unauthorized use of access devices. If convicted on all counts, Wininger faces a maximum penalty of 16 years in federal prison.
According to court documents, between July 1, 2020, and February 28, 2021, Wininger engaged in a scheme to collect unemployment benefits using the identities of others without their knowledge or consent. As part of the scheme, Wininger attempted to steal more than $11 million in unemployment benefits in the victims’ names. She ultimately received more than $500,000 in payments.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General, and the Leesburg Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney William S. Hamilton.
Leader of International Burglary Crew Sentenced to 8 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that DAMIR PEJCINOVIC was sentenced today to eight years in prison in connection with his participation and management of a criminal organization that committed a series of sophisticated burglaries and engaged in the interstate transportation of stolen goods between 2006 and 2017. On November 19, 2020, PEJCINOVIC pled guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kevin Nathaniel Fox to participating in a racketeering conspiracy. PEJCINOVIC was sentenced today before U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “For over a decade, the defendant supervised a sophisticated burglary crew that carried out multimillion-dollar heists all over the United States and on both sides of the Atlantic. Today’s lengthy sentence sends an important message to members of criminal organizations that they will face justice for their crimes.”
As alleged in the Indictment and statements made in open court:
Between 2006 and April 2017, DAMIR PEJCINOVIC, a/k/a “Damian,” a/k/a “CoCo,” Gzimi Bojkovic, a/k/a Jimmy,” Adrian Fiseku, and Elvis Cirikovic, a/k/a “Gorilla,” participated in a criminal organization whose members and associates engaged in, among other things, the commission of burglaries and the interstate transportation and sale of stolen goods. The criminal organization operated principally in New York City, California, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida, Massachusetts, Maine, and Europe. Members and associates of the organization committed, conspired to commit, and attempted to commit numerous burglaries of jewelry stores and banks, as well as the interstate transportation and sale of stolen property from the burglaries. PEJCINOVIC, Bojkovic, Fiseku, Cirikovic, and other members and associates of the criminal organization committed the following burglaries and attempted burglaries:
Between February 2006 and March 2006, PEJCINOVIC participated in a burglary of a restaurant and an attempted burglary of a jewelry store in Portland, Oregon.
On March 29, 2008, PEJCINOVIC, Bojkovic, and Cirikovic participated in a burglary of a jewelry store in New York, New York, that resulted in the theft of jewelry valued at over $2.5 million.
On October 11, 2008, PEJCINOVIC and Cirikovic participated in an attempted burglary of a jewelry store in Germany, attempting to steal gold valued at more than €10 million.
On July 26, 2009, PEJCINOVIC and Bojkovic participated in a burglary of a Manhattan jewelry store that resulted in the theft of jewelry valued at over $850,000.
On August 25, 2010, PEJCINOVIC participated in an attempted burglary of a jewelry store in Manhattan.
On August 28, 2010, PEJCINOVIC and Bojkovic participated in a burglary of a jewelry store in Beverly Hills that resulted in the theft of jewelry valued at over $70,000.
On September 5, 2010, PEJCINOVIC participated in a burglary of a jewelry store in Kansas City that resulted in the theft, interstate transportation, and sale of jewelry valued at over $1 million.
On February 19, 2011, PEJCINOVIC, Cirikovic, and Fiseku participated in a jewelry store in Los Angeles that resulted in the theft, interstate transportation, and sale of jewelry valued at over $3 million.
In the summer of 2011, PEJCINOVIC participated in an attempted burglary of a jewelry store in Brooklyn.
On September 16, 2011, PEJCINOVIC and Cirikovic participated in a burglary of a jewelry store in Los Angeles that resulted in the theft of jewelry valued at over $150,000.
In the fall of 2012, PEJCINOVIC and Bojkovic participated in an attempted burglary of a bank in Philadelphia.
On June 30, 2012, PEJCINOVIC and Cirikovic participated in an attempted burglary of a bank in Scarsdale, New York.
On July 22, 2012, PEJCINOVIC participated in an attempted burglary of a jewelry store in Manhattan.
In the fall of 2013, PEJCINOVIC, Bojkovic, and Cirikovic participated in the burglary of a jewelry store in New Jersey.
On December 31, 2016, PEJCINOVIC, Bojkovic, and Fiseku participated in the burglary of a jewelry store in Manhattan that resulted in the theft, interstate transportation, and sale of jewelry valued at over $3 million.
On March 20, 2017, PEJCINOVIC, Bojkovic, and Fiseku participated in the burglary of a jewelry store in Los Angeles that resulted in the theft of jewelry valued at over $2 million.
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In addition to his prison term, DAMIR PEJCINOVIC, 47, of New York, New York, was sentenced to three years of supervised release. PEJCINOVIC was also ordered to pay restitution of $13,020,000.
Bojkovic, 39, of Staten Island, New York, pled guilty on October 7, 2019, to participating in a racketeering conspiracy. He was sentenced on November 17, 2020, to 36 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution of $9,020,000.00.
Fiseku, 38, of Staten Island, New York, pled guilty on March 13, 2020, to participating in a racketeering conspiracy. He was sentenced on January 22, 2021, to 30 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution of $8,600,000.00.
Cirikovic, 38, of Woodhaven, New York, pled guilty on August 26, 2019, to participating in a racketeering conspiracy. He was sentenced on January 13, 2020, to 27 months in prison and ordered to pay restitution of $2,505,500.00.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New York City Police Department. Mr. Williams also thanked the Los Angeles Police Department, Beverly Hills Police Department, Kansas City Police Department, Portland Police Department, German Federal Police, Interpol, Europol, the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office for their assistance in this investigation.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Andrew K. Chan, Margaret Graham, and Jamie Bagliebter are in charge of the prosecution.
Lake County Registered Sex Offender Accused of Using 13-Year-Old Minor to Produce Child Sex Abuse VideoRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Karin Hoppmann announces the filing of a criminal complaint charging Perry Cleothas Gentry (60, Sorrento) with using a minor child to produce a video that depicted sexually explicit conduct. Gentry faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 25 years, and up to 50 years, in federal prison and a potential life term of supervised release. Gentry is a registered sex offender, having been convicted of a prior child sex offense in 1991.
According to court documents, Gentry was arrested on May 5, 2021, by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office for violating the requirements of his sex offender registration. A subsequent search of his cellphone revealed that he had created a video recording using an internal camera security system in his home. This video depicts Gentry exposing the genitalia of a 13-year-old boy in view of a camera located in Gentry’s bedroom that is aimed at his bed. After creating the video, Gentry uploaded a copy to his cellphone. Agents with the Department of Homeland Security were subsequently able to identify the child.
A complaint is merely a charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael P. Felicetta.
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.
Any person who was, or knows of someone who may have been, a possible child victim is urged to contact HSI at 1-866-DHS-2423 or the online tip form.
Kings County Man Indicted for Submitting over $10 Million in Fraudulent Claims for Diagnostic Sleep Tests to MedicareRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a 12-count indictment today against Travis Gober, 42, of Hanford, charging him with health care fraud and aggravated identity theft, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, Gober owns and controls VIP Sleep Center, a sleep disorder clinic that operated out of Fresno and Visalia. Sleep disorder clinics perform diagnostic tests to identify ailments like sleep apnea and narcolepsy. Between January 2015 and September 2021, Gober caused VIP Sleep to bill Medicare for sleep tests the company did not actually perform. Each of these claims also listed a provider who had purportedly referred the patient to VIP Sleep even though the provider had not done so. In total, Gober caused VIP Sleep to submit more than $10 million in false and fraudulent Medicare claims.
This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Vincente A. Tennerelli and Melanie L. Alsworth are prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Gober faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the health care fraud charges and a mandatory two years in prison on the aggravated identity theft charges. 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.
gobertravis_christian_indictment.pdfJustice Department Will Award More Than $21 Million to Prevent and Respond to Hate CrimesRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice today announced that the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) will award more than $21 million to investigate and prosecute hate crimes and assist hate crime victims. Funding will help state, local and tribal agencies and community organizations address an alarming rise in violent and property crimes committed on the basis of race, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or disability.
“Hate crimes instill fear across entire communities. They have profoundly negative and unacceptable effects on our society,” said Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta. “The department is committed to using all tools at our disposal to combat unlawful acts of hate. These awards will provide state, local and tribal agencies additional support and critical resources to address hate crimes and their far-reaching effects.”
Today’s announcement comes on the 12th anniversary of the enactment of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, signed into law by President Barack Obama in 2009. Shepard, a gay 21-year-old Wyoming man, and Byrd, a 49-year-old African-American man from Jasper, Texas, were slain in separate incidents in 1998. Shepard was beaten, tortured and left to die near Laramie, Wyoming. His killers were convicted of murder and are serving two life sentences. Byrd was tied to the back of a pick-up truck by white supremacists and dragged to his death. Two of the murderers were executed for the brutal crime. The Shepard-Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act enables the Justice Department to prosecute crimes motivated by race, color, religion and national origin without having to show that the victim was engaged in a federally protected activity. The Act also empowers the department to prosecute hate crimes committed because of a person’s sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or disability.
OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) is administering a new program named in honor of Shepard and Byrd. The Act makes grant funds available to improve the investigation and prosecution of hate crimes. Through the Shepard-Byrd solicitation and the related Collaborative Responses to Hate Crimes program that seeks to address precipitous increases in hate crimes, OJP’s BJA will award $8.4 million in site-based funding and training and technical assistance.
“Acts of violence and destruction motivated by hate and bias cause lasting harm to victims, terrorize entire communities and divide our nation, leaving deep scars and stalling the march toward equal justice,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Amy L. Solomon of OJP. “We must work together to bridge the gaps of empathy, root out intolerance in all its forms and send a clear message that the future belongs to every American, no matter what they look like, how they worship and whom they love.”
BJA will also make $1.5 million in site-based awards under the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crimes Reauthorization Act of 2016 to help solve cold case civil rights murders that occurred before Dec. 31, 1979. Till, an African-American teenager, was visiting his family in Money, Mississippi, during the summer of 1955 when he was abducted, beaten and killed. Two local men were prosecuted for the crime but were acquitted by an all-white jury, though they later confessed to the killing. Till’s case helped galvanize the nascent civil rights movement. BJA will award an additional $1.8 million to offer training and technical assistance to other communities seeking to resolve these cases, including making microgrants to the field.
OJP’s Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) has awarded $2 million to respond to the needs of individuals and communities victimized by hate crime. OVC’s Services to Support Victims of Hate Crime and Strengthen Communities program funds innovative, field-generated projects that promote awareness, healing, reconciliation, service access and resource development. OVC is also providing technical assistance to state, local and tribal service providers to help identify and serve hate crime victims.
OJP’s National Institute of Justice (NIJ) has awarded almost $7.5 million to support research designed to develop a better understanding of the phenomenon known as domestic radicalization and to advance evidence-based strategies for preventing and intervening in acts of domestic terrorism. NIJ recently concluded projects to construct a database of individuals arrested or charged with hate crimes and to develop detailed, nationally representative data on hate crime incidents known to police.
For more information about efforts across the Department of Justice to address hate crime, please visit https://www.justice.gov/hatecrimes.
The Office of Justice Programs provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, advance racial equity in the administration of justice, assist victims and enhance the rule of law. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.
Justice Department Reaches Agreement with Vermont Department of Corrections to Improve Access for Inmates with DisabilitiesRead the Press Release
The Civil Rights Division and U.S Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont today announced a settlement agreement with the Vermont Department of Corrections (VDOC) to ensure that inmates with disabilities have equal access to Vermont’s correctional facilities, programs, services and activities. The agreement resolves the department’s investigation into complaints that VDOC does not provide accessible facilities for inmates with mobility disabilities, and does not ensure effective communication for inmates with hearing disabilities, as required under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
The settlement agreement protects the rights of inmates with disabilities to equal access to educational, counseling and recreational programs, as well as to prison facilities such as visitation areas, libraries, medical facilities, intake processing, accessible cells and routes to and through prison buildings. The agreement also requires VDOC to ensure that inmates with hearing disabilities receive appropriate auxiliary aids and services, such as sign language interpreters, video telephones and hearing aids when necessary to ensure effective communication. Under the settlement agreement, VDOC must also make reasonable modifications to its policies, practices and procedures to accommodate inmates with disabilities.
“The Americans with Disabilities Act mandates that individuals with disabilities have equal access to state-provided programs, services, facilities and activities,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Civil Rights Division is committed to ensuring that correctional institutions eliminate physical and communication barriers that prevent inmates with disabilities from participating fully in prison programs.”
“People with disabilities in Vermont deserve equal access, and that does not change when they are incarcerated,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt for the District of Vermont. “The Vermont Department of Corrections has now committed to removing barriers to participation for inmates with disabilities in VDOC facilities, including inmates who have physical and communication disabilities. Our office remains dedicated to supporting efforts to improve access and inclusion for everyone in Vermont.”
Title II of the ADA requires state government entities like VDOC to provide inmates with disabilities, including inmates with mobility and hearing disabilities, with an equal opportunity to participate in their programs, services, and activities. The ADA also requires public entities to make reasonable modifications to policies for inmates with disabilities when needed.
As a result of the agreement announced today, VDOC will:
- Make structural changes to prison buildings and facilities to comply with the ADA Standards for Accessible Design;
- Implement a process that begins at intake, and continues throughout incarceration, to identify and accommodate inmates with disabilities;
- Develop individualized communication assessments and plans setting out the auxiliary aids and services necessary to ensure effective communication for inmates with hearing disabilities;
- Identify and remediate physical barriers to access for inmates with mobility disabilities to ensure access to accessible prison cells and work assignments;
- Provide training on Title II of the ADA to correctional staff and management responsible for evaluating or making decisions about inmate requests for accommodations;
- Engage in compliance reporting and monitoring with the Justice Department; and
- Pay $80,000 to compensate current and former inmates who were harmed.
This matter was handled jointly by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jules Torti of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont and the Disability Rights Section of the department’s Civil Rights Division.
July 26 marked the 31st Anniversary of the ADA. The Justice Department plays a central role in advancing the nation’s goal of equal opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for people with disabilities. For more information on the Civil Rights Division, please visit http://www.justice.gov/crt. For more information on the ADA, please call the department’s toll-free ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 (TDD 800-514-0383) or visit www.ada.gov. ADA complaints may be filed online at http://www.ada.gov/complaint. Additional information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office Civil Rights Programs is available at http://www.justice.gov/usao-vt.
Justice Department Reaches Agreement with Vermont Department of Corrections to Improve Access for Inmates with DisabilitiesRead the Press Release
The Civil Rights Division and U.S Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont today announced a settlement agreement with the Vermont Department of Corrections (VDOC) to ensure that inmates with disabilities have equal access to Vermont’s correctional facilities, programs, services, and activities. The agreement resolves the Department’s investigation into complaints that VDOC does not provide accessible facilities for inmates with mobility disabilities, and does not ensure effective communication for inmates with hearing disabilities, as required under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
The settlement agreement protects the rights of inmates with disabilities to equal access to educational, counseling, and recreational programs, as well as to prison facilities such as visitation areas, libraries, medical facilities, intake processing, accessible cells, and routes to and through prison buildings. The agreement also requires VDOC to ensure that inmates with hearing disabilities receive appropriate auxiliary aids and services, such as sign language interpreters, video telephones, and hearing aids when necessary to ensure effective communication. Under the settlement agreement, VDOC must also make reasonable modifications to its policies, practices, and procedures to accommodate inmates with disabilities.
“The Americans with Disabilities Act mandates that individuals with disabilities have equal access to state-provided programs, services, facilities, and activities,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Civil Rights Division is committed to ensuring that correctional institutions eliminate physical and communication barriers that prevent inmates with disabilities from participating fully in prison programs.”
“People with disabilities in Vermont deserve equal access, and that does not change when they are incarcerated,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt for the District of Vermont. “The Vermont Department of Corrections has now committed to removing barriers to participation for inmates with disabilities in VDOC facilities, including inmates who have physical and communication disabilities. Our office remains dedicated to supporting efforts to improve access and inclusion for everyone in Vermont.”
Title II of the ADA requires state government entities like VDOC to provide inmates with disabilities, including inmates with mobility and hearing disabilities, with an equal opportunity to participate in their programs, services, and activities. The ADA also requires public entities to make reasonable modifications to policies for inmates with disabilities when needed.
As a result of the agreement announced today, VDOC will:
• Make structural changes to prison buildings and facilities to comply with the ADA Standards for Accessible Design; • Implement a process that begins at intake, and continues throughout incarceration, to identify and accommodate inmates with disabilities; • Develop individualized communication assessments and plans setting out the auxiliary aids and services necessary to ensure effective communication for inmates with hearing disabilities; • Identify and remediate physical barriers to access for inmates with mobility disabilities to ensure access to accessible prison cells and work assignments; • Provide training on Title II of the ADA to correctional staff and management responsible for evaluating or making decisions about inmate requests for accommodations; • Engage in compliance reporting and monitoring with the DOJ; and
• Pay $80,000 to compensate current and former inmates who were harmed.This matter was handled jointly by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jules Torti of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont and the Disability Rights Section of the department’s Civil Rights Division. July 26, 2021 marked the 31st Anniversary of the ADA. The Justice Department plays a central role in advancing the nation’s goal of equal opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for people with disabilities. For more information on the Civil Rights Division, please visit http://www.justice.gov/crt. For more information on the ADA, please call the department’s toll-free ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 (TDD 800-514-0383) or visit www.ada.gov. ADA complaints may be filed online at http://www.ada.gov/complaint. Additional information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office Civil Rights Program is available at http://www.justice.gov/usao-vt.
Justice Department Announces Multi-Million Dollar Civil Settlement in Principle in Mother Emanuel Charleston Church Mass ShootingRead the Press Release
Today, the Department of Justice announced that it has reached an agreement in principle to settle the civil cases arising out of the June 2015 Mother Emanuel AME Church mass shooting in Charleston, South Carolina.
These settlements will resolve claims by 14 plaintiffs arising out of the shooting. Plaintiffs agreed to settle claims alleging that the FBI was negligent when it failed to prohibit the sale of a gun by a licensed firearms dealer to the shooter, a self-proclaimed white supremacist, who wanted to start a “race war” and specifically targeted the 200-year-old historically African-American congregation. For those killed in the shooting, the settlements range from $6 million to $7.5 million per claimant. For the survivors, the settlements are for $5 million per claimant.
The parties have been in litigation since 2016, including before the district court and the federal court of appeals.
“The mass shooting at Mother Emanuel AME Church was a horrific hate crime that caused immeasurable suffering for the families of the victims and the survivors,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Since the day of the shooting, the Justice Department has sought to bring justice to the community, first by a successful hate crime prosecution and today by settling civil claims.”
“The nation grieved following the mass shooting at Mother Emanuel, and no one was more profoundly affected than the families of the victims and the survivors we have reached a settlement with today,” said Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta. “The department hopes that these settlements, combined with its prosecution of the shooter will bring some modicum of justice to the victims of this heinous act of hate.”
“The department is pleased to bring closure to this long-running litigation,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “These settlement agreements represent another chapter in the justice system’s efforts to address this horrific event, following the government’s prosecution and conviction of the shooter for federal hate crimes.”
On June 17, 2015, Mother Emanuel congregants welcomed a stranger who had entered their church. They invited him to participate in their Wednesday night bible study. Tragically, at the close of the bible study, the young man they had welcomed killed nine people, including Mother Emanuel’s pastor, Reverend Clementa Pinckney, also a South Carolina State Senator.
The families of the Emanuel Nine, as well as the five survivors who were inside the church at the time of the shooting, sued the government. They sought to recover for wrongful death and physical injuries arising from the shooting. Plaintiffs asserted that the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Checks System (NICS) failed to timely discover that the shooter was a person prohibited by federal law from possessing a firearm. Plaintiffs alleged that because of this delay, the shooter was able to purchase the handgun that he used to commit the atrocity.
The FBI and NICS play a crucial role in combating gun violence. Since this tragic shooting, the FBI has worked to strengthen and improve the background check process. The department and FBI are also actively working to combat gun violence, which is a significant aspect of the department’s comprehensive violent crime reduction strategy. After the shooting, the department prosecuted the shooter for federal hate crimes and obtained a conviction.
Under applicable law, the court must approve the settlements for many of the plaintiffs. All parties expect that the court will agree that these settlements are fair and reasonable. This case was handled by the Justice Department’s Civil Division.
Jury Finds District Man Guilty of Child Exploitation and Child Sexual Abuse OffensesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A 62-year-old man, of Southeast Washington, D.C., has been found guilty by a jury of federal child exploitation offenses, including production of child pornography, enticement of a minor, and possession of child pornography, as well as multiple counts of first- degree child sexual abuse and first-degree sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances.
The verdict took place on Oct. 27, 2021, following a six-day trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The announcement was made today by Acting U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips, Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division, and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
The defendant, who is not identified here to protect the privacy of the victim, remains held pending his sentencing by the Honorable Chief Judge Beryl A. Howell. Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 25, 2022. The defendant faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
According to the government’s evidence, the defendant repeatedly sexually abused his stepdaughter from May 2016 until April 2017. The victim was 12 and 13 years old at the time and living with her mother, younger sister, and the defendant at the defendant’s apartment. The defendant also directed the victim to take photographs of herself constituting child sexual abuse material and to transfer those photographs to the defendant’s cell phones. Additionally, he stored these sexually explicit photographs on his cell phones and computer. These photographs, as well as dozens of text messages to the victim corroborating the sexual abuse, were recovered from the defendant’s electronic devices by law enforcement.
The defendant was arrested in May 2019 and was subsequently detained pending trial.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.
In announcing the verdict, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillips, Special Agent in Charge Jacobs, and Chief Contee acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the FBI-Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, the Metropolitan Police Department’s Youth and Family Services Division, and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section. The FBI task force is composed of FBI agents, along with other federal agents and detectives from northern Virginia and the District of Columbia. The task force is charged with investigating and bringing federal charges against individuals engaged in the exploitation of children and human trafficking.
They also expressed appreciation for those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Specialist Lezlie Richardson, Paralegal Specialist Alexis Spencer-Anderson, Assistant U.S. Attorney Elana Suttenberg, former Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Loeb, and Sex Offense and Domestic Violence Section Intern David Offit.
Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Caroline Burrell and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Mona Sedky, who prosecuted the case.
Iowa Man Pleads Guilty to Participating in Money Laundering ConspiracyRead the Press Release
CONCORD - Shawn Helstein, 45, of Iowa, pleaded guilty in federal court on Wednesday to conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, Acting United States Attorney John J. Farley announced today.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on November 8, 2018, Helstein was observed by law enforcement agents in the presence of a large-scale methamphetamine trafficker, Jacob MacQuarrie, at a hotel in Bow, New Hampshire. MacQuarrie was arrested on an outstanding warrant. Helstein was found in possession of $2,080 in cash, which was seized. In later statements to investigators, Helstein admitted that he knew that MacQuarrie was trafficking methamphetamine. He said the money belonged to MacQuarrie and that they were planning to deposit the money into a cryptocurrency ATM. Helstein said MacQuarrie had given him the money earlier in the day and had him download a bitcoin app. MacQuarrie gave Helstein his password and said he would show him how to convert the money into crypto currency at a location in Concord. Helstein stated that he believed MacQuarrie was ordering drugs and moving money on the dark web.
Helstein is scheduled to be sentenced on February 7, 2022. MacQuarrie is serving a ten-year sentence for participating in a drug trafficking conspiracy and possessing a firearm during a drug crime.
“Money laundering crimes help drug dealers and other criminals disguise the illegal source of their funds,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Farley. “Because money laundering activities provide important financial support to drug traffickers, we will not hesitate to bring criminal charges against those who aid criminals by laundering their drug proceeds.”
This matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Bow Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John S. Davis.
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Husband and Wife Real Estate Team Indicted on Federal Fraud, Identify Theft ChargesRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va.– A federal grand jury returned an indictment this week charging a Wise, Virginia couple, who owned and operated a local real estate agency, with defrauding multiple advance commission companies and committing aggravated identity theft.
According to court documents, Jessee Allen Deloach, 40, and Natasha Ashley Miller Deloach, 38, owned and operated Koltown Properties, a real estate agency with locations in both Wise and Abingdon, Virginia.
As alleged in the indictment, from March 1, 2016 through November 30, 2019, Jessee and Natasha Ashley Miller Deloach created at least nineteen fraudulent residential sales contracts and submitted them to multiple advance commission companies in order to fraudulently obtain money.
Advance commission companies provide a financial service to real estate agents by assisting them with cash flow. Specifically, real estate agents sell portions of their pending commissions on legitimate residential sales contracts in exchange for access to cash before the closing date.
Both defendants are charged with wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and will make their initial court appearance November 9, 2021 in Abingdon, Virginia.
U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh and Special Agent in Charge Stanley M. Meador of the FBI’s Richmond Division made the announcement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Virginia State Police are investigating the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lena L. Busscher is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Houma Man Pleads Guilty to Production of Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that STEVE C. MERGEY (“MERGEY”), age 52, of Houma, Louisiana, pled guilty today to Production of Child Pornography, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2251(a) and (e).
According to documents filed in federal court, the case against MERGEY developed as a result of a complaint to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (“HSI”) Tip Line. On June 4, 2020, HSI Agents executed a federal search warrant at MERGEY’S residence located on W. Main Street, Houma, LA. HSI’s investigation revealed that MERGEY groomed and coerced young male victims, as young as ten years old, in Pennsylvania, New York, and Michigan to create and send sexually explicit images of themselves to MERGEY.
MERGEY faces a mandatory minimum sentence of fifteen (15) years and a maximum sentence of thirty (30) years imprisonment, and/or a fine of $250,000.00, or the greater of twice the gross gain to the defendant or twice the gross loss to any person of the offense under Title 18, United States Code, Section 3571, and a $100.00 mandatory special assessment fee. Sentencing in this matter is scheduled for January 25, 2021, before United States District Judge Wendy B. Vitter.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office would also like to acknowledge the assistance of the U. S. Department of Homeland Security, Houma RAC and Pittsburg Office; Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office; Houma Police Department; Louisiana State Police, Criminal Investigative Division; and Oswego County Sheriff’s Office, NY 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.
Houlton Man Sentenced for Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: A Houlton man was sentenced today in federal court for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.
U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Hayden Fogg, 35, to 12 months and one day in prison and three years of supervised release. Fogg pleaded guilty on June 28, 2021.
According to court records, between approximately May 2018 and July 2018, Fogg was part of a drug distribution operation based out of Florida and operating in northern Maine. A co-conspirator obtained large quantities of methamphetamine from Florida and had it transported to Maine. Fogg sold the drug in the Houlton area while other members of the conspiracy sold it in Bangor and Howland.
“The community of Houlton and the surrounding area have seen a troubling increase in methamphetamine use, which law enforcement officials are taking seriously,” said U.S. Attorney McElwee. “If you, or someone you love, is struggling with such an addiction, please visit www.powerofprevention.org for the Aroostook County Substance Abuse Directory.”
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency investigated the case.
Honduran National Charged with Transnational Cocaine Trafficking and Money Laundering Extradited to the United StatesRead the Press Release
Miami, Florida – Fredy Donaldo Marmol Vallejo (Marmol), 40, will make his initial appearance in federal court in Miami, Florida today after being extradited from Honduras, his country of origin. An indictment returned by a federal grand jury in the Southern District of Florida charges Marmol with conspiring to traffic narcotics internationally, distributing narcotics internationally with the intent to import it into the United States, and laundering the proceeds of the narcotics trafficking.
Specifically, the indictment returned on May 4, charges Marmol and co-defendant Michael Adolf Dixon Rivers, 53, also a Honduran national, with participating in an international drug trafficking conspiracy that distributed cocaine in Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Mexico, with the goal of getting the drug into the United States. The indictment further charges Marmol with laundering the proceeds of this drug trafficking activity.
Marmol will make his initial court appearance today at 1:30 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Chris M. McAliley, who sits in Miami.
U.S. Attorney Juan Antonio Gonzalez for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge George L. Piro of FBI Miami, and Acting Special Agent in Charge La Verne J. Hibbert of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Miami Field Office made the announcement.
On August 18, Honduran authorities arrested Marmol based upon a provisional arrest request by the United States. The Honduran Supreme Court ordered him extradited on September 24, based upon an extradition request by the United States. U.S. Attorney Gonzalez extends his gratitude to the government of Honduras for its assistance, as well as the Agencia Técnica de Investigación Criminal (ATIC). The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance in securing Marmol’s arrest and extradition. FBI’s International Operations Division transported Marmol from Honduras to the United States.
FBI Miami and DEA Miami investigated this case, with assistance from Customs and Border Protection, Miami. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine Hernandez and Walter Norkin are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Paster is handling asset forfeiture.
This prosecution is a result of the ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, and other priority transnational criminal organizations that threaten the citizens of the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence driven, multi-agency approach to combat transnational organized crime. The OCDETF program facilitates complex, joint operations by focusing its partner agencies on priority targets, by managing and coordinating multi-agency efforts, and by leveraging intelligence across multiple investigative platforms.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 21-cr-20277.
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Hogansburg Man Sentenced to 30 Months for Marijuana ConvictionsRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Tevin Terrance, age 28, of Hogansburg, New York, was sentenced today to 30 months in prison for conspiring to distribute, and possessing with intent to distribute, 100 kilograms or more of marijuana.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Ray Donovan, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division.
As part of his guilty plea, Terrance admitted that on August 20, 2020, he and a co-conspirator used two pickup trucks to transport 10 hockey bags containing approximately 200 kilograms of marijuana through the Northern District of New York with the intent to distribute the drugs in the New York City area.
Chief United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby also ordered Terrance to serve 3 years of post-imprisonment supervised release.
This case was investigated by the DEA and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua R. Rosenthal.
Hardin woman who burned down house on Crow Indian Reservation sentenced to prisonRead the Press Release
BILLINGS — A Hardin woman who admitted to burning down a house on the Crow Indian Reservation in 2020 was sentenced on Oct. 27 to 30 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Leif M. Johnson said.
Vanessa Faith Prettyontop, also known as Vanessa Faith Gunshows, 34, pleaded guilty in April to arson.
U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.
In court documents filed in the case, the government alleged that on Oct. 3, 2020, Prettyontop started a fire in a house owned by the victim, identified as John Doe. The victim had nearly finished a renovation and was planning to move in. Prettyontop entered the house through an open back door and intentionally lit a mattress on fire with a lighter. The fire spread to the rest of the house and Prettyontop walked out the front door. Prettyontop called 911 to turn herself in, confessed and said she was tired of people fighting over the house.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeanne Torske prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI and Bureau of Indian Affairs.
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Great Falls woman admits methamphetamine conspiracyRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS – A Great Falls woman accused of working with others to bring methamphetamine from Las Vegas, Nevada, back to Montana for distribution admitted to a drug trafficking crime on Oct. 27, Acting U.S. Attorney Leif M. Johnson said.
Ashley Nicole Rico, 34, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine as charged in a superseding information. Rico faces a mandatory minimum five years to 40 years in prison, a $5 million fine and at least four years of supervised release.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. Chief Judge Morris set sentencing for Feb. 23, 2022. Rico was detained pending further proceedings.
The government alleged in court documents that in May, Russell Country Drug Task Force officers executed a search warrant on a Great Falls residence, recovered meth and learned that the source of supply was co-defendant Lillian Lapier, who was traveling to Great Falls with meth. The investigation led to the Helena residence of another co-defendant, Rhonda Jeanette Lapier, where she and Lillian Lapier were suspected of trafficking meth together. Officers ultimately stopped a vehicle being driven by Lillian Lapier and found about 3.6 pounds of meth in the trunk. Officers obtained a warrant to search Rhonda Lapier’s residence and located three, one-pound bags of meth and $6,132 in a bedroom.. Officers stopped another suspect vehicle, driven by Rico, who was arrested on a state warrant. Rico admitted to distributing meth in Great Falls and that she and others had traveled to Las Vegas, picked up meth there and had contributed $1,000 to the deal. The six pounds of meth seized is the equivalent of 21,744 doses. Rhonda Lapier pleaded guilty to charges and is pending sentencing, while Lillian Lapier has pleaded not guilty to charges and is pending trial.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ethan R. Plaut is prosecuting the case, which was investigated by the Russell Country Drug Task Force, the Missouri River Drug Task Force, FBI, Great Falls Police Department, Cascade County Sheriff’s Office and Lewis & Clark County Sheriff’s Office.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a U.S. Department of Justice initiative to reduce violent crime. Through PSN, federal, tribal, state and local law enforcement partners in Montana focus on violent crime driven by methamphetamine trafficking, armed robbers, firearms offenses and violent offenders with outstanding warrants.
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Great Falls man admits distributing meth, fentanyl that resulted in deathRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS – A Great Falls man accused of distributing methamphetamine and fentanyl that led to the death of another person in 2020 admitted charges on Oct. 27, Acting U.S. Attorney Leif M. Johnson said.
Kent Fox, 48, pleaded guilty to distribution of controlled substances resulting in death. Fox faces a mandatory minimum 20 years in prison, a $1 million fine and three years of supervised release.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. Sentencing was set for Feb. 24, 2022. Fox was detained pending further proceedings.
The government alleged in court documents that on Aug. 23, 2020, Great Falls police officers were dispatched to a camper trailer and found a male, identified as John Doe, deceased. Fox was on the scene, was friends with Doe and had last seen him two days earlier. He went to check on Doe and found him deceased. The investigation determined that Fox, Doe and co-defendant, Brandie Rae Fulbright, had discussed the use and distribution of various drugs. In an interview with law enforcement officers, Fox admitted to picking up Doe on Aug. 21, 2020 and taking him to his home so that Doe could buy meth from Fulbright. Doe traded an AR-15 rifle to Fulbright in exchange for some meth and two blue pills. Fulbright then gave the rifle to Fox, and Fox returned Doe to his camper. Investigators learned that Doe had the meth and two blue pills when he returned home and gave some of the meth to an individual. The individual saw Doe inject himself with meth obtained from Fox and then slump over on his bed. An autopsy determined that Doe died from an overdose of a combination of meth and fentanyl. Fulbright has pleaded not guilty to charges and is pending trial.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey K. Starnes is prosecuting the case, which was investigated by the FBI and Great Falls Police Department.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a U.S. Department of Justice initiative to reduce violent crime. Through PSN, federal, tribal, state and local law enforcement partners in Montana focus on violent crime driven by methamphetamine trafficking, armed robbers, firearms offenses and violent offenders with outstanding warrants.
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Grant County man sentenced for drug chargeRead the Press Release
ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA – Trampas Quint Wolford, of Cabins, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 20 months of incarceration for a drug charge, United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II announced.
Wolford, 57, pleaded guilty in April 2021 to one count of “Distribution of Methamphetamine.” Wolford admitted to selling methamphetamine in March 2019 in Grant County.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen D. Warner prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Potomac Highlands Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated. The task force consists of the FBI, West Virginia State Police, Mineral County Sheriff’s Office, Hampshire County Sheriff’s Office, Grant County Sheriff’s Office, and the Keyser Police Department.
U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
Grand Jury indicts local man and woman on numerous firearms chargesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – On March 3, 2021, a federal grand jury indicted Tishonda Turner for knowingly making a false and fictitious statement to a firearms dealer, which statement was intended and likely to deceive the licensed dealer, and Freddie Tilmon for knowingly possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
According to the indictment, on or about July 16, 2020, in St. Louis County, within the Eastern District of Missouri, and again on or about August 8, 2020, Turner in connection with the acquisition of one or more firearms from The Range STL West, a licensed dealer, did knowingly make a false and fictitious written statement to the dealer, which statement was intended and likely to deceive said licensed dealer. Turner represented that she was the actual buyer of one or more firearms, when, in fact, she was acquiring the firearms on behalf of Freddie Tilmon.
On November 21, 2020, Mr. Tilmon was pulled over and arrested while driving in Sandy Springs, Georgia. Officers later discovered a firearm on the driver’s seat floorboard. The firearm was loaded and had an extended magazine. A records check revealed that the firearm was purchased at the Range STL West on August 08, 2020. Tilmon was also subsequently indicted in the Northern District of Georgia for knowingly possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
On October 14, 2021, the United States Marshals Service arrested Tilmon in St. Louis County pursuant to the indictment. At the time of his arrest, Tilmon was discovered to be in possession of a loaded 9mm, with an extended magazine. Tilmon was additionally charged for illegally possessing the firearm when arrested by the Marshals Service. Tilmon is prohibited from possessing firearms due to a previous criminal conviction.
Charges set forth in the indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the United States Marshals Service.
Grand Jury Indicts Six in Ongoing Investigations into COVID Unemployment Insurance Fraud SchemesRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A federal grand jury has returned four indictments charging six individuals with allegedly executing schemes to defraud unemployment agencies in multiple states by fraudulently applying for and receiving tens of thousands of dollars in regular and expanded pandemic related unemployment insurance benefits, at times using the stolen identities of unsuspecting individuals, announced Acting United States Attorney Richard B. Myrus and Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha.
It is alleged that the defendants filed unemployment insurance claims online, seeking benefits from the Federal Pandemic Assistance Program and the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation Program, both of which are designed to aid persons impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic. The indictments allege that when filing for benefits, the defendants fraudulently claimed to have been previously employed in each state, but were, at the time, unemployed. In some instances, investigations by the FBI and Rhode Island State Police into the alleged unemployed fraud schemes discovered unrelated criminal conduct.
On Wednesday a federal grand jury returned indictments charging:
Francois Parker, 35, of Providence, with two counts of wire fraud, one count of theft of government money, and two counts of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. The indictment alleges that between April 2020 and October 2020, Parker submitted fraudulent claims for unemployment insurance benefits in Rhode Island, California, Arizona, Louisiana, Colorado, Texas, New York, Virginia, Wisconsin, Nevada, and Massachusetts. When filing claims in Rhode Island, Parker allegedly claimed, falsely, that he had been employed in Rhode Island from May 20, 2019 to March 17, 2020, as a babysitter. Six states allegedly paid Parker a total of approximately $77,254. Four states denied Parker’s claims.
During the investigation into Parker’s alleged fraudulent filing for unemployment benefits, law enforcement found Parker, who was previously convicted of a felony crime punishable by a term of imprisonment exceeding one year, to be in possession of two loaded firearms and more than 200 rounds of live ammunition.
Derrick Gadson, 35, of North Providence, with two counts of wire fraud and one count each of theft of government property and aggravated identity theft. His indictment alleges that beginning in June 2020, Gadson fraudulently submitted online applications for unemployment insurance benefits and other federal pandemic benefits in Arizona, and Massachusetts. It is alleged that Gadson collected a total of approximately $17,325 dollars in benefits that he was not entitled to receive.
Additionally, it was alleged that as part of his scheme to allegedly defraud one or more unemployment insurance programs, Gadson allegedly used the stolen identity of another individual without that person’s permission.
Rashaad Smith Muskelly, 30, of Lincoln, with two counts of wire fraud and one count each of theft of government money and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. The indictment alleges that beginning in April 2020, Muskelly fraudulently submitted online applications for unemployment insurance benefits and other federal Pandemic unemployment insurance benefits in Rhode Island, California, Arizona, New York, Texas, Virginia, Nevada, and Massachusetts. In a filing with the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training (RIDLT), Muskelly fraudulently claimed to have been employed as a “travel barber.” He was paid approximately $14,658 by RIDLT. An FBI and Rhode Island State Police investigation determined that Muskelly allegedly collected a total of $82,991in fraudulent unemployment insurance benefits.
During the investigation into Muskelly’s alleged fraudulent benefit filings, law enforcement found Muskelly, who was previously convicted of a felony crime punishable by a term of imprisonment exceeding one year, to be in possession of loaded semi-automatic pistol.
Jamel Newman, 23, of Pawtucket, Darren Robinson, 21, of Providence, and Rashaad Hill, 21, of Providence are named in a sixteen-count indictment charging each with conspiracy, wire fraud, theft of government funds, and aggravated identity theft. The indictment alleges that beginning in at least April 2020, the defendants conspired with one another to defraud employment insurance benefits programs, including pandemic unemployment assistance programs in California, Arizona, Nevada, and Massachusetts. The indictment alleges some applications submitted by one or more members of the conspiracy used the names and stolen personal information of others.
During the investigation into Newman’s alleged participation in the conspiracy, it is alleged in the indictment that he was found to be in possession of a loaded semi-automatic pistol. Newman is prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his September 2017 and August 2019 convictions in Rhode Island state court on charges of domestic violence – simple assault and/or battery.
These matters and other cases of alleged criminal activity related to fraudulent applications for unemployment insurance benefits due to the pandemic are being investigated jointly by the FBI and Rhode Island State Police, with the assistance of the U.S. Department of Labor. Cases are jointly reviewed, charged and prosecuted by a team including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Denise M. Barton, Stacey P. Veroni, G. Michael Seaman, and Rhode Island Assistant Attorney General John M. Moreira, chief of the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Public Integrity Unit.
Rhode Islanders who believe their personal identification has been stolen and used to fraudulently obtain unemployment benefits are urged to contact the Rhode Island State Police at [email protected] or the FBI Providence office at (401) 272-8310.
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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Golden Valley Man Indicted for Downloading and Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Golden Valley man has been arrested and charged with receiving and distributing child pornography, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.
According to court documents, in January 2021, John Scott Enderlein, 59, knowingly downloaded and distributed multiple video files depicting graphic child sexual abuse. Prior to these alleged offenses, in December 1995, Enderlein was convicted in Hennepin County of second degree criminal sexual conduct and was required to register as a sex offender.
Enderlein, who was arrested this morning by the FBI, made his initial appearance today in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge Becky R. Thorson. Enderlein is charged with five counts of receipt of child pornography and one count of distribution of child pornography.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan B. Gilead is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Georgia Man Agrees to Plead Guilty to Extorting Sexual Images and CyberstalkingRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Georgia man has agreed to plead guilty to charges that he extorted a Boston-area woman for videos, photographs and communications of a sexual nature as well as cyberstalked other women over social media.
Gary E. Leach, 24, of Athens, Ga., has agreed to plead guilty to two counts of cyberstalking and one count of extortion through interstate threats. A plea hearing has not yet been scheduled by the court. Leach was arrested and charged on April 23, 2021 and has been on home detention since he was released from custody on May 18, 2021.
According to court documents, from October 2019 until his arrest in April 2021, Leach, then a graduate student at the University of Georgia, targeted a Boston-area woman in an online cyberstalking and extortion campaign. Leach used anonymous Instagram accounts to obtain private video calls and photographs of a sexual nature from the victim through false promises of payment and surreptitiously recorded the victim during these calls. Leach threatened to share the recordings with the victim’s family if she did not continue to send him content of a sexual nature over Instagram and repeatedly harassed and extorted the victim for additional interactions of a sexually explicit and degrading nature.
Leach also allegedly cyberstalked other women on social media, including a woman residing in Canada. Leach recorded a video call of a sexual nature with this victim and sent the recording to her roommate. He repeatedly contacted the victim and used the recording to attempt to solicit additional interactions with her. Throughout 2019 and 2020, Leach allegedly attempted to solicit video performances of a sexual nature from at least a dozen Instagram users and initiated interactions with numerous other Instagram users for the purpose of exposing himself masturbating.
The charge of stalking by electronic means provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of extortion by interstate threat of injury to reputation provides for a sentence of up to two years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell and Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Holcomb of Mendell’s Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.
Gadsden Man Pleads Guilty to Preparing False Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A tax preparer pleaded guilty today to preparing false tax returns on behalf of himself and his clients resulting in a tax loss to the U.S. taxpayer of more than $140,000, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and IRS Criminal Investigations Atlanta Field Office Special Agent in Charge James Dorsey. .
Jamichael D. Whiteside, 37, of Gadsden, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge R. David Proctor to one count of aiding or assisting in the preparation of a false tax return and one count of making and subscribing a false tax return.
According to the plea agreement, between tax years 2016 and 2019, Whiteside prepared materially false tax returns for several clients at ZJ Tax Service in Gadsden. To generate larger income tax returns for his clients, Whiteside falsified dependent care expenses, education expenses, charitable deductions, and included fabricated losses for businesses that did not exist. In addition to preparing and filing false tax returns on behalf of his clients, Whiteside willfully underreported his own income in tax years 2016 and 2017. In total, Whiteside’s actions resulted in more than $140,000 in tax loss.
The Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations Atlanta Field Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan “Jack” Harrington is prosecuting the case.
Fort Wayne Man Sentenced to 27 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
FORT WAYNE – Jeffrey J. Moriarity, 42, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, was sentenced before United States District Judge Holly A. Brady, upon his plea of guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and armed drug trafficking, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
Moriarity was sentenced to 324 months in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release.
According to documents in this case, Moriarity sold methamphetamine, heroin, and a sawed-off shotgun in May of 2018 to law enforcement officials. In June of 2018, agents and officers executed a search warrant at Moriarity’s residence in Fort Wayne. During the search of his residence, agents seized methamphetamine and other controlled substances, a loaded pistol and ammunition, and additional evidence of drug trafficking. Moriarity was not home but when located by police, he fled and led officers on a high-speed vehicle pursuit. Officers arrested Moriarity and recovered methamphetamine that had been tossed from the vehicle during the pursuit.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF); the Fort Wayne Police Department; the Indiana State Police; the Allen County Drug Task Force; and the Allen County Sheriff’s Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Anthony W. Geller and Brent A. Ecenbarger.
This case was being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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Fort Branch Mother and Daughter Sentenced in COVID-19 Fraud CaseRead the Press Release
EVANSVILLE – Two Fort Branch, Indiana women have been sentenced in connection with a well-organized Nigerian fraud ring exploiting the COVID-19 crisis to commit large-scale fraud against state unemployment insurance programs.
Andrea Renee Pytlinski, 40, and Rose Ann Azzarello, 61, both of Fort Branch were arrested and charged with wire fraud in July 2020. Azzarello is the mother of Pytlinski. Pytlinski was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment, must serve 3 years of supervised release following her incarceration, and ordered to pay $27,522 in restitution. Azzarello was sentenced to 4 years of supervised release and ordered to pay $27,522 in restitution.
Part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act included a provision of temporary benefits for individuals who had exhausted their entitlement to regular unemployment compensation, individuals who were not eligible for regular unemployment compensation, were self-employed, or had limited recent work history. Shortly after the CARES Act was signed, the U.S. Secret Service started receiving reports about a well-organized Nigerian fraud ring exploiting the COVID-19 crisis through a large-scale fraud against state unemployment insurance programs. A major state targeted was Washington.
According to evidence presented at the sentencing hearings, in May 2020, the Fort Branch Police Department received a complaint from Field and Main Bank in Evansville, regarding account transactions in which Washington State Unemployment benefits were being ACH transferred into Indiana bank accounts held by Azzarello and Pytlinski. Agents from the U.S. Secret Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Internal Revenue Criminal Investigation discovered those accounts were being funded with Washington State unemployment benefits and the proceeds of a check forgery scheme.
For more than a year, Azzarello and Pytlinski participated in a wire fraud scheme by receiving and sending funds via wire and common courier. After the illicit funds were deposited into their accounts, Azzarello and Pytlinski would withdraw the funds prior to the detection of any fraud and then transmit a portion of the ill-gotten funds to a third party while retaining their share. In total, the fraud schemes the women participated in involved more than $95,000.
“The investigative work of our federal and local law enforcement partners is to be commended,” said Acting U.S. Attorney John E. Childress. “They prevented funds designed to help struggling Americans during a very difficult time from being used by greedy, money hungry thieves, and assured these fraudsters would be held accountable.”
“Today’s sentencing illustrates the Secret Service’s commitment to protect the nation’s financial service infrastructure by vigorously investigating COVID-19 unemployment fraud,” said Eric K. Reed, Special Agent in Charge, Secret Service Indianapolis Field Office. “The Secret Service is proud to partner with the Fort Branch Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Criminal Investigation, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to successfully arrest and prosecute those who attempt to defraud critical COVID-19 relief programs and the American taxpayer.”
“IRS Criminal Investigation is sworn to protect the tax system and bring to justice those who would steal from the Treasury,” said Justin Campbell, Acting Special Agent in Charge of IRS-Criminal Investigation Chicago Field Office. “Would-be criminals should know we’ve made CARES Act fraud a priority. We understand that in these types of cases, the government is not the only victim. Those in need of these rescue funds during an unprecedented world-wide pandemic also suffer, as well as every hard-working American. Our agents are determined to keep up the fight to eradicate CARES Act fraud and protect the honest taxpayers who would otherwise personally shoulder the burden of this crime.”
"This sentence clearly demonstrates that those who engage in illegal activity and attempt to profit off of the COVID-19 crisis through fraud will be identified, investigated and held accountable for their actions,” said FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Paul Keenan. “To target money meant to help those who are at their most vulnerable during these unprecedented times is reprehensible and will not be tolerated.”
The case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Criminal Investigation, and the Fort Branch Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorneys Todd Shellenbarger prosecuted the case.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Former Postal Worker Pleads Guilty to Issuing Money Orders Without Receiving Full PaymentRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that SHANNEL SMITH, age 41, of Orleans Parish, Louisiana, pled guilty to issuing money orders without receiving full payment in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 500.
According to court documents, beginning in May 2019 and continuing until August 2019, SMITH, being an employee of the United States Postal Service, for the purpose of fraudulently enabling herself to obtain and receive, directly and indirectly, a sum of money from the United States, issued eight (8) postal money orders with face amounts of $150.00, $110.71, $100.00, $125.00, $80.00, $140.00, $100.00, and $150.00 without having previously received the full amount payable to the United States for these money orders.
SMITH faces up to five (5) years imprisonment, followed by up to three (3) years of supervised release, up to a $250,000.00 fine, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee based on the charge outlined in the bill of information. United States District Judge Africk set sentencing for February 16, 2022 at 2pm.
This case was investigated by special agents from the U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General (“USPS-OIG”). The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachal Cassagne.
Former Operations and Marketing Director at Lifeway Credit Union Charged with FraudRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE – A criminal Information was filed today, charging Monica Jackson, 42, of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, with embezzling over $242,000 from Lifeway Credit Union, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Mary Jane Stewart for the Middle District of Tennessee.
According to the charging document, Jackson was formerly the Operations and Marketing Director at Lifeway Credit Union in Nashville. In that role, she was part of the management team, and she oversaw the credit union’s operating activities, including lending decisions and the decision to order cash. She also had access to Lifeway’s cash vault.
The Information alleges that between October 2016 and February 2021, Jackson embezzled approximately $242,156 from the credit union using a variety of methods, including by stealing cash out of the vault. Jackson concealed these cash thefts from the vault, totaling more than $47,000, by placing small bills, such as one-dollar bills, in “bands” of larger bills, such as $20 or $50 bills, to make it appear as though each “band” of larger bills was full. Another method employed by Jackson was to open lines of credit in the names of family members and then transfer the funds to accounts she controlled. Jackson took approximately $167,312 by this method.
Finally, the charging document alleges that Jackson made fraudulent transfers totaling $27,435 to herself from the account of a deceased credit union member. Jackson used her administrative authority to lock access to the accounts she was using to commit the fraud so that other bank employees could not see those accounts.
The United States also seeks a forfeiture judgement of $242,156.00 which represents the proceeds of the crime.
If convicted, Jackson faces up to 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn W. Booth is prosecuting the case.
The charges contained in the Information are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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