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6 October 2021
Ford County Man Convicted of Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
PEORIA, Ill. – A federal jury deliberated for just over 90 minutes before returning a guilty verdict this afternoon against Robert Shawn Anderson, 52, of the 300 block of Spruce Street in Paxton, Ill., for one count of enticement of a minor.
Over two days of testimony this week, the government presented evidence to establish that Anderson arranged to meet an individual he believed to be a 15-year-old minor for sexual activity on the dating application MeetMe.
Sentencing for Anderson has been scheduled for January 10, 2022, before U.S. District Judge Michael Mihm at the federal courthouse in Peoria, Ill. Anderson faces statutory penalties of 10 years to life imprisonment. He remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals.
“This guilty verdict shows both the ongoing threat to our children and that law enforcement and prosecutors are working together to combat the threat,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Doug Quivey. “We will all collectively continue to work together to protect our children.”
“I appreciate Acting U.S. Attorney Doug Quivey’s partnership with my office, which is critical to holding accountable individuals who prey on minors,” Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said. “This verdict underscores the importance of collaboration between state and federal law enforcement, and I look forward to our continued work to protect Illinois’ children.”
“Children can be easily lured into the clutches of those who wish to betray and exploit them online, said David Nanz, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Division. “The FBI is committed to flushing out sexual predators with a sense of urgency to ensure the safety and well-being of our children. If you suspect someone is having inappropriate contact with a minor, report it to law enforcement immediately.”
Anderson was arrested over Valentine’s Day weekend 2020 as part of a Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Division, operation conducted in Kankakee County, Ill. The operation was conducted with the assistance of the Bradley Police Department, the Illinois Attorney General’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the Kankakee County Sheriff’s Office, and the Kankakee Area Metropolitan Enforcement Group. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Shannon O’Brien – also Deputy Bureau Chief for the Illinois Attorney General’s Office – and Assistant U.S. Attorney Elly Peirson represented the government at trial.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ 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.
Florida Woman Pleads Guilty to Stealing Her Deceased Grandmother’s Social Security BenefitsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A resident of Hudson, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of theft of government property, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.
Lori Shaffer, age 53, of Hudson, Florida, pleaded guilty to one count before Chief United States District Judge Mark R. Hornak.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that from July 2013 through October 2017, Shaffer stole approximately $43,672 in Survivor’s Insurance Benefits from the United States Social Security Administration, which were paid to her deceased grandmother and to which she knew she was not entitled.
Judge Hornak scheduled sentencing for February 8, 2022 at 9:30AM. The law provides for a total sentence of not more than 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Carolyn J. Bloch is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Social Security Administration (SSA), Office of Inspector General, conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Shaffer.
Felon Pleads Guilty for Violating Federal Firearm Law, Second PSN ConvictionRead the Press Release
Felon Pleads Guilty for Violating Federal Firearm Law, Second PSN Conviction
COLUMBUS, Ga. – A convicted felon with a lengthy criminal history has pleaded guilty to illegal possession of a firearm for the second time.
Jovan Floyd, 39, of Columbus, pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon before U.S. District Judge Clay Land on Tuesday, Oct. 5. Floyd faces a maximum ten years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and a maximum $250,000 fine. Sentencing has been scheduled for Feb. 8, 2022. There is no parole in the federal system.
“It is illegal for a convicted felon to possess a gun, let alone after previously being convicted of the same crime, like Jovan Floyd,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “Repeat and violent offenders will be held accountable for their crimes.”
“Denying criminals access to firearms is one of ATF’s top priorities” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Benjamin P. Gibbons. “This investigation and conviction is the result of our partnership with the Columbus Police Department and should serve as a warning that the criminal possession and use of firearms will not be tolerated.”
According to court documents, a Columbus Police Department (CPD) officer responded to a report on March 13, 2021, alleging assault at an apartment located on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The victim told officers she and Floyd had been fighting all day. The victim and Floyd both stated they did not want to press charges and both signed waivers of prosecution. Officers left the scene but were called back one hour later in reference to a man with a weapon. Officers found Floyd sitting inside a vehicle and in plain view on the front passenger seat was a 12-gauge shotgun. At the time of his arrest, Floyd was serving federal supervised release for a prior conviction for illegally possessing a firearm in the Middle District of Georgia. Floyd has numerous prior convictions.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Columbus Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Crawford Seals prosecuted the case for the Government.
Federal Jury Convicts San Jose Woman in Sex Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
SAN JOSE – A federal jury convicted Araceli Mendoza today of conspiracy and sex trafficking of children, announced Acting United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Craig D. Fair. The conviction follows a two-week trial before the Honorable Beth Labson Freeman, U.S. District Judge.
At trial, the government proved that Mendoza, 29, of San Jose, conspired with three co-defendants to operate an unlawful prostitution venture in cities throughout the South Bay, including San Jose and Santa Clara. Between September 2014 and January 2016, these four individuals collaborated to sell the sexual services of adult women and minor girls. The government demonstrated that, Ariel Guizar-Cuellar, 41, of San Jose, was the leader, primary facilitator, and main financial beneficiary of the unlawful commercial sex venture. He used social media networks to identify victims, took pictures of women and girls, and then posted the pictures online on “backpage.com” to advertise sexual services. Mendoza worked with Guizar-Cuellar; Jocelyn Contreras, 26, of Redwood City; and Alyssa Anthony, 27, of Gilroy, to recruit women and girls to work as prostitutes and exotic dancers, transport them to and from prostitution dates, book hotel rooms for the prostitution dates, collect money after the dates, and create and post prostitution advertisements on the internet. The jury found that Mendoza both conspired with her codefendants to facilitate the sex trafficking venture and specifically sex trafficked one minor girl by recruiting, enticing, harboring, providing, and transporting her for the purpose of commercial sex or by benefitting financially from the girl’s exploitation.
On April 7, 2016, a federal grand jury indicted all four coconspirators charging them with one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of children, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371, and three counts of sex trafficking of children, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1591 as to each minor victim. Guizar-Cuellar also was charged with one count of sexual exploitation of children, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2251(a) and (e). Guizar-Cuellar, Contreras, and Anthony all previously pleaded guilty and await sentencing.
At trial, Mendoza asserted a duress defense. Nevertheless, today the jury convicted Mendoza of conspiracy and substantive sex trafficking as to one of the minor victims. The jury acquitted Mendoza of sex trafficking for a second minor victim and failed to reach a verdict as to the sex trafficking of the third minor victim.
Judge Freeman scheduled a sentencing status hearing for all four defendant on October 19, 2021. The 18 U.S.C. § 1591 charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years. The statutory maximum sentence for the charge is life in prison. The maximum statutory penalty for the conspiracy charge is five years in prison. In addition, restitution is mandatory to all victims of sex trafficking. However, any sentence will be imposed by the court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marissa Harris, Annie Hsieh, and Sarah Griswold are prosecuting the case with the assistance of Nina Burney, Sahib Kaur, and Elise Etter. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI, the San Jose Police Department, and the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Santa Clara County Human Trafficking Task Force.
Elkridge Felon Facing Federal Indictment for Federal Drug Distribution and Firearms Charges Allegedly Committed While on Federal Supervised ReleaseRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury today returned an indictment charging Delmarcus Branford, a/k/a “Baydo,” age 31, of Elkridge, Maryland, for the federal charges of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances—specifically, fentanyl, cocaine, and marijuana; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; and for being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to court documents, Branford allegedly committed these crimes while on federal supervised release.
The indictment was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Jonathan F. Lenzner; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Orville O. Greene of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; Chief Amal E. Awad of the Anne Arundel County Police Department; Chief Edward Jackson of the Annapolis Police Department; Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department; and State’s Attorney for Baltimore City Marilyn Mosby.
The three-count indictment and other court documents allege that during 2020 Branford conducted drug transactions, including selling crack cocaine to undercover law enforcement officers on several occasions. Branford was subsequently indicted under seal in Baltimore City Circuit Court and a federal arrest warrant was issued base on a notice of violation of supervised release. Court documents further allege that Branford continued selling drugs, posting several photos of himself with large amounts of cash, luxury vehicles and high-end clothing and other items on social media, as a symbol of his success in his illicit business.
As detailed in court documents, Branford was arrested on August 19, 2021 on the federal warrant for violation of his supervised release. Simultaneously, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Branford’s residence, seizing approximately $38,854 in cash, cell phones, and other electronic devices. A search warrant was also obtained for the Maserati that law enforcement had observed Branford driving, after a trained controlled substance-detecting K-9 positively alerted to the presence of drugs. Court documents alleges that during the search of the Maserati, law enforcement recovered a semi-automatic firearm; a black trash bag and a gray bag both containing controlled substances; and a digital scale with drug residue. From the vehicle, law enforcement allegedly recovered a total of approximately 499.46 grams of cocaine; 25.66 grams of fentanyl; and a large quantity of marijuana.
Search warrants were subsequently obtained for cell phones used by Branford that were seized during the August 19, 2021 search. The phones allegedly contain evidence of drug trafficking, including videos and photos of drugs, and shrink-wrapped bundles of cash.
If convicted, Branford faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute controlled substances; a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to life in federal prison for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; and a maximum of 10 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Branford is expected to have an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, at a later date. Branford has been detained since his arrest on the federal warrant for violating his supervised release and a federal criminal complaint filed on September 28, 2021.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is 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.
Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner commended the FBI, the DEA, the Anne Arundel County, Annapolis, and Baltimore Police Departments, and the Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City for their work in the investigation. Mr. Lenzner thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas P. Windom and LaRai Everett, who are prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and programs to combat gun crime, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile.
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Ecuadorian Man Sentenced to Prison for Transportation of a Minor to Engage in Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
DAVENPORT, Iowa– Luis Moreira Bravo, of Ecuador, but resided in Edina, Minnesota, was sentenced on Monday, October 4, 2021, by United States District Court Judge Stephanie M. Rose to 120 months in prison for Transportation of a Minor. Moreira Bravo was ordered to serve five years of supervised release to follow his prison term and pay $100 to Crime Victims’ Fund.
According to court documents, Luis Moreira Bravo, age 27, left his Minnesota residence on May 5, 2020, and traveled to Iowa to meet with a fourteen-year-old minor. Moreira Bravo met the victim on social media where the two discussed engaging in sexual activity when they met in person. Moreira Bravo arrived at the victim’s residence and he thereafter drove her to a nearby location where the two engaged in sexual intercourse multiple times. After sleeping overnight in the vehicle, Moreira Bravo drove the victim to Minnesota the next day with the intent to further engage in illegal sexual conduct. Once in Minnesota, the minor victim and Moreira Bravo again engaged in sexual intercourse.
Acting United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Muscatine Police Department, St. Paul Police Department, and Minneapolis Police Department collaborated on this investigation to locate the victim.
This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa as part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Childhood” initiative, which was started in 2006 as a nation-wide effort to combine law enforcement investigations and prosecutions, community action, and public awareness in order to reduce the incidence of sexual exploitation of children. Any persons having knowledge of a child being sexually abused are encouraged to call the Iowa Sexual Abuse Hotline at 1-800-284-7821.
Drug trafficker sentenced for meth and cocaine conspiracyRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A 45-year-old Laredo resident has been ordered to federal prison for his role as a leader-organizer in a meth distribution conspiracy, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Federico Castanon pleaded guilty June 21.
Today, U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo to 144 months in prison. At the hearing, the court heard evidence Castanon was a leader/organizer of a drug trafficking organization. He continued to attempt to coordinate criminal activity by speaking to associates in coded language on recorded jail calls while in custody. In imposing the sentence, Judge Marmolejo noted that if he was continuing in his attempts to still coordinate drug trafficking while in custody, he clearly had no remorse for his actions.
Authorities had conducted an undercover operation which resulted in the Aug. 3, 2015, seizure of approximately three kilograms of meth and one kilogram of cocaine. The investigation identified Castanon as a leader/organizer of the smuggling event after he had met with law enforcement and discussed the seizure.
Castanon has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation with assistance from Border Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Francisco J. Rodriguez and Ursula Smith prosecuted the case.
Dominican Republic Man Living on St. Thomas Pleads Guilty to Illegally Reentering the United StatesRead the Press Release
ST. THOMAS – U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced today that Timoteo Upia-Frias, 74, a native of the Dominican Republic, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller and pleaded guilty to one count charging him with illegally reentering the United States, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a).
According to court documents, Timoteo Upia-Frias was discovered by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents living in a neighborhood on St. Thomas while conducting an operation investigating undocumented immigrants in the United States Virgin Islands.
Criminal and immigration records confirmed that on September 6, 2016, Timoteo Upia-Frias was removed from the United States by ICE agents and returned to his native country, the Dominican Republic, following his felony conviction in the District Court of the United States in 2008 for possessing with intent to distribute heroin.
Upia-Frias pleaded guilty to illegal reentry pursuant to 8 U.S.C § 1326. He faces up to 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors at a sentencing hearing to be scheduled later.
The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of the Virgin Islands and investigated by HSI and ICE.
Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco Announces New Civil Cyber-Fraud InitiativeRead the Press Release
Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco announced today the launch of the department’s Civil Cyber-Fraud Initiative, which will combine the department’s expertise in civil fraud enforcement, government procurement and cybersecurity to combat new and emerging cyber threats to the security of sensitive information and critical systems.
“For too long, companies have chosen silence under the mistaken belief that it is less risky to hide a breach than to bring it forward and to report it,” said Deputy Attorney General Monaco. “Well that changes today. We are announcing today that we will use our civil enforcement tools to pursue companies, those who are government contractors who receive federal funds, when they fail to follow required cybersecurity standards — because we know that puts all of us at risk. This is a tool that we have to ensure that taxpayer dollars are used appropriately and guard the public fisc and public trust.”
The creation of the Initiative, which will be led by the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, is a direct result of the department’s ongoing comprehensive cyber review, ordered by Deputy Attorney General Monaco this past May. The review is aimed at developing actionable recommendations to enhance and expand the Justice Department’s efforts against cyber threats.
Civil Cyber-Fraud Initiative Details
The Civil Cyber-Fraud Initiative will utilize the False Claims Act to pursue cybersecurity related fraud by government contractors and grant recipients. The False Claims Act is the government’s primary civil tool to redress false claims for federal funds and property involving government programs and operations. The act includes a unique whistleblower provision, which allows private parties to assist the government in identifying and pursing fraudulent conduct and to share in any recovery and protects whistleblowers who bring these violations and failures from retaliation.
The initiative will hold accountable entities or individuals that put U.S. information or systems at risk by knowingly providing deficient cybersecurity products or services, knowingly misrepresenting their cybersecurity practices or protocols, or knowingly violating obligations to monitor and report cybersecurity incidents and breaches. The benefits of the initiative will include:
- Building broad resiliency against cybersecurity intrusions across the government, the public sector and key industry partners.
- Holding contractors and grantees to their commitments to protect government information and infrastructure.
- Supporting government experts’ efforts to timely identify, create and publicize patches for vulnerabilities in commonly-used information technology products and services.
- Ensuring that companies that follow the rules and invest in meeting cybersecurity requirements are not at a competitive disadvantage.
- Reimbursing the government and the taxpayers for the losses incurred when companies fail to satisfy their cybersecurity obligations.
- Improving overall cybersecurity practices that will benefit the government, private users and the American public.
The department will work closely on the Initiative with other federal agencies, subject matter experts and its law enforcement partners throughout the government.
Report Cyber-Fraud
Tips and complaints from all sources about potential cyber-related fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement can be reported by accessing the webpage of the Civil Division’s Fraud Section, which can be found here.
Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco Announces National Cryptocurrency Enforcement TeamRead the Press Release
Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco announced today the creation of a National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team (NCET), to tackle complex investigations and prosecutions of criminal misuses of cryptocurrency, particularly crimes committed by virtual currency exchanges, mixing and tumbling services, and money laundering infrastructure actors. Under the supervision of Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr., the NCET will combine s the expertise of the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS), Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and other sections in the division, with experts detailed from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices. The team will also assist in tracing and recovery of assets lost to fraud and extortion, including cryptocurrency payments to ransomware groups.
“Today we are launching the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team to draw on the Department’s cyber and money laundering expertise to strengthen our capacity to dismantle the financial entities that enable criminal actors to flourish — and quite frankly to profit — from abusing cryptocurrency platforms” said Deputy Attorney General Monaco. “As the technology advances, so too must the Department evolve with it so that we’re poised to root out abuse on these platforms and ensure user confidence in these systems.”
“The Criminal Division is already an established leader in investigating and prosecuting the criminal misuse of cryptocurrency,” said Assistant Attorney General Polite. “The creation of this team will build on this leadership by combining and coordinating expertise across the Division in this continuously evolving field to investigate and prosecute the fraudulent misuse, illegal laundering, and other criminal activities involving cryptocurrencies.”
The head of the NCET will report to the Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal Division and will be selected after an application process seeking an individual with experience with complex criminal investigations and prosecutions, as well as the technology underpinning cryptocurrencies and the blockchain. Once selected, the Team Leader will lead the team of attorneys from MLARS, CCIPS, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys (AUSAs) detailed from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country to identify, investigate, support, and pursue cases against cryptocurrency exchanges, infrastructure providers, and other entities that are enabling the misuse of cryptocurrency and related products to commit or facilitate criminal activity.
Importantly, the NCET will draw and build upon the established expertise across the Criminal Division to deter, disrupt, investigate, and prosecute criminal misuse of cryptocurrency, as well as to recover the illicit proceeds of those crimes whenever possible. Because cryptocurrency is used in a wide variety of criminal activity, from being the primary demand mechanism for ransomware payments, to money laundering and the operation of illegal or unregistered money services businesses, to being the preferred means of exchange of value on “dark markets” for illegal drugs, weapons, malware and other hacking tools, the NCET will foster the development of expertise in cryptocurrency and blockchain technologies across all aspects of the Department’s work. The NCET will also play a critical support role for international, federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement authorities grappling with these new technologies and new forms of criminal tradecraft.
National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team Details
The NCET builds upon MLARS’s Digital Currency Initiative and will be informed by the Department’s Cryptocurrency Enforcement Framework, released in October 2020. Because crimes involving cryptocurrency can take many forms, the NCET will not only pursue its own cases, but also support existing and future cases brought across the Criminal Division and in the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country.
NCET team members will be drawn from three initial sources: MLARS, CCIPS, and detailees to the Criminal Division from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country. Team members will draw upon the expertise of their home offices while working collaboratively under the Team Leader to combine their expertise in financial systems, blockchain technology, tracing transactions, and applicable criminal statutes to address illegal activity involving cryptocurrency in a structured way. The NCET will:
- Investigate and prosecute cryptocurrency cases, comprising a central part of a nationwide enforcement effort to combat the use of cryptocurrency as an illicit tool.
- Develop strategic priorities for investigations and prosecutions involving cryptocurrency, in consultation with the USAOs, Department components, and investigative agencies involved in cryptocurrency investigations.
- Identify areas for increased investigative and prosecutorial focus, including professional money launderers, ransomware schemes, human traffickers, narcotics traffickers, and financial institutions working with cryptocurrency.
- Build and enhance relationships with cryptocurrency focused AUSAs and prosecutors with other Department litigating components and offices to pursue cryptocurrency investigations and prosecutions.
- Develop and maintain relationships with federal, state, local, and international law enforcement agencies that investigate and prosecute cryptocurrency cases.
- Train and advise federal prosecutors and law enforcement agencies in developing investigative and prosecutorial strategies. Such training and advice will include providing guidance concerning search and seizure warrants, restraining orders, criminal and civil forfeiture allegations, indictments, and other pleadings.
- Support the coordination and sharing of information and evidence among law enforcement offices to maximize the effectiveness of the Department’s investigations, prosecutions, and forfeitures involving cryptocurrency.
- Collaborate and build relationships with private sector actors with expertise in cryptocurrency matters to further the criminal enforcement mission.
The NCET will work closely with other federal agencies, subject matter experts, and its law enforcement partners throughout the government.
Denver Man Sentenced to Prison for Threatening to Harm Government EmployeesRead the Press Release
DENVER – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that Harold Ortiz, age 56, of Denver, was sentenced to 14 months in federal prison for threatening to assault or murder a Social Security Administration employee.
According to the plea agreement, on February 26, 2021, the defendant called the Social Security Administration in regards to social security benefits. He demanded to speak with a manager, and then yelled insults. He then said, “I’m going to stand outside your building and blow all of your [expletive] heads off! You’re dealing with a crazy person.” After this call was disconnected, the defendant placed another call to the Social Security Administration. The district manager told the defendant that threats would not be tolerated, and the defendant responded, “Denver PD will not come to my house because they know I will kill them! They know I am crazy!” As a result of the defendant’s threat, the Social Security Administration office in downtown Denver was closed for two days on March 1 and March 2, 2021.
“Freedom of speech does not protect threatening to assault or murder a United States official,” said Acting United States Attorney Matt Kirsch. “Threatening to harm federal officials is a crime, and we will prosecute it.”
“Mr. Ortiz threatened the lives of Social Security Administration officials for carrying out their official duties. This deplorable behavior not only caused fear in the lives of SSA personnel and their families, but resulted in the closure of that field office and the cancellation of dire need appointments for the public. This behavior will not be tolerated by my office and today’s sentence should stand as a warning to anyone who threatens an SSA official who is simply carrying out his or her duties,” said Gail S. Ennis, Inspector General for the Social Security Administration. “I thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Sonia Dave for prosecuting this case.”
United States District Court Judge Daniel D. Domenico sentenced Harold Ortiz on October 6, 2021.
The Federal Protective Service and the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General conducted the investigation. Special Assistant United States Attorney Sonia J. Dave handled the prosecution of the case.
Case Number: 21-cr-00085-DDD-1
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Cumberland County Man Admits Role in Conspiracy to Distribute Five Kilograms of FentanylRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Cumberland County, New Jersey, man today admitted conspiring to distribute and possessing with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Emanuel Figueroa-Martinez, 36, of Millville, New Jersey, pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge John Michael Vazquez to an information charging him with conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
In April 2020, Figueroa-Martinez conspired to distribute five kilograms of fentanyl. On April 24, 2020, Figueroa-Martinez transported the fentanyl to a location in Monmouth County, New Jersey. Upon arrival, he was arrested, and the fentanyl was recovered from his car.
The offenses to which Figueroa-Martinez pleaded guilty each carry a mandatory minimum term of 10 years in prison, a maximum penalty of life in prison, and a fine of $10 million. Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 8, 2022.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited special agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Susan A. Gibson, the Asbury Park Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Kelso, and the Neptune Township Police Department, under the direction of Chief James Hunt, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Francesca Liquori of the Organized Crime and Gangs Unit.
Crane company agrees to pay more than $4.5M to resolve lawsuit for non-compliance with Military SpecificationsRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – Crane Company has agreed to pay to the United States to resolve allegations it violated the False Claims Act (FCA) by failing to comply with Military Specification (Mil Spec) Mil-V 24624 for certain high performance butterfly valves and requirements for inclusion on the Qualified Products List (QPL) where the valves appeared. The valves were supplied for use in U.S. Navy ships.
“We are committed to ensuring that the military gets what it pays for,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery for the Southern District of Texas “We will vigorously enforce the rules and regulations governing military purchasing contracts.”
“Requirements like the Mil Spec and QPL play an important role in protecting the quality of the equipment received by the government, as well as the safety of military personnel,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Companies that knowingly fail to comply with these requirements will be held accountable.”
“This settlement highlights the commitment of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) and our law enforcement partners to protect the integrity of the DoD acquisition process,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael Mentavlos of the DCIS Southwest Field Office. “DCIS will continue to thoroughly investigate allegations of fraud and product non-conformance and pursue all available remedies.”
The settlement announced today resolves allegations that from May 2011 through September 2017, Crane supplied high performance butterfly valves to military ship builders that included Reinforced Teflon (RTFE) seats. From May 2011 to September 2015, Crane also supplied high performance butterfly valves that contained Monel bolting. The government contended that Crane sold the military Mil Spec valves with RFTE seats and Monel bolting that had not been approved for use by the Navy and failed to disclose these modifications to the valves in violation of the QPL Program, which governs the approval of products such as valves for use in military contracts.
The civil settlement includes the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the FCA by Corla Jacobson, a former Crane employee. The FCA permits private parties to sue for false claims on behalf of the United States and to share in any recovery. Jacobson will receive $855,728 of the FCA settlement.
The settlement was the result of a coordinated effort between the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch (Fraud Section) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas with investigative support from DCIS and U.S. Navy Criminal Investigation Division.
Senior Trial Counsel Alicia J. Bentley of the Civil Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Bobb of the Southern District of Texas handle the matter.
Related court documents and information from the civil lawsuit can be accessed on PACER.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
Crane Company Agrees to Pay More Than $4.5 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Lawsuit for Non-Compliance with Military SpecificationsRead the Press Release
Crane Company (Crane) has agreed to pay to the United States over $4.5 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by failing to comply with Military Specification (Mil Spec) Mil-V 24624 for certain high performance butterfly valves and requirements for inclusion on the Qualified Products List (QPL) where the valves appeared. The valves were supplied for use in U.S. Navy ships.
“Requirements like the Mil Spec and QPL play an important role in protecting the quality of the equipment received by the government, as well as the safety of military personnel,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Companies that knowingly fail to comply with these requirements will be held accountable.”
“We are committed to ensuring that the military gets what it pays for,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery for the Southern District of Texas. “We will vigorously enforce the rules and regulations governing military purchasing contracts.”
“This settlement highlights the commitment of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) and our law enforcement partners to protect the integrity of the DoD acquisition process,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael Mentavlos of the DCIS Southwest Field Office. “DCIS will continue to thoroughly investigate allegations of fraud and product non-conformance and pursue all available remedies.”
The settlement announced today resolves allegations that from May 2011 through September 2017, Crane supplied high performance butterfly valves to military ship builders that included Reinforced Teflon (RTFE) seats. From May 2011 to September 2015, Crane also supplied high performance butterfly valves that contained Monel bolting. The government contended that Crane sold the military Mil Spec valves with RFTE seats and Monel bolting that had not been approved for use by the Navy and failed to disclose these modifications to the valves in violation of the QPL Program, which governs the approval of products such as valves for use in military contracts.
The civil settlement includes the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by Corla Jacobson, a former Crane employee. The False Claims Act permits private parties to sue for false claims on behalf of the United States and to share in any recovery. The qui tam case is captioned United States ex rel. Jacobson v. Crane Co., No. 4:17-CV-01431 (S.D. Tex.). Ms. Jacobson will receive $855,728 of the False Claims Act settlement.
The settlement was the result of a coordinated effort between the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch (Fraud Section) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas with investigative support from the DCIS and the U.S. Navy Criminal Investigation Division.
Senior Trial Counsel Alicia J. Bentley of the Civil Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Bobb of the Southern District of Texas handled the matter.
Related court documents and information from the civil lawsuit can be accessed on PACER.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
Coralville Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Firearm ChargeRead the Press Release
DAVENPORT, Iowa – A Coralville man, Dylan Darelle Scott, was sentenced on Tuesday, October 5, 2021, by United States District Court Judge Stephanie M. Rose to 64 months in prison for Felon in Possession of a Firearm. Scott was ordered to serve three years of supervised release to follow his prison terms and pay $100 to the Crime Victims’ Fund.
Law enforcement arrested Scott, age 32, who had an active warrant for his arrest. At the time of his arrest, Scott was smoking a marijuana blunt and was in possession of a loaded, .25 caliber Phoenix Arms Model HP25A pistol and one ounce of marijuana. Scott pleaded guilty to the offense on May 17, 2021.
Acting United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Iowa City Police Department investigated the case.
Clinton County Man Pleads Guilty in Meth Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A former resident of Clinton County, PA pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of violating federal narcotics laws, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.
Jared Nyman, 24, of Lock Haven, PA, pleaded guilty to Count Two of the Superseding Indictment before United States District Judge Kim R. Gibson.
In connection with the guilty plea, from July 2019 to June 2020, Nyman conspired to distribute 500 grams of more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine.
Judge Gibson scheduled sentencing for Feb. 9, 2022. The law provides for a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison to a maximum of life in prison, a fine of $10,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Maureen Sheehan-Balchon is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
This prosecution is a result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles high-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten communities throughout the United States. OCDETF uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Clifford D. Johnson Is Sworn in as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of IndianaRead the Press Release
HAMMOND- Clifford D. Johnson is officially the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana. He was sworn in by Chief U.S. District Judge Jon E. DeGuilio this morning at the federal courthouse in Hammond.
Clifford D. Johnson was nominated by President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. on July 26, 2021 and unanimously confirmed by the Senate on September 30, 2021 for the Northern District of Indiana United States Attorney position. President Biden signed Mr. Johnson’s commission on October 5, 2021.
Mr. Johnson previously was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Northern District of Indiana from 1986 to August 2020. During his tenure with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Indiana, Mr. Johnson held numerous supervisory/management positions, including Chief of the Civil Division from 1997 to 2010 and twice serving as the First Assistant U.S. Attorney from (June 2010 to March 2017 and October 2017 to August 2020). Mr. Johnson, pursuant to the Vacancy Reform Act, served as the District’s Acting U.S. Attorney from March 2017 to October 2017. Before joining the United States Attorney’s Office in January 1986, Mr. Johnson was a Trial Attorney in the Employment Litigation Section of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division in Washington, D.C. from August 1980 to December 1985.
Mr. Johnson, a Gary, Indiana native, received his J.D. from Valparaiso University Law School in 1980 and his B.A. from Valparaiso University in 1976.
“I am looking forward to working hard on furthering the Office’s stated mission which is: To justly and with the highest degree of excellence represent the interests of the United States of America in execution of federal laws, to advance public interest, and to ensure the fair and impartial administration of justice for all persons,” said United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
Clearfield County Man Admits Participation in Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A former resident of Hyde, PA pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of violating federal narcotics laws, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.
John McKinney, 53, pleaded guilty to Count Two of the Superseding Indictment before United States District Judge Kim R. Gibson.
In connection with the guilty plea, from July 2019 to June 2020, McKinney conspired to distribute a quantity of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine.
Judge Gibson scheduled sentencing for Feb. 9, 2022. The law provides for a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of $1,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Maureen Sheehan-Balchon is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
This prosecution is a result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles high-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten communities throughout the United States. OCDETF uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Clay County Man Pleads Guilty to Meth and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
A man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine and illegally possessed a firearm pled guilty October 5, 2021, in federal court in Sioux City.
Joshua Currier, 31 from Spencer, Iowa, was convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and illegal possession of a firearm. Currier was previously convicted of Forgery, in the Iowa District Court for Dickinson County, on or about June 13, 2011, and Domestic Abuse Assault Impeding Flow of Air/Blood in the Iowa District Court for Clay County, on or about August 9, 2017. Both convictions prohibit Currier from possessing any firearm.
At the plea hearing, Currier admitted that between January 2020 and continuing to on or about February 2021, he and others conspired to distribute 500 grams of methamphetamine. Further evidence showed that, in December 2020, Currier possessed a Canik 9mm pistol as a prohibited person.
Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Currier remains in custody of the United States Marshal and will remain in custody pending sentencing. For the conspiracy offense, Currier faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, and at least 5 years of supervised release following any imprisonment. For the firearm offense, Currier faces a possibly maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, a fine of $250,000, and not more than 3 years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and was investigated by Clay County Sheriff’s Office, Spencer Police Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Iowa DCI Laboratory.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 21-4037. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Chenango County Man Arraigned on Child Pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Brian T. Whipple, age 42, of New Berlin, New York was arraigned yesterday on an indictment filed by a federal grand jury charging him with Receipt and Possession of Child Pornography. The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Antoinette T. Bacon, Matthew Scarpino, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and New York State Police Superintendent Kevin P. Bruen.
An indictment unsealed in federal court charges that from approximately 2009 through June 2020 the defendant used a peer-to-peer file sharing service connected to the internet to receive and download child pornography and that he possessed child pornography on multiple devices in June 2020.
If convicted, Whipple faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years’ imprisonment, a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of between five years and life. Whipple also would have to register as a sex offender. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
Whipple was detained in federal custody pending a detention hearing scheduled before United States Magistrate Judge Miroslav Lovric on October 8, 2021.
The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations in cooperation with the New York State Police and the Chenango County District Attorney’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Gadarian as part of Project Safe Childhood.
Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). 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.
Charlotte Man Is Convicted by A Federal Jury for Illegal Gun PossessionRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A federal jury has convicted Trevon Darnell Hopkins, 27, of Charlotte, of possession of a firearm by a felon, announced William T. Stetzer, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. U.S. District Judge Robert J. Conrad Jr. presided over the trial which ended yesterday.
Acting U.S. Attorney Stetzer is joined in making today’s announcement by Vincent C. Pallozzi, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, and Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD).
According to filed court documents, trial evidence, and witness testimony, on June 23, 2018, CMPD officers observed Hopkins driving a vehicle that had been reported as stolen. When law enforcement attempted to execute a traffic stop of the vehicle, Hopkins refused to comply and sped away. The defendant then proceeded to drive recklessly, including onto oncoming traffic and on the sidewalk. Hopkins eventually lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a tree. CMPD officers arrested Hopkins at the scene. As trial evidence established, law enforcement located two firearms in the stolen vehicle. Hopkins is prohibited from possessing firearms due to multiple prior felony convictions. Also, at the time of his arrest, Hopkins was on post-release supervision with the State of North Carolina.
Hopkins is currently in federal custody. The charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years. A sentencing date for Hopkins has not been set.
In making today’s announcement Acting U.S. Attorney Stetzer thanked ATF and CMPD for their investigation of the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Kelly and Stephanie Spaugh of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte are prosecuting the case.
Buffalo Man Going to Prison for Selling CocaineRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y.—U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Kasan Alkafi, 49, of Buffalo, NY, who was convicted of possessing with intent to distribute, and distributing, cocaine, was sentenced to serve 24 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan T. Cullinane, who handled the case, stated that between July 2016 and November 2017, the defendant sold cocaine to various customers in the Buffalo area. On July 17, 2016, Buffalo Police officers executed a search warrant at Alkafi’s Minton Street residence and recovered approximately 236 grams of cocaine, cutting agent, scales, drug packaging materials, and $3,105 in cash. The defendant was prosecuted by the Erie County District Attorney and sentenced to serve five years of probation.
On October 11, 2017, the DEA and Buffalo Police conducted an undercover purchase of cocaine from an individual identified as co-conspirator 1, a known cocaine distribution associate of Alkafi. On November 3, 2017, the DEA and the Erie County Sheriff's Office conducted a second controlled purchase of cocaine, this time from the defendant. Immediately following the second controlled purchase, search warrants were executed at residences on Genesee Street and N. Legion Road. During the search warrants, investigators recovered nearly five grams of cocaine, packaging bags, cutting agent, baggies with drug residue, a small amount of marijuana, marijuana grinder, two digital scales, and approximately $6,060 in cash.
The sentencing is result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Ray Donovan; the Erie County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Timothy Howard; and the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Byron Lockwood.
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Baldwinsville Man Pleads Guilty to Supplemental Security Income FraudRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – George Rawda, age 57, of Baldwinsville, New York, pled guilty today to concealing information from the Social Security Administration (SSA) in order to defraud SSA into paying Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits to a family member, who was otherwise ineligible to receive such benefits.
The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Antoinette T. Bacon and John F. Grasso, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration (SSA), Office of the Inspector General, New York Field Office.
As part of his guilty plea, Rawda admitted that from November of 2014 through October of 2020, while acting as representative payee for a family member, Rawda concealed and failed to disclose that the family member was residing outside of the United States in order to deceive SSA into making benefit payments to the family member who was otherwise ineligible to receive SSI benefit payments. SSI is a needs-based program, available to elderly, blind, and disabled individuals, that provides money to pay for basic living expenses. A representative payee is a person or organization who has agreed to receive and use Social Security benefits on a beneficiary’s behalf. A representative payee is also responsible for reporting any change in the beneficiary’s circumstances including a change to income, resources, and whether the beneficiary leaves the country for more than 30 consecutive days.
As a result of his conviction, Rawda faces up to 5 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years. Sentencing is scheduled for February 9, 2022, before Chief United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby. 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 SSA Office of the Inspector General and is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian S. LaRochelle.
Aryan Circle Gang Leader Sentenced to 87 Months in Prison for Violent Crime in Aid of RacketeeringRead the Press Release
A Texas man was sentenced today to 87 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for his role in directing subordinate Aryan Circle (AC) gang members to assault and inflict serious bodily injury on a victim.
Michael Martin, aka Aryan Prodigy and AP, 38, of Santa Fe, Texas, pleaded guilty to committing assault resulting in serious bodily injury in aid of racketeering on March 4, 2021. According to court documents, the AC is a violent, race-based, prison-based gang with hundreds of members operating inside and outside of state and federal prisons in states throughout the country. The AC enforces its rules and promotes discipline among its members, prospects and associates through threats, intimidation and acts of violence including, but not limited to, acts involving assault and murder. Members are required to follow the orders of higher-ranking members without question.
Martin joined the AC in the early 2000s and held the rank of upper board member at the time of the offense, meaning that he was one of the five highest-ranking AC members in the country. In this role, Martin made decisions and directed the actions of other gang members regarding a range of issues including who to recruit and admit as members of the gang; who should be disciplined or removed for violating the AC rules; and which rival gangs the AC would fight with or against.
According to court documents, Martin learned that another AC member wanted to switch his gang affiliation, or “patch over,” from the AC to a different gang. Martin ordered AC members to attack the member to “X” him, or remove him from the gang, because it violated the AC’s rules to join a different organization. On Martin’s orders, several AC members then violently beat the victim, including by kicking the victim in the head while he was on the ground. The attack resulted in the victim obtaining medical care and suffering long-term injury.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei for the Eastern District of Texas made the announcement.
The case was investigated by the following agencies: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Federal Bureau of Prisons; Texas Department of Public Safety; Houston Police Department-Gang Division; Montgomery County (TX) Precinct One Constable’s Office; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations; Texas Department of Criminal Justice; New Jersey Department of Corrections-Special Investigations Division; Indiana State Police; Fort Smith (AR) Police Department; Arkansas Department of Corrections; Arnold (MO) Police Department; Jefferson County (MO) Sheriff’s Department; St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department; St. Louis County (MO) Police Department; Indiana Department of Corrections; Carrollton (TX) Police Department; Montgomery County (TX) Sheriff’s Office; Travis County (TX) Sheriff’s Office; Tarrant County (TX) Sheriff’s Office; Evangeline Parish (LA) Sheriff’s Office; Smith County (TX) Sheriff’s Office; McCurtain County (OK) Sheriff’s Office; Montgomery County (TX) District Attorney’s Office; Liberty County (TX) District Attorney’s Office; Harris County (TX) District Attorney’s Office; Mercer County (NJ) Prosecutor’s Office; Evangeline Parish (LA) District Attorney’s Office; and the Sebastian County (AR) District Attorney’s Office. Valuable assistance was provided by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces.
Trial Attorneys Beth Lipman and Rebecca Dunnan of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Rapp of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas prosecuted the case.
Aryan Circle Gang Leader Sentenced for Violent Crime in Aid of RacketeeringRead the Press Release
BEAUMONT, Texas – A Santa Fe, Texas, man has been sentenced to federal prison for his role in a violent gang-related beating in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei and Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division today.
Michael Martin, a/k/a Aryan Prodigy and AP, 38, pleaded guilty on March 4, 2021 to committing assault resulting in serious bodily injury in aid of racketeering and was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Thad Heartfield on Oct. 5, 2021.
“The defendant’s violent actions demonstrate his commitment to a hateful and dangerous ideology,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. “Today’s sentence shows that no gang is above the law.”
According to court documents, the Aryan Circle (AC) is a violent, race-based, prison-based gang with hundreds of members operating inside and outside of state and federal prisons in states throughout the country. The AC enforces its rules and promotes discipline among its members, prospects, and associates through threats, intimidation, and acts of violence including, but not limited to, acts involving murder and assault. Members are required to follow the orders of higher-ranking members without question.
Martin joined the AC in the early 2000s and held the rank of upper board member at the time of the offense, meaning that he was one of the five highest-ranking AC members in the country. In this role, Martin made decisions and directed the actions of other gang members regarding a range of issues including who to recruit and admit as members of the gang, who should be disciplined or removed for violating the AC rules, and which rival gangs the AC would fight.
According to court documents, Martin learned that another AC member wanted to switch his gang affiliation, or “patch over,” from the AC to a different gang. Martin ordered AC members to attack the former member to “X” him, or remove him from the gang, because it violated the AC’s rules to join a different organization. On Martin’s orders, two AC members violently beat the victim, including by kicking him in the head while he was on the ground. The attack resulted in the victim obtaining medical care and suffering long-term injury.
The case was investigated by the following agencies: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Federal Bureau of Prisons; Texas Department of Public Safety; Houston Police Department-Gang Division; Montgomery County (TX) Precinct One Constable’s Office; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations; Texas Department of Criminal Justice; New Jersey Department of Corrections-Special Investigations Division; Indiana State Police; Fort Smith (AR) Police Department; Arkansas Department of Corrections; Arnold (MO) Police Department; Jefferson County (MO) Sheriff’s Department; St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department; St. Louis County (MO) Police Department; Indiana Department of Corrections; Carrollton (TX) Police Department; Montgomery County (TX) Sheriff’s Office; Travis County (TX) Sheriff’s Office; Tarrant County (TX) Sheriff’s Office; Evangeline Parish (LA) Sheriff’s Office; Smith County (TX) Sheriff’s Office; McCurtain County (OK) Sheriff’s Office; Montgomery County (TX) District Attorney’s Office; Liberty County (TX) District Attorney’s Office; Harris County (TX) District Attorney’s Office; Mercer County (NJ) Prosecutor’s Office; Evangeline Parish (LA) District Attorney’s Office; and the Sebastian County (AR) District Attorney’s Office. Valuable assistance was provided by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces.
Trial Attorneys Beth Lipman and Rebecca Dunnan of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Rapp of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas prosecuted the case.
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Arrest Made in Armed Robbery of South Burlington PharmacyRead the Press Release
The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that Johny Bixby, 35, of Addison, Vermont, was charged by criminal complaint in United States District Court in Burlington, Vermont, with one count of obstruction of commerce by robbery and one count of using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Bixby, who is currently detained, will make his initial appearance to answer the complaint in federal court on October 7, 2021. At that hearing, U.S. Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle will also hear the government’s motion for pretrial detention.
According to court records, on October 4, 2021, Bixby entered the Kinney Drugs on Williston Road in South Burlington, Vermont. He went to the pharmacy section of the store and, while pointing a handgun at the two employees, demanded that they give him hydromorphone tablets. After receiving the tablets, Bixby put them in his pocket and fled the store. The following day, after members of the public identified Bixby as the robber in response to the South Burlington Police Department’s request for assistance, Bixby was arrested in Hinesburg, Vermont. At the time of his arrest, Bixby was in possession of a handgun. When questioned by law enforcement, Bixby admitted to robbing the Kinney Drugs and using a gun to do so.
Acting U.S. Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt emphasized that the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. As charged, Bixby faces a mandatory minimum of 5 years of imprisonment and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. If convicted, Bixby’s sentence will be determined by the Court based upon the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the application of any mandatory minimum prison terms associated with the count of conviction.
Acting U.S. Attorney Ophardt commended the coordinated and swift investigatory efforts of the South Burlington Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), as well as the crucial assistance of the Hinesburg Police Department, the Colchester Police Department, the Burlington Police Department, and the Vermont State Police.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara A. Masterson is handling the prosecution of Bixby. Bixby will be represented by the Federal Public Defender’s Office.
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 For more information, visit https://www.justice.gov/psn
Arlington Man Sentenced for Production and Receipt of Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An Arlington man was sentenced today to 20 years in prison for production and receipt of child pornography.
“The defendant engaged in devastating acts of sexual exploitation against a defenseless child and produced videos of her sexual abuse for his warped gratification,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “He escalated his conduct over the course of years, from viewing and amassing child sexual abuse material to becoming an abuser himself. For his crimes against children, the defendant will now serve a significant prison sentence where he can no longer prey on the most vulnerable members of our communities.”
According to court documents, Abraham Razook, 43, admitted to sexually exploiting a prepubescent minor on multiple occasions and producing videos of this abuse. From June to August of 2020, Razook created a series of sexually explicit videos of the prepubescent minor. In February 2021, Razook produced a more than 6-minute video that depicted the graphic sexual abuse of the child.
“The Department of Justice is committed to vigorously tracking down and holding accountable people like Razook who callously prey on vulnerable children for their selfish enjoyment,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. for the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “I commend the investigators and prosecutors in this case who are responsible for putting an end to Razook’s direct abuse of one minor and his perpetuation of the harm he did to so many others in the images he amassed.”
“Today, Mr. Razook will begin to pay for his reprehensible actions,” said Raymond Villanueva, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C. “This sentencing is the result of many arduous hours of work by members of HSI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. It should serve as a warning to anyone who intends to victimize children; they will be held accountable.”
Court records show the defendant also amassed a large number of online images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of hundreds of other child victims. Razook’s devices, that were recovered pursuant to a court-authorized search warrant and analyzed by law enforcement, contained evidence of additional child sexual abuse material including images and videos depicting violence against children. The evidence uncovered on his devices demonstrated that Razook began this unlawful conduct as early as 2013. Between April and September of 2020, Razook used an internet-based peer-to-peer program to download thousands of videos and images of child sexual abuse.
Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Kenneth A. Polite Jr., Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; and Raymond Villanueva, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C. made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Rossie D. Alston Jr.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Whitney Kramer and Assistant U.S. Attorney Maya D. Song prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:21-cr-146.
Alaska Man Arrested on Federal Charges for Threatening U.S. SenatorsRead the Press Release
FAIRBANKS – A Delta Junction, Alaska, man was arrested Monday in Fairbanks on criminal charges related to his alleged threats against U.S. Senators. The charging documents were filed on October 1, 2021, and have now been unsealed.
According to the affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, Jay Allen Johnson, 65, left a voicemail message on September 2, 2021, at the Washington D.C. office of a U.S. Senator containing several threats, including a threat to “burn” the Senator’s properties. The investigation revealed that the call originated in Delta Junction from a cellular telephone number linked to Johnson. On September 29, Johnson left another voicemail threatening to hire an assassin to kill the U.S. Senator. Johnson also left threatening voicemail messages for a second U.S. Senator between April 2021 and September 2021.
Johnson is charged with threatening United States officials with intent to intimidate the officials while engaged in the performance of official duties; making interstate threats; and interstate threat to damage property by means of fire or an explosive. The defendant is scheduled for an arraignment and detention hearing today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Scott Oravec of the U.S. District Court for Alaska.
If convicted, Johnson faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison for the most serious charges. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting U.S. Attorney Bryan Wilson of the District of Alaska and Antony Jung, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Alaska Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation made the announcement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Capitol Police are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Tansey is prosecuting the case.
A complaint is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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5 October 2021
တၢၢ်တီတၢၢ်တတၢၢ်ဝဲဲၤက ဲၤ စ ၢ်ညီ ၢ်ဆၢတဲ ၢ်ဝဲ တၢၢ်က ၢၢ်ကဒါက ဲၤ ကမ ၢၢၢ်တၢၢ်ခ ဲွဲးတၢၢ်ယ ၢ်တဖ ၢ် ဘ ၢ်ဃွဲး ကလ ဲၤထ ွဲးဒခ ထ ၢ် သဲစွဲးတၢၢ်သ ၢ်တၢၢ်သီက ဲၤက ဲသနူပ ၢ်ဖ ၢ်အတၢၢ်မဲၤနီ ၢ်လီဲၤ-Read the Press Release
တၢ ၢ်စဲက ံုးထ ုးထျီ ၢ်ရၤလျီၤအံၤဘ ၢ်တၢ ၢ်က ဲုးက ိ ၢ်ထံက ၤအျီၤလၢက ိ ၢ်အမိ မိ န ၢ်လျီၤ.
က ၢ ၢ်တၢ ၢ်ဂ ၢ ၢ်ဘ ုးစဲလၢလ ၢ်တဖ ၢ်တက ၢ.ဝ ၢ်ရ ၢ်တ ၢ် – တၢ ၢ်တျီတၢတၢ်တၢ ၢ်ဝဲၤက ိၤတနံၤအံၤဘိုးဘ ၢ်ပ ၢ်ဖ ါထျီ ၢ်ဝဲဒ ၢ်လၢ တၢ ၢ်စံ ၢ်ညျီ ၢ်ဆၢတဲ ၢ်တ ၢ ၢ်လံ
တၢ ၢ်က ၢ ၢ်ကဒါက ၤ ကမ ၢၢ ၢ်တၢ ၢ်ခ ဲုးတၢ ၢ်ယ ၢ်တဖ ၢ် ဘ ၢ်ထ ဲဒျီုး ကလံၤထံုးဒခိထ ၢ် သဲစုးတၢ ၢ်သိ ၢ်တၢ ၢ်သျီက ိၤက ဲသနူပ ၢ်ဖ (South Dakota Unified Judicial System - UJS) လျီၤ. တၢ ၢ်အံၤကမၤဂ ၤထျီ ၢ်
ပ ၤလၢအအဲကလံုးက ိ ၢ်တၢ ၢ်သ တၢ ၢ်ဘ ၢ်တလၢပ ဲၤ ထျီ ၢ်ဘုးတဖ ၢ် (LEP) အတၢ ၢ်တ ၤအိ ၢ်ဒိုးနၢ ၢ်ဘ ၢ်
ကျီၢ ၢ်စဲ ၢ်က ျီၢ ၢ်ဘ ျီ ၢ်တဖ ၢ်လျီၤ.တၢ ၢ်တျီတၢတၢ်တၢ ၢ်ဝဲၤက ိၤအံၤ အတၢ ၢ်က ၢ ၢ်ကဒါက ၤန ၢ် စုးထျီ ၢ်ဝဲဖဲ အဒိုးနၢ ၢ်ဘ ၢ် တၢ ၢ်ဆ ိုးထျီ ၢ်တၢ ၢ်တမံၤလၢ
မ ၢ ၢ်ထျီ ၢ်ထံက ိသဲစုး တၢ ၢ်ကရၢကရိတဖ ၢ် (East River Legal Services) လျီၤ. တၢ ၢ်ကရၢကရိတဖ ၢ်အံၤ
ပ ၢ်ဒ ၢ်ပ ၢ်ကမ ၢ်ဝဲဒ ၢ်လၢ UJS က ၢ ၢ်ဘ ျီ ၢ်တဖ ၢ် က ၢ ၢ်တလျီၤဝဲ LEP က ျီၢ ၢ်ဘ ျီ ၢ်ပ ၤစူုးကါတၢ ၢ်ဖိတဖ ၢ်
သနၤ ထျီ ၢ်အသုးလၢ အဝဲသ ၢ်အထံဂံၢ ၢ်ကျီၢ ၢ်ထံုးန ၢ်လျီၤ. တၢ ၢ်အံၤလ ၢ်သ ၢ်ခါပတ ၢ် 1964
ကမ ၢၢ ၢ်တၢ ၢ်ခ ဲုးတၢ ၢ်ယ ၢ်တဖ ၢ်သဲစုး အတၢ ၢ်ဂ ၢ ၢ်ခိ ၢ်တျီဃ (Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964) န ၢ်လျီၤ. တၢ ၢ်ဂ ၢ ၢ်ခိ ၢ်တျီဃ အံၤ တတျီဃ ၢ်ဝဲလၢ ပ ၤဒိုးနၢ ၢ်ကျီၢ ၢ်စၢဖိ ၢ်က ိ ၢ်စ တၢ ၢ်တိစၢၤမၤစၢၤတဖ ၢ် ဒၢ်သိုး တၢ ၢ်တက ၢ ၢ်တလျီၤအျီၤ သနၤ ထျီ ၢ်အသုးလၢ ကလ ၢ်, ဖံုးဘ ၢ်လ ဲၢ ၢ်မ တမ ၢ ၢ်ထံဂံၢ ၢ်ကျီၢ ၢ်ထံုးအဖျီခိ ၢ်န ၢ်လျီၤ. ဝဲၤက ိၤအံၤ အတၢ ၢ်က ၢ ၢ်ကဒါက ၤန သ ုးက ံ ၢ်ဝဲ က ိ ၢ်တၢတၢ်တျီဃ ၢ်တဖ ၢ်ဒျီုးက ျီၢ ၢ်ဘ ျီ ၢ်ဘူုးလဲဒိ ၢ်ဒိ ၢ်မ ၢ ၢ်မ ၢ ၢ်တဖ ၢ်လၢ UJS အပူၤန ၢ်လျီၤ. UJS န ၢ်
ဒ ုးအိ ၢ်ထျီ ၢ်တၢ ၢ်ကျီတၢ ၢ်ခဲလၢ LEP တဂၤစ ၢ်စ ၢ်အဂျီၢ ၢ်လၢကပ ၢ်ဃ ၢ်လၢ ကျီၢ ၢ်စဲ ၢ်ကမ ၢၢ ၢ်သဲစုးတၢ ၢ်ဂ ၢ ၢ်တၢ ၢ်ဝျီ
ဒျီုးတၢ ၢ်စူုးကါက ျီၢ ၢ်ဘ ျီ ၢ်လၢသဲစုးတၢ ၢ်ဂ ၢ ၢ်တၢ ၢ်က ိၤတဖ ၢ်အပူၤန ၢ်လျီၤ.ကမ ၢၢ ၢ်တၢ ၢ်တျီတၢတၢ်တၢ ၢ်ဝဲၤက ိၤအကမ ၢၢ ၢ်တၢ ၢ်ခ ဲုးတၢ ၢ်ယ ၢ်တဖ ၢ်ဝဲၤဒ အပျီၢ ၢ်ရျီပဒိ ၢ် Kristen Clarke စံုးဝဲဒ ၢ်လၢ, "ကျီၢ ၢ်စ က ျီၢ ၢ်ဘ ျီ ၢ်တဖ ၢ် အကါဒိ ၢ်ဝဲနျီၢ ၢ်နျီၢ ၢ်လၢ ပတၢ ၢ်တျီတၢတၢ်တၢ ၢ်က ိၤက ဲသနူ အတၢ ၢ်ဟံုးဃ ၢ်ဂၢၢ ၢ်က ၢၤတၢ ၢ်တျီတၢ ၢ်လိၤအဂျီၢ ၢ်ဒျီုး အရဒ ိ ၢ်ဝဲဒ ၢ်လၢ တၢ ၢ်ကသ ုးက ံ ၢ် ကယဲၢ ၢ်မ ၢ ၢ်တၢတၢ်တျီဃ ၢ်တမံၤလၢ ၢ်လၢ ၢ်လၢအတတျီ ၢ်ဃ ၢ်ပ ၤတဂၤစ ၢ်စ ၢ်လၢ
ကတ ၤအိ ၢ်စူုးကါ ဘ ၢ် တၢ ၢ်ကရၢကရိတဖ ၢ်အံၤန ၢ်လျီၤ." "ပကဆဲုးမၤသကိုးတၢ ၢ်ဒျီုး ကျီၢ ၢ်စဲ ၢ်က ျီၢ ၢ်ဘ ျီ ၢ်တဖ ၢ်
ဒၢ်သိုးကသ ုးက ံ ၢ် က ိ ၢ်တၢတၢ်တျီဃ ၢ် တဖ ၢ် လၢအသမၢတၢ ၢ်တ ၤအိ ၢ်ဒိုးနၢ ၢ်ဘ ၢ် တၢ ၢ်တျီတၢတၢ်တၢ ၢ်
ဒျီုးလၢအလ ၢ်သ ၢ်ခါပတ ၢ် ကမ ၢၢ ၢ်တၢ ၢ်ခ ဲုးတၢ ၢ်ယ ၢ်တဖ ၢ်သဲစုး န ၢ်လျီၤ." ပစံုးဘ ုးဘ ၢ်
ကလံၤထံုးဒခိထ ၢ်သဲစုးတၢ ၢ်သိ ၢ်တၢ ၢ်သျီက ိၤက ဲသနူပ ၢ်ဖိ ၢ်လၢ အမၤသကိုးတၢ ၢ်ဒျီုး တၢ ၢ်တျီတၢတၢ်တၢ ၢ် ဝဲၤက ိၤအံၤ
ဒၢ်သိုးကစံ ၢ်ညျီ ၢ်ဆၢတဲ ၢ် တၢ ၢ်ဂ ၢ ၢ်တၢ ၢ်ဝျီအံၤ ဒျီုးဟံုးဂ ၢ ၢ်ဝျီမၤထျီ ၢ်တၢ ၢ်ခ ခ လၢကမၤလျီၤတံၢ ၢ်ပ ၤစူုးကါက ျီၢ ၢ်ဘ ျီ ၢ် ခဲလၢ ၢ်, အဝဲသ ၢ်အက ိ ၢ်တၢ ၢ်သ တၢ ၢ်ဘ ၢ်မ ၢ ၢ်ကအိ ၢ်ဝဲဒၢ်လဲ ၢ်ဂ ၤဒၢ်လဲ ၢ်ဂ ၤ, ကနၢ ၢ်ပၢၢ ၢ်ဒျီုးပ ၢ်ဃ ၢ်မၤသကိုးတၢ ၢ်လၢ သဲစုးတၢ ၢ်မူုးတၢ ၢ်ရၢ တဖ ၢ်အပူၤအဃိန ၢ်လျီၤ.ဒၢ်သိုးကချီဆၢကဒါက ၤ ဝဲၤက ိၤအံၤအတၢ ၢ်က ၢ ၢ်ကဒါက ၤတၢ ၢ်အံၤအဂျီၢ ၢ်, UJS ဆ ၢထျီ ၢ်ဝဲ သဲစုးတၢ ၢ်သိ ၢ်တၢ ၢ်သျီ
လံ ၢ်ပတံထျီ ၢ်တၢ ၢ်တမံၤဆူ ကျီၢ ၢ်စဲ ၢ်ကရၢဒ ုးအိ ၢ်ထျီ ၢ်သဲစုးတၢ ၢ်ဘ ၢအအိ ၢ် ဒၢ်သိုးကမၤဒိ ၢ်ထျီ ၢ်အါထျီ ၢ်
တၢ ၢ်တ ၤအိ ၢ်ဒိုးနၢ ၢ်ဘ ၢ် က ျီၢ ၢ်ဘ ျီ ၢ်ပ ၤတဲက ိုးထံတၢ ၢ်ဒျီုးပ ၤက ဲုးက ိ ၢ်ထံတၢ ၢ်တဖ ၢ် လၢ LEP တဂၤစ ၢ်စ ၢ်အဂျီၢ ၢ်
လၢကမ ၢၢ ၢ်သဲစုးတၢ ၢ်မူုးတၢ ၢ်ရၢ ၢ်ကိုးမံၤ အပူၤန ၢ်လျီၤ. တၢ ၢ်ဒ ုးအိ ၢ်ထျီ ၢ်တၢ ၢ်သိ ၢ်တၢ ၢ်ဘ ၢအံၤ ကဲထျီ ၢ်ဝဲ သဲစုးတၢ ၢ်သိ ၢ်တၢ ၢ်သ ဖဲ လါယူၤလံ 1 သျီန ၢ်လျီၤ. ဒၢ်သိုး ကလိ ၢ်ထျီ ၢ်ဖုးထျီ ၢ်သဲစုးတၢ ၢ်သိ ၢ်တၢ ၢ်သျီအံၤအဂျီၢ ၢ်, UJS
ဂၢၤဃ ၢ်ဝဲစ ဆျီ ၢ်ထ ဲအဂၤတမံၤလၢအစ တိ ၢ်ပ ၢ်အပူၤ ဒၢ်သိုး ကဟ ၢ်လျီၤ LEP ဖိတဖ ၢ်ဒျီုးပ ၤအ ၢ်သုးတဖ ၢ် တၢက ိုးထံတၢ ၢ်တိစၢၤမၤစၢၤအကလျီတဖ ၢ်လျီၤ. တကုးဒံုးဘ ၢ်, UJS မၤဂ ၤမၤသျီထျီ ၢ်ဝဲ တၢ ၢ်တ ၤအိ ၢ်ဒိုးနၢ ၢ်က ၢ်တၢ ၢ်ရဲ ၢ်တၢ ၢ်က ဲၤတဖ ၢ် လၢကျီၢ ၢ်စဲ ၢ်သဲစုးတၢ ၢ်မူုးတၢ ၢ်ရၢ ၢ်တၢ ၢ်စံ ၢ်ညျီ ၢ်ခဲလၢ ၢ်အဂျီၢ,ၢ် ဃ ထၢပ ၢ်လျီၤဝဲ တၢ ၢ်တ ၤအိ ၢ်ဒိုးနၢ ၢ်က ၢ်ဖိုးမံမူဒါခိ ၢ်တဂၤ ဒျီုးဒ ုးအိ ၢ်ထျီ ၢ်ဝဲ တၢ ၢ်တ ၤအိ ၢ်ဒိုးနၢ ၢ်က ၢ်တၢ ၢ်ဆ ိုးထျီ ၢ်တၢ ၢ်အက ိၤအက ၢ်တမံၤန ၢ်လျီၤ.ဖိုးမံမူဒါခိ ၢ်ဒျီုးတၢ ၢ်ဆ ိုးထျီ ၢ်တၢ ၢ်အက ိၤအက ၢ်တဖ ၢ်အံၤ ကကဲထျီ ၢ်တၢ ၢ်မၤစၢၤလၢကမၤလျီၤတံၢ ပ ၤတဂၤစ ၢ်စ ၢ်ဟ ၢ်ကူ ၢ်ဟ ၢ်ဖုး UJS ကသ ဝဲအဂျီၢ ၢ်န ၢ်လျီၤ. UJS အၢ ၢ်လျီၤစ ၢ ၢ်ကျီုးဝဲလၢ
ကဆဲုးမၤသကိုးတၢ ၢ်ဒျီုးဝဲၤက ိၤအံၤ ဒၢ်သိုးကမၤဂ ၤထျီ ၢ် တၢ ၢ်တၢ ၢ်တျီတၢတၢ်တၢ ၢ်
ဒျီုးတၢ ၢ်တ ၤအိ ၢ်စူုးကါဘ ၢ်က ျီၢ ၢ်ဘ ျီ ၢ်တဖ ၢ်လၢအတအိ ၢ်ဒျီုးတၢ ၢ်က ၢ ၢ်မဲ ၢ် လၢ LEP တဂၤစ ၢ်စ ၢ်အဂျီၢ ၢ်လျီၤ.ကမ ၢၢ ၢ်တၢ ၢ်ခ ဲုးတၢ ၢ်ယ ၢ်တဖ ၢ်ဝဲၤဒ အပျီၢ ၢ်ရျီတဖ ၢ် ဒျီုး U.S. ပျီၢ ၢ်ရျီဝဲၤက ိၤလၢကလံၤထံုးဒခိထ ၢ်အဂျီၢ ၢ် (U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Dakota) အပျီၢ ၢ်ရျီတဖ ၢ် ဃိထံသ ၢ်ညါသကိုးဝဲ
တၢ ၢ်မူုးတၢ ၢ်ရၢ ၢ်အံၤန ၢ်လျီၤ. တၢ ၢ်မၤလၢထျီ ၢ်ပဲ ၤထျီ ၢ် တၢ ၢ်ဂ ၢ ၢ်ခိ ၢ်တျီဃ န ၢ်မ ၢ ၢ်ဝဲ တၢ ၢ်အကါဒိ ၢ်ကတၢၢ ၢ်တမံၤလၢ ကမ ၢၢ ၢ်တၢ ၢ်ခ ဲုးတၢ ၢ်ယ ၢ်တဖ ၢ်ဝဲၤဒ အဂျီၢ ၢ်လျီၤ. တၢ ၢ်ဂ ၢ ၢ်တၢ ၢ်က ိၤဆူညါဘ ၢ်ထ ဲဒျီုး ကမ ၢၢ ၢ်တၢ ၢ်ခ ဲုးတၢ ၢ်ယ ၢ်တဖ ၢ်ဝဲၤဒ န တၢ ၢ်ဒိုးနၢ ၢ်အျီၤသ ဝဲလၢအပ ၢ်ယဲၤသန အပူၤဖဲ www.justice.gov/crt, ဒျီုးတၢ ၢ်ဂ ၢ ၢ်တၢ ၢ်က ိၤဘ ၢ်ထ ဲဒျီုး
တၢ ၢ်သ အဲုးကလံုးက ိ ၢ်ဂ ၤဂ ၤဘ ၢ်ဘ ၢ် ဒျီုးတၢ ၢ်ဂ ၢ ၢ်ခိ ၢ်တျီဃ န ၢ် တၢ ၢ်ဒိုးနၢ ၢ်အျီၤသ ဖဲ www.lep.gov န ၢ်လျီၤ.ပ ၤကမ ၢၢ ၢ်တဖ ၢ် ပ ၢ်ဖ ါထျီ ၢ် တၢ ၢ်လ ၢ်သ ၢ်ခါပတ ၢ် ကမ ၢၢ ၢ်တၢ ၢ်ခ ဲုးတၢ ၢ်ယ ၢ် တဖ ၢ် သ ဝဲဖဲ https://civilrights.justice.gov/report/ မ တမ ၢ ၢ်ဃ ၢ်ဒျီုး U.S. ပျီၢ ၢ်ရျီဝဲၤက ိၤလၢကလံၤထံုးဒခိထ ၢ် အဂျီၢ ၢ် ချီဖ ိမၤပဲ ၤတၢ ၢ်ဆ ိုးထျီ ၢ်တၢ ၢ်အလံ ၢ်ဒိအံၤ လၢတၢ ၢ်ဒိုးနၢ ၢ်အျီၤသ ဖဲ https://www.justice.gov/usao- sd/civil-rights န ၢ်လျီၤ.
न्याय विभागले दक्षिण डाकोटा एकीकृत न्याययक प्रणालीको नागरिक अधधकाि समीिा समाधान गर् यो नोट: यो प्रेस विज्ञप्तत विभभन्न भाषामा अनुिाद गरिएको छ। तल संलग्नताहरू हेनुुहोस्।Read the Press Release
नोट: यो प्रेस विज्ञप्तत विभभन्न भाषामा अनुिाद गरिएको छ। तल संलग्नताहरू हेनु ुहोस।
िाभसङ्गटन – आज न्याय विभागले दक्षिण डाकोटा एकीकृ त न्याययक प्रणाली (UJS) द्िािा सीभमत अङ्रेजी प्रिीणता (LEP) भएका मायनसहरूको िाज्य अदालतहरूमा पहु ुँच सुधाने उद्देश्यमा िहेको नागरिक अधधकाि समीिा समाधान गरिएको बािेमा घोषणा गर्यो।
न्याय विभागले UJS अदालतहरूद्िािा 1964 को नागरिक अधधकाि ऐनको शीषुक VI को उल्लङ्घनमा LEP अदालतका प्रयोगकताुहरू विरूद्ध िाप्रिय मूलको आधािमा भेदभाि भएको आिोपमा इस्ट रिभि भलगल सभभुसेसको उजुिी प्रातत गिेपयछ यो समीिा सुरु भएको हो। शीषुक VI ले संघीय वित्तीय सहायताका प्रापकहरू विरूद्ध जायत, िणु िा िाप्रिय मूलको आधािमा भेदभाि गनुबाट िोक लगाउुँ छ।विभागको समीिाले UJS मा LEP का व्यप्क्तहरूलाई िाज्य नागरिक मुद्दा ि कायुिाहीहरूमा सहभागी हुन कठिन बनाएका भाषा अििोध ि अदालतका उच्च लागतहरू समेटेन।
न्याय विभागको नागरिक अधधकाि डडभभजनको सहायक महान्यायिादी, Kristen Clarke ले “िाज्य अदालतहरू हाम्रो न्याय प्रणालीको अखण्डताका लाधग आधाि हु न ् ि व्यप्क्तहरूलाई यी संस्थाहरूमा पहु ुँच गनुबाट िोक्ने कु नै पयन बाधा हटाउन महत्त्िपूणु छ” भन्नुभयो। हामी न्यायमा पहु ुँच गनुबाट िप्चचत गने ि संघीय नागरिक अधधकाि कानुनको उल्लङ्घन गने भाषा अििोधहरू हटाउनका लाधग िाज्य अदालतहरूसुँग यनिन्ति काम गने छौं। हामी दक्षिण डकोटा एकीकृ त न्याययक प्रणालीलाई यो माभमला समाधान गनुको यनभमत्त न्याय विभागसुँग सहयोगी रूपमा काम गिेको ि अदालतका सबै प्रयोगकताुहरू आफ्नो अङ्रेजी भाषाको िमता जे-जस्तो भएपयन मुद्दाहरूका बािेमा बुझेि सहभागी हु न सक्नुहु न्छ भनी सुयनप्श्चत गनुका लाधग तत्काल कदम चालेकोमा धन्यिाद व्यक्त गदुछौं।
विभागको समीिाको प्रयतक्रियामा, UJS ले सबै नागरिक मुद्दाहरूमा LEP का व्यप्क्तहरूका लाधग अदालत दोभाषे ि अनुिादकहरूमा पहु ुँच विस्ताि गनुका लाधग िाज्य विधानसभामा एउटा विधेयक पेश गर्यो। जुलाई 1 मा विधान कानुन बनेको धथयो। नयाुँ कानुन लागू गनुका लाधग, UJS ले LEP का पि ि सािीहरूलाई यनिःशुल्क दोभाषे सेिाहरू प्रदान गनुका लाधग आफ्नो बजेटमा थप कोष सुिक्षित गर्यो।यसका साथै, UJS ले सम्पूणु िाज्य न्याययक सक्रकु टहरूका लाधग भाषा पहु ुँच योजनाहरू अद्यािधधक गिेको छ, एकजना भाषा पहु ुँच समन्ियक यनयुक्त गिेको छ ि भाषा पहु ुँच उजुिी प्रक्रिया भसजुना गिेको छ। समन्ियक तथा उजुिी प्रक्रियाहरूले व्यप्क्तहरूद्िािा UJS मा प्रयतक्रिया प्रदान गनु सक्रकने कु िा सुयनप्श्चत गनुमा मद्दत गने छन ्। UJS ले LEP का व्यप्क्तहरूका लाधग अदालतहरूमा यनरपि ि गैि-भेदभािपूणु पहु ुँच सुधानुको यनभमत्त विभागसुँग काम गनु जािी िाख्ने कु िामा पयन सहमयत जनाएको छ।
यो मुद्दा नागरिक अधधकाि डडभभजन ि दक्षिण डकोटा प्जल्लाको अमेरिकी अधधिक्ता कायाुलयका अधधिक्ताहरूद्िािा संयुक्त रूपमा अनुसन्धान गरिएको धथयो। शीषुक VI को प्रितुन नागरिक अधधकाि डडभभजनको उच्च प्राथभमकता हो। नागरिक अधधकाि डडभभजनका बािेमा थप जानकािी यसको िेबसाइट www.justice.gov/crt मा उपलब्ध छ ि सीभमत अङ्रेजी प्रिीणता ि शीषुक VI का बािेमा जानकािी www.lep.gov मा उपलब्ध छ। सिुसाधािण सदस्यहरूले https://www.justice.gov/usao-sd/civil-rights मा उपलब्ध भएको उजुिी फािाम पूिा गिे ि https://civilrights.justice.gov/report/ मा िा दक्षिण डाकोटा प्जल्लाको अमेरिकी अधधिक्ता कायाुलयमा गई नागरिक अधधकािका सम्भावित उल्लङ्घनहरूका बािेमा रिपोटु गनु सक्नुहु न्छ।
Министерство юстиции завершило проверку соблюдения гражданских прав в Единой судебной системе Южной ДакотыRead the Press Release
Примечание: Настоящий пресс-релиз переведен на разные языки. См. приложения ниже.
ВАШИНГТОН — Сегодня Министерство юстиции объявило о завершении проверки соблюдения гражданских прав в Единой судебной системе Южной Дакоты (UJS), которая улучшит доступ к судам штата для лиц с ограниченным знанием английского языка (LEP).
Проверка Министерства юстиции началась после получения жалобы от организации East River Legal Services, в которой утверждалось, что суды UJS дискриминировали пользователей судов по признаку их национального происхождения в нарушение Раздела VI «Закона о гражданских правах» 1964 года. Раздел VI запрещает получателям федеральной финансовой помощи дискриминацию по признаку расы, цвета кожи или национального происхождения. Проверка, проведенная министерством, выявила языковые барьеры и более высокие судебные издержки в UJS, которые затрудняли участие лиц с LEP в гражданских делах и судебных разбирательствах штата.
«Суды штатов имеют основополагающее значение для целостности нашей системы правосудия, и важно устранить любые препятствия, мешающие людям получить доступ к этим учреждениям, — заявила помощник генерального прокурора Кристен Кларк из Отдела гражданских прав Министерства юстиции. — Мы продолжим работать с судами штатов над устранением языковых барьеров, которые препятствуют доступу к правосудию и нарушают федеральный закон о гражданских правах. Мы благодарим Единую судебную систему Южной Дакоты за совместную работу с Министерством юстиции по разрешению этого вопроса и принятие оперативных мер для обеспечения того, чтобы все пользователи судов могли понимать дела и участвовать в их рассмотрении, независимо от их знания английского языка».
В ответ на проверку министерства UJS внесла в законодательный орган штата законопроект о расширении доступа к судебным устным и письменным переводчикам для лиц с LEP по всем гражданским делам. Закон вступил в силу 1 июля. Для реализации нового закона UJS предусмотрела в своем бюджете дополнительное финансирование для предоставления бесплатных услуг устного переводчика сторонам и свидетелям с LEP. Кроме того, UJS обновила планы по преодолению языкового барьера для всех судебных округов штата, назначила координатора по преодолению языкового барьера и создала процесс рассмотрения жалоб на наличие языкового барьера. Координатор и процедуры подачи жалоб помогут гарантировать, что отдельные лица смогут предоставлятьобратную связь UJS. UJS также согласилась продолжить работу с министерством для повышения уровня справедливости и недискриминационного доступа к судам для лиц с LEP.
Это дело расследовали совместно юристы Отдела гражданских прав и Прокуратуры США по округу Южная Дакота. Обеспечение соблюдения Раздела VI является высшим приоритетом Отдела гражданских прав. Дополнительная информация об Отделе гражданских прав доступна на его веб-сайте по адресу: www.justice.gov/crt, а информация об ограниченном знании английского языка и Разделе VI доступна по адресу: www.lep.gov. Представители общественности могут сообщать о возможных нарушениях гражданских прав по адресу: https://civilrights.justice.gov/report/ или в Прокуратуру США по округу Южная Дакота, заполнив форму жалобы, доступную по адресу: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sd/civil-rights.
Wheeling man indicted on drug chargeRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Edgar Eugene Hatten, of Wheeling, West Virginia, was indicted today on a drug charge, Acting United States Attorney Randolph J. Bernard announced.
Hatten, 40, was indicted on one count of “Distribution of Methamphetamine within 1000 Feet of a Protected Location.” Hatten is accused of selling methamphetamine near Clator Playground in Wheeling on July 20, 2021.
Hatten faces at least one year and up to 40 years of incarceration and a fine of up to $2,000,000. 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 Shawn M. Adkins is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Ohio Valley Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigate
An indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Wetzel County man indicted on drug chargesRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Kevin Ray Morgan, of Wheeling, West Virginia, was indicted today on a drug charge, Acting United States Attorney Randolph J. Bernard announced.
Morgan, also known as “Model,” 46, was indicted on one count of “Distribution of Heroin and Fentanyl,” one count of “Possession with Intent o Distribute Heroin and Fentanyl,” and one count of “Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.” Morgan is accused of distributing of heroin, fentanyl, and methamphetamine in April 2021 in Wetzel County.
Morgan faces up to 20 years of incarceration and a fine of up to $1,000,000 for each count. 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 Shawn M. Adkins is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Marshall County Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.
An indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Waianae Man Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison for Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
HONOLULU – In federal court today, District Judge Jill A. Otake sentenced Samuel K. Kapoi, 35, of Waianae, Hawaii, to 18 years’ imprisonment to be followed by five years of supervised release for leading a methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy on the islands of Oahu and Hawaii. Kapoi pled guilty on May 25, 2021, to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Judge Otake ordered Kapoi, who remains on pretrial release, to self-report to the Bureau of Prisons on January 4, 2022 to begin serving his sentence.
Judith A. Philips, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Hawaii, stated that according to information presented in court, Kapoi was responsible for distributing over 26 pounds of methamphetamine over approximately nine months, and possessed an unregistered AR-15 rifle, with no serial number, in connection with the offense. Judge Otake described Kapoi’s conduct as “injecting poison” into communities that lack the resources to deal with methamphetamine addictions, and emphasized his conduct was “not a victimless crime.”
“Methamphetamine remains the dominant drug of abuse in Hawaii, and this conviction and sentence demonstrate the price methamphetamine traffickers can pay for continuing to pursue this path to profit,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Philips.
“This significant sentence is the result of many hours of difficult and dangerous work carried out by brave law enforcement officers for the benefit of our society,” said John F. Tobon, Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Honolulu. “HSI will continue to identify and investigate those who endanger our communities.”
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Hawaii County Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Margaret Nammar and Wayne Myers.
Vallejo Felon Pleads Guilty to Possessing a Firearm After a High-Speed ChaseRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Johnathan Shane Blakeley, 27, of Vallejo, pleaded guilty today to unlawfully possessing a firearm after being convicted of a felony crime, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, on Sept. 20, 2019, law enforcement officers attempted to stop Blakeley for a traffic violation, but Blakeley refused to yield and led police on a high-speed chase through Vallejo. Blakeley crashed his car on Interstate 80 and got out of his car and ran through several lanes of traffic. He tried to get into the passenger seat of a car that stopped. After police apprehended Blakeley, they found a Glock 9 mm pistol with a high-capacity magazine in his car. Blakeley cannot lawfully possess firearms or ammunition because he has previously been convicted of three felony offenses. When the current offense took place, Blakeley was on federal probation. He had just been released from federal prison less than 30 days prior, after having served a 30-month sentence for possessing a firearm as a felon. During his guilty plea, Blakeley also admitted that he violated the terms of his federal supervision by committing this new offense while on supervised release for his previous federal offense.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Vallejo Police Department, with assistance from the FBI’s Solano County Violent Crimes Task Force and the Solano County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian T. Kinsella is prosecuting the case.
Blakeley is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 11, 2022, by U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez. Blakeley faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
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.
United States Reaches Agreements with New York State and Local Government Agencies to Improve Accessibility to Covid-19 Vaccination Websites for People with Vision ImpairmentsRead the Press Release
Jacquelyn M. Kasulis, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, today announced agreements pursuant to Title II of the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 (the “ADA”), with five New York State and local government agencies to fix accessibility barriers for people with visual impairments on their COVID-19 vaccination websites.
Pursuant to Title II of the ADA, the United States Attorney’s Office investigated the vaccination websites for New York State’s Department of Health, the City of New York’s Department of Health, New York City Health + Hospitals, Nassau County, and Suffolk County. As a result of this review, the United States Attorney’s Office identified multiple areas where text was difficult to read for visually impaired people. On some of the websites, individuals with visual impairments using screen readers were prevented from identifying what steps they needed to take to complete forms, or from readily navigating the websites. On some websites, lettering was set against a background causing a low contrast.
Following this investigation, the New York State’s Department of Health, the City of New York’s Department of Health, New York City Health + Hospitals, Nassau County, and Suffolk County have now entered into written agreements with the United States Attorney’s Office certifying that they have corrected the identified problems. These government entities further committed to maintaining that their COVID-19 vaccination websites will be accessible for people with visual impairments.
“In the midst of the ongoing global pandemic, people with vision impairments must be able to access information about how and where to obtain COVID-19 vaccinations,” stated Acting United States Attorney Kasulis. “Our Office thanks the New York State Department of Health, the City of New York, New York Health + Hospitals, and Nassau and Suffolk counties for their cooperation in complying with the requirements of the ADA and for ensuring that these vital websites are accessible to the visually impaired.”
The United States Attorney’s Office gratefully acknowledges the assistance of WebAIM, a nonprofit web accessibility organization based at the Institute for Disability Research, Policy, and Practice at Utah State University, which provided information on accessibility issues on the websites addressed in the agreements announced today.
The government’s review was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Edward K. Newman. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York recently announced a Civil Rights Team in the Office’s Civil Division. The Civil Rights Team focuses on protecting the rights of the most vulnerable residents of the Eastern District of New York. The Office has also a webpage, located at https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/civil-rights, dedicated to Civil Rights Enforcement, which highlights the work of the Office and provides links to complaint forms and to other civil rights resources. For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, or to report to report suspected violations of civil rights please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny.
Uniontown Felon Indicted on Firearms and Narcotics Law ViolationsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA - A former resident of Uniontown, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of violating federal firearms and narcotics laws, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.
The two-count Indictment named Donald Nicklo, 46, as the sole defendant.
According to the Indictment presented to the court, on or about March 12,2021, Donald Nicklo, a convicted felon, was in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Federal law prohibits a convicted felon from possessing a firearm or ammunition. On that same date, Nicklo also possessed with the intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine base.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not more than ten years in prison, a fine of not more than $250,000.00 or both for the firearm charge, and not more than twenty years in prison and a fine of not more than $1,000,000.00 or both for the narcotics charge. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Barbara K. Doolittle is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Pennsylvania State Police conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
U.S. Attorney's Office and HHS Office for Civil Rights Settle Disability Discrimination Case with Backus HospitalRead the Press Release
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut, in partnership with the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), have entered into a Voluntary Resolution Agreement with Backus Hospital to ensure effective communication with individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing.
The agreement resolves a complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on behalf of an individual who is deaf, alleging that Backus Hospital failed to provide timely auxiliary aids and services to effectively communicate with the patient during an inpatient stay at Backus Hospital in violation of Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). According to the complaint, despite requesting services upon arrival and receiving them during his emergency room stay, the complainant was not provided an interpreter or video remote interpreting services at critical points of care during his inpatient stay and relied on hand-written notes to communicate with doctors and staff during the hospital visit.
In partnership with DOJ, OCR conducted an investigation of the complaint allegations and a review of Backus Hospital’s policies and procedures for effective communication with individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing to determine compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504), and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act of 2010 (Section 1557). Collectively, these federal civil rights laws prohibit any entity that receives federal financial assistance from discriminating against qualified individuals with disabilities, and requires an entity to take steps to ensure communication with individuals with disabilities is as effective as communication with others through the use of appropriate auxiliary aids and services.
As a result of the joint investigation, Backus Hospital voluntarily entered this agreement and affirmed its assurance of compliance with Section 504, Section 1557, and Title III of the ADA. Under the agreement, Backus Hospital agreed to take steps to ensure the availability of auxiliary aids and services, and to monitor such steps. Additionally, Backus Hospital has agreed to $7,500 in compensatory relief for the complainant under the ADA.
“Health care providers have a responsibility to provide effective communication, which is a key component to ensuring patients receive quality care,” said OCR Director Lisa Pino. “This agreement sends an important message about the importance of eliminating unnecessary barriers to equal treatment for those who are deaf or hard of hearing.”
“Our Office is committed to protecting the rights of those who are deaf or hard of hearing and ensuring that all persons are able to effectively communicate with health care professionals,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Leonard C Boyle.
To read the full Voluntary Resolution Agreement text, please visit: https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/for-providers/compliance-enforcement/agreements/vra-between-doj-hhs-ocr-william-backus-hospital/index.html.
Any member of the public who wishes to file a complaint alleging that the office of a health care provider or any other place of public accommodation or public entity in Connecticut is not accessible to persons with disabilities may contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at 203-821-3700.
Additional information about the ADA can be found at www.ada.gov, or by calling the Justice Department’s toll-free information line at (800) 514-0301 and (800) 514-0383 (TTY). More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt.
Two New Jersey Men Arrested and Charged with Securities Fraud for Scheme to Defraud Investors in Hemp CompanyRead the Press Release
Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Michael J. Driscoll, the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced the arrests of VITALY FARGESEN and IGOR PALATNIK, and unsealing of an Indictment charging FARGESEN and PALATNIK with securities fraud, wire fraud and related offenses in connection with their fraudulent scheme to defraud investors in CanaFarma Corp. and later CanaFarma Hemp Products Corp. (together “CanaFarma”) by soliciting funds based upon false and misleading representations, failing to invest investor’s funds as promised, manipulating the public stock price of CanaFarma, and secretly misappropriating millions of dollars of CanaFarma funds. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Loretta A. Preska.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: “Vitaly Fargesen and Igor Palatnik presented themselves as entrepreneurs developing a new business for an emerging industry. But, as alleged, Fargesen and Palatnik were just using the trappings of a start-up to run an old-time scam: lying to investors to take money for themselves.”
F.B.I. Assistant Director-in-Charge Michael J. Driscoll said: “The defendants, as alleged, lured investors to CanaFarma by falsely representing the company’s financials, manipulating their stock price, and misappropriating millions for their personal benefit. Just as a reminder to anyone who thinks they can manipulate people’s investments in this way—that’s simply not the case.”
According to the allegations contained in the Indictment[1]:
From in or about March 2019 to in or about March 2020, CanaFarma was a privately-held Delaware corporation with offices in Manhattan, New York. Beginning on or about March 19, 2020, CanaFarma was listed on the Canadian Stock Exchange and beginning on or about March 23, 2020, CanaFarma was listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. CanaFarma marketed itself to the investors as a “fully integrated cannabis company addressing the entire cannabis spectrum from seed to delivery of consumer products.” FARGESEN and PALATNIK, who held themselves out as Senior Vice Presidents at CanaFarma, in fact exercised full control of CanaFarma, The men hid their control from the investing public by, among things, convincing an experienced businessman to falsely present himself to the market as the CEO of the company.
Using their control of CanaFarma, FARGESEN and PALATNIK devised and carried out a scheme to defraud CanaFarma’s investors by soliciting more than $14 million in funds, including investments in private shares of CanaFarma, with false and misleading representations concerning the company’s management, products, and financials, failing to invest investor’s funds as promised, causing the manipulation of the public stock price of CanaFarma for the purposes of advancing the scheme to defraud investors and enriching themselves, and secretly misappropriating at least $4 million of CanaFarma funds for their own benefit.
FARGESEN and PALATNIK effectuated the scheme by: (a) purchasing a Canadian shell company through a straw purchaser; (b) directing the reverse merger of the shell company and CanaFarma to exercise secret control of the resulting publicly traded company; (c) controlling CanaFarma through a nominal Chief Executive Officer who reported to FARGESEN and PALATNIK; (d) supporting CanaFarma’s stock price through manipulative trading; (e) attempting to artificially inflate CanaFarma’s reported revenue; and (f) making false statements to CanaFarma’s auditors.
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FARGESEN, 52, and PALATNIK, 47, both of New Jersey, are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, one count of securities fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
Ms. Strauss praised the investigative work of the FBI and also thanked the Securities and Exchange Commission, which has filed a civil enforcement action against the defendants, for its assistance in the investigation.
The case is being overseen by the Office’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gina Castellano and Andrew Thomas are in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment, and the description of the Indictment set forth herein, constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Tulsa Man Sentenced for Trafficking Firearms in Exchange for Distribution Amounts of High-Grade MarijuanaRead the Press Release
A Tulsa gang member was sentenced Tuesday for conspiring with others to collect firearms and exchange them for marijuana to sell on the black market, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
U.S. District Judge Claire V. Eagan sentenced Shelvon Tyrone Williams, 27, to 72 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release.
Williams pleaded guilty July 15, 2021, to firearms conspiracy.
In his plea agreement, Williams admitted that from November 2018 to March 2020, he collected and transported firearms from Oklahoma to northern California in exchange for distribution amounts of high-grade marijuana. Williams then sold the marijuana in the Northern District of Oklahoma.
“Shelvon Williams and his coconspirators fueled violent crime and placed the public at risk when they traded guns for marijuana,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office, ATF and Tulsa Police Department remain committed to stopping the flow of illegal guns and drugs into Tulsa and other communities across the country.”
On March 4, 2020, the U.S. Attorney’s Office charged Williams and five others for their involvement in the firearms conspiracy and drug conspiracy. Williams and other defendants are members of the Squeeze Team, a violent street gang made up of various members affiliated with the Bloods, Neighborhood Crips, and 5-tre Crips.
According to the indictment, the conspirators concealed the firearms in backpacks, duffel bags, and suitcases and transported them in cars and buses to individuals in California. The defendants purchased bus tickets with cash using false names to help conceal their crimes. In exchange for each handgun they delivered to California, the defendants received one to two pounds of high-grade marijuana shipped through the U.S. Postal Service. Conspirators in California shipped the packages of marijuana to a specific geographical region in Tulsa where U.S. Postal Service employee and codefendant, Whitney D’ron Clark, retrieved the packages. She then delivered the packages to other conspirators who re-packaged the marijuana for sale in northeastern Oklahoma.
Codefendants Brian Lee Thomas, Whitney D’ron Clark, and Kenyante Hampton previously pleaded guilty to drug conspiracy. Also pleading guilty to firearms conspiracy was codefendant Sheldon Tyrone Christopher Williams Jr.
This prosecution was a part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Operation Squeezed Out. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.
The Tulsa Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel-lyn A. McCormick prosecuted the case. McCormick serves as the lead attorney for the U.S. Attorney’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces.
Tacoma man sentenced to two years in prison for early morning fire in ‘CHOP’ zoneRead the Press Release
Seattle –A former Seattle resident, who prior to his arrest resided in Tacoma, was sentenced today U.S. District Court in Seattle to two years in prison for setting fire to the outside of the Seattle Police East Precinct during the occupied protest known as ‘CHOP’, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Isaiah Thomas Willoughby, 36, used a can of gasoline to set the fire just feet from where protestors were camped, putting them at risk. U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour imposed three years of supervised release to follow the prison term.
According to the plea agreement, in the early morning hours of June 12, 2020, Willoughby was wearing distinctive clothing when he was captured on surveillance video near debris piled next to the wall of the Seattle Police East Precinct. Willoughby admits he used a small gas can to pour gasoline on the debris. Willoughby steps away from the debris pile for a moment, then reappears with something that he lights on fire and tosses on the debris pile. The pile begins to burn, and Willoughby is seen walking away. The fire scorched the side of the building, but was extinguished by those nearby using fire extinguishers, and pulling the flaming debris away from the building.
After the Seattle Police Department released pictures of the arson suspect, various people recognized Willoughby and noted that the distinctive sweatshirt came from a clothing line he represents. Relatives of Willoughby reported to police that he was in Seattle in the Capitol Hill Organized Protest Zone (CHOP) at the time of the fire. Following the fire, Willoughby took steps to remove posts from his social media accounts that may have linked him to the arson. However, at least some of his Facebook posts remain, noting his anger at police and his knowledge of the East Precinct building.
Willoughby has been in custody at the Federal Detention Center at SeaTac since his arrest on July 14, 2020.
In asking for a three-year sentence, prosecutors noted that Willoughby planned the crime, posting about his anger and intent on Facebook. The fire itself put peaceful protestors in danger and they were the ones who quickly acted to put the fire out. The fire “was counterproductive to what the protestors were trying to accomplish,” Assistant United States Attorney Todd Greenberg told the court.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), the FBI and the Seattle Police Department.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Todd Greenberg.
Stanislaus County Man Sentenced to 2.5 Years in Prison for Illegal Firearm PossessionRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — On Monday, Oct. 4, U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd sentenced Doroteo Gonzales Jr., 26, of Turlock, to two years and six months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, on Feb. 23, 2021, Gonzales was arrested in Modesto after a firearm was located under his clothes during a parole search. Gonzales was previously convicted of several felonies and was on parole for robbery at the time of his arrest.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Modesto Police Department, the Turlock Police Department, and the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Schuh prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
St. Louis man pleads guilty to robbing businesses of cigarettesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – United States District Court Judge Henry E. Autrey accepted pleas of guilty from Thomas T. Taylor, age 35, on today’s date, for the crimes of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery, and two counts of interfering with commerce by robbery. Judge Autrey set sentencing for January 5, 2022. At sentencing, Taylor is subject to imprisonment of not more than 20 years, a fine of not more than $250,000, or both such imprisonment and fine.
According to the plea agreement, Taylor and others agreed to interfere with commerce by robbing businesses of cigarettes. Taylor admitted that between March and August 2020, he was involved in at least 38 separate incidents of theft of cigarettes from gas station convenience stores located in St. Louis and St. Charles County. Taylor admitted threatening store clerks in some instances.
On July 28, 2020, Taylor went to the Circle K located in Bridgeton and went behind the counter to take cigarettes. Taylor, when contacted by a store clerk, said, “Do you want to get shot?” Taylor took 29 cartons of cigarettes from the store. On August 16, 2020, Taylor and an accomplice went to the Zephyr Express gas station in south St. Louis County and Taylor went behind the counter. Taylor, when contacted by the clerk, told the clerk that he was “gonna get shot.” Taylor took cigarettes.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and ten local law enforcement agencies.
South Royalton Man Sentenced to 19 Months Imprisonment for Firearms OffenseRead the Press Release
The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that on October 4, 2021, Jeremy Digby, 41, of South Royalton was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Christina Reiss to 19 months’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release, which will follow the term of imprisonment. Digby also agreed to forfeit the firearms recovered from his residence. Digby had previously pled guilty to being a user in possession of firearms, which carried a maximum sentence of up to 10 years imprisonment.
According to court records, before Digby’s arrest in October 2020, law enforcement had received regular complaints from citizens about Digby’s drug use and about gunshots coming from the area of Digby’s residence. On October 2, 2020, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Digby’s residence in South Royalton. During the search, law enforcement recovered evidence of drug use and 43 firearms, including a high-powered weapon. On October 12, 2020, law enforcement went back to Digby’s residence to arrest him on the federal indictment. At that time, investigators recovered two additional firearms. In a post-arrest statement, Digby told law enforcement that for the past couple of years, he had regularly used and sold methamphetamine.
This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. https://www.justice.gov/psn
This matter was investigated by the Southern Vermont Drug Task Force and ATF. This case was prosecuted on behalf of the government by Assistant U.S. Attorney Wendy L. Fuller. Digby was represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Steven Barth.
South Florida Wildlife Dealer and Company Charged in Scheme to Harvest and Sell Protected TurtlesRead the Press Release
Miami, Florida – South Florida federal prosecutors have charged a Davie, Florida company specializing in wholesale reptile sales and its owner for their roles in a scheme to unlawfully enrich themselves and others by smuggling illegally-harvested Florida turtles out of the United States and into China, Japan, and other places.
According to the information filed in Miami federal district court, from approximately April 2017 through April 2019, 54-year-old Davie resident Michael Van Nostrand, his company, Strictly Reptiles, Inc., and others established a network of “collectors” who searched in the Florida wilds for certain fresh-water turtle specimens. Contrary to federal law, the collectors captured the protected turtles and turned them over to Van Nostrand, says the information. Then, to make it appear to customers that he and his company had legitimately obtained the turtles, it is alleged that Van Nostrand falsely labeled the turtles as having been bred in captivity. It is also alleged that Van Nostrand’s co-conspirators – the “collectors” -- represented in federal export disclosure documents that the turtles were captive- bred, rather than wild-caught, which was a lie. According to the information, Van Nostrand, Strictly Reptiles, and their co-conspirators trafficked hundreds of illegally-harvested Florida turtles for profit, including the principal species – Florida three-stripe mud turtles (Kinsperson baurii), pictured above.
Harvesting and selling wild-caught Florida fresh-water turtles is illegal. The information charges Van Nostrand and Strictly Reptiles of conspiring with others to illegally traffic wildlife. Van Nostrand made his first court appearance in this case today, in federal magistrate court in Miami. If convicted, Van Nostrand faces up to five years in prison, plus supervised release and a fine of at least $250,000. V Strictly Reptiles, if convicted, faces a criminal fine of at least $500,000.
Juan Antonio Gonzalez, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; Stephen Clark, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Region IV, Office of Law Enforcement, Atlanta; and Colonel Roger Young, Director, Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission, Law Enforcement Division made the announcement.
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission jointly investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas A. Watts-FitzGerald is prosecuting it.
Criminal complaints, informations and indictments contain mere allegations and defendants are innocent unless and until found guilty 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-20495-Williams.
Photograph courtesy of Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission.Note: Photograph courtesy of Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission.
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Romanian National Pleads Guilty to Role in Multi-State ATM Skimming SchemeRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Romanian national pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to racketeering conspiracy charges relating to an ATM skimming operation that stretched throughout Massachusetts and other states including Connecticut, New York and South Carolina.
Dragos Nelu Hornea, 26, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity (more commonly known as RICO conspiracy) and one count of conspiracy to use counterfeit access devices. U.S. Senior District Court Judge William G. Young scheduled sentencing for Feb. 3, 2022. Dragos Hornea was extradited from Germany to the District of Massachusetts in April 2021 after being indicted in May 2017.
Dragos Hornea was a member of the Hornea Crew, led by co-conspirators Constantin Denis Hornea and Ludemis Hornea. Over a period of 18 months, the Crew engaged in an ATM skimming scheme to steal debit card numbers and PINs from unsuspecting bank customers in Massachusetts, Connecticut, South Carolina, Georgia and other locations within the United States. Members of the Crew installed skimming devices in the following locations: Amherst, Bellingham, Billerica, Braintree, Chicopee, Quincy, Southwick, Waltham, Weymouth and Whately, Mass.; Enfield, Conn.; Columbia, Greenville, Greenwood, Mauldin, and Saluda, S.C.; Savannah, Ga.; and Yadkinville, N.C. The stolen information was then used by Hornea and other co-conspirators to clone the victim customers’ debit cards and make unauthorized withdrawals from victim bank accounts at ATMs throughout the United States. In total, the skimming activities resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses.
Dragos Hornea was indicted with 13 co-defendants in May 2017, along with another co-defendant charged in a superseding indictment. All 15 defendants have pleaded guilty and those sentenced have received sentences ranging from one year and one day to 65 months in prison.
The charge of conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and fine of $250,000. The charge of conspiracy to use counterfeit access devices provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on 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; Douglas Bartlett, Acting U.S. Marshal for the District of Massachusetts; and Colonel Christopher Mason, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement today. Assistance with the investigation was also provided by the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston; U.S. Secret Service; U.S. Postal Service; Massachusetts Department of Correction; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; the Amherst, Billerica, Braintree, Boston, Quincy, Southwick, Waltham, Whately, and Westwood Police Departments in Massachusetts; Greenwich (Conn.), New York City, Houston, Florence and Saluda (S.C.) Police Departments; Connecticut State Police; South Carolina Law Enforcement Division; Richland County (South Carolina) Sheriff’s Department; and the Solicitor’s Offices of Greenville and Saluda Counties. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided invaluable assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Dragos Hornea to the United States. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy E. Moran, Chief of Mendell’s Organized Crime and Gang Unit, is prosecuting the case.
Rhode Island Men Resolve Case Brought for Touching Off Needless Ocean Search and Rescue Operation with Distress FlaresRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The United States today announced that it has reached an agreement to resolve civil claims against two Block Island residents: Perry C. Phillips, 31, and Benjamin C. Foster, 33, whose actions touched off a needless and expensive maritime search and rescue operation off the coast of Block Island.
As detailed in a civil complaint filed today in Federal Court in Providence, the two men, intending to celebrate a friend’s wedding in the Breezy Point area of Block Island, borrowed a nautical flare gun and flares, and set out in a small skiff on the evening of on June 6, 2020. When they reached the vicinity of the wedding reception, Phillips and Foster discharged three of the flares, recording their actions on video for posting on social media. At least one of the two knew at the time that the flares were a maritime distress signal, and both understood that it was improper to use them as they did. The pair then returned to shore, unaware that their actions prompted observers to report the flares to the New Shoreham harbormaster, who in turn alerted the U.S. Coast Guard.
Interpreting the flares as a nautical distress signal, the Coast Guard, alongside local authorities, launched a multi-hour search operation off the waters and shoreline in the area where the flares were sighted. The search involved a surface vessel and two Coast Guard helicopters, including one based in Point Judith and another at U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod.
Under federal law, falsely communicating a distress signal and causing the Coast Guard to attempt to save lives and property when no help is needed is illegal and carries civil and/or criminal penalties. Under this agreement, the Defendants have admitted to the conduct alleged by the Government and will pay a statutory civil penalty of $10,000 to resolve this matter.
Today’s filing and resolution is announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Richard B. Myrus and Captain Clinton J. Prindle of United State Coast Guard Sector Southeast New England.
The case was litigated by Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
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Pharmacist Sentenced to Nearly 6 Years in Prison for Multimillion-Dollar Compounded Medicine Scam that Defrauded Health Care PlansRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – An Orange County pharmacist has been sentenced to 70 months in federal prison for submitting more than $13 million in claims for medically unnecessary compounded medication prescriptions, the Justice Department announced today.
Thu Van Le, 42, a.k.a. “Tony Le,” of Placentia, was sentenced Monday by United States District Judge R. Gary Klausner.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Klausner ordered Le to pay $10,982,759 in restitution to Tricare, the U.S. military’s managed health care plan, and $768,488 in restitution to Amplan, Amtrak’s employee health care benefit plan.
Le, a pharmacist who owned TC Medical Pharmacy in Corona, pleaded guilty on July 12 to one count of health care fraud.
From March 2015 to December 2016, Le’s pharmacy submitted more than $13 million in total claims to Tricare and AmPlan, against which Tricare paid $10,982,759 and AmPlan paid $768,488. Le, in turn, paid so-called “marketers” handsome kickbacks of up to 50 percent of the Tricare reimbursements.
The marketers used personal and insurance information to generate fraudulent prescriptions for compounded medications, according to court documents. Marketers who participated in the scheme solicited beneficiaries of the health plans through misleading cold calls that promised free compounded medications. In some cases, beneficiaries were not contacted at all and simply received expensive medications that they did not order.
Compounded drugs are tailor-made products doctors may prescribe when the Food and Drug Administration-approved alternative does not meet the health needs of a patient.
Le agreed to be bound by Tricare and AmPlan rules for reimbursement of claims for their beneficiaries. Tricare and AmPlan required that medications be medically necessary, that beneficiaries be examined by physicians, and that Le’s pharmacy collect co-payments. The prescriptions were supposed to be for unique patient needs, but they instead were formulated to maximize reimbursements and were prepared on an assembly-line basis.
The Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, Amtrak’s Office of Inspector General, the Office of Personnel Management’s Office of Inspector General, the United States Department of Labor – Employee Benefits Security Administration, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the California Department of Insurance investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Mark Aveis of the Major Frauds Section prosecuted this case.
Pawtucket Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Trafficking CocaineRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Pawtucket man who sold a kilogram of cocaine to another person while under law enforcement surveillance was sentenced on Monday to six-and-a-half years in federal prison, announced Acting United States Attorney Richard B. Myrus.
Modesto Mercado, 38, pleaded guilty on May 4, 2021, to conspiracy and to distributing 500 grams or more of cocaine. At the time of his guilty plea, Mercado admitted that on February 12, 2020, he met with an individual by Facetime to arrange to sell that person a kilogram of cocaine for $30,000. During a later in-person meeting with the buyer, Mercado raised the price for the kilogram to $31,500, with the additional $1,500 to be split between himself and a person assisting him in arranging the purchase. Mercado told the buyer he could supply as many kilograms of cocaine as the buyer wanted to purchase.
According to information presented to the court, later that evening, while under surveillance by agents from Homeland Security Investigations, Mercado met with the buyer and another individual and sold a kilogram of cocaine. After the buyer claimed he could not pay more than the original agreed upon price of $30,000, Mercado indicated he wanted to remove and keep 150 grams of pure cocaine from the kilogram and replace it with cocaine that had been mixed with cutting agents, keeping the 150 grams for himself.
Mercado was sentenced on Monday by U.S. District Court Judge Mary S. McElroy to 78 months of incarceration to be followed by four years of federal supervised release.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald R. Gendron.
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Parkersburg Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Parkersburg man pleaded guilty today to a federal gun charge. Codi Lee Douglas, 26, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to statements made in court, Douglas admitted possessing an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle that law enforcement officers found in his vehicle during a traffic stop on January 27, 2021 in Parkersburg. Douglas is not legally permitted to possess firearms due to a 2016 conviction for malicious assault in Wood County Circuit Court. The malicious assault conviction was the result of Douglas shooting another man in the face in September 2015.
Douglas faces up to 10 years in prison when sentenced on January 5, 2022.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Parkersburg Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearm and Explosives (ATF).
Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy B. Wolfe is handling the prosecution.
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-00113.
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