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16 September 2021
Treatment Facility Owner Sentenced to Federal Prison for Health Care FraudRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven has sentenced Marcus Lloyd Anderson (36, St. Petersburg) to one year and a day in federal prison for health care fraud. As part of his sentence, the court also entered a money judgment in of $323,248, which were the proceeds of the offense.
Anderson had pleaded guilty on April 30, 2020.
According to court documents, Anderson submitted bogus claims to the Florida Medicaid program and related managed care organizations for services that were never provided to patients. Anderson falsely claimed that patients had received counseling at his treatment facility when, as he knew, they were not there. In fact, some patients were hospitalized or placed in assisted living facilities elsewhere when Anderson lied, claiming they were in his care. Anderson also stole and misused the billing credentials of multiple doctors by billing for services he claimed they had rendered to patients at his facility, when those doctors had left his employment many months before. By lying about the services rendered and misusing billing credentials, Anderson stole more than $300,000 from these programs.
“Stealing from Medicaid, a taxpayer-funded safety net program, is a reprehensible crime that diverts funds intended to serve some of the most vulnerable individuals in our country,” said Special Agent in Charge Omar Pérez Aybar of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. “Such greed-fueled scams will not be tolerated. Thanks to our hardworking investigators and our law enforcement partners, fraudsters are being held accountable for engaging in these illicit activities.”
“We are thankful that this matter has been resolved and Mr. Anderson is being held accountable for his actions,” said Anthony Holloway, Chief of St. Petersburg Police. “We appreciate our partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and their continued commitment to seek justice for those who are victimized by schemes to defraud.”
Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “This fraudster misused billing credentials of physicians and charged the government for services not rendered to steal from taxpayers. Thankfully, our Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigators, working with federal authorities, uncovered the scheme and now, this fraudster will serve time in a federal prison.”
The case was investigated by Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, the Florida Office of Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, and the St. Petersburg Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen A. Fiore.
Three Men Convicted After a 10-Day Trial of Federal Charges Related to a Series of Home BurglariesRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – A federal jury today convicted three men for conspiracy, and for transportation of stolen property, taken during a series of burglaries committed in Maryland and Georgia. The jury returned the guilty verdicts for the following defendants late yesterday after three hours of deliberation:
Demar A. Brown, age 37, of Paterson, New Jersey and Winston-Salem, North Carolina; Jashon C. Fields, age 37, of Atlanta, Georgia; and
Kamar O. Beckles, age 35, of Teaneck, New Jersey.The convictions were 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; Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department.
According to the evidence presented at the 10-day trial, from November 29, 2017 through January 26, 2018, the defendants committed a series of break-ins at residences in Baltimore County, Maryland and Milton, Georgia, in order to steal property, including: cash; foreign currency; safes; jewelry; designer purses, bags, and clothing; personal electronics; collectibles; personal identity documents; and items of sentimental value, such as historical medals, rare coins, and other memorabilia. The defendants intended to sell the stolen property out-of-state for cash.
Witnesses testified that the defendants wore masks and gloves during the break-ins and communicated with each other using two-way radios and mobile phones. One of the conspirators often remained in the getaway car while the other conspirators committed the burglaries. Brown, Fields, and Beckles rented hotel rooms in Maryland where they would store the proceeds of the burglaries they committed (until the property and proceeds were transported out of state). Brown and Beckles transported the stolen property outside Maryland, including to two residences to which Brown had access in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
As detailed during the trial, on January 26, 2018, the defendants were arrested not far from two residences that had recently been burglarized. Brown was arrested after officers responding to the burglary noticed a dark green Ford Explorer with North Carolina tags traveling slowly down the street. The vehicle was identical to a suspect vehicle seen in surveillance footage from some of the earlier burglaries. An officer pulled in behind the vehicle and, after a short vehicle chase, Brown was eventually arrested after trying to flee from the SUV.
Beckles and Fields were arrested in a nearby wooded area, about a half mile from one of the burglarized homes. At the time of his arrest, Beckles was wearing a distinct jacket with a reflective emblem on the back – identical in appearance to the insignia visible in surveillance footage from some of the earlier burglaries. Additional responding officers were able to view through the vehicle’s windows a safe matching the description of a safe stolen during the robbery, along with what appeared to be bags of other property stolen that evening and over $2500 in loose change – later determined to have been stolen from a home in Milton, Georgia.
A search of each defendant turned up hotel key cards, and one of the defendants was carrying over $1,000 cash in his sock. Brown also had a breakfast ticket from the hotel matching the key card, where law enforcement learned Beckles had rented two rooms in his name.
A search warrant for the rented rooms was obtained and executed, and a second search of one of the rooms occurred a couple of days later. During the searches of the rooms, law enforcement recovered jewelry stolen from a residence on January 25, 2018, property from homes burglarized in Milton, Georgia on January 24th, as well as property from homes burglarized in Baltimore County on December 28, 2017, December 29, 2017, January 9, 2018, and January 10, 2018. They also recovered a mask, a pair of gloves, a diamond tester, a scale, and a gold testing kit. In the second room, they located, among other things, Fields’ license, mail in the name of Beckles, and various phones.
On January 27, 2018, after obtaining a search warrant, law enforcement searched the Ford Explorer driven by Brown the previous day. They discovered, among other things, various tools and clothing for use in connection with burglaries, including a pry bar, a drill and hole saw, a mallet, three chisels, a reciprocating saw, multiple pairs of gloves, black knit hats, a balaclava style mask, two-way radios, and flashlights.
Law enforcement officers searching the vehicle also discovered many of the pieces of property stolen during two burglaries the previous day, as well as notes concerning a pawn shop and a jewelry shop in North Carolina.
On January 30, 2018, law enforcement obtained search and seizure warrants for Brown’s residences in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. There they located property from three earlier burglaries in Baltimore County—including numerous pieces of fine jewelry. Additionally, evidence on the nine phones seized from the defendants, the SUV, and the defendants’ hotel rooms showed, among other things, Brown and Beckles photographing many pieces of the jewelry and other items taken during some of the burglaries.
In total, 21 homes were burglarized in connection with the conspiracy, and the victims reported that $850,000 worth of property was stolen. Only some of that stolen property has been recovered and returned to its owners; for a few victims, the vast majority of their property has yet to be recovered.
The defendants each face a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for the conspiracy; and a maximum of 10 years in federal prison for each count of interstate transportation of stolen property or attempted interstate transportation of stolen property. U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel will schedule sentencings at a later date.
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 and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Lenzner thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul A. Riley and Christopher M. Rigali, who are prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Three Lake Charles Men Sentenced for Crimes Involving FirearmsRead the Press Release
LAFAYETTE, La. - Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that three defendants have been sentenced today in federal court. United States District Judge James D. Cain, Jr. sentenced the following three defendants for being convicted felons in possession of a firearm:
- Brandon Antonio Carter, 36, of Lake Charles, was sentenced to 180 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release. On March 21, 2019, a Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office deputy conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle being driven by Carter. The deputy detected an odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle and Carter admitted to having marijuana in his possession. During a search of the vehicle, deputies located a loaded handgun and magazine on the driver’s floorboard containing 27 rounds of ammunition. Carter has previous felony convictions for second degree robbery (2007), distribution of cocaine (2007), and distribution of a controlled substance, schedule II, (2013), and knew that he was prohibited from possessing any firearm or ammunition.
- Jeremiah Devon Richard, 23, of Lake Charles, Louisiana, was sentenced to 48 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release. On October 2, 2019, officers with the Lake Charles Police Department executed a search warrant at a residence on Polk Street in Lake Charles. Inside the residence, officers found a semi-automatic rifle inside the closet of a bedroom that Richard was staying in. Officers also located a 12-gauge shotgun in the living room of the residence and learned that it belonged to Richard. Richard has previous felony convictions for simple burglary in both 2011 and 2012 and was prohibited from possessing any firearms or ammunition.
- Jerrell K. Malone, 47, of Lake Charles, was sentenced to 30 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release. Officers with the Lake Charles Police Department responded to a trespassing complaint on Moeling Street in Lake Charles on April 5, 2020. When they arrived at the residence, officers made contact with Malone, who admitted to having waved a firearm around when he had been asked to leave the residence. Malone admitted to having the firearm and that he had put it inside the residence. Officers retrieved and seized the loaded semi-automatic pistol that Malone had in his possession. Malone has previous felony convictions for possession of cocaine (1996), possession with intent to distribute cocaine (2008), and aggravated cruelty to animals (2019) and knew that he was prohibited from possessing any firearm or ammunition.
The ATF, Lake Charles Police Department and Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office conducted these investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Craig R. Bordelon, Danny Siefker, and Daniel J. Vermaelen prosecuted the cases.
These cases are 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. PSN is part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime. To learn more about Project Safe Neighborhoods, go to www.justice.gov/psn.
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Three Employees of a Long Island Information Technology Company Plead Guilty to Criminal Copyright InfringementRead the Press Release
Michael Calabria, Joseph Keegan and Casey Silver pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Central Islip to criminal copyright infringement. Calabria and Keegan were principals of Constructure Technologies, LLC (“Constructure”), located in Melville, New York, and Silver was a Constructure employee. The charge relates to the defendants’ installing unlicensed versions of software by using “cracking” programs or “key generators,” which allowed Constructure employees to activate copies of the software without paying for a license and obtaining a key. In addition to the guilty pleas, Constructure itself is charged with a felony violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”) and agreed to pay a $60,000 fine. The fine is part of a deferred prosecution agreement that Constructure has entered into with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. The relevant portion of the DMCA prohibits the criminal circumvention of copyright protection systems, including encryption systems.
Jacquelyn M. Kasulis, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the guilty pleas and deferred prosecution agreement.
“With the guilty pleas and deferred prosecution agreement, Constructure and the individual defendants admit to committing a high-tech theft by installing unlicensed software they didn’t pay for, and cheating software companies of license fees they were owed,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Kasulis. “Protecting intellectual property rights is an important priority of this Office, and we will continue to investigate and prosecute those who ignore those rights for their own profit.” Ms. Kasulis also thanked the Suffolk County Police Department and VMWare for their valuable assistance with the case.
“We install software on our computers to protect us from hackers and criminals. Software companies are constantly updating and fixing programs with patches to stay one step ahead of the bad actors who work non-stop to exploit vulnerabilities. The three employees who are pleading guilty in this investigation only saw the profit they could make if they gamed the system. Users paying for security software should be able to rely on the legitimacy of it,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Driscoll.
The Scheme to Circumvent Copyright Protection Systems
According to court filings, Constructure provided information technology services, helping install, manage and service various networks and other technology products for small and medium sized businesses. Calabria was Constructure’s President, Keegan was the Chief Technology Officer, and Silver was a Project Manager.
Between 2011 and 2018, Constructure sold, installed and provided services for computer programs that were copyrighted and then sold by software companies (“Victim Software Companies”), including VMWare, a global cloud computing software company. Some of those computer programs were designed so that they could not be activated until a user paid the company for a “license” to use that software. In purchasing a license, the user received a “key”—a string of letters, numbers and symbols—that, when entered into the copy of software obtained by the user, activated the software. Constructure’s clients generally paid Constructure to purchase licenses for such computer programs and to activate those programs with a legitimate license key.
Starting in or about 2011, Calabria, Keegan, and Silver helped to operate Constructure’s business in part by installing unlicensed versions of software from Victim Software Companies by using cracking programs or key generators, which allowed Constructure to activate copies of the software without paying for a license and obtaining a key. Constructure employees, often at the express direction of Calabria or Keegan, used cracking programs or key generators to install software from multiple Victim Software Companies.
Constructure employees, including Keegan, obtained license keys and cracking programs from the Internet. They also tested those programs on a computer server located in the basement of Constructure’s office in Melville and on a file-sharing site controlled by Constructure, so that the programs could be used remotely by Constructure employees.
By installing working, but unlicensed, versions of software, Constructure was able to bill a customer for the software, under the pretense that Constructure purchased a copy on behalf of the customer, while not actually paying for it. Constructure employees did not inform Constructure’s clients or the Victim Software Companies that Constructure employees used “cracks” to install those programs.
From approximately 2011 to approximately 2018, Constructure employees installed cracked software programs for multiple clients, including clients located in Hicksville, New York; Mineola, New York; Manhattan, New York; and Bridgewater, New Jersey.
When sentenced, each defendant faces up to one year in prison and a fine.
The Deferred Prosecution Agreement and Criminal Information as to Constructure
Under the terms of the deferred prosecution agreement, Constructure will pay a criminal penalty of $60,000 and maintain a compliance and ethics program designed to prevent and detect violations of the DMCA and other applicable laws. If the company breaches the agreement, it will be subject to prosecution for the charge in the criminal information that was filed today, charging Constructure with a criminal violation of the DMCA.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s the National Security and Cybercrime Section and the Cybercrime Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney David K. Kessler is in charge of the prosecution.
The Eastern District of New York’s Cybercrime Task Force was formed in May 2021 to combat cybercrime, which is proliferating in the United States, including in this district, as well as internationally. The Task Force’s goals are to initiate cybercrime investigations and prosecutions, disseminate information about emerging cybercrime issues and trends, and heighten awareness about a wide variety of cybercrime schemes. The Task Force works with our traditional law enforcement partners, including the FBI, the United States Secret Service, Homeland Security Investigations and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, as well as the Drug Enforcement Administration. The Task Force also coordinates with regulatory partners, including the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission and the Federal Trade Commission, as well as state and local counterparts, such as the New York State Department of Financial Services, New York City Cyber Command and the New York City Police Department.
The Defendants:
CONSTRUCTURE TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
MICHAEL CALABRIA
Age: 49
Manorville, New YorkJOSEPH KEEGAN
Age: 46
Merrick, New YorkCASEY SILVER
Age: 36
Stamford, ConnecticutE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 21-CR-368 (JS)
The Nuestra Familia’s General Council and Other Members and Associates Charged with RacketeeringRead the Press Release
SAN JOSE - A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging 17 defendants with racketeering conspiracy, including acts involving murder, robbery, drug trafficking, and money laundering, and charging five others with drug trafficking-related crimes. The indictment handed down onAugust 25, 2021, and unsealed today, catalogues a litany of crimes allegedly directed by the Nuestra Familia’s command structure incarcerated in California prisons. The charging announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Stephanie Hinds, Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Crag D. Fair, and Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Wade R. Shannon at a press conference this morning. Also appearing at the press conference were Chief of the Office of Correctional Safety for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Derrick Marion, Santa Clara Sheriff Laurie Smith, and San Jose Deputy Chief of Police Elle Washburn.
“The indictment charges all seven of the members who make up the Nuestra Familia’s ruling body: the General Council,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Hinds. “While the physical movement of this leadership was restricted by prison walls, the indictment alleges their power and influence were not so constrained. By disrupting gang leadership, we reduce violence on our streets. By removing violent actors and crime drivers from the streets, we make our neighborhoods safer.”
"The arrests made yesterday, most significantly the arrests of the Nuestra Familia leadership, will severely cripple the ability of this criminal enterprise to continue to facilitate crimes in communities throughout the state and help break a decades-old cycle of violence," said FBI San Francisco Special Agent in Charge Fair.
“Today’s operation strikes a substantial blow to Nuestra Familia leadership. This investigation revealed the wide-ranging influence of the gang that extends far beyond prison walls. It is clear they have hard and fast rules, and those who run afoul are met with intimidation and violence that spills into our communities,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Wade R. Shannon. “We will continue to look at these organizations structurally to disrupt and dismantle them.”
According to the indictment, the 17 racketeering defendants were members and associates of the Nuestra Familia (“NF”) prison gang, a violent and lucrative organization formed in the 1960s. The NF is alleged in the indictment to be a criminal enterprise that was created to organize, protect, discipline, profit from, and maintain the allegiance of gang members on the streets of and within custodial facilities in California. As outlined in the indictment, membership in the NF involved a process of sponsorship, approval, and indoctrination. The perpetration of violence and other crimes was ordinarily a prerequisite to entrance, continued membership, and advancement in the organization. Once membership was achieved, this membership was for life. The indictment alleges an NF oath provides: “If I lead, follow. If I stumble, push me. If I fall, avenge me. If I betray you, kill me.”
The indictment also describes the NF’s organizational structure and, in particular, the gang’s governing body: a seven-member “General Council,” made up of three Generals and a four-member Inner Council, which makes significant decisions and oversees the activities of the NF and its subservient gangs. The indictment outlines each position according to the NF Constitution. According to the NF Constitution, the Street Regiment General oversees the NF’s “overall street operations.” The General of the Prisons is responsible for the NF’s “overall pinta [prison] functions,” and the General Advocates Office is the NF’s “justice department.” Tiered just below these three NF Generals was the Inner Council, which consisted of four senior NF members who served as “advisors” to the Generals and provided a system of checks and balances. All seven members of the NF’s General Council led the NF organization while incarcerated in the California prison system. Each is charged in this indictment.
Further, the indictment describes the appointment by these leaders of NF members to positions of power over hierarchical and paramilitary structures called “regiments,” imposed on its gang members operating on the streets in California. While the NF was composed of a relative few, it exercised control and wielded influence over thousands of subordinate gang members in counties and prisons throughout Northern California using such regiments. These regiments primarily guaranteed the NF’s vast influence and control over its own and its street gang members, ensured avenues to direct violence and other illicit activity, and secured means for the NF to make money through the commission of criminal activity. The NF oversaw such regiments in Santa Clara County, Monterey County, Santa Cruz County, San Benito County, San Francisco County, San Mateo County, Contra Costa County, Alameda County, Solano County, San Joaquin County, Fresno County, Kings County, Tulare County, Madera County, Merced County, Kern County, Sacramento County, Yolo County, Humboldt County, Shasta County, Lassen County, Tehama County, Butte County, Yuba County, Sutter County, Lake County, Placer County, and Sonoma County, as well as in Salinas Valley State Prison, Pelican Bay State Prison, Pleasant Valley State Prison, California State Prison - Solano, California State Prison - Sacramento, and High Desert State Prison.
According to the indictment, NF members and associates were involved in plots to kill 14 victims between April 2013 and July 2019 as part of the charged racketeering conspiracy. The defendants charged in the alleged racketeering conspiracy include the following:
Defendant
Age
Charges
Maximum Statutory Penalty
DAVID CERVANTES aka “DC”
73
18 U.S.C. § 1962(d) – Racketeering Conspiracy
Life
ANTONIO GUILLEN aka “Chuco”
55
18 U.S.C. § 1962(d) – Racketeering Conspiracy
Life
JAMES PEREZ aka “Conejo”
67
18 U.S.C. § 1962(d) – Racketeering Conspiracy
Life
SAMUEL LUNA aka “Sammy”
46
18 U.S.C. § 1962(d) – Racketeering Conspiracy
Life
GUILLERMO SOLORIO aka “Capone”
42
18 U.S.C. § 1962(d) – Racketeering Conspiracy
Life
TRINIDAD MARTINEZ aka “Trino”
41
18 U.S.C. § 1962(d) – Racketeering Conspiracy
Life
GEORGE FRANCO aka “Puppet”
56
18 U.S.C. § 1962(d) – Racketeering Conspiracy
Life
STEVEN TRUJILLO aka “Esteban”
56
18 U.S.C. § 1962(d) – Racketeering Conspiracy
Life
SALVADOR CASTRO aka “Gangster”
51
18 U.S.C. § 1962(d) – Racketeering Conspiracy
Life
BRYAN ROBLEDO aka “Turtle”
48
18 U.S.C. § 1962(d) – Racketeering Conspiracy
Life
ALEX YRIGOLLEN aka “Sleepy”
52
18 U.S.C. § 1962(d) – Racketeering Conspiracy
Life
JUAN SOTO aka “Drifter”
38
18 U.S.C. § 1962(d) – Racketeering Conspiracy
Life
EDGARDO RODRIGUEZ aka “Big Evil”
41
18 U.S.C. § 1962(d) – Racketeering Conspiracy
Life
ROBERT MALDONADO aka “KJ”
46
18 U.S.C. § 1962(d) – Racketeering Conspiracy
Life
ERIC ZARATE aka “Baby G”
43
18 U.S.C. § 1962(d) – Racketeering Conspiracy
Life
ROCKY BRACAMONTE aka “Fox”
37
18 U.S.C. § 1962(d) – Racketeering Conspiracy
Life
JOSHUA CORTEZ aka “Buddah”
28
18 U.S.C. § 1962(d) – Racketeering Conspiracy
20 years
Also charged in the indictment are defendants who allegedly participated in two conspiracies to possess and distribute methamphetamine, one in May of 2019 and the other in September 2020 to March 2021. The charges pending against these defendants are as follows:
Defendant
Age
Charges
Maximum Statutory Penalty
WILLIAM RODRIGUEZ aka “Negro”
34
21 U.S.C. §§ 846, 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(B) – Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine
At least 5 years, up to 40 years
MARVIN RODRIGUEZ
34
21 U.S.C. §§ 846, 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(B) – Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine
At least 5 years, up to 40 years
CRISTIAN MORA aka “C-Fresh”
28
21 U.S.C. §§ 846, 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(B) – Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine
At least 5 years, up to 40 years
MARTIN JOSEPH RUPPEL JR.
42
21 U.S.C. §§ 846, 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(B) – Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine
At least 5 years, up to 40 years
ANAELISA CUEVAS
35
21 U.S.C. §§ 846, 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(B) – Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine
At least 5 years, up to 40 years
The court also may order additional terms of supervised release, fines, and restitution. Nevertheless, any sentence following conviction would 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.
An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The defendants are scheduled to make initial federal court appearances before U.S. Magistrate Court Judge Nathanael Cousins and U.S. Magistrate Court Judge Sallie Kim today.
This case is being prosecuted by the Organized Crime Strike Force of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI (San Francisco, Sacramento, and Phoenix Divisions), the DEA, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the U.S. Marshal Service, with the assistance of the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office, and the San Jose Police Department, and with support from the Alameda County Sheriff's Office, Antioch Police Department, Campbell Police Department, Fremont Police Department, King’s County Sheriff’s Office, Monterey County Sheriff’s Office, Mountain View Police Department, Sacramento Police Department, Salinas Police Department, Menlo Park Police Department, Santa Clara County Parole Department, Santa Clara County Probation Department, Santa Clara Police Department, Santa Cruz County District Attorney's Office, Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office, Modesto Police Department, San Francisco Police Department, the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department, and Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety.
This investigation and prosecution are part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (“OCDETF”), which identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Texas Wedding Planner Sentenced in COVID-19 Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
A Texas man was sentenced today in the Eastern District of Texas to 31 months in prison and three years of supervised release for perpetrating a scheme to fraudulently obtain more than $3.3 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
According to court documents, Fahad Shah, 45, of Murphy, who pleaded guilty to wire fraud, sought approximately $3.3 million in PPP funds by claiming that his family’s business, WBF Weddings by Farah Inc. (WBF), employed more than 100 individuals and paid millions of dollars in compensation to those employees. In actuality, WBF had no employees aside from Shah and his wife. Based on Shah’s false representations and forged documents, an SBA-approved lender provided over $1.5 million in PPP loan funds to Shah. Shah then used the funds for personal gain contrary to program’s terms, paying off his home mortgage and purchasing two Teslas and a Mercedes, among other items.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas Ganjei for the Eastern District of Texas; Inspector General Hannibal “Mike” Ware of the U.S. Small Business Administration – Office of Inspector General (SBA-OIG); Special Agent in Charge Catherine Huber of the Federal Housing Finance Agency – Office of Inspector General (FHFA-OIG); Inspector General Jay N. Lerner of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation – Office of Inspector General (FDIC-OIG); Special Agent in Charge Christopher J. Altemus Jr. of the IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Dallas Field Office; and Inspector General J. Russell George of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) made the announcement.
The SBA-OIG, FHFA-OIG, FDIC-OIG, IRS-CI, and TIGTA investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Della Sentilles and Louis Manzo of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Frank Coan and Bob Wells of the Eastern District of Texas prosecuted the case.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Teresa Adamos Pereda Sentenced to Eight Years ImprisonmentRead the Press Release
Hagatña, Guam – SHAWN N. ANDERSON, United States Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, announced that defendant Teresa Adamos Pereda, age 57, from Barrigada, Guam, was sentenced in the United States District Court of Guam in connection with two separate fraudulent schemes. Pereda pleaded guilty on January 31, 2020 to multiple counts of Bank Fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §1344, in Criminal Case No. 19-00047; and on April 14, 2021 to multiple counts of Wire Fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §1343, and one count of Unlawful Use of Seals of U.S. Departments or Agencies, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §506(a)(2), in Criminal Case No. 21-00004. United States District Judge John C. Coughenour sentenced Pereda to a 60-month term of imprisonment, to run concurrent to a 96-month term of imprisonment and five years of supervised release. Judge Coughenour also ordered Pereda to pay $1,150,430 restitution to her former employer, an additional $2,527,838 restitution to other multiple victims, forfeiture money judgments of $1,150,430 and $2,527,838, and $3,500 special assessment fees, and to forfeit personal property.
Pereda was employed as an office manager at the dental clinic of Robert R. Gatewood D.D.S. M.S., A Professional Corporation. From January 2011 until her termination in September 2019, she stole $1,150,430 from her employer by writing 284 fraudulent checks from her employer’s First Hawaiian Bank checking account for her personal use. To conceal the embezzlement scheme from her employer and First Hawaiian Bank, Pereda falsified check stubs to make it appear the checks were issued for business purposes, and falsely recorded the transactions in the company’s internal accounting system.
In a separate case, from January 2016 to November 2019, Pereda participated in an advance fee inheritance scheme and defrauded at least 36 victims, including family, friends, co-workers and members of the St. Paul Christian Church and St. Paul Christian School alumni. She obtained $2,527,838 by falsely representing that she expected to receive a multi-million dollar inheritance from an elderly couple from Hawaii, but had to pay taxes, attorney’s fees, and other expenses up front before she could receive the funds. Pereda convinced the victims to give her money to pay for such inheritance-related and other expenses and assured them she would repay them a larger sum of money from her inheritance. Pereda knew these claims were false at the time she made them. She also knew that no inheritance was forthcoming from an elderly couple in Hawaii. In addition, Pereda provided some victims with bogus documents and seals from various United States government agencies, including the Central Intelligence Agency. Pereda sent over $2.5 million of investor funds via wire transfer to other co-schemers in the United States and foreign countries.
“The significant sentence in this case reflects the extraordinary losses suffered by numerous victims,” stated Shawn N. Anderson, United States Attorney for Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. “In addition to a lengthy term of imprisonment, our prosecution of Pereda has deprived her of all proceeds from her criminal activity. It is noteworthy that the FBI pursued this matter across multiple jurisdictions over the course of the ongoing pandemic. We are thankful for their exceptional dedication to keeping our communities safe.”
"Pereda preyed upon the trust she gained with her employer, community, church, friends and family and defrauded them of their hard-earned money and retirement savings," said Steven Merrill, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Honolulu Field Office. "She caused the loss of millions of dollars by repeatedly lying that the pay-off would come if her victims just gave more money. The FBI is committed to investigating investment scams and I urge the people of Guam to be wary of any offers that sound 'too good to be true'."
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Marivic David, Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Guam.
Suspended Attorney Pleads Guilty to Visa FraudRead the Press Release
NEW BERN, N.C. – A Wilmington woman pled guilty yesterday to Fraud in Connection with Visas, Permits, and other Documents.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, Roydera Hackworth, 63, was an attorney licensed to practice in North Carolina and was suspended by the North Carolina State Bar (NCSB) on June 25, 2012, from practicing law and on April 30, 2014, by the Board of Immigration Appeals from practicing in immigration matters before the Executive Office for Immigration Review (i.e. the Board of Immigration Appeals and the immigration courts) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
Hackworth primarily handled administrative cases for clients before USCIS.
In September 2019, DHS Disciplinary Counsel advised NCSB, and later the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina, that based on information DHS Disciplinary Counsel discovered in USCIS records, it appeared that Hackworth violated her suspension and continued to practice, prepare, and submit Form G-28s (Notice of Entry of Appearance as Attorney or Accredited Representative), petitions, and applications with USCIS on behalf of client petitioners and applicants for immigration benefits after she was suspended on April 30, 2014.
Based on an investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and USCIS Fraud Detection and National Security (FDNS), approximately twenty Alien Files were reviewed. Further, interviews of persons that Hackworth “represented” were conducted which revealed that Hackworth impersonated another licensed attorney, submitted various immigration related documents which she signed under penalty of perjury representing that she was the other attorney and that she was not suspended and was authorized to practice law.
The review by HSI and FDNS revealed that between 6 and 24 clients were represented by Hackworth with no knowledge that Hackworth was submitting their immigration petitions and application under the name of the other attorney.
The DHS Disciplinary Counsel said: “Hackworth’s disregard of the Board of Immigration Appeals suspension order caused harm to her clients and to the immigration system. Her unscrupulous behavior required further action to protect the public and the immigration system. We are thankful the U.S. Attorney’s Office took the information we discovered and prosecuted Hackworth.”
Complaints regarding immigration attorneys appearing before DHS can be sent to [email protected] or for attorneys appearing before the immigration courts or the Board of Immigration Appeals to [email protected].
“Hackworth not only violated the oath of her profession and the laws of the US immigration system, but she also violated her client’s trust when she fraudulently represented them,” said Special Agent in Charge Special Agent in Charge Ronnie Martinez, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in North Carolina and South Carolina. “Preventing the exploitation of people and protecting the integrity of the US immigration system are hallmarks of HSI’s mission.”
Hackworth pleaded guilty to violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1546(a) and faces a maximum penalty of 120 months in prison when sentenced. It is anticipated sentencing will be during the Court’s term in January, 2022 in front of U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after the plea was entered by U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert B. Jones, Jr. The Department of Homeland Security Investigations, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, Fraud Detection and National Security investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sebastian Kielmanovich prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:21-CR-93-FL.
Richmond Man Pleads Guilty to Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
OAKLAND – Ranbir Singh pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Oakland to the production of child pornography, announced Acting United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds and Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Tatum King.
In his plea agreement, Singh, 47, of Richmond, admitted that on March 13, 2013, he engaged in sexual acts in an Alameda County hotel room with a female whom he knew to be 16 years old at the time. The plea agreement describes that Singh set up a video camera in the hotel room before the crime occurred. Singh admitted he persuaded the minor female. At one point the minor female protested, but Singh continued. During the recordings, Singh admitted that he positioned the camera to record the acts.
Singh also admitted in his plea agreement that earlier, in January 2013, he video recorded the same minor female sitting in a car’s backseat in a compromising and exposed position.
Singh further admitted that in May 2013 he traveled with a different minor female to a casino hotel in Placer County. Singh admits that he knew this female was a minor. The plea agreement describes that in a hotel room at the casino Singh engaged in sex acts with the minor female, after he showed her a video he recorded depicting his acts with the minor female in the Alameda County hotel room on March 13, 2013.
The initial federal charges were brought against Singh in a complaint filed March 1, 2021. The complaint reflects that the investigation began when the two minor female victims came forward, though initially they did not know Singh’s true name, and later developed when the sexually explicit videos were discovered.
Singh was indicted on March 23, 2021, on the charge of production of child pornography in violation of 18 U.S.C. 2251(a). The maximum penalty for a violation of production of child pornography in violation of 18 U.S.C. 2251(a) is imprisonment for 30 years, with a minimum mandatory term of imprisonment of 15 years, and a fine of $250,000. However, any sentence will be imposed by a court only after the court’s consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
Singh’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for December 8, 2021, in Oakland federal court before the Honorable Haywood S. Gilliam, Jr., United States District Judge. Singh remains in custody awaiting sentencing.
Jonathan U. Lee is the Assistant U.S. Attorney who is prosecuting the case, with the assistance of Leeya Kekona, Kay Konopaske, and Kathleen Turner. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and the Richmond Police Department.
Return Preparer Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Defraud the United StatesRead the Press Release
A Florida return preparer pleaded guilty yesterday in the Southern District of Florida to conspiracy to defraud the United States.
According to court documents, Michlin Delivrance owned and operated Tax USA, a return preparation business with a primary office in Delray Beach. From at least 2015 through 2019, Delivrance conspired with Scott Forbes and others at Tax USA to claim inflated tax refunds for clients by reporting false income, expenses and itemized deductions on their returns. Delivrance benefited from the scheme by charging clients substantial fees to prepare the returns. In total, through his conduct, Delivrance caused a tax loss to the IRS of between $250,000 and $550,000.
Delivrance is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 21. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, as well as a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties. Forbes previously pleaded guilty to his involvement in the conspiracy on June 1, and his sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 24. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Juan Antonio Gonzalez for the Southern District of Florida made the announcement.
IRS-Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Patrick Elwell of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Robin Waugh of the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case.
Public Contractor Sentenced to Two Years in Federal Prison for Bribing San Francisco Public OfficialRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO – Alan Varela was sentenced today in federal court to 24 months in prison and ordered to pay a $127,000 fine for a seven year conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud by bribing a San Francisco public official, announced Acting United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Craig D. Fair. The sentence was handed down by the Honorable William H. Orrick, United States District Judge.
A federal complaint filed September 17, 2020, charged Varela, 60, of Orinda, and William Gilmartin, 61, of San Mateo, with bribery of a public official. In 1991, Varela founded ProVen Management, a Bay Area civil engineering and construction firm that engaged in large scale infrastructure projects. Varela and Gilmartin acted as the firm’s president and vice-president, respectively, during the conspiracy time period. According to the complaint, Varela and Gilmartin provided a stream of benefits to Mohammed Nuru, then the Director of San Francisco’s Department of Public Works (DPW), in exchange for favorable treatment of their business interests, including non-public inside information.
Upon entering his guilty plea to conspiring to commit honest services wire fraud on May 27, 2021, Varela described in his plea agreement his role in the bribery conspiracy of then-DPW Director Nuru. The bribery’s goal was to use Nuru’s prominence as a powerful San Francisco public official to ensure the success of Varela and his co-conspirators’ business ventures. Nuru’s position as DPW Director provided him with great influence over San Francisco public contracts, permits, and construction projects, as well as over other City departments and private companies seeking DPW contracts. In his plea agreement, Varela admitted that for seven years, from 2013 until the day of Nuru’s arrest on federal charges January 27, 2020, he conspired with his co-defendant Gilmartin, with Balmore Hernandez – a construction company CEO who pled guilty earlier and is cooperating with the FBI – and with others to pay bribes to Nuru consisting of cash, free meals and entertainment, equipment for Nuru’s ranch, and the prospect of a cut of future profits from expected City contracts.
Varela’s plea agreement detailed a scheme in which he and his co-conspirators focused on winning a lucrative DPW contract and its related Port of San Francisco lease to operate an asphalt recycling plant and a concrete plant on the Port’s land. The plea agreement describes that Nuru agreed, in exchange for cash and other valuables, to use his official position to get Varela and his co-conspirators’ proposal selected. Gilmartin arranged to compensate Nuru by asking an unnamed company to award a $100,000 contract to Hernandez and, in turn, Hernandez used the contract’s proceeds for Nuru. For his part, Nuru sent early drafts of San Francisco’s Request for Proposals for the project and other inside information to the conspirators to improve their likelihood of being selected. Nuru also regularly discussed the plans and inside information with Gilmartin and Hernandez over expensive restaurant dinners, always paid for by Gilmartin and ultimately totaling approximately $20,000.
The conspirators’ proposal was selected in September 2015. According to the plea agreement, Nuru continued to meet with the group to supply additional inside information during the expensive meals paid for by Gilmartin. At one of their meetings, Nuru requested a tractor for his ranch. Varela coordinated with Gilmartin and Hernandez to deliver the tractor to Nuru.
Nuru was arrested on federal bribery-related charges on January 27, 2020, before the negotiations to finalize the asphalt recycling plant agreements with DPW and the Port of San Francisco reached completion.
In a filed memorandum addressing Varela’s sentencing, the government argued that Varela’s conduct with Nuru was business as usual for Varela. The government asserted that Varela, whose business success had gained him a life of luxury including 50 acres in Napa, for years facilitated a casual culture of corruption, a culture that ultimately undermines the public’s faith in their government and the rule of law. Elaborating on the tractor bribe, the sentencing memorandum points out that the value of the new John Deere tractor, including its attachments, approximated $40,000. Varela lined up the purchase of the tractor and rushed to get it delivered to Nuru at Nuru’s ranch on February 18, 2019. The delivery led to Nuru to happily text “Work begins at the ranch” along with a photo of the tractor being unloaded at his ranch. The government, after outlining this and other acts of bribery, submitted a sentence recommendation of 30 months imprisonment.
This case is part of a larger federal investigation targeting public corruption in the City and County of San Francisco. To date, eleven individuals have been charged, including two high-ranking San Francisco public officials, Mohammed Nuru and Harlan Kelly. Multiple city contractors and facilitators have been charged. According to the charges earlier filed against Mohammed Nuru and others, Nuru allegedly took hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in cash, meals, and work on his vacation home from contractors who obtained San Francisco public contracts. Allegations in the complaint filed against Harlan Kelly assert he received thousands of dollars in airfare, meals, jewelry, and travel expenses, along with repair work on his house.
In addition to the prison term and fine, United States District Judge Orrick also sentenced the defendant to a three-year period of supervised release. Varela will begin serving his sentence on January 2022.
The case is being prosecuted by the Corporate and Securities Fraud section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The case is being investigated by the FBI.
Previously Deported Alien Charged with Illegal Re-Entry, Illegal Gun Possession, and Drug OffensesRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced a federal grand jury in Harrisburg charged Anthony Rodriguez-Ortiz, age 33, yesterday with illegal re-entry into the United States by a previously deported alien, felon in possession of a firearm, illegal alien in possession of a firearm, possessing with intent to distribute controlled substances, and distribution of controlled substances.
According to Acting United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, Rodriguez-Ortiz was previously deported from the United States to the Dominican Republic in December 2013. He is alleged to have illegally reentered the United States again sometime after December 2013 and was found in the United States in York County, Pennsylvania after eluding examination or inspection by immigration officers. When encountered, he, as an illegal alien and convicted felon, was in possession of a firearm, and fentanyl. He also had sold fentanyl on two previous occasions.
This matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joanne M. Sanderson.
Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Rodriguez-Ortiz faces a maximum penalty of 40 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.
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Postal Service Employee Admits Stealing Cell Phones from MailRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Hudson County, New Jersey, man today admitted stealing dozens of cell phones from mail that passed through a postal distribution center where he was employed, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Kyle Terry, 36, of Jersey City, New Jersey, pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge John Michael Vazquez to an information charging him with one count of theft of mail by a postal employee.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Terry was employed by the U.S. Postal Service as a mail handle assistant at a national postal distribution center in Jersey City. From Nov. 1, 2017, to Jan. 28, 2018, Terry stole 39 cell phones having a total approximate value of $35,000 from mail that passed through that distribution center.
The theft of mail by a postal employee charge carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 17, 2022.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited special agents of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, Northeast Area Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Matthew Modafferi, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Leslie Faye Schwartz of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Special Prosecutions Division in Newark.
Pittsburgh Fentanyl Dealer Off to Prison for Six YearsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA – A former Pittsburgh resident has been sentenced in federal court to six years’ imprisonment on his conviction for violating the federal narcotics laws, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.
Senior United States District Judge Nora B. Fischer imposed the sentence on Daniel Curtis Simon, 35, formerly of Pittsburgh, PA, who pleaded guilty in June 2021 to distributing a quantity of fentanyl.
According to information presented to the Court, on December 1, 2017, Mr. Simon distributed over 20 grams of fentanyl along with boxes of “stamp bags,” which are commonly used to package fentanyl for redistribution, to an informant working with agents from the Pennsylvania State Police and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The Court was further advised that the quantity of fentanyl Mr. Simon distributed was sufficient to fill over 1,000 individual dosage units of fentanyl.
Following his release from incarceration, Mr. Simon will be under the supervision of the United States Probation Office for six years. Mr. Simon remains in the custody of the United States Marshals pending transfer to a federal Bureau of Prisons facility.
Assistant United States Attorney Jerome A. Moschetta prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
Acting United States Attorney Kaufman commended the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Pennsylvania State Police for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Simon.
Philadelphia Man Sentenced to over 8 Years in Prison for Shooting a Firearm into a Residential Neighborhood in Southwest PhiladelphiaRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – Acting United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Salim Davis, a/k/a “Leem,” 36, of Philadelphia, PA was sentenced eight years and four months in prison and five years of supervised release by United States District Court Judge Gene E.K. Pratter for illegally possessing a firearm and shooting it into a residential neighborhood.
Nearly two years ago in September 2019, the defendant was convicted at trial of being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession of a firearm in connection with a drug trafficking offense, possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, and aiding and abetting the making of a false statement to a federal firearms licensee. The jury heard evidence that a Philadelphia Police Inspector was off-duty driving his unmarked police car in the area of 2500 Island Avenue when he heard gunshots. Minutes later, he observed Davis, who was wearing a black jacket, and another man, walking in an alleyway near the officer’s car, both carrying firearms. The Inspector followed the suspects and commanded that they stop and put their hands up. Davis failed to comply, walked away, and discarded his black jacket. Police eventually caught up with Davis, placed him in custody, and conducted a pat down. They found over $1,000 cash and a bottle containing 70+ Xanax pills. After picking up the discarded black jacket, officers recovered a Smith & Wesson, .40 caliber, semi-automatic handgun loaded with 10 live rounds. They also recovered four bullet cartridge cases from the scene which were found to be from the defendant’s weapon.
“If you commit a federal firearms offense, our Office, together with our law enforcement partners, will hold you accountable,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Williams. “We are nearly six months into our ‘All Hands On Deck’ initiative; six months of working with our law enforcement partners nearly around the clock to put criminals like Davis behind bars where they can no longer contribute to the violence on the streets of our city.”
“ATF, along with our law enforcement partners, will continue to do everything in our power to take guns out of the hands of violent felons and disrupt violent gun crime in our community,” said Matthew Varisco, Special Agent in charge of ATF’s Philadelphia Field Division. “Today’s sentence is a small victory in the perpetual battle against gun violence and should send a clear message to those criminals who endanger our citizens.”
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Philadelphia Police Department. It was tried by Assistant United States Attorney Katherine Driscoll, and was handled post-trial by Assistant United States Attorney Michael Miller.
Pennsylvania Man Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISISRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - A Pennsylvania man pleaded guilty today to one count of attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization.
Mustafa Mousab Alowemer, 23, of Pittsburgh pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to provide material support to ISIS in relation to his plan to attack a church in Pittsburgh.
“The defendant, motivated by ISIS’s call to violence and hate, plotted a terrorist attack targeting a church in Pittsburgh,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Mark J. Lesko of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “With today’s guilty plea, he will be held accountable for his crimes. The Department of Justice is committed to identifying, disrupting and holding accountable individuals who seek to engage in such attacks. I commend the agents, analysts and prosecutors who identified the threat posed by this defendant and took action to protect the public from his plans.”
“Inspired by ISIS, Mustafa Alowemer devised and intended to carry out a deadly attack on a house of worship and its congregation,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman for the Western District of Pennsylvania. “If not for the tireless, multi-faceted investigation by the FBI and our partner agencies, the true depth of his determination to commit violence in the name of ISIS may not have been exposed until his deadly plans were achieved.”
“The guilty plea today by Mustafa Alowemer leaves no question about his intention to commit an act of terrorism against a place of worship,” said Special Agent in Charge Mike Nordwall of the FBI’s Pittsburgh Field Office. “Mr. Alowemer will now face the consequences of his elaborate plan to inflict harm on innocent people. I’m proud of FBI Pittsburgh and all of the personnel who worked countless hours to protect the community, and I want to thank all of the agencies that participate in the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force. Together, we combine our resources to identify and disrupt threats to protect our communities and the nation.”
According to court documents, Alowemer plotted to bomb a church located on the north side of Pittsburgh using an explosive device. His stated motivation to conduct such an attack was to support the cause of ISIS and to inspire other ISIS supporters in the United States to join together and commit similar acts in the name of ISIS. Alowemer also targeted the church to “take revenge for our [ISIS] brothers in Nigeria.” Alowemer was aware that numerous people in the proximity of the church could be killed by the explosion.
In furtherance of the plot to bomb the church, in May 2019, Alowemer distributed multiple instructional documents related to the construction and use of explosives and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to an individual Alowemer believed to be a fellow ISIS supporter, but who was in fact an FBI employee. Alowemer distributed these documents with the intent that the information be used in the assembly of a destructive device and in furtherance of conducting an attack in support of ISIS. In or around June 2019, Alowemer purchased several items, including nails and acetone (nail polish remover) with the belief that they were necessary to assemble a destructive device and with the intention they be used to construct the explosives that would be detonated in the vicinity of the church.
Between April 16 and June 11, Alowemer met four times in person with an FBI Undercover Employee (UCE) and/or an FBI Confidential Human Source (CHS). At the June 11 meeting with the UCE and CHS, Alowemer provided additional details about the bomb plot and provided the materials, including boxes of nails, he had purchased for construction of the device. Alowemer provided printed copies of detailed Google satellite maps, which included hand-written markings identifying the church and routes of arrival and escape. Alowemer also wrote and provided a 10-point handwritten plan outlining details related to his plot to personally deliver explosives in a backpack. Alowemer expressed a desire to meet one more time to conduct planning and coordination prior to carrying out the attempted bombing in July 2019. That meeting was later scheduled for June 19 in the Pittsburgh area, at which time Alowemer was arrested.
Alowemer is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 26, 2022. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000.00, or both, and a lifetime term of supervised release. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Pending sentencing, the court ordered that Alowemer remain detained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Soo C. Song of the Western District of Pennsylvania and Trial Attorney Brenda Sue Thornton of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force members who were directly involved in this investigation include: FBI, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), IRS – Criminal Investigation, U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Pennsylvania State Police, Allegheny County Police Department, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, Allegheny County Port Authority Police, Allegheny County Probation, University of Pittsburgh Police Department and UPMC Police Security.
Pennsylvania Man Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISISRead the Press Release
A Pennsylvania man pleaded guilty today to one count of attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization.
Mustafa Mousab Alowemer, 23, of Pittsburgh pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to provide material support to ISIS in relation to his plan to attack a church in Pittsburgh.
“The defendant, motivated by ISIS’s call to violence and hate, plotted a terrorist attack targeting a church in Pittsburgh,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Mark J. Lesko of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “With today’s guilty plea, he will be held accountable for his crimes. The Department of Justice is committed to identifying, disrupting and holding accountable individuals who seek to engage in such attacks. I commend the agents, analysts and prosecutors who identified the threat posed by this defendant and took action to protect the public from his plans.”
“Inspired by ISIS, Mustafa Alowemer devised and intended to carry out a deadly attack on a house of worship and its congregation,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman for the Western District of Pennsylvania. “If not for the tireless, multi-faceted investigation by the FBI and our partner agencies, the true depth of his determination to commit violence in the name of ISIS may not have been exposed until his deadly plans were achieved.”
“The guilty plea today by Mustafa Alowemer leaves no question about his intention to commit an act of terrorism against a place of worship,” said Special Agent in Charge Mike Nordwall of the FBI’s Pittsburgh Field Office. “Mr. Alowemer will now face the consequences of his elaborate plan to inflict harm on innocent people. I’m proud of FBI Pittsburgh and all of the personnel who worked countless hours to protect the community, and I want to thank all of the agencies that participate in the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force. Together, we combine our resources to identify and disrupt threats to protect our communities and the nation.”
According to court documents, Alowemer plotted to bomb a church located on the north side of Pittsburgh using an explosive device. His stated motivation to conduct such an attack was to support the cause of ISIS and to inspire other ISIS supporters in the United States to join together and commit similar acts in the name of ISIS. Alowemer also targeted the church to “take revenge for our [ISIS] brothers in Nigeria.” Alowemer was aware that numerous people in the proximity of the church could be killed by the explosion.
In furtherance of the plot to bomb the church, in May 2019, Alowemer distributed multiple instructional documents related to the construction and use of explosives and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to an individual Alowemer believed to be a fellow ISIS supporter, but who was in fact an FBI employee. Alowemer distributed these documents with the intent that the information be used in the assembly of a destructive device and in furtherance of conducting an attack in support of ISIS. In or around June 2019, Alowemer purchased several items, including nails and acetone (nail polish remover) with the belief that they were necessary to assemble a destructive device and with the intention they be used to construct the explosives that would be detonated in the vicinity of the church.
Between April 16 and June 11, Alowemer met four times in person with an FBI Undercover Employee (UCE) and/or an FBI Confidential Human Source (CHS). At the June 11 meeting with the UCE and CHS, Alowemer provided additional details about the bomb plot and provided the materials, including boxes of nails, he had purchased for construction of the device. Alowemer provided printed copies of detailed Google satellite maps, which included hand-written markings identifying the church and routes of arrival and escape. Alowemer also wrote and provided a 10-point handwritten plan outlining details related to his plot to personally deliver explosives in a backpack. Alowemer expressed a desire to meet one more time to conduct planning and coordination prior to carrying out the attempted bombing in July 2019. That meeting was later scheduled for June 19 in the Pittsburgh area, at which time Alowemer was arrested.
Alowemer is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 26, 2022. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000.00, or both, and a lifetime term of supervised release. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Pending sentencing, the court ordered that Alowemer remain detained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Soo C. Song of the Western District of Pennsylvania and Trial Attorney Brenda Sue Thornton of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force members who were directly involved in this investigation include: FBI, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), IRS – Criminal Investigation, U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Pennsylvania State Police, Allegheny County Police Department, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, Allegheny County Port Authority Police, Allegheny County Probation, University of Pittsburgh Police Department and UPMC Police Security.
Pennsylvania Man Admits Conspiring to Distribute 430 Kilograms of KhatRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Pennsylvania man today admitted to conspiring to distribute 430 kilograms of khat imported through Newark International Airport, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Azeez Adebari, 46, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian Martinotti in Newark federal court to an information charging him with one count of conspiring to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute a quantity of a mixture containing cathinone and cathine.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On April 21, 2021, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers identified a freight container suspected of containing khat that had arrived by air at Newark International Airport. Khat is a flowering shrub that is abused for its stimulant-like effects and has no accepted medical use in the United States. Khat contains two active ingredients that are controlled substances: cathinone, a Schedule I controlled substance, and cathine, a Schedule II controlled substance.
CBP officers determined that the shipment contained approximately 430 kilograms gross weight of khat. The shipping manifest and other customs documentation identified the contents of the shipment as clothing, and ground melon and pepper, among other things. On May 3, 2021, Adebari, who was listed as the consignee on the shipment, arrived at Newark Airport to pick up the khat shipment and was arrested.
The charge to which Adebari pleaded guilty carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 27, 2022.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited special agents of the Department of Homeland, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jason J. Molina in Newark, and officers of CBP, under the direction of Marty Raybon, Acting Director of Field Operations, New York Field Office, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Angelica M. Sinopole of the Organized Crime & Gangs Unit in Newark.
Pakistan resident sentenced to prison for long-running phone unlocking scheme to defraud AT&TRead the Press Release
Seattle –A resident of Pakistan was sentenced today in the Western District of Washington to 12 years in prison for his leadership role in a seven-year scheme to unlawfully unlock phones to defraud AT&T Inc. (AT&T). At the sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge Robert S. Lasnik noted that Fahd had committed a “terrible cybercrime over an extended period,” even after he was aware that law enforcement was investigating.
Beginning in 2012, Muhammad Fahd, 35, conspired with others to recruit AT&T employees at a call center located in Bothell, Washington, to unlock large numbers of cellular phones for profit. Fahd recruited and bribed AT&T employees to use their AT&T credentials to unlock phones for ineligible customers. Later in the conspiracy, Fahd had the bribed employees install custom malware and hacking tools that allowed him to unlock phones remotely from Pakistan. In September 2020, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
“This defendant is a modern-day cybercriminal who combined his technological expertise with old-school techniques such as bribery, intimidation, and exploitation to run a criminal organization causing $200 million in losses,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. “And the damage was not just financial. Sadly, he persuaded and pressured young people into engaging in criminal conduct, spreading the damage of his greedy scheme to others.”
Cellular phones such as iPhones cost hundreds of dollars. To make the phones more affordable, during the relevant time, AT&T subsidized the purchase cost of phones or sold phones to customers under installment plans. Unlocking a phone effectively removes it from AT&T’s network, thereby allowing the account holder to avoid having to pay AT&T for service or to make any payments for purchase of the phone.
According to records filed in the case, in approximately June or July of 2012, using the alias “Frank Zhang,” Fahd contacted an AT & T employee through Facebook. Fahd offered the employee significant sums of money if the employee would help Fahd secretly unlock phones at AT&T. Fahd also asked the employee to recruit other AT&T employees to help with the unauthorized unlocks. Fahd needed additional AT&T employees to join the scheme, because Fahd wanted someone to be always available to expand his ability to do unauthorized unlocks.
Fahd also instructed the recruited employees to set up fake businesses, and bank accounts for those businesses, to receive payments, and to create fictitious invoices for every deposit made into the fake businesses’ bank accounts to create the appearance that the money was payment for genuine services.
In the spring of 2013, AT&T implemented a new unlocking system that made it more difficult for the bribed employees to unlock IMEIs for Fahd. In response, Fahd hired a software developer to design malware that could be installed without authorization on AT&T’s computer system to unlock phones more efficiently and in larger numbers. At Fahd’s request, the employees provided confidential information to Fahd about AT&T’s computer system and unlocking procedures to assist in this process. Fahd also had the employees install malware on AT&T’s computers that captured information about AT&T’s computer system and the network access credentials of other AT&T employees. Fahd provided the information to his malware developer, so the developer could tailor the malware to work on AT&T’s computers.
AT&T’s forensic analysis shows the total number of cellular telephones fraudulently unlocked by members of the scheme was 1,900,033 phones. AT&T has further determined that the loss it suffered because customers, whose cellular phones were illegally unlocked, failed to complete payments for their cellular telephones was $201,497,430.94.
Judge Lasnik ordered restitution of $200,620,698. (The difference between this amount and the total loss reflects restitution ordered against bribed AT&T employees in related prosecutions.)
Fahd was indicted in 2017, and arrested in Hong Kong in 2018. He was extradited and appeared in U.S. District Court in Seattle in August 2019. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in September 2020.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Seattle field office of the United States Secret Service, IRS-CI, and the U.S. Department of Justice. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew Friedman and Francis Franze-Nakamura of the Western District of Washington, and Senior Counsel Anthony Teelucksingh of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section.
Oregon Tribes Among 12 Selected for Participation in Program Enhancing Tribal Access to National Crime Information DatabasesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON—The Department of Justice has selected an additional 12 federally recognized tribes to participate in the expansion of the Tribal Access Program for National Crime Information (TAP), a program that provides tribal governments with means to access, enter, and exchange data with national crime information systems, including those maintained by the FBI Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division and the states.
“Timely access to federal criminal information can help protect domestic violence victims, place foster children in safe conditions, solve crimes, and apprehend fugitives on tribal land, among other important uses,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “Increasing tribal access to criminal databases is a priority of the Justice Department and this Administration, and essential to many tribal government efforts to strengthen public safety in their communities.”
“Tribal law enforcement agencies have long sought access to federal criminal databases to obtain important information that can be used to prevent violent crime in tribal communities. We are pleased that the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation and Cow Creek Band of Umpqua have been selected for participation in the TAP program and look forward to more Oregon tribes being added in the future. The Justice Department and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon are deeply committed to keeping Oregon tribal communities safe,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug.
The program provides training as well as software and biometric/biographic kiosk workstations to process fingerprints, take mugshots, and submit information to FBI Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) systems. With these additional tribes, there are now 108 federally recognized Tribes participating in TAP.
TAP has been an important resource for the department’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Initiative and the Presidential Task Force on Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives known as Operation Lady Justice. The Department of Justice began TAP in 2015 in response to concerns raised by tribal leaders about the need to have direct access to federal systems.
Using TAP, tribes have shared information about missing persons; registered convicted sex offenders; entered domestic violence orders of protection for nationwide enforcement; run criminal histories; identified and arrested fugitives; entered bookings and convictions; and completed fingerprint-based record checks for non-criminal justice purposes such as screening employees or volunteers who work with children.
The following tribes have been newly selected for participation in TAP:
- Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation
- Cow Creek Band of Umpqua
- Fort Belknap Indian Community
- Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa
- Havasupai Tribe
- Lower Brule Sioux Tribe
- Menominee Tribe
- Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe
- Muckleshoot Tribe
- Passamaquoddy Tribe
- Shingle Springs Band of Miwok
- United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee
TAP is managed by the Justice Department’s Office of the Chief Information Officer and the Office of Tribal Justice. It is funded by the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART), the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), and the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW).
For more information on TAP, visit http://www.justice.gov/tribal/tribal-access-program-tap.
Nine Members of Kensington “TRUHITTAZ” Drug Trafficking Group Sentenced to a Total of 73 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – Acting United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Hassan Griffin, 25, a/k/a “Glizzy,” “Frizzy,” “ODOG,” and “GlizzytheHitta,” of Philadelphia, PA, was sentenced to 12 years in prison, 10 years supervised release and a $2,000 special assessment by United States District Judge Mitchell S. Goldberg for conspiracy to distribute and distribution of phencyclidine (“PCP”), and cocaine base (“crack”) through the Drug Trafficking Group (DTG) he led in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia.
Griffin and eight other individuals, James Grimes, 30, a/k/a “Speedy,” “Dink,” “HM;” Andrew Gault, 29, a/k/a “Fly,” “Butterknife King,” “BKK;” Katina Grimes, 32, a/k/a “Snoop,” “SnoopdaHitta;” Tyreeq Lenair, 29, a/k/a “Bear;” Quran Justice, 24, a/k/a “Skee;” Wayne Brunson, 27, a/k/a “Weez;” Unterrio Parris, 27, a/k/a “Dudda,” “Didda;” and Anthony Hill, 30, a/k/a “Turk,” “Turt;” were charged by Indictment in April 2018 with numerous counts of drug trafficking offenses arising from their participation in the “TruHittaz” DTG that controlled the 700 and 800 blocks of East Madison and East Willard Streets in Philadelphia. To anyone driving by, this was a residential neighborhood, lined with rowhomes, trees and parked cars. But to the TruHittaz and their customers, it was - as they called it - “the block” and “the jungle.” It was a place where some of the very row homes, alleys and vacant lots that lined those streets became stash locations (hiding spots) for the drugs supplied by these defendants and sold by their workers, and for the guns supplied by James Grimes to protect their block, their drugs, and their profits from being robbed. Witnesses recounted driving these streets in the summer months and smelling the distinct odor of PCP in the air while the bottles and caps used to package and sell this dangerous drug littered the road and alleyways.
Led by Grimes and Griffin, the TruHittaz obtained quantities of phencyclidine, cocaine base, heroin, marijuana, and other controlled substances from suppliers, both outside and within the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. They then sold these drugs twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, by employing a network of bosses, caseworkers, trappers and lookouts, such that when one member was unavailable for any reason, another took his or her place. When a member returned from arrest, prison, or even after being shot, s/he immediately resumed his/her criminal activity. This allowed the TruHittaz to sell at least five ounces of PCP and 10 bundles of crack every twelve hours – meaning that it took just over seven days (not including the night shift) to sell a kilogram of PCP and 280 grams of crack.
The TruHittaz DTG made large sums of money and protected its operations by selling drugs, carrying and using firearms, engaging in acts of intimidation and threats, and by recruiting individuals in their own community who were financially or otherwise vulnerable. The group operated in an open-air market undeterred by the presence of law enforcement, local arrests, or shootings in the area. Their main stash house (where over a kilogram of PCP, hundreds of vials and other packaging paraphernalia and numerous rounds of ammunition were seized) was located directly next to an operating daycare center. Their drug territory and many “offsite” sales took place in direct proximity to several area schools including: Philip Sheridan School, 800 East Ontario Street; the People for People Charter School, 800 North Broad Street; the Woodrow Wilson Middle School, 1800 Cottman Avenue; the Russell H. Conwell Middle School, 1849 East Clearfield Street; and the Resurrection Regional Catholic School, 2020 Shelmire Avenue.
Griffin’s sentencing yesterday brings to a close a more than five-year effort by federal and local law enforcement to disrupt and dismantle the TruHittaz DTG. The above-named defendants were sentenced to a total of 73 years in prison followed by lengthy periods of federal supervision.
“This vast and sophisticated drug trafficking enterprise left a path of destruction across Kensington and throughout Philadelphia,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Williams. “Today’s sentence brings to a close our dedicated effort to take down the nefarious TruHittaz criminal organization, and we remain committed to cutting off the supply of deadly drugs into our communities.”
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys MaryTeresa Soltis and Christopher E. Parisi.
New Orleans Man Sentenced to 272 Months in Prison for Eight Armed RobberiesRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that ERISTON WILSON (“WILSON”), age 28, of New Orleans, Louisiana was sentenced to imprisonment on September 15, 2021 by U.S. District Court Judge Lance M. Africk for charges relating to eight armed robberies of gas stations and convenience stores.
WILSON committed armed robberies of three Shell Gas Stations on General de Gaulle Drive and multiple convenience stores on the West Bank and in the Seventh Ward. He brandished a firearm and wore blue gloves in the robberies.
In August of 2019, WILSON was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
WILSON was found guilty by a jury in December 2019 on both counts.
Judge Africk sentenced WILSON to 272 months in the Bureau of Prisons, 60 months of supervised release, and $200 in mandatory special assessment fees.
The U.S. Attorney's Office praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution of the case was conducted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathryn McHugh and Greg Kennedy.
New Iberia Man Sentenced for Illegal Possession of FirearmRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, La. - Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that Dondrea Joseph, 28, of New Iberia, Louisiana, has been sentenced by United States District Judge Dee D. Drell to 37 months in prison, followed by 2 years of supervised release, on firearms charges.
According to information presented in court, on April 12, 2017, Joseph was charged by a Bill of Information in Iberia Parish, Louisiana with possession with intent to distribute cocaine. In February 2019, while this felony charge was pending against Joseph, a Breaux Bridge police officer reported that her Glock pistol had been stolen.
On September 29, 2019, Joseph was stopped for speeding on I-49 in Rapides Parish. Joseph did not have a valid driver’s license, and the vehicle he was driving was a rental. Officers were given consent to search the vehicle from Joseph’s girlfriend, whom the car was rented to, and they found a loaded Glock pistol with a 33-round extended magazine and a Glock switch attached to it, which converted it from a semi-automatic to an automatic firearm, under the driver’s seat. This firearm was later determined to be the same one stolen from the police officer in February 2019. At the time of the traffic stop, Joseph knew that he was under indictment for a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year and therefore, was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Joseph was arrested and charged with receiving a firearm and ammunition by a person under indictment.
The ATF and Louisiana State Police conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Cassidy prosecuted the case.
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. PSN is part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime. To learn more about Project Safe Neighborhoods, go to www.justice.gov/psn.
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Navajo man sentenced to 20 years in prison for murderRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Troy Livingston, 21, of Bread Springs, New Mexico, and an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, was sentenced in federal court on Sept. 8 to 20 years in prison for second degree murder in Indian Country. Upon his release from prison, Livingston will serve five years of supervised release.
According to his plea agreement and other court records, on April 6, 2019, Livingston beat Jane Doe, his girlfriend and the mother of his young child, with his hands, feet, and a metal flashlight, causing severe injuries to her head, face and body. Livingston admitted that he killed Jane Doe with malice aforethought and that he acted with callous and wanton disregard for human life. The murder took place at a residence located in McKinley County on the Navajo Nation.
The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David P. Cowen and Frederick T. Mendenhall prosecuted the case.
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NDUTIME Youth & Family Services and its CEO Settle False Claims Act Allegations Relating to the Virginia Medicaid ProgramRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Henrico County mental health services provider and its executive officer agreed to settle a civil lawsuit alleging they caused the submission of false claims to the Virginia Medicaid program, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Raj Parekh for the Eastern District of Virginia and Mark R. Herring, Attorney General of Virginia.
NDUTime Youth & Family Services, Inc. (NDUTime) and its current Chief Executive Officer, Teshana Gipson, of Henrico County, have agreed to pay $700,000 to settle a civil fraud lawsuit alleging they caused false claims to be submitted for payment from the Virginia Medicaid program.
The United States and the Commonwealth of Virginia jointly filed a complaint against NDUTime and Gibson under the federal False Claims Act and the Virginia Taxpayers Against Fraud Act. NDUTime provided crisis intervention, crisis stabilization, and therapeutic day treatment for children, among other mental health services. NDUTime was only entitled to reimbursement for services that it actually provided. In addition, Virginia state law required that certain services be provided by a licensed mental health professional and that initial assessments be made before services were provided. The lawsuit alleged that, between 2013 and 2017, NDUTime submitted false claims for services that it did not actually render, false claims for services that were not provided by a licensed counselor, and false claims that were based on initial assessments that were not completed by a licensed counselor.
The Government initiated an investigation after two separate lawsuits were filed under the False Claims Act and the Virginia Taxpayers Against Fraud Act by whistleblowers who made the allegations. These Acts permit the government time to investigate allegations of fraudulent conduct and to intervene in such lawsuits. Based on their investigation of the allegations, the Government intervened, the cases were consolidated and unsealed, and the Government filed its own complaint.
The False Claims Act and the Virginia Taxpayers Against Fraud Act also permit whistleblowers to receive a share of between fifteen and twenty-five percent of any recovery.
The resolution in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia and the Virginia Office of the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. The matter was investigated by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert McIntosh, former Assistant Attorney General Jessica McKenzie, and Assistant Attorneys General Airen Adamonis, Ray Bowman, and Megan Winfield.
Related court documents and information from the civil lawsuit are on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:16-cv-653.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
The civil claims settled by this agreement are allegations only; there has been no determination of civil liability.
Modesto Man Charged with Being a Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment today against Ramiro Cervantes, 24, of Modesto, charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, on May 29, 2021, police officers attempted to stop a vehicle that Cervantes was riding in as a passenger. Cervantes, who was on parole, attempted to flee the scene and struggled with police. A loaded semi-automatic Colt M4, .22‑caliber rifle was located in the passenger compartment where Cervantes had been seated. Cervantes has prior felony convictions and cannot lawfully possess firearms.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Modesto Police Department, and the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine E. Schuh is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Cervantes faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Milwaukee Man Sentenced to 7 Years for Drug and Gun CrimesRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Dewayne Veasy, 32, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 84 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a felon and for possessing cocaine with intent to distribute it. This prison term will be followed by 4 years of supervised release. Veasy pled guilty to these charges on June 28, 2021.
The charges in this case stem from Veasy’s arrest near Rhinelander, Wisconsin on July 2, 2020. Officers with the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office stopped the van in which Veasy was a passenger after a 911 caller reported Veasy had robbed her during an earlier methamphetamine sale. At the time of the stop, Veasy was in possession of methamphetamine, marijuana, cocaine, heroin laced with fentanyl, as well as a 9mm handgun. Veasy later admitted to traveling around northern Wisconsin to sell controlled substances and admitted to selling methamphetamine to the 911 caller.
At the time of these offenses, Veasy was federally prohibited from possessing a firearm because of prior state felony convictions for armed robbery and cocaine distribution.
At sentencing, Chief Judge Peterson explained a substantial sentence was warranted because Veasy had escalated his criminal conduct both in substance and scope when compared to his prior state convictions for drug dealing. Chief Judge Peterson reasoned that Veasy’s possession of a firearm while completing drug deals created a real threat of danger to the community, even if the 911 caller’s report of robbery was unreliable.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Taylor L. Kraus handled the prosecution.
Michigan man admits to drug chargeRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Donovan Swift, of Shelby Township, Michigan, has admitted to a drug charge, Acting United States Attorney Randolph J. Bernard announced.
Swift, 31, pleaded guilty today to one count of “Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine Base.” Swift admitted to distributing cocaine base, also known as “crack,” in October 2020 in Monongalia County.
Swift faces up to 20 years of incarceration and a fine of up to $1,000,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda E. Wesley is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives and the Mon Metro Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.
Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin Selected for Participation in Program Enhancing Tribal Access to National Crime Information DatabasesRead the Press Release
Acting U.S. Attorney Richard G. Frohling of the Eastern District of Wisconsin joined Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco and other Department of Justice officials in announcing that the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin was one of 12 federally recognized tribes selected to participate in the expansion of the Tribal Access Program for National Crime Information (TAP), a program that provides tribal governments with means to access, enter, and exchange data with national crime information systems, including those maintained by the FBI Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division and the states.
The program provides training as well as software and biometric/biographic kiosk workstations to process fingerprints, take mugshots, and submit information to FBI’s CJIS systems. With these additional tribes, there are now 108 federally recognized Tribes participating in TAP.
TAP has been an important resource for the department’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Initiative and the Presidential Task Force on Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives known as Operation Lady Justice. The Department of Justice began TAP in 2015 in response to concerns raised by tribal leaders about the need to have direct access to federal systems.
Using TAP, tribes have shared information about missing persons; registered convicted sex offenders; entered domestic violence orders of protection for nationwide enforcement; run criminal histories; identified and arrested fugitives; entered bookings and convictions; and completed fingerprint-based record checks for non-criminal justice purposes such as screening employees or volunteers who work with children.
“Timely access to federal criminal information can help protect domestic violence victims, place foster children in safe conditions, solve crimes, and apprehend fugitives on tribal land, among other important uses,” said Deputy Attorney General Monaco. “Increasing tribal access to criminal databases is a priority of the Justice Department and this Administration, and essential to many tribal government efforts to strengthen public safety in their communities.”
Acting United States Attorney Frohling stated “Having access to these databases will allow for the timely exchange of critical information – all with the goal of increasing public safety for everyone living, working, and going to school on the Menominee Indian Reservation.”
TAP is managed by the Justice Department’s Office of the Chief Information Officer and the Office of Tribal Justice. It is funded by the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART), the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), and the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW). For more information on TAP, visit www.justice.gov/tribal/tribal-access-program-tap.
For Additional Information Contact:
Public Information Officer Kenneth Gales 414-297-1700
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Members and Associates of El Grupo De Los 27 Prison Gang Indicted for Violating the Rico Act in Puerto RicoRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – A federal indictment was unsealed today in the District of Puerto Rico charging twenty-nine defendants with racketeering—drug trafficking, money laundering, bribery, extortion, wire fraud, and murder—and firearms trafficking committed in furtherance of one of the oldest criminal enterprises in Puerto Rico, El Grupo de los 27, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. Since 1980, El Grupo de los 27, also known as Los 27, has engaged in criminal activity within and outside the prison system of the Puerto Rico Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (PR DOC) and the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP). On June 27, 1980, Luis Pinela-Pizarro, aka “Shino Pinela/Tio/Pai/El Viejo” and others founded Los 27. The enterprise’s primary purpose was to take control of the prisons to make money.
Los 27 made money from diverse crimes. The main sources of revenue for the enterprise were: drug trafficking in the PR DOC and the BOP; a tax they imposed on other inmates known as el incentivo when they introduced drugs into prison; and fraud and extortion through canteos. Los 27’s involvement in drug trafficking included the introduction and distribution of cocaine, heroin, marihuana, synthetic cannabinoids, Suboxone (buprenorphine/naloxone), crystal methamphetamine, alprazolam (Xanax), oxycodone (Percocet), and fentanyl. Members of Los 27 were able to introduce this contraband into the prisons with the help of corrupt PR DOC correctional officers, civilians who worked inside of the prison system, people who visited inmates, and persons who—from outside the prisons—threw drugs into the facilities (known as “pitcheos”), which were caught by members of the enterprise. Thirteen of the charged defendants were either drug suppliers or facilitators of the enterprise, some of them correctional officers, who, from outside of prison, played an instrumental role in ensuring the group’s success in the drug trade and canteos.
The canteos were the main source of income for the enterprise. In the canteos, Los 27 members used cellphones illegally introduced into prison to obtain money from people outside of prison by threatening and lying to them. Hundreds of Los 27 members located in different prisons received cell phones from their leaders. They then called people at random and used lies and threats to obtain money. In one day, a Los 27 member could obtain thousands of dollars from the canteos.
The organization generated millions of dollars from its involvement in crime. For this reason, the indictment includes a forfeiture allegation of $40,000,000 for money the enterprise made from racketeering.
Los 27 used violence including assaults, electrocutions, and murder to maintain discipline and control over the enterprise’s criminal activities and continue generating money. Members of the enterprise and their associates were expected to follow the rules of the enterprise. Failure to follow certain rules could be punished by death. According to the information contained in the indictment, on July 26, 2010, defendant Edgardo Rondón-Correa ordered the murder of Alexis Santiago-Montañez, a/k/a “Chanfle”. Leaders punished cooperation with law enforcement and killing other Los 27 members with death to maintain and increase the power of the enterprise.
Furthermore, to maintain and increase its power, Los 27 worked with people and gangs in the free community who were associated with the enterprise. Notably, members of the enterprise and their associates engaged in firearms trafficking to make sure that the gangs outside of prison that were affiliated with Los 27 would have the weapons they needed to maintain control of their drug trafficking activities.
The charged defendants include fourteen leaders of the enterprise and thirteen members of the enterprise’s outside-support system who acted as drug suppliers and facilitators. The defendants are:
- Luis Pinela-Pizarro, aka “Shino Pinela/Tio/Pai/El Viejo”
- Luis Soto-Solivan, aka “Joel Cabezón/Joel DLP”
- Edgardo Rondón-Correa, aka “Tribi/Pepa”
- Héctor Ramos-Rodríguez, aka “Cagari”
- Omar Bermúdez-Serrano, aka “Arrebati”
- Abimael Morales-Arvelo, aka “Abi”
- Ángel Gómez-Martínez, aka “Spaghetti”
- Juan Rodríguez-García, aka “Yito”
- Juan Peña-Delgado, aka “Mongui”
- David Torres-Cotto, aka “Coscu/Cantante”
- Javier Luciano-Cruz, aka “Coco”
- Alexander Millán, aka “Gago”
- Jeonell De Jesús-Torres, aka “Panda/El Oso”
- Irvin Torres-Meléndez, aka “Culson”
- Victor Elías-Boza, aka “Grilla”
- Jose Torres-Tañón, aka “Pajai”
- Sundry Ortiz-Brito
- Cinthia Caquías-Rodríguez
- Naomie R. Clavel-Nadal
- Grecia Salas-Cruz
- Johana Bermúdez-Rodríguez
- Stephanie Torres-Mora
- Michelle González-Roldán
- Yahaira Marrero-Santana
- Carmen Maldonado-Vázquez
- Waleska Santana-Hernández
- Carolina Torres-Tangarife
- Eddie William Pérez-Santiago
- Héctor Figueroa-Marbelt
This prosecution is the product of an FBI investigation with the collaboration of the Puerto Rico Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the Internal Revenue Service, the Puerto Rico Department of the Treasury (Hacienda), the U.S. Marshals Service, the Puerto Rico Police Bureau, and the San Juan Municipal Police.
“This indictment highlights the efforts of law enforcement authorities that targeted a large-scale prison gang involved in violent organized crime,” said W. Stephen Muldrow, U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. “Recognizing and neutralizing these organizations is vitally important, and I must commend our local, state and federal law enforcement partners for their commitment to make our communities safer.”
“Today, the FBI San Juan Division, in coordination with the New York, Tampa and Boston Field Offices, as well as our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners, disrupted a violent criminal organization which operated from various prisons and struck fear into our communities. In doing so, we have returned some measure of peace and justice to the victims of their evil schemes,” said Joseph González, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI, San Juan Division. “The most egregious aspect of these crimes was that they were actively enabled by corrupt law enforcement officers who failed to uphold their oath to the people they were sworn to serve. That is unacceptable.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Victor O. Acevedo-Hernández is in charge of the prosecution of the case. If convicted, the defendants face up to life in prison.
This operation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
An indictment 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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Maryland Acting U.S. Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner Announces over $1.8 Million in Federal Grants to Address Victims of Sexual Assault and Domestic ViolenceRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Acting U.S. Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner today announced $1,827,899 in U.S. Department of Justice grants to address violence against women. These grants from the Legal Assistance for Victims (LAV) Program of the Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women. Nationally, the LAV Program is awarding nearly $36 million in victim legal assistance funding to organizations across the country.
Acting U.S. Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner stated, “These grants will be used to provide long term legal services to victims and survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence in areas such as family law, housing and employment. This will enable these victims and survivors to achieve lasting safety and economic independence for themselves and their families.”
The Legal Assistance for Victims (LAV) Program is intended to increase the availability of civil and criminal legal assistance needed to effectively aid adult and youth victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking by providing funds for comprehensive direct legal services to victims in legal matters relating to or arising out of that abuse or violence. Comprehensive legal services extend beyond representation in emergency and non-emergency protection order hearings to address the broad spectrum of legal issues that victims encounter, including family matters such as divorce, child custody or child support, immigration, administrative agency proceedings, and consumer or housing matters.
The following organizations in Maryland received funding:
- Heartly House in Frederick, Maryland received $427,999 to hire an attorney for long term legal services for victims and survivors of intimate partner violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and child abuse.
- House of Ruth in Baltimore, Maryland received $600,000 in order to provide free legal representation to low-income, high-risk victims of domestic violence in family law cases in order to help those victims achieve lasting safety, and economic independence.
- The Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MCASA) in Silver Spring, Maryland received $800,000 to provide holistic legal representation to survivors/victims of sexual assault in civil and criminal matters resulting from the sexual assault, with a focus beyond intimate partner sexual assault.
The Office on Violence Against Women provides federal leadership in developing the national capacity to reduce violence against women and administer justice for and strengthen services to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Manhattan U.S. Attorney Announces Additional Distribution of More Than $568 Million to Victims of Madoff Ponzi SchemeRead the Press Release
Attorney General Merrick Garland, Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Kenneth A. Polite Jr., the Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, announced today that the Madoff Victim Fund established by the Department of Justice began its seventh distribution to victims of funds forfeited to the United States Government in connection with the Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC (“BLMIS”) fraud scheme. The distribution will include approximately $568 million in additional funds, bringing the total distributed to date to over $3.7 billion. The additional funds will be sent to nearly 31,000 victims worldwide, the seventh payment to victims that will bring their total recovery from all sources of compensation to 81.35 percent of their losses. Additionally, more than 2,600 victims will receive their first payment in this distribution. The Madoff Victim Fund will ultimately return to victims more than $4 billion in assets that have been recovered as compensation for losses suffered by the collapse of BLMIS, following the largest fraud in history. Another $5 billion in assets recovered by the U.S. Attorney’s Office are being separately paid to Madoff victims through the BLMIS Customer Fund administered by the Securities Investor Protection Act Trustee.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: “This Office continues to seek justice for victims of history’s largest Ponzi scheme. The additional payment of more than $568 million by our Office and the U.S. Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section represents the seventh in a series of distributions that will leave victims with compensation for more than 81 percent of their losses. But our work is not yet finished, and the Office’s tireless commitment to compensating the victims who suffered as a result of Madoff’s heinous crimes continues.”
Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. said: “This distribution provides nearly 31,000 victims additional financial recovery from the egregious crimes committed by Bernard Madoff. The Department’s continued efforts to ensure justice for victims of crime is demonstrated through the ongoing Madoff remission process and the billions given back to innocent victims worldwide.”
Since the early 1970s, BERNARD L. MADOFF (“MADOFF”) used his position as Chairman of BLMIS, the investment advisory business he founded, to steal billions from his clients. On March 12, 2009, MADOFF pled guilty to 11 federal felonies, admitting that he had turned his wealth management business into the world’s largest Ponzi scheme, benefitting himself, his family, and select members of his inner circle. On June 29, 2009, United States District Judge Denny Chin sentenced MADOFF to 150 years in prison for running the largest fraudulent scheme in history. Judge Chin ordered MADOFF to forfeit $170,799,000,000 as part of MADOFF’s sentence.
The Madoff Victim Fund is funded through recoveries by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in various criminal and civil forfeiture actions, and is overseen by Richard Breeden, the former chairman of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, in his capacity as special master appointed by the Department of Justice to assist in connection with the victim remission proceedings.
Of the approximately $4.05 billion that will be made available to victims through the Madoff Victim Fund, approximately $2.2 billion was collected as part of the civil forfeiture recovery from the estate of deceased MADOFF investor Jeffry Picower. An additional $1.7 billion was collected as part of a Deferred Prosecution Agreement with JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A. for MADOFF-related Bank Secrecy Act violations. Additional funds were collected through criminal and civil forfeiture actions against MADOFF and his co-conspirators, and certain MADOFF investors.
Ms. Strauss praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Madoff Victim Fund, and thanked the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division for their assistance.
For more information about the Madoff Victim Fund, compensation to victims of BLMIS, eligibility criteria, and payment information, please visit www.madoffvictimfund.com, or phone 866-624-3670.
The case is being handled by the Office’s Money Laundering and Transnational Criminal Enterprises Unit. Assistant United States Attorney Louis A. Pellegrino is in charge of the case. The remission of these forfeited funds is being handled by the Office and the U.S. Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section.
MS-13 Member Sentenced to 35 Years’ Imprisonment for Racketeering Conspiracy and Other Violent CrimesRead the Press Release
A Maryland man was sentenced yesterday to 35 years in prison for conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise, murder and attempted murder in aid of racketeering, and other charges in connection with his La Mara Salvatrucha, aka “MS-13” gang, activities between 2015 and 2019.
Moises Alexis Reyes-Canales, aka Psicopata, aka Convicto, 23, of Annapolis, pleaded guilty to the offenses on May 5. According to court documents, Reyes-Canales was a member and associate of MS-13 and participated in a racketeering conspiracy that included assaults, murder, attempted murder, robbery and drug trafficking. Specifically, in 2016, Reyes-Canales participated in the murder of a suspected rival gang member and conspired and attempted to murder two victims in Annapolis. In addition, between January 2016 and February 2017, Reyes-Canales and other MS-13 members/associates sold cocaine and marijuana to raise funds for the gang. The drug proceeds were used to purchase more narcotics and weapons, and to send to MS-13 members and associates in other states and in El Salvador.
“Due to the diligent work of our law enforcement partners and the department prosecutors in this case, Reyes-Canales and his MS-13 co-defendants will no longer be able to victimize the Annapolis community,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Reyes-Canales and his co-defendants murdered one victim and attempted to murder two others, causing irreparable harm to the victims and their families. We will never stop pursuing those MS-13 gang members who intimidate and harm our communities.”
Co-defendants Marlon Cruz-Flores, 25, Fermin Gomez-Jimenez, 23, and Manuel Martinez-Aguilar, aka “El Lunatic” and “Zomb,” 22, all of Annapolis, previously pleaded guilty to the racketeering conspiracy and gun charge; both Gomez-Jimenez and Cruz-Flores were sentenced to 38 years in prison and Martinez-Aguilar was sentenced to 24 years. Co-defendant David Diaz-Alvarado, 20, of Annapolis, pleaded guilty to murder in aid of racketeering in connection with his MS-13 gang activities. Co-defendant Juan Carlos Sandoval-Rodriguez, 23, of Annapolis, was convicted on Oct. 31, 2019, of murder in aid of racketeering and conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering for the murder of Victim 1 after an 11-day jury trial; he faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison at his sentencing, which is scheduled for Feb. 10, 2022. All of the defendants remain detained.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Anne Arundel Police Department, the Annapolis Police Department and the Anne Arundel State’s Attorney Office investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Matthew Hoff and Samantha Mildenberg Loiero of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Stendig of the District of Maryland are prosecuting the case.
Anyone with information about MS-13 is encouraged to provide their tips to law enforcement. The FBI and Homeland Security Investigations both have nationwide tip lines that you can call to report what you know. You can reach the FBI at 1-866-STP-MS13 (1-866-787-6713), or you can call HSI at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE.
Leader of International Robocall Scam Sentenced for Defrauding over 4,000 U.S. Victims Out of More Than $10 MillionRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – An Indian national was sentenced today to 22 years in prison for conspiracy and identity theft in connection with his operation of an overseas robocall scam that defrauded thousands of victims out of more than $10 million.
“This defendant has been sentenced to 22 years in prison for being the mastermind and leader of an extensive multimillion-dollar robocall scheme that, from overseas, exploited over 4,000 American victims,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “The impact of the harm inflicted on the victims of these robocall schemes can be devastating. The victims, many of whom are elderly, continue to endure significant financial hardship from the defendant’s vast fraud enterprise. The defendant operated and supervised the call center, was the ‘closer’ when speaking to victims, and managed the money couriers who illegally sent millions of stolen and hard-earned funds belonging to the victims back to his call center. When you consider the sheer number of victims this defendant extorted and the magnitude of their losses, the scale of harm and pain he caused is enormous. As this case demonstrates, we will continue to work closely with our partners to investigate, apprehend, and prosecute transnational criminal enterprises that steal from vulnerable American victims, and will bring the perpetrators of these scams to justice no matter where they are located.”
According to court documents, Shehzadkhan Pathan, 40, operated a call center in Ahmedabad, India, from which automated robocalls were made to victims in the United States. After establishing contact with victims through these automated calls, Pathan and other “closers” at his call center would coerce, cajole, and trick victims into sending bulk cash through physical shipments and electronic money transfers. Pathan and his conspirators used a variety of schemes to convince victims to send money, including impersonating law enforcement officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and representatives of other government agencies, such as the Social Security Administration, to threaten victims with severe legal and financial consequences. Conspirators also convinced victims to send money as initial installments for falsely promised loans.
“Fraud targeting the elderly has a uniquely harmful effect on a segment of the population that is often amongst society's most vulnerable. This conspiracy, which defrauded over 4,000 victims, many of whom were elderly, out of at least $10 million, is again an unfortunate reminder of the type of devastation these fraud schemes can wreak,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal/Cyber Division. “Pathan, a leader of this scheme, which relied on impersonating law enforcement to threaten victims, is the 4th individual sentenced in this investigation and represents a step forward in our efforts to hold those who engage in these scams accountable to the fullest extent of the law. The FBI's work in this area is far from over as we remain steadfast in our commitment to relentlessly pursue these types of investigations to ensure the protection of the hard-earned livelihood of our nation's elderly.”
In addition to operating the call center, Pathan recruited and supervised a multitude of money couriers, whom he directed to receive money sent by victims. Pathan’s network of money couriers was located in multiple states, including but not limited to Virginia, New Jersey, Minnesota, Texas, California, South Carolina, and Illinois. Pathan assigned various aliases to these individuals and supplied them with hundreds of counterfeit identification documents to facilitate their receipt of victim cash shipments and money transfers. Pathan then directed the couriers to send the money to himself and other conspirators through various means, including cash deposits into numerous bank accounts and via informal money transmitters known as Hawalas.
Pathan is the fourth of six defendants in this case to be sentenced for their role in the conspiracy. Co-defendants Pradipsinh Parmar, 41, and Sumer Patel, 38, both of Ahmedabad, India, acted as money couriers during the conspiracy, and are scheduled to be sentenced on September 20.
Combatting elder abuse and financial fraud targeted at seniors is a key priority of the Department of Justice. Elder abuse is an intentional or negligent act by any person that causes harm or a serious risk of harm to an older adult. It is a term used to describe five subtypes of elder abuse: physical abuse, financial fraud, scams and exploitation, caregiver neglect and abandonment, psychological abuse, and sexual abuse. Elder abuse is a serious crime against some of our nation’s most vulnerable citizens, affecting at least 10 percent of older Americans every year. Together with our federal, state, local, and tribal partners, the Department of Justice is steadfastly committed to combatting all forms of elder abuse and financial exploitation through enforcement actions, training and resources, research, victim services, and public awareness. This holistic and robust response demonstrates the Department’s unwavering dedication to fighting for justice for older Americans.
Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson.
The Eden Prairie, Minnesota, Police Department provided significant assistance with this investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian R. Hood and Kaitlin G. Cooke are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:19-cr-160.
Kitsap County, Washington man sentenced to prison for 20-year theft of brother’s Social Security benefitsRead the Press Release
Tacoma – An Olalla, Washington man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to 25 months in prison for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft for his decades-long theft of his missing brother’s identity and benefits, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Chris Harvey Sayler, 74, began fraudulently collecting his missing brother’s Social Security Disability benefits since at least 1998. Over the last twenty years, those benefits total more than $388,000. At the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge Robert J. Bryan said, “This is a sad case for all concerned – including the public…. It’s a crime against all the citizen taxpayers in the country.” Judge Bryan noted that but for Sayler’s age, health and military service, he would have faced a much longer sentence.
“Over the course of this investigation, the defendant has made conflicting statements about when he last saw his brother – who was reported missing in 1989,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Gorman. “Our hope was that the investigation could shed light on what happened to Jarvis Sayler. While that has not happened, we are able to hold his brother accountable for stealing benefits from government programs that are designed to help the most needy in our community.”
According to records in the case, Chris Sayler’s brother, Jarvis L. Sayler, traveled from his home in Missouri to the Vancouver, Washington area in 1988. He told relatives that he planned to visit Chris Sayler, then return to Missouri to build a home on property there. Jarvis Sayler was born with partial eyesight, and had been receiving Social Security disability benefits since 1977. Jarvis Sayler wrote a few letters to Missouri between June and September 1988, but that was the last anyone heard from him. A third brother in Missouri reported Jarvis Sayler missing in March of 1989. The Clark County Sheriff’s Office interviewed Chris Sayler at that time about his brother’s whereabouts. Sayler claimed his brother moved from his home after the two had an argument. That was the last reported sighting of Jarvis Sayler.
In 2013, a person claiming to be Jarvis Sayler attempted to renew a Washington State ID card, but the renewal was denied because facial recognition software indicated the person in the ID photo was the same as in a drivers license photo of Chris Sayler. When Sayler went to a Department of Licensing Office to renew a license (in his own name) years later, he claimed that he and Jarvis were twins and that was the reason for the facial recognition report. The clerk pointed out that the two men’s birthdates were four years apart, but Sayler said it is a “rare twin situation” that does occur. The investigation has revealed that Sayler and Jarvis Sayler are not biologically related.
In 2019, the Department of Licensing referred the matter to the Social Security Office of Inspector General (SSA-OIG) for investigation. The investigation revealed that as early as 1998, Sayler’s photo appears on Jarvis Sayler’s identification card and that the addresses on Jarvis’ cards and other identifying documents are associated with Chris Sayler.
Since at least 1998, Jarvis Sayler’s Social Security benefits went to a bank account opened with an address in Vancouver, Washington. When Chris Sayler moved to Olalla, the address on the account was updated to the new address as well. ATM withdrawal records and debit card records from retailers such as Costco and Fred Meyer show Sayler withdrawing money or making purchases with the debit card associated with Jarvis Sayler’s account.
Speaking with family members in September 2019, Sayler claimed he had not seen his brother in more than 15 years. When interviewed by law enforcement at the time of his arrest in October 2019, Sayler claimed he had last seen his brother in 2016 and before that in 2012.
In court today Sayler said, “I’m sorry that I caused all this problem. I shouldn’t have done it.”
In asking for the 25-month prison sentence, Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin Diggs noted that the ultimate loss to Social Security was likely more than $500,000, but records only exist from as far back as 1998. “The fraud loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars reflects the fact that this crime involves not an isolated incident of dishonesty or a brief lapse in judgment during a difficult period, but rather a separate decision to steal, month after month, for nearly 30 years, resulting in hundreds of separate acts of theft,” prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memo.
“Misusing Social Security benefits intended for another person is a Federal crime —one we will continue to aggressively pursue,” said Gail S. Ennis, Inspector General for the Social Security Administration. “I want to thank our law enforcement partners for joining us in this investigation and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for prosecuting this case.”
The Clark County Sheriff’s Office remains interested in hearing from anyone who has information on Jarvis Sayler and his disappearance.
The case was investigated by the Social Security Office of Inspector General (SSA-OIG), Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) as part of the Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force in Seattle. Investigative assistance was also provided by the FBI and Sheriff’s Offices for Clark County, Cowlitz County, and Kitsap County.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin Diggs.
Kansas Man Sentenced to 480 Months for Production of Child PornRead the Press Release
WICHITA, KAN.– A Kansas man was sentenced to 480 months in prison for child pornography.
In May 2021, Clinton Wade McElroy, 49, of Ellis pleaded guilty to one count of production of child pornography after a prior conviction. According to court documents, McElroy admitted that between May 2020 and June 2020, he persuaded an 8-year-old child to produce sexually explicit images and send them to him through an online game and various messaging applications.
The FBI and the Ellis County Sheriff’s Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hart prosecuted the case.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
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Justice Department Settles with Massachusetts Storage Company for Unlawfully Auctioning Off Deployed Servicemember’s PossessionsRead the Press Release
The Justice Department reached an agreement today with PRTaylor Enterprises LLC, doing business as Father & Son Moving & Storage (Father & Son), to resolve allegations that it violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) by failing to obtain a court order before auctioning off the entire contents of a U.S. Air Force Technical Sergeant’s two storage units while he was deployed overseas.
The United States’ complaint alleged that among the Technical Sergeant’s possessions sold by Father & Son were military gear and mementos that had belonged to a cousin killed in military action in Afghanistan, his grandfather’s military service medals, all of his household furnishings, and personal photographs.
The SCRA provides financial and housing protections and benefits to military members while they are in military service. One of the SCRA’s protections requires anyone holding a lien on the property of a servicemember to obtain a court order prior to auctioning off, selling or otherwise disposing of that property. Under the agreement, which must still be approved by the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, Father & Son must pay the Technical Sergeant $60,000 in damages, and the United States a $5,000 civil penalty. Father & Son must also implement certain new policies to prevent future SCRA violations.
“The Department of Justice is committed to vigorous enforcement of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to protect the rights of those individuals who sacrifice so much for their country,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This settlement should send a clear message to all storage facility operators that federal law prohibits them from auctioning off a servicemember’s possessions without a court order.”
“It is wrong to auction off the possessions of a servicemember who is serving our country overseas,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell for the District of Massachusetts. “The law protects servicemembers from this kind of mistreatment – they have more important things to worry about when they are overseas risking their lives to protect our nation. We will enforce the rights of our military members aggressively and hold accountable people who violate the SCRA.”
Trial Attorney Tanya Kirwan of the Housing and Civil Enforcement Section of the Civil Rights Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Torey B. Cummings of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts’ Civil Rights Unit and handled the matter. Valuable assistance was also provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations.
This lawsuit resulted from a referral to the Justice Department from the U.S. Air Force. The department’s enforcement of the SCRA is conducted by the Civil Rights Division’s Housing and Civil Enforcement Section in partnership with the 93 U.S. Attorney’s Offices, including the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts. Since 2011, the department has obtained over $474 million in monetary relief for over 120,000 servicemembers through its enforcement of the SCRA. For more information about the department’s SCRA enforcement efforts, please visit www.servicemembers.gov.
Servicemembers and their dependents who believe that their rights under the SCRA may have been violated should contact the nearest Armed Forces Legal Assistance Program Office. Office locations may be found at legalassistance.law.af.mil/.
Justice Department Issues Statement on the Department of Transportation’s Newark Airport Reassignment NoticeRead the Press Release
Acting Assistant Attorney General Richard A. Powers of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division issued the following statement after the Department of Transportation’s notice of proposed reassignment of schedules at Newark airport:
“The Department of Justice applauds the Department of Transportation’s efforts to preserve competition from low-cost airlines at Newark airport. Competition in the airline industry – and at Newark airport in particular – is in critically short supply. Low-cost carriers play an important role in keeping the airline industry competitive and the immense power of the major airlines in check. We look forward to working with the Department of Transportation to address similar concerns at capacity-constrained airports, and to bring consumers more choices and lower prices.”
Click to view the notice.
Justice Department Announces Additional Distribution of More than $568 Million to Victims of Madoff Ponzi SchemeRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice announced today that the Madoff Victim Fund (MVF) began its seventh distribution of approximately $568 million in funds forfeited to the U.S. government in connection with the Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC (BLMIS) fraud scheme, bringing the total distributed to over $3.7 billion to nearly 40,000 victims worldwide.
In this distribution, payments will be sent to nearly 31,000 victims across the globe, bringing their total recovery to 81.35%. This distribution represents the seventh in a series of payments that will eventually return over $4 billion to victims as compensation for losses they suffered from the collapse of the BLMIS. More than 2,600 victims will receive their first payment from MVF in this distribution.
“This distribution provides nearly 31,000 victims additional financial recovery from the egregious crimes committed by Bernard Madoff,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The Department’s continued efforts to ensure justice for victims of crime is demonstrated through the ongoing Madoff remission process and the billions given back to innocent victims worldwide.”
“This office continues to seek justice for victims of history’s largest Ponzi scheme,” said U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss for the Southern District of New York. “The additional payment of more than $568 million by our Office and the U.S. Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section represents the seventh in a series of distributions that will leave victims with compensation for more than 81 percent of their losses. But our work is not yet finished, and the Office’s tireless commitment to compensating the victims who suffered as a result of Madoff’s heinous crimes continues.”
According to court documents and information presented in related proceedings, for decades, Bernard L. Madoff used his position as chairman of BLMIS, the investment advisory business he founded in 1960, to steal billions from his clients. On March 12, 2009, Madoff pleaded guilty to 11 federal felonies, admitting that he had turned his wealth management business into the world’s largest Ponzi scheme, benefitting himself, his family and select members of his inner circle.
On June 29, 2009, then-U.S. District Judge (now U.S. Circuit Judge), Denny Chin sentenced Madoff to serve 150 years in prison for running the largest fraudulent scheme in history. Of the approximately $4.05 billion that will be made available to victims, approximately $2.2 billion was collected as part of the historic civil forfeiture recovery from the estate of deceased Madoff investor Jeffry Picower. An additional $1.7 billion was collected as part of a deferred prosecution agreement with JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A. and civilly forfeited in a parallel action. The remaining funds were collected through a civil forfeiture action against investor Carl Shapiro and his family and from civil and criminal forfeiture actions against Bernard L. Madoff, Peter B. Madoff and their co-conspirators.
The MVF’s payouts would not have been possible without the extraordinary efforts of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the FBI in the prosecution of Madoff’s crimes and the recovery of assets supporting the forfeiture in this case.
The MVF is overseen by Richard Breeden, former Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in his capacity as Special Master appointed by the Department of Justice to assist in connection with the victim remission proceedings. The Department of Justice also acknowledges the sacrifice of numerous individuals due to the COVID-19 pandemic, who worked in challenging conditions to ensure that this distribution occurred and remained on schedule.
More information about MVF and its compensation to victims of BLMIS is available on the MVF website at www.madoffvictimfund.com, such as eligibility criteria, process updates, and frequently asked questions. Further questions may be directed to the MVF at 866-624-3670 or [email protected].
Judge sentences Doniphan, Missouri man to 45 months for felon in possession of a firearmRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – United States District Judge Matthew T. Schelp, sentenced Timothy Ossana to 45 months in prison today. The 53-year-old Doniphan, Missouri, resident pleaded guilty, in November 2020, for felon in possession of a firearm.
On January 8, 2020, Missouri State Highway Patrol stopped a Chevrolet Blazer for an expired license registration offense in Ripley County. During that traffic stop, a citizen brought a pistol to the officer and stated that he discovered the pistol lying near the roadway where Ossana had just driven. It was a Jennings, .380 caliber pistol, bearing serial number 889316. Ossana later admitted that he had been assaulted by some people and that he acquired the pistol for his protection.
This case was investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Keith Sorrell handled the prosecution for the government.
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Individuals Previously Convicted of Violent Crimes and Gun Offenses Among Seventeen Charged in Operation Rhode RunnerRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – More than a dozen individuals previously convicted on violent crime charges, including firearm, robbery, assault, assault with intent to commit murder, and domestic violence charges, are among seventeen individuals charged in federal court as the result of a five-month FBI Safe Street Task Force, DEA, and Providence Police Narcotics Bureau Project Safe Neighborhoods investigation into a wide-ranging street-level drug trafficking conspiracy. At least nine of the individuals are currently on Rhode Island state probation.
On Thursday, 250 members of federal, state, and local law enforcement, including four SWAT teams, fanned out in Providence, Cranston, Pawtucket, Woonsocket, North Smithfield, Fall River, Taunton, and Kissimmee, FL, with sixteen federal arrest warrants for individuals named in an indictment unsealed in U.S. District Court today. A seventeenth individual was arrested and charged by way of a federal criminal complaint. Agents and officers also executed fourteen court-authorized search warrants.
To date, the investigation, dubbed Operation Rhode Runner, has resulted in the seizure of more than three kilos of cocaine, 750 grams of fentanyl, 1,500 fentanyl pills disguised as Percocet, 500 grams of crack cocaine, and $100,000 in cash.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to using all of the tools available to reduce violent crime and make our streets safer. The illegal narcotics trade drives violence; thanks to this investigation a drug trafficking conspiracy has been dismantled, and defendants who have been previously convicted of numerous violent crimes are again in custody,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Richard Myrus. “We truly appreciate the tireless work of the FBI task force, the DEA, the Providence Police, and all of our other law enforcement partners, which culminated in today’s flawlessly executed operation.”
"Today's takedown has removed a significant number of drug traffickers--the majority of whom are convicted felons with violent criminal histories--from our streets. There's no question our communities are much safer now. We believe this crew's constant churn of drug transactions has kept Rhode Island flush with dangerous and deadly narcotics that have endangered our neighborhoods for quite some time," said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. "Operation Rhode Runner is just another example of how the FBI and our law enforcement partners are working together to remove the most significant drivers of violent crime from our communities. We want drug traffickers and violent offenders to know that we fish with a spear and not a net, and we are focused on them."
“Illegal drug distribution ravages the very foundations of our families and communities here in Rhode Island,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Brian D. Boyle. “Let these arrests serve as an example to those who distribute poisons like fentanyl and cocaine, that DEA will aggressively pursue and hold you accountable. This investigation demonstrates the strength and continued commitment of our law enforcement partners in Rhode Island.”
“This long term and large-scale interstate narcotics operation has resulted in the removal of high level, career criminals from the streets and should act as a deterrent to individuals who continue to participate in the distribution of lethal drugs such as fentanyl and cocaine, as in this case,” said Colonel Hugh T. Clements. Jr. “Distribution of illegal narcotics continues to plague urban communities and we will continue to be vigilant in the apprehension of criminals working within these groups, and ensure they are prosecuted to the highest extent of the law. “I commend the members of the Providence Police Narcotics Bureau and our law enforcement partners for their efforts and information sharing throughout this investigation, showing once again their commitment to ridding our streets of deadly narcotics, potentially saving the lives of many.”
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local 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.
The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stacey P. Veroni, with the assistance of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine D. Lowell and Sandra R. Hebert.
Acting United Sates Attorney Myrus thanks the FBI, DEA, and Providence Police Department for leading this investigation; the United States Postal Inspection Service for their invaluable assistance throughout the investigation; and the United States Marshals Service, Rhode Island State Police, Cranston, Central Falls, Fall River, North Smithfield, Pawtucket, Portsmouth, Warwick, West Warwick, and Woonsocket Police Departments for their assistance with today’s arrests and the execution of search warrants; and the Rhode Island Department of Corrections with prisoner transport.
OPERATION RHODE RUNNER DEFENDANTS
Victor Aponte Cirino, 22, Taunton, MA
Pending in RI state court: Possession w/intent to distribute ounce to a kilo of cocaine
Ramon Barriera, 50, Providence (career offender currently on state probation)
Previous convictions: 2004 - Drug trafficking (2), carrying a firearm during commission of a violent crime; 2014, 2015 – Drug trafficking
Miguel Colon, 35, Providence (currently on state probation)
Previous convictions: 2016 - Possession of a firearm, drug trafficking (4)
Rafael Cruz, 72, Providence (career offender)
Previous convictions: 1988, 2008, 2014 Drug trafficking; 2002 Felony assault
Juan Gonzalez, 44, Providence (currently on state probation)
Previous convictions: 2004, 2015, 2020 - Drug trafficking; 2020 - Felony assault (firearm), domestic assault by strangulation
Nelson Hazin, 53, Providence
Previous convictions: 1999 (2), 2007, 2015 - Drug trafficking; 2010 Possession of a firearm after conviction of a violent crime
Anthony Lacoste, 30, Woonsocket (currently on state probation)
Previous convictions: 2011 - Breaking and entering; 2013, 2014 - Felony assault, carrying a firearm w/out a license
Jonathan Masa Gonzalez, 21, Providence
No criminal record
Ricardo Martinez, Jr., 34, Providence (currently on state probation)
Previous convictions: 2006, 2009, 2013, 2020 - Various drug and drug trafficking charges
William Mendez, 46, Cranston (career offender currently on state probation)
Previous convictions: 1995, 2008, 2014 - Drug trafficking; 2002 - Assault with intent to murder, breaking and entering; 2008 Carrying a firearm during the commission of a violent crime
Maria Ortiz-Nieves, 40, Providence
No criminal record
Kevin Restrepo, 30, Providence and Kissimmee, FL (currently on state probation, bail violator)
Previous convictions: 2007 - Felony assault & conspiracy; 2009 Drug possession; 2013 (various dates) - assault, domestic violence, first-degree robbery, discharge of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime
Pending cases in RI state court: Assault w/dangerous weapon – firearm (2), carrying a pistol without a license (2); discharge of a firearm from a motor vehicle creating substantial risk of death (2); discharge of a weapon while committing a crime of violence (2); conspiracy to possess a pistol without a license (2); possession of a firearm after conviction of a felony (2); discharge of a firearm in a compact area.
Karla Rivera Rosa, 31, Fall River, MA
Pending drug trafficking case in Massachusetts (cocaine and oxycodone)
Felix Robles, 60, Providence (career offender)
Previous convictions: 2006, 2007, 2009 - Drug Trafficking
Juan C. Rodriguez, 35, Providence (currently on state probation)
Previous convictions: 2005 (2), 2007, 2014 - Various drug and drug trafficking charges
Charles Sims, 57, Providence
Previous convictions: 1984 - Robbery; 1985, 1992 (2), 2001 - Breaking and entering, assault; 1986 - escape, assault by an inmate; 1989 - escape; 1996 - Inciting a riot (ACI); 2006 - Drug trafficking
Juan Betancourt Sosa, 26, New Bedford (career offender currently on bail)
Previous conviction: 2021 – Carrying a pistol without a license; Pending cases in RI state court: Possession of a pistol without a license, possession w/intent to distribute one ounce to one kilo of cocaine
Illinois Man Convicted of Federal Criminal Charges for Operating Subscription-Based Computer Attack PlatformsRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – An Illinois man was found guilty today by a federal jury for running websites that allowed paying users to launch powerful distributed denial of service, or DDoS, attacks that flood targeted computers with information and prevent them from being able to access the internet.
Matthew Gatrel, 32, of St. Charles, Illinois, was found guilty of three felonies: one count of conspiracy to commit unauthorized impairment of a protected computer, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and one count of unauthorized impairment of a protected computer.
According to evidence presented at his nine-day trial, Gatrel owned and operated two DDoS facilitation websites: DownThem.org and AmpNode.com. DownThem sold subscriptions allowing customers to launch DDoS attacks while AmpNode provided “bulletproof” server hosting to customers with an emphasis on “spoofing” servers that could be pre-configured with DDoS attack scripts and lists of vulnerable “attack amplifiers” used to launch simultaneous cyberattacks on victims.
Records from the DownThem service revealed more than 2,000 registered users and more than 200,000 launched attacks, including attacks on homes, schools, universities, municipal and local government websites, and financial institutions worldwide. Often called a “booting” service, DownThem itself relied upon powerful servers associated with Gatrel’s AmpNode bulletproof hosting service. Many AmpNode customers were themselves operating for-profit DDoS services.
Gatrel offered expert advice to customers of both services, providing guidance on the best attack methods to “down” different types of computers, specific hosting providers, or to bypass DDoS protection services. Gatrel himself often used the DownThem service to demonstrate to prospective customers the power and effectiveness of products, by attacking the customers intended victim and providing proof, via screenshot, that he had severed the victim’s internet connection.
Gatrel’s DownThem customers could select from a variety of different paid “subscription plans.” The subscription plans varied in cost and offered escalating attack capability, allowing customers to select different attack durations and relative attack power, as well as the ability to launch several simultaneous, or “concurrent” attacks. Once a customer entered the information necessary to launch an attack on their victim, Gatrel’s system was set up to use one or more of his own dedicated AmpNode attack servers to unlawfully appropriate the resources of hundreds or thousands of other servers connected to the internet in what are called “reflected amplification attacks.”
United States District Judge John A. Kronstadt has scheduled a January 27, 2022 sentencing hearing, at which time Gatrel will face a statutory maximum sentence of 35 years in federal prison.
Co-defendant Juan Martinez, 28, of Pasadena, pleaded guilty on August 26 to one count of unauthorized impairment of a protected computer. Martinez was one of Gatrel’s customers and became a co-administrator of the site in 2018. Martinez will face a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison at his sentencing hearing, which is scheduled for December 2.
The FBI’s Anchorage Field Office and its Los Angeles-based Cyber Initiative and Resource Fusion Unit investigated this matter. Akamai Technologies, Inc.; Cloudflare, Inc.; DigitalOcean, Inc.; Google, LLC; Palo Alto Networks - Unit 42; University of Cambridge Cyber Crime Centre; and Unit 221B, LLC provided assistance to this investigation.
Assistant United States Attorney Cameron L. Schroeder, Chief of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crime Section, and Assistant United States Attorney Adam Alexander of the District of Alaska are prosecuting this case.
Illegal Possession of Narcotics Sends Alabama Man to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
SHREVEPORT, La. - Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that an Alabama man has been sentenced for his role in drug trafficking in the Western District of Louisiana. Chief Judge S. Maurice Hicks, Jr. sentenced Mathew Mark Moreno, 51, of Montgomery, Alabama, to 84 months (7 years) in prison, followed by 4 years of supervised release, for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine.
On two different occasions in 2019, Moreno was driving a rental vehicle in the Western District of Louisiana and was stopped both times by law enforcement officers for a traffic violation. On February 11, 2019, Moreno was stopped on I-10 near Lake Charles, and again on May 3, 2019, he was stopped on I-20 near Shreveport. On both occasions, he was the sole occupant of the vehicle. Law enforcement officers found illegal narcotics in Moreno’s vehicle each time he was stopped. The first stop netted 767 grams of powder cocaine which was located inside the rear passenger compartment of the vehicle. During the second stop in May 2019, officers found 111 grams of heroin, 402 grams of powder cocaine, and 541 grams of Alprazolam in the trunk of the vehicle. Moreno pleaded guilty to the charge on May 6, 2021.
The DEA and Louisiana State Police conducted these two investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Seth D. Reeg and Cadesby B. Cooper prosecuted the case.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
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Illegal Alien Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison for Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – A Guatemalan national was sentenced to 84 months in prison for possession of a firearm by an illegal alien, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca.
According to court documents, Jose Francisco Maldonado-Rosa, 27, was stopped on September 8, 2020, by agents with Homeland Security Investigations after they received information that he was an illegal alien in possession of a firearm. Maldonado-Rosa admitted to the presence of a firearm in his vehicle when stopped and that he was in the United States illegally.
Maldonado-Rosa pled guilty on February 26, 2021 to possession of a firearm by an illegal alien.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lynn Murray prosecuted the case.
Havasupai Among 12 Tribes Selected for Program Enhancing Tribal Access to National Crime Information DatabasesRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – The Department of Justice has selected an additional 12 federally recognized tribes to participate in the expansion of the Tribal Access Program for National Crime Information (TAP), a program that provides tribal governments with means to access, enter, and exchange data with national crime information systems, including those maintained by the FBI Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division and the states.
“Timely access to federal criminal information can help protect domestic violence victims, place foster children in safe conditions, solve crimes, and apprehend fugitives on tribal land, among other important uses,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “Increasing tribal access to criminal databases is a priority of the Justice Department and this Administration, and essential to many tribal government efforts to strengthen public safety in their communities.”
The program provides training as well as software and biometric/biographic kiosk workstations to process fingerprints, take mugshots, and submit information to FBI Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) systems. With these additional tribes, there are now 108 federally recognized Tribes participating in TAP.
TAP has been an important resource for the department’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Initiative and the Presidential Task Force on Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives known as Operation Lady Justice. The Department of Justice began TAP in 2015 in response to concerns raised by tribal leaders about the need to have direct access to federal systems.
Using TAP, tribes have shared information about missing persons; registered convicted sex offenders; entered domestic violence orders of protection for nationwide enforcement; run criminal histories; identified and arrested fugitives; entered bookings and convictions; and completed fingerprint-based record checks for non-criminal justice purposes such as screening employees or volunteers who work with children.
The following tribes have been newly selected for participation in TAP:
- Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation
- Cow Creek Band of Umpqua
- Fort Belknap Indian Community
- Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa
- Havasupai Tribe
- Lower Brule Sioux Tribe
- Menominee Tribe
- Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe
- Muckleshoot Tribe
- Passamaquoddy Tribe
- Shingle Springs Band of Miwok
- United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee
TAP is managed by the Justice Department’s Office of the Chief Information Officer and the Office of Tribal Justice. It is funded by the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART), the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), and the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW).
For more information on TAP, visit www.justice.gov/tribal/tribal-access-program-tap.
RELEASE NUMBER: 2021- 060_TAP
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Ham Lake Man Indicted for Armed CarjackingRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – A Ham Lake man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for an armed carjacking, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.
According to court documents, on June 5, 2021, Jerome Lee Swanson, 20, armed with a Ruger, 9mm semi-automatic pistol, used force, violence, and intimidation to steal a gray 2005 Buick La Crosse from the vehicle’s owner.
Swanson is charged with one count of carjacking and one count of using, carrying, brandishing and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Swanson, who is currently in state custody in Wright County, will make his initial appearance in U.S. District Court at a later date.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the Minneapolis Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David P. Steinkamp is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Grosse Pointe Pharmacist Charged with Filling Fraudulent Prescriptions for Controlled SubstancesRead the Press Release
DETROIT - A grand jury indictment was unsealed today charging a pharmacist with unlawful distribution of prescription drug controlled substances, conspiracy, and unlawfully maintaining a drug-involved premises, Acting United States Attorney Saima Mohsin announced.
Mohsin was joined in the announcement by Special Agent in Charge Keith Martin, Drug Enforcement Administration, Detroit Division.
Charged was Hasna Bashir Iwas, age 60, of New Baltimore, Michigan. Iwas is the owner and operator of Beacon Pointe Pharmacy in Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan.
The Superseding Indictment adds the defendant to earlier indictments that charged Dr. Otis Crawford and three other defendants with operating a prescription drug ring in Detroit, Grosse Pointe Park, River Rouge and elsewhere. Dr. Crawford pled guilty to charges in the earlier indictment but died from natural causes before he could be sentenced.
This indictment alleges that pharmacist Iwas filled hundreds of fraudulent prescriptions issued from Dr. Crawford’s clinic such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, Xanax and promethazine with codeine syrup. Dr. Crawford’s prescriptions alone had an estimated street value of over $2 million. In addition, it is alleged she filled over 600 forged prescriptions under the names of various doctors for a forgery ring operating in Detroit, charging cash to fill the fake prescriptions even when the “patient” had insurance. Pharmacist Iwas insisted that she always required the patient to be present to fill their controlled substance prescription and denied filling multiple prescriptions for a “runner” presenting a group of forged prescriptions. But one of the forged prescriptions charged in the superseding indictment was filled the day after the “patient” was murdered.
“We will continue to hold accountable healthcare professionals who seek to enrich themselves by illegally distributing controlled substances,” stated Acting US Attorney Mohsin. “Our commitment to combatting the opioid crisis is unwavering.”
“Dispensing controlled substances is a privilege that requires abiding by the law,” said Special Agent in Charge Martin. “DEA is committed to ensuring that those who have pledged to follow our nation’s drug laws are living up to that responsibility.”
The defendant is scheduled for her initial appearance in federal court on these charges on October 1, 2021.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Wayne F. Pratt.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Each defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Grayson County Man Indicted for Child Pornography ViolationsRead the Press Release
SHERMAN, Texas – A Sherman man has been indicted on federal child pornography violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei today.
Jeffrey L. Walters, 52, was named in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Sherman charging him with receipt of child pornography. Walters pleaded not guilty to the charges at an initial appearance in federal court on Sep. 15, 2021, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christine A. Nowak.
According to court documents, Walters came to the attention of law enforcement as someone who communicated with others about his interest in child pornography. Through a joint investigation by Homeland Security Investigations-Dallas and the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office, law enforcement obtained a laptop and cellular phone owned and used by Walters. Forensic analysis of the laptop revealed that Walters had received child pornography, using the Internet, on multiple dates. The child pornography depicted prepubescent children engaged in sexually explicit conduct, including depictions of sadistic and masochistic abuse.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
If convicted, Walters faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Marisa Miller.
A grand jury indictment is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Grant County woman sentenced for drug chargeRead the Press Release
ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA – Melissa Dawn Bailey, of Cabins, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 41 months of incarceration for a drug charge, Acting United States Attorney Randolph J. Bernard announced.
Bailey, 42, pleaded guilty in April 2021 to one count of “Distribution of Methamphetamine,” Bailey admitted to selling methamphetamine, also known as “crystal meth,” in June 2020 in Grant County.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen D. Warner prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Potomac Highlands Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, and the Moorefield Police Department investigated. The task force consists of the FBI, the West Virginia State Police, the Grant County Sheriff’s Office, the Mineral County Sheriff’s Office, the Hampshire County Sheriff’s Office, and the Keyser Police Department.
U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
Grand Jury Indicts D.C. Attorney with Making False Statements to the FBI in 2016 Regarding Alleged Communications Between Trump Organization and Russian BankRead the Press Release
Special Counsel John Durham today announced that a federal grand jury returned an indictment in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia charging Michael A. Sussmann, 57, a Washington, D.C.-based attorney, with making a false statement to the FBI on Sept. 19, 2016. The charge in the indictment stems from a set of allegations brought by Sussmann to the FBI related to an alleged secret channel of communications between the Trump Organization and a Russian bank.
Sussmann is expected to make his initial appearance in the D.C. federal court as soon as tomorrow. The court will schedule the appearance.
As alleged in the indictment, on Sept. 19, 2016, Sussman, a lawyer at a large international law firm, met with the FBI General Counsel at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Sussmann had requested the meeting to provide the General Counsel with certain data files and “white papers” that allegedly demonstrated a covert communications channel between the Trump Organization and a Russia-based bank. Sussmann, who had previously represented the Democratic National Committee in connection with a cyber hack, falsely stated to the General Counsel that he was not bringing these allegations to the FBI on behalf of any client. This false representation led the General Counsel to understand that Sussmann was providing information as a good citizen rather than a paid advocate or political operative. In fact, Sussmann assembled and conveyed the allegations to the FBI on behalf of at least two clients, including a U.S. technology executive and the Clinton Presidential Campaign.
It is alleged that beginning in July 2016, Sussmann worked with the aforementioned U.S. technology executive, other cyber researchers, and a U.S.-based investigative firm to assemble the data and white papers that Sussmann ultimately provided to the FBI and the media. The technology executive, for his part, exploited his access to non-public data at multiple internet companies and enlisted the assistance of researchers at a U.S.-based university who were receiving and analyzing internet data in connection with a pending federal government cybersecurity research contract designed to identify the perpetrators of malicious cyber-attacks and protect U.S. national security. The indictment further alleges that researchers were tasked to mine this internet data to establish “an inference” and “narrative” that would tie then-presidential candidate Donald Trump to Russia, and which the executive believed would please certain “VIPs.” The indictment also alleges that Sussmann, his law firm, and the technology executive coordinated with representatives and agents of the Clinton Campaign in these efforts.
It is further alleged that Sussmann’s false statement misled FBI personnel and deprived the FBI of information that might have permitted it more fully to assess and uncover the origins of the relevant data and analysis, including the identities and motivations of Sussmann’s clients.
The FBI ultimately determined that there was insufficient evidence to support the allegations of a secret communications channel between the Trump Organization and the Russia-based bank.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant Special Counsel Andrew DeFilippis and Assistant Special Counsel Michael T. Keilty, with the support and assistance of other members of Special Counsel Durham’s team. The Special Counsel’s investigation is ongoing.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.