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Friday 23 July 2021
Texas Business Owner Pleads Guilty to Tax FraudRead the Press Release
A Texas resident pleaded guilty Thursday to filing a false individual income tax return.
According to court documents, between January 2009 and December 2014, Charles D. Holley, aka Charlei Diwan Holley, owned and operated a data brokerage business. As part of this business, Holley purchased data information from state motor vehicle agencies, which she re-sold to various buyers. Holley set up bank accounts in which to deposit the proceeds of her business activity, including an offshore bank account in Nicosia, Cyprus. In February 2012, Holley filed a false individual tax return with the IRS that did not disclose that she was engaged in or receiving income from her data brokerage business. In total, Holley caused a tax loss to the IRS of $202,196.
Holley is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 20. She faces a possible maximum penalty of three years in prison, as well as a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties. 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 Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer Lowery for the Southern District of Texas made the announcement.
IRS-Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Robert Kemins and Ignacio Perez De La Cruz of the Tax Division are prosecuting the case.
Stoughton Man Sentenced on Drug Distribution ChargesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Stoughton man with ties to the Orchard Gardens housing development in Roxbury was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston on drug trafficking charges.
Dashawn Matthews, 31, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge William G. Young to 30 months in prison and three years of supervised release. On Dec. 14, 2020, Matthews pleaded guilty to distribution and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine base (also known as crack cocaine).
During an investigation into drug trafficking and violence in the Orchard Gardens housing development, a cooperating witness and an undercover police officer made eight purchases of fentanyl, crack cocaine or both from Matthews. In total, between May and August 2019, Matthews distributed approximately 120 grams of fentanyl and 98 grams of crack cocaine. Most of the sales took place a short distance away from the Orchard Gardens housing development.
Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Boston Police Acting Commissioner Gregory Long made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Pohl of Mendell’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.
Spectracare Health Systems, Inc. Agrees to Pay $1 MillionRead the Press Release
Montgomery, Alabama – On July 23, 2021, a notice of dismissal was filed indicating that SpectraCare Health Systems, Inc. (“SpectraCare”) agreed to pay $1 million dollars to resolve a federal qui tam lawsuit alleging that it violated the False Claims Act, announced Acting United States Attorney Sandra J. Stewart. The Government’s multi-year investigation, which spawned from a whistleblower complaint, investigated whether SpectraCare knowingly violated the False Claims Act by improperly billing Alabama Medicaid for Basic Living Skills services, and by failing to return overpayments to the Alabama Medicaid Agency, which constitutes a “reverse false claim” actionable under 3729(a)(1)(G) of the False Claims Act.
SpectraCare Health Systems, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Dothan, Alabama, which provides integrated healthcare services, including developmental disability services, intermediate care medical services, behavioral health services, and preventative programs to a range of patients. The company is contracted by the Alabama Department of Mental Health to provide services, which are paid for by the Alabama Medicaid Agency.
This lawsuit was initially filed in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama by a former SpectraCare employee under the qui tam, or whistleblower, provisions of the False Claims Act. Pursuant to these provisions, a private citizen can bring suit on behalf of the United States and share in any recovery. The United States will receive $743,193.00 of the $1 million dollar settlement, 19% of which will go to the relator as her share of the Government’s recovery in the matter. The remaining $256,807.00 will be paid to the Alabama Medicaid Agency.
The settlement resolves allegations that, from October 1, 2012 through December 31, 2019, SpectraCare (1) knowingly submitted to Medicaid claims for reimbursement for services that were billed without complete and correct documentation, billed in duplicate, over-billed, or otherwise improperly billed, and/or (2) knowingly made, used, or caused to be made or used, false records or statements material to SpectraCare’s obligation to return overpayments to Medicaid based on such improper billing procedures, and/or (3) knowingly, intentionally, or recklessly failed to repay, or to exercise reasonable diligence to determine whether it was obligated to repay, Medicaid for SpectraCare’s improper claim submissions and their attendant overpayments.
This Affirmative Civil Enforcement matter was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Samantha R. Miller and the Civil Health Care Fraud Investigator of the United States Attorney’s Office, with assistance from Assistant Attorney General James Hartin of the Office of the General Counsel for the Alabama Medicaid Agency. The case was investigated in conjunction with the Office of Inspector General for the United States Department of Health and Human Services. The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
Slidell Woman Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Mail FraudRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that JILL LEWIS (“LEWIS”), age 40, resident of Slidell, Louisiana, entered a plea of guilty on July 21, 2021 to Conspiracy to Commit Mail fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371, arising out of her involvement in a postal fraud scheme.
According to today’s guilty plea, beginning on or before January 31, 2014, through in or around January 2016, LEWIS and a co-conspirator conspired to submit numerous false insurance claims for reimbursement to the United States Postal Service (“USPS”), causing the USPS to mail checks to LEWIS and a co-conspirator for approximately $42,000. For example, LEWIS and a co-conspirator falsely represented to the USPS that they had sent expensive jewelry and other items through the mail and that the USPS lost the items. In connection with the false claims, LEWIS and a co-conspirator submitted forged invoices from retailers to the USPS to support the reimbursement amounts. The false claims and forged documents caused the USPS to send the reimbursement checks to LEWIS and a co-conspirator through the mail.
LEWIS faces a maximum sentence of five (5) years imprisonment, and a fine of up to $250,000.00 or twice the gross gain to the defendant or twice the gross loss to any person of the offense under Title 18, United States Code, Section 3571. After any term of imprisonment that may be imposed, LEWIS also faces a term of supervised release of up to (3) three years. Per the terms of the plea, restitution to the USPS in the amount of approximately $42,749.74 is owed.
Sentencing is scheduled for December 1, 2021 before U.S. District Judge Sarah S. Vance.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office would like to acknowledge the work of the United States Postal Service, Office of Inspector General, for its work in investigating this case. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shirin Hakimzadeh.
Serial Robber Sentenced to 13 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced Shaykh Abdul-Majid, age 34, of Washington, D.C. to 13 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for committing a series of armed robberies and for brandishing a firearm in relation to a violent crime.
The sentence was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Jonathan F. Lenzner; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department.
According to his plea agreement, from March 28, 2020 to July 5, 2020 Abdul-Majid committed at least four robberies in which he posed as a customer before pointing a semi-automatic handgun at a victim employee, demanding store proceeds, and obtaining funds.
Specifically, on July 5, 2020, Abdul-Majid posed as a customer at a Kettering, Maryland business and pointed a silver and black handgun at a victim employee while demanding store proceeds. The victim employee complied with the demands and gave Abdul-Majid $200 in store funds. Abdul-Majid then instructed the victim employee to move to the store’s back storage area. Fearing that he would be shot, the victim employee attempted to remove the handgun from Abdul-Majid’s possession. During the struggle for the handgun, two rounds of ammunition were discharged. Neither round struck the victim employee, but his hands and fingers were badly cut as he tried to prevent the handgun’s slide from racking as casings were ejected. After the struggle, Abdul-Majid fled on foot with the stolen funds. In each robbery, Abdul-Majid drove the same vehicle with identifying Washington, D.C. registration plates.
As stated in the plea agreement, on July 7, 2020, detectives located Abdul-Majid’s vehicle in Washington, D.C. while Abdul-Majid was inside the vehicle. Upon seeing law enforcement, Abdul-Majid fled from his vehicle on foot. While a K-9 search was being conducted, Abdul-Majid announced his presence to law enforcement as the K-9 was searching the area where he was hiding. Abdul-Majid was then taken into custody.
Law enforcement executed a search warrant on Abdul-Majid’s vehicle and recovered a black-colored ball cap with the word “SLANE” stitched above the bill as well as a red glove. Both items are consistent with the items worn by Abdul-Majid in two of the robberies. Officers also recovered a victim’s wallet, five cell phones, a silver and black handgun, and $43.00 in cash.
In total, the four victim businesses Abdul-Majid robbed experienced a loss of at least $8,550.
Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner praised the FBI and the Prince George’s County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Lenzner thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes who prosecuted the case.
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Sentencing of drug trafficker wraps up prosecution of Richmond County narcotics conspiracyRead the Press Release
AUGUSTA, GA: With the sentencing of the lead defendant, the prosecution of a major Richmond County drug trafficking conspiracy has resulted in convictions of all eight defendants – including a man and two sons.
Terrance Quain Freeman, 50, of Augusta, was sentenced to 100 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and To Distribute Cocaine and Marijuana, said David H. Estes, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Chief Judge J. Randal Hall also ordered Freeman to pay a fine of $2,500 and serve four years of supervised release after completion of his prison sentence. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Multiple law enforcement partners at all levels worked together to identify, infiltrate and terminate this conspiracy that imported significant amounts of illegal drugs into the Richmond County area,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Estes. “This sentence slams the prison door on poison profiteers who no longer will plague the greater Augusta community.”
The 2019 indictments in USA v. Freeman, et. al., a two-year investigation initiated by the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office and the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office, identified Freeman as the leader of a drug trafficking conspiracy in the Augusta area. Mario Hubbard, 45, of Atlanta, was found to be Freeman’s source of supply for cocaine. The conspiracy involved the sale of kilograms of cocaine, as well as amounts of crack cocaine marijuana.
During the investigation of Operation Snowfall – so named because of the large quantities of powder cocaine involved – DEA agents and sheriff’s office investigators seized more than $500,000 in cash, more than two kilos of cocaine, 32 grams of crack cocaine and more than 9 pounds of marijuana, along with eight firearms.
Hubbard previously pled guilty to an Information charging him with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and To Distribute Cocaine and Marijuana, and Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering. The plea subjects Hubbard to a statutory sentence of up to 40 years in prison, and he has agreed to the forfeiture of a residence in Smyrna alleged to have been purchased with drug trafficking proceeds.
Six other defendants previously pled guilty in the investigation, including:
- Timothy Jeremy Myers, 33, of Augusta, sentenced to 96 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay a fine of $1,500 after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and To Distribute Cocaine and Marijuana;
- Timothy Dale Reid, 53, of Augusta, awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and To Distribute Cocaine and Marijuana. Reid is a half-brother of Terrance Freeman.
- Willie Antonio Bass, 37, of Augusta, sentenced to 48 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay a fine of $1,500 after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon;
- Tyquain Freeman, 29, of Augusta, sentenced to 70 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay a fine of $1,500 after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and To Distribute Cocaine and Marijuana. He is a son of Terrance Freeman.
- Christopher Chin, 36, of Augusta, sentenced to 151 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay a fine of $1,500 after pleading guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine, Crack Cocaine and Marijuana; and,
- Quieaton Freeman, 22, of Augusta, awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of Firearms by an Illegal Drug User. He is a son of Terrance Freeman.
More than a dozen other defendants faced state charges in the investigation.
“The sentencing of the lead defendant in this case closes the door on an organization that once profited from peddling cocaine in the Richmond County area,” said Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “DEA and its law enforcement partners worked tirelessly to ensure that Richmond County citizens trust their community is a safe place to live. Terrance Freeman will spend well-deserved time in prison.”
“I applaud the federal and local partners who assisted in this investigation,” said Richmond County Sheriff Richard Roundtree. “Targeting organizations will have the greatest impact on the drug trade, and we remind area citizens that these multijurisdictional efforts will continue.”
The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office, the Dekalb County HIDTA Task Force, the Greene County Sheriff’s Office, and the Georgia National Guard Counterdrug Task Force, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patricia G. Rhodes and Hank Syms.
Round Rock Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Sexual Abuse of ChildrenRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – On Wednesday, Robert Jim, 59, of Round Rock, Arizona, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge David G. Campbell to life in prison, plus ten years. Jim, a registered sex offender, was previously found guilty by a jury of aggravated sexual abuse of two children.
The sexual abuse took place on the Navajo Nation Indian Reservation, where Jim and the victims are tribal members.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Navajo Nation Department of Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tracy Van Buskirk and Kiyoko Patterson, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-18-8225-PCT-DGC
RELEASE NUMBER: 2021-044_Jim# # #
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.Rip crew gets significant sentences for multiple violent crimesRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – Three illegal aliens from Central America have been ordered to prison following their multiple convictions involving conspiracy to rob a drug dealer, drug trafficking, as well as firearms and immigration offenses, announced Acting U.S. Jennifer B. Lowery.
The jury deliberated for less than four hours before convicting Nestor Henriquez-Parada, aka Homie, 37, Edwin Martinez-Brilia, aka Jarrito, 42, and Josue Marquez-Oseguera, aka Nahun, 37, Sept. 4, 2019, following a nearly three-week trial. Christain Benjhamin Martinez-Meraz, aka Peludo, 39, pleaded guilty in the middle of trial. All had repeatedly and unlawfully re-entered the United States.
Today, U.S. District Judge David Hittner handed Martinez-Meraz a 220-month sentence, while Martinez-Brilia and Marquez-Oseguera received respective total sentences of 205 and 210 months in federal prison. Not U.S. citizens, all are expected to again face removal following their incarceration. At the hearing, the court heard evidence about numerous robberies they committed prior to their arrests for these charges, multiple previous deportations and other convictions. One of those noted was a violent assault Martinez-Brilia committed against his wife.
Henriquez-Parada is set for sentencing July 30.
The four men were “Tumbadores” known to be part of a “rip crew” who engage in armed robberies of game rooms, drug dealers, alien smugglers and human traffickers.
During trial, the jury heard from a total of 24 witnesses and saw 38 exhibits.
The jury heard the crew was involved in several robberies, or “rips,” in the Houston area.
Martinez-Meraz decided to plan a robbery of a local drug dealer and employed the three others as his crew. They thought a pickup truck was coming to Houston from Mexico and contained 25 kilograms of cocaine and five kilograms of meth, but later heard drugs were actually located at a residence in Houston. They went there armed with a sledgehammer and three loaded firearms, one of which had an extended magazine.
Martinez-Brilia was the armed getaway driver, while the other three forced their way into the house. Marquez-Oseguera was armed with a sledgehammer and used it to knock down several doors in the house while Martinez-Meraz and Henrinquez-Parada were armed with firearms. They eventually broke into a closet and found what they thought were drugs. Law enforcement apprehended them as they were preparing to move the narcotics to the truck.
Authorities later executed a search of Martinez-Meraz’s residence and recovered additional drugs, a loaded assault rifle and several other magazines containing ammunition.
All have been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation along with Houston Police Department, Texas Department of Public Safety and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Laurence Goldman and Lisa Marie Collins are prosecuting the case.
Rapid City Man Sentenced on Firearm ChargeRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person was sentenced by Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Judge.
Kyle Martin, age 29, was sentenced on July 12, 2021, to 22 months in federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay a $100.00 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
The conviction stems from Martin, who is a previously convicted felon and prohibited from possessing firearms, being found in possession of a Smith & Wesson, model 581, .357 Magnum caliber, double-action revolver, which was found after Martin came into contact with law enforcement in March 2020 in Rapid City.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhood (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 investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco, and Explosives, and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case.
Martin was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Pensacola Man Sentenced to Eleven Years in Federal Prison for Child Exploitation CrimesRead the Press Release
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – On Thursday afternoon, David E. Merry, 60, of Pensacola, was sentenced to eleven years in prison on federal charges related to his receipt of child pornography. The sentence, which followed his guilty plea, was announced by Jason R. Coody, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
Court documents reflect, in February 2019, officers with the Pensacola Police Department received information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that a particular online account with Google maintained child pornography. Homeland Security Investigations and the Pensacola Police Department were able to geo-locate the criminal activity of Merry to Pensacola. The Pensacola Police Department, through a records check, confirmed that Merry was a suspect in two prior child exploitation investigations in 2016 and 2017. Law enforcement obtained a search warrant for Merry’s Google account, identifying the child pornography he maintained in the cloud. Law enforcement then obtained and executed a search warrant at Merry’s residence, resulting in the seizure of multiple electronic devices. A forensic review of the seized items revealed thousands of images of child pornography. Merry was arrested and released on bond conditions. While on release, probation officers suspected that Merry continued his illicit activity, and federal agents were able to seize his newly obtained cellular telephone and search it pursuant to a warrant. Additional images of child pornography were located, and Merry was taken into custody without bond. He has been in custody awaiting sentencing since that time.
During the sentencing hearing, United States District Court Judge M. Casey Rodgers considered a prior offense in which Merry was identified as having sexually exploited a minor female.
“The abuse committed by this child predator has come to an end as a result of the vigilant efforts of our law enforcement partners,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Coody. “We will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to ensure that those who engage in such heinous conduct will be held accountable for their actions.”
“Merry will now face accountability for his continued delight in the disgusting images of children being exploited,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Kevin Sibley, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in Northern Florida. “Every time one of these images is shared or viewed it revictimizes an innocent person.”
“This sentence is an example of the great partnership between Pensacola Police and the U.S. Department of Justice,” said Pensacola Police Chief Eric Randall. This team is determined to hold those fully accountable who seek to do harm to our children.”
Following his 11-year term of imprisonment, Merry will be supervised by the United States Probation Office for the rest of his life.
The case was investigated by United States Homeland Security Investigations, the Pensacola Police Department, and the North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David L. Goldberg and Meredith L. Steer.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Pair Sentenced for Fraud Against Fort Wayne Company and Ordered to Pay $2.9 Million in RestitutionRead the Press Release
FORT WAYNE – Brian Nordan, 44, and Dustin Coleman, 43, both of Cassopolis, Michigan, were sentenced by United States District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty upon their pleas of guilty to wire fraud, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Tina L. Nommay.
Brian Nordan was sentenced to 42 months in prison, 2 years of supervised release and ordered to pay $2,981,357.05 in restitution.
Dustin Coleman was sentenced to 6 months in prison, 12 months of supervised release and ordered to pay 149,756.00 in restitution.
In March 2006, a dentist and owner of a local dental practice hired Brian Nordan to work as the chief marketing officer and general manager of the dental practice. Eventually, Nordan was trusted to take on even more responsibility for the day-to-day management of the dental practice. In this role, Nordan was eventually paid an annual salary of $250,000.00 per year. As general manager, Nordan was trusted to make decisions in the best interests of the dental practice and its over 100 employees.
In the spring of 2018, the owner of the dental practice became aware that Nordan had been fraudulently misappropriating funds from the dental practice for years through multiple schemes. Forensic accountants discovered that, among other mechanisms of fraud, Nordan had made use of company funds (through company credit cards and reimbursement checks) to pay for unauthorized personal expenses, used company funds to pay his personal credit cards, paid wages and benefits to his husband and sister when they were not actually working for the company, and had made unauthorized investments with his employer's money into a toothpaste company of which he was one of the owners, which sold toothpaste back to the dental practice at greatly marked-up rates. A forensic accounting determined the total fraud loss from Nordan’s fraudulent schemes, self-dealing, and unauthorized enrichment of family members to be $3,038,857.05.
Coleman was Nordan’s domestic partner and eventual spouse who was hired by Nordan in 2012 to work on marketing for the business. Although it was found he did some work for the business, the dentist-owner of the practice did not know nor approve of Coleman’s employment. From 2016-2018, Coleman received $149,756.00 in wages and benefits to which he was not entitled as a result of this “ghost employment” scheme.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Indiana Financial Crimes Task Force with the assistance of the Organized Crime and Corruption Unit of the Indiana State Police. This case was prosecuted by Acting United States Attorney Tina L. Nommay and Assistant United States Attorneys Sarah E. Nokes and Luke N. Reilander.
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Owner of Tax Preparation Business Sentenced to Federal Prison for Defrauding the Internal Revenue ServiceRead the Press Release
SHREVEPORT, La. – Angelena Adams, 52, of Princeton, Louisiana, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote to spend 27 months in prison, followed by 1 year of supervised release and restitution to be paid in the amount of $188,328, for defrauding the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced.
Angelena Adams, a.k.a Angelena Morris, was indicted by a federal grand jury on tax fraud charges in May 2020. She pleaded guilty on March 15, 2021 to making and subscribing to a false return. Adams worked in the tax return preparation business from 2008 through 2015. Beginning in 2012 and continuing through 2015, Adams opened and operated Angie’s Tax Service, a tax return preparation business in Ringgold, Louisiana.
Angie’s Tax Service prepared and submitted client tax returns electronically to the IRS. The business income from Angie’s Tax Service was deposited into Adams’ personal bank account. Adams did not report the income from the business on her Form 1040, U.S. Individual Income Tax Return for tax years 2013, 2014 and 2015 which, as a result, greatly reduced her adjusted gross income for those tax years. On or about October 15, 2014, Adams completed and filed a false tax return for tax year 2013 stating that her adjusted gross income in 2013 was $166,011, when in truth and in fact, her adjusted gross income was substantially more than that, with gross receipts totaling $702,855 during 2013 for tax return preparation.
The IRS – Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Cassidy prosecuted the case.
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One Officer, Two Sergeants, and a Lieutenant Charged in Connection with Assault of a Federal Pretrial DetaineeRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – One Essex County correctional officer, two sergeants, and one lieutenant were indicted for civil rights violations in connection with the assault of a federal pretrial detainee, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced today.
Officer Damion James, 41, was charged with assaulting the pretrial detainee in violation of his civil rights. Sgt. Herman Pride, 51, Sgt. Jennifer Whitley, 38, and Lt. Nicholas Palma, 46, were charged with failing to intervene to stop the assault. Sgt. Whitley was additionally charged with submitting a false report to cover up the assault. All four defendants will be arraigned on a date to be determined.
According to documents filed in this case:
On the evening of Aug. 17, 2020, a federal pretrial detainee at Essex County Correctional Facility (ECCF) squirted a mixture of urine, yogurt, and milk onto a correctional officer. The detainee subsequently was transported to a disciplinary cell, where James assaulted the detainee, striking him multiple times in the body and face. Pride, Whitley, and Palma watched the assault, but none of them intervened to stop it.
Two days after the assault, the detainee was taken to the emergency room at University Hospital in Newark. He was diagnosed with large swelling and tenderness in the right side of his face and discoloration and bruising around his right eye.
The defendants all were required to submit documentation regarding their use of force. None of them submitted any such reports. Instead, Whitley submitted a report falsely indicating that no force had been used, when, in fact, Whitley, Pride, and Palma had watched James repeatedly assault the pretrial detainee. Officer Angel Chaparro previously pleaded guilty to his role in the submission of the false report.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge George M. Crouch Jr. in Newark; and the Essex County Correctional Facility Internal Affairs Bureau, under the direction of Director Alfaro Ortiz and the Office of the Warden, with the investigation leading to the charges.
The government is represented by Acting Principal Assistant U.S. Attorney Rahul Agarwal.
The charges and allegations in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Ohio Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Cleveland, Ohio man was sentenced today to 37 months in federal prison for a drug crime. James Lavan, 45, previously pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute heroin.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Lavan admitted that on June 12, 2019, members of the Charleston Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) executed a search warrant on his girlfriend’s vehicle and seized over 70 grams of heroin from his tool bag in the truck. Lavan admitted he intended to sell the heroin. During the search, law enforcement officers also recovered two firearms.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Charleston Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Nowles Heinrich, Jeremy B. Wolfe and former Assistant United States Attorney Ryan A. Saunders handled the prosecution.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:19-cr-00233.
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North Carolina Tax Preparer Sentenced to Prison for Conspiring to Defraud the IRSRead the Press Release
A North Carolina return preparer was sentenced today to 15 months in prison for conspiring to defraud the IRS.
According to court documents and statements made in court, from 2012 through 2016, Audrey Renetta Odom, of Durham, conspired with Karen Jones and Andrea Pasley to prepare false returns for clients. The returns fraudulently lowered the clients’ tax liabilities or inflated their refunds by claiming false education credits or dependents or by manipulating the clients’ income to qualify for larger earned income tax credits. Odom admitted that some clients were charged up to $2,000 for preparing returns. Based on an analysis of the falsely claimed education credits, the tax loss is over $1.2 million.
Jones pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the IRS on Nov. 5, 2020, and was sentenced to 22 months in prison for her role in the conspiracy. Pasley pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the IRS on May 6 and is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 29.
In addition to the term of imprisonment, U.S. District Judge William L. Osteen Jr. ordered Odom to serve three years of supervised release and to pay approximately $1,239,847 in restitution to the United States.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Sandra J. Hairston for the Middle District of North Carolina made the announcement.
IRS-Criminal Investigation investigated the case.
Assistant Chief Todd Ellinwood and Trial Attorney Kavitha Bondada of the Tax Division prosecuted the case.
North Carolina Tax Preparer Sentenced to Prison for Conspiring to Defraud the IRSRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A North Carolina return preparer was sentenced today to 15 months in prison for conspiring to defraud the IRS.
According to court documents and statements made in court, from 2012 through 2016, Audrey Renetta Odom, of Durham, conspired with Karen Jones and Andrea Pasley to prepare false returns for clients. The returns fraudulently lowered the clients’ tax liabilities or inflated their refunds by claiming false education credits or dependents or by manipulating the clients’ income to qualify for larger earned income tax credits. Odom admitted that some clients were charged up to $2,000 for preparing returns. Based on an analysis of the falsely claimed education credits, the tax loss is over $1.2 million.
Jones pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the IRS on Nov. 5, 2020, and was sentenced to 22 months in prison for her role in the conspiracy. Pasley pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the IRS on May 6 and is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 29.
In addition to the term of imprisonment, U.S. District Judge William L. Osteen Jr. ordered Odom to serve three years of supervised release and to pay approximately $1,239,847 in restitution to the United States.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Sandra J. Hairston for the Middle District of North Carolina made the announcement.
IRS-Criminal Investigation investigated the case.
Assistant Chief Todd Ellinwood and Trial Attorney Kavitha Bondada of the Tax Division prosecuted the case.
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New York Man Pleads Guilty to Passing Altered Postal Money Orders and TheftRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that ANTHONY SMALLS, age 32, of New York, New York, pleaded guilty on July 22, 2021 to conspiracy to pass altered U.S. Postal money orders, passing altered U.S. Postal money orders and possessing stolen U.S. government property today before United States District Court Judge Carl J. Barbier of the Eastern District of Louisiana.
According to court records, SMALLS and a co-defendant who has not yet pled, travelled from New York to Louisiana in October of 2019 to cash stolen U.S. Postal money orders that had been altered to show amounts worth hundreds of dollars. SMALLS and the co-defendant cashed two such postal money orders in Kenner and Metairie, LA. When arrested, the defendants also possessed 58 U.S. Postal money orders that they had stolen from an Ascension Parish U.S. Post Office the day before.
SMALLS faces a sentence of up to ten years in prison on the possession of stolen U.S. government property charge and up to five years in prison for each of the Postal money order charges. SMALLS also faces for each of the three charges up to $250,000 in fines, a mandatory $100 special assessment fee and up to three years of supervised release. Sentencing is set for October 28, 2021.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the United States Postal Inspection Service, along with assistance from the Louisiana State Police - Criminal Investigations Department, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office and Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office, in investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward J. Rivera is in charge of the prosecution.
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New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Carjackings and Weapons ChargesRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that defendant KAHLIQ WILLIAMS, of New Orleans, Louisiana, pled guilty on July 20, 2021 before U.S. District Court Judge Greg G. Guidry to carjacking, brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and burglary of a federal firearms licensee.
Specifically, WILLIAMS pled guilty to Counts One through Four of the Indictment. WILLIAMS pled guilty to Count One and Four, which charge him with two separate carjackings, both in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2119(1). WILLIAMS also pled guilty to Count Two, which charges him with brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, that is, a carjacking, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(ii). Finally, WILLIAMS pled guilty to Count Three, which charges him with burglary of a Federal Firearms Licensee (“FFL”), in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(u).
As to Counts One and Four, WILLIAMS faces a maximum sentence of 15 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years supervised release. As to Count Two, WILLIAMS faces a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years up to a maximum of life imprisonment, to be run consecutive to any other sentence imposed, a fine of up to $250,000 and up to three years of supervised release. Finally, as to Count Three, WILLIAMS faces a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years supervised release. WILLIAMS faces a mandatory $100 special assessment cost for each count of conviction and his sentencing is scheduled for October 19, 2021.
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.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Inga Petrovich of the Violent Crime Unit of the U.S. Attorney's Office.
New Jersey Man Indicted on Child Pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Middletown, New Jersey, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Receipt of Child Pornography and Possession of Child Pornography.
James W. Williams, age 26, was indicted on May 20, 2021. Williams appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta Wollmann on July 16, 2021, and pleaded not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 20 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, up to lifetime supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund for each charge. Restitution may also be ordered.
The charges relate to Williams receiving and possessing computer images of child pornography between November 2019 and December 2020 in South Dakota. The charges are merely accusations and Williams is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is a joint effort between Homeland Security Investigations, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the Rapid City Police Department, and the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Sazama is prosecuting the case.
Williams was released on bond pending trial. A trial date has been set for September 21, 2021.
New Jersey Man Convicted of Conspiring to Defraud IRS in Mortgage-Withholding Tax SchemeRead the Press Release
A federal jury convicted a New Jersey man today of conspiring with individuals in Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia and New York in a “mortgage recovery” tax fraud scheme and for assisting in the filing of false returns, among other tax offenses.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, from March 2015 through 2016, John Barry Jr., of Pemberton, and his co-conspirators falsely represented to clients that they could extinguish their outstanding mortgage debts by obtaining tax refunds. To carry out the scheme, Barry and his co-conspirators filed forms with the IRS that fraudulently claimed that financial institutions had withheld and paid over to the IRS substantial taxes on behalf of Barry’s clients, even though no such payments had occurred. Barry then directed clients to file false tax returns that claimed significant refunds based upon the bogus tax withholdings. These false withholding claims caused the IRS to issue more than $3 million in refunds to clients. Barry typically charged each client a fee of between 20 and 35 percent of the refund the client obtained, and then split fees with some co-conspirators.
In addition to his participation in the “mortgage recovery scheme,” Barry did not file his own 2016 return despite earning income in excess of filing threshold, nor did Barry report or pay taxes on the income generated from the scheme in that tax year.
Barry is scheduled to be sentenced on December 1 and faces a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment for conspiracy to defraud the IRS, three years’ imprisonment for each count of aiding and assisting the filing of false tax returns, three years’ imprisonment for obstructing the internal revenue laws, and one year of imprisonment for failing to file a tax return. 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 Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.
IRS-Criminal Investigations investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Sean M. Green and Samuel B. Bean of the Justice Department’s Tax Division are prosecuting the case.
Mount Olive Father and Son Sentenced to over 14 Years in Federal Prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Hattiesburg, Miss. – A Mount Olive father and son were both sentenced today to 170 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Brad Byerley, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration.
According to court documents, Steven Lawrence Hand, 53, and Steven Tyler Hand, 29, of Mount Olive, sold methamphetamine to an individual on multiple occasions in August of 2019 and both were found to be in possession of additional methamphetamine during a search of their respective residences on July 23, 2020.
The defendants were indicted by a federal grand jury and both pled guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine.
The case is the result of an extensive Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation, dubbed “Operation: Bulldog,” which began as an operation targeting illegal methamphetamine distribution in south Mississippi. 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.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Keesha D. Middleton prosecuted the case.
Manager of Marijuana Cultivation on Shasta Trinity National Forest Sentenced to 10 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Filemon Padilla Martinez, 56, of Mexico, was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge Morrison C. England Jr. to 10 years in prison for conspiring to manufacture marijuana and depredation of federal lands, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
Judge England also ordered Padilla Martinez to pay $24,778 in restitution.
According to court documents, Padilla Martinez conspired with three co-defendants to grow marijuana in the Tomhead Mountain area in Shasta-Trinity National Forest. Padilla Martinez recruited, trained, and supplied two of these co-defendants, whom he left to live and work on the site while he stayed either at a nearby stash house or at his residence in Ione, California. The marijuana grow on Tomhead Mountain consisted of 1,054 marijuana plants.
This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Forest Service, the Tehama County Sheriff’s Department, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife with assistance from the Amador County Sheriff’s Office and the California Department of Justice. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian T. Kinsella is prosecuting the case.
Oscar Francisco-Diego and Francisco Gomez Sanchez, two of Padilla Martinez’s co-defendants, have been previously sentenced for their role in the conspiracy. Timothy Charles Wilson, the remaining co-defendant, is currently pending trial. The charges against Wilson are only allegations; he is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Man Who “Systematically Groomed” a Child for Sexual Gratification Sentenced to over Twenty-Eight Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
A man who took photographs of a child performing a sex act was sentenced today to more than twenty-eight years in federal prison.
Terrance Sullivan, age 63, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after a March 8, 2021 guilty plea to the sexual exploitation of a child.
At the guilty plea, Sullivan admitted that in September of 2019, he photographed a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct with a Nikon digital camera. At sentencing, the judge noted that Sullivan “systematically groomed” the child to “obtain her trust” for his own sexual gratification. Sullivan’s actions required thoughtful planning, as he locked the door behind him in order to orchestrate taking photographs of the child, which he admitted he knew he should not be doing but thought it was fun.
Sullivan was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Sullivan was sentenced to 346 months’ imprisonment and fined $100. He was also assessed additional assessments of $5,000. He must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Sullivan is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Elizabeth Dupuich and investigated by the Waterloo Police Department.
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.”
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 20-CR-2021.
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Leader of Drug Trafficking Organization ArrestedRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – A leader of a drug trafficking organization operating in southern New Jersey and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was arrested after previously being charged for his role in a drug distribution conspiracy, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced today.
Glen Long, aka “Bless,” 27, of Philadelphia, made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen M. Williams in Camden federal court later today. Long was charged in March 2021 with one count of conspiring to distribute crystal methamphetamine and heroin.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Using undercover agents, consensual recordings, controlled drug purchases, electronic surveillance, search warrants, and several court-authorized wiretaps, DEA special agents and task force officers conducted a months-long investigation of a drug trafficking organization led by Long. Long oversaw the organization and directed his conspirators to distribute large quantities of various types of drugs to others.
Thirteen other people have been charged via criminal complaints for their roles in this drug distribution conspiracy. Each defendant, including Long, faces one count of conspiracy that is punishable by a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison and a $10 million fine.
Long also faces separate drug charges in an indictment pending in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania for which he was has been ordered detained pending trial.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited special agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration, Newark Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Susan A. Gibson, with the investigation leading to the charges against Long and his conspirators. She also thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania; Drug Enforcement Administration, Philadelphia Division; U.S. Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations; U.S. Marshals Service; FBI; Bensalem Police Department; Berlin Borough Police Department; Berlin Township Police Department; Bucks County District Attorney’s Office; Camden County Prosecutor’s Office; Clayton Police Department; Delaware County District Attorney’s Office Narcotics Task Force; Deptford Township Police Department; Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office; Gloucester Township Police Department; New Jersey State Police; New Jersey National Guard Counter Drug Task Force; Pennsylvania State Police; Pennsville Police Department; and Winslow Township Police Department for their assistance.This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (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. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Bender of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Camden.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaints and indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Lauderdale Man Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Illegally Possessing a FirearmRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – A Lauderdale, Mississippi man was sentenced today to 72 months in prison for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Michelle Sutphin, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Mississippi.
According to court documents, Levi Gibbs, Jr., 51, knowingly and intentionally possessed a firearm after having been convicted of a felony offense. On March 27, 2020, officers of the Meridian Police Department stopped a vehicle being driven by Gibbs after an officer observed Gibbs crossing over the center line of the road and speeding. When an officer approached the passenger side of the vehicle, he saw a pistol in an ankle holster on Gibbs’ right leg. The officer checked Gibbs’ criminal record and discovered that Gibbs was a convicted felon. In fact, Gibbs has multiple felony convictions, several of which are for drug crimes. Gibbs is currently under indictment from the Circuit Court of Lowndes County, Mississippi for Armed Robbery. As a convicted felon it is against federal law for Gibbs to possess any firearm.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Meridian Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles W. Kirkham prosecuted the case.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Las Vegas Resident Sentenced for Robbing Two U.S. Postal Service Mail CarriersRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS, Nev. — A Las Vegas resident was sentenced Thursday to two years in prison for robbing two U.S. Postal Service (USPS) mail carriers while they were delivering the mail.
According to court documents, on January 18, 2020, Rodolfo Rafael Rodriguez-Silva, 21, and another individual — each wearing a ski mask — robbed a USPS mail carrier who was delivering mail. Rodriguez-Silva intimidated the mail carrier while the other person stole mail from the USPS vehicle. One week later on January 25, Rodriguez-Silva accosted another USPS mail carrier while wearing a mask. Rodriguez-Silva stated to the mail carrier, who was delivering mail in North Las Vegas: “I don’t want to hurt you, get to the side of the vehicle.” An individual with Rodriguez-Silva then stole mail from the USPS vehicle.
Rodriguez-Silva pleaded guilty in November 2020 to two counts of robbery of mail, money, or property of the United States. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Richard F. Boulware II sentenced Rodriguez-Silva to two years of supervised release.
Acting U.S. Attorney Christopher Chiou for the District of Nevada made the announcement.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kimberly Frayn and Daniel Clarkson prosecuted the case.
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Laredo man admits to smuggling meth in fire extinguishersRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A 40-year-old Laredo man has entered a guilty plea to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute meth, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Between Oct. 10-26, 2016, Jesus Gabriel Vara-Perez conspired with others to deliver fire extinguishers containing approximately 24 kilograms of meth to Atlanta, Georgia. He also admitted he received $8,000 for his participation in the meth transportation.
He was arrested in Laredo Sept. 23, 2020, at which time he was in possession of more fire extinguishers containing an additional 17 kilograms of meth.
The drugs had a combined estimated street value of more than $320,000.
U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo will impose sentencing at a later date yet to be determined. At that time, Vara-Perez faces up to life in prison and a possible $10 million maximum fine. He was taken into custody pending that hearing.
The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney José Angel Moreno is prosecuting the case.
Knoxville and Chattanooga Gang Members Convicted of Drug, Firearm, and Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – On July 23, 2021, a federal jury convicted Alim Turner, 23, Ushery Stewart, 22, Ronald Turner, 25, Kedaris Gilmore, 23, Mahlon Prater, Jr., 25, and Trevor Cox, 22, all of Knoxville, TN, and Demetrius Bibbs, 29, of Chattanooga, TN, of conspiring to distribute various controlled substances, including methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl, marijuana, oxycodone, alprazolam, and buprenorphine. The jury also convicted various defendants, including Jyshon Forbes, 27, of Knoxville, of conspiracy to commit money laundering. In addition, multiple defendants were convicted of the possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking offenses, and numerous other counts involving the illegal distribution of drugs and unlawful possession of firearms in East Tennessee.
The verdict follows a two-week trial in front of United States District Judge Thomas A. Varlan in which all eight defendants were tried together. The defendants face varying terms of imprisonment of up to life in prison and $10,000,000 in fines. Sentencing hearings for all eight defendants will be set for early 2022.
According to court documents, seven other charged members of the conspiracy previously pleaded guilty. The second superseding indictment resulted from an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Postal Inspection Service, Knoxville Police Department, Cleveland Police Department, Chattanooga Police Department, Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, the Tennessee Department of Corrections, and the Tennessee Highway Patrol. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives also assisted in this investigation by conducting drug and firearms analysis on seized evidence in the case.
The proof presented at trial revealed that seven of the defendants were members of the Unknown Ghost Vice Lords in Knoxville and another defendant, Demetrius Bibbs, was a member of the Black P Stone Bloods in Chattanooga. The proof also showed that the members of the Unknown Ghost Vice Lords distributed kilogram quantities of methamphetamine and other drugs in the Knoxville and Chattanooga areas.
"This prosecution is part of the Department of Justice's comprehensive strategy to reduce violence and increase safety in the community by disrupting and dismantling violent criminal organizations that distribute highly addictive, dangerous, and deadly drugs, such as fentanyl and methamphetamine," said Acting United States Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III.
“This verdict demonstrates the FBI’s commitment to investigate violent criminal organizations and individuals who engage in this type of illegal activity. The teamwork between our agents and state and local law enforcement partners ensured there are fewer predators endangering and victimizing the vulnerable and innocent members of our community,” said Joseph E. Carrico, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Knoxville office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
“This conviction is the result of the vigorous cumulative efforts of the Knoxville Police Department and its law enforcement and prosecutorial partners to address violent crime head on and make our community safer. By bringing addictive and deadly drugs into our area, these drug trafficking organizations are directly responsible for unimaginable tragedy and senseless violence that fragments families and destabilizes communities. In addition to our Organized Crime Unit investigators and various law enforcement partners, I want to specifically commend the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee for their extraordinary work on this case,” said Eve Thomas, Chief, Knoxville Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorneys David P. Lewen, Jr. and Brent N. Jones represented the United States.
This case was part of the Department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) and the HIDTA programs. OCDETF is the primary weapon of the United States against the highest level drug trafficking organizations operating within the United States, importing drugs into the United States, or laundering the proceeds of drug trafficking. The HIDTA program enhances and coordinates drug control efforts among local, State, and Federal law enforcement agencies. The program provides agencies with coordination, equipment, technology, and additional resources to combat drug trafficking and its harmful consequences in critical regions of the United States.
This case was also brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a comprehensive national program that brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. This program provides more options to prosecutors, allowing them to utilize local, state, and federal laws to ensure that criminals who commit gun crime face tough sentences. PSN gives each federal district the flexibility it needs to focus on individual challenges that a specific community faces.
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Justice Department Obtains $50,000 Settlement Against Dallas Towing Company for Illegally Selling Five Cars Owned by U.S. ServicemembersRead the Press Release
The Justice Department today announced that Dallas towing company United Tows LLC has agreed to enter into a consent order to resolve allegations that it illegally sold five servicemember-owned vehicles, in violation of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA).
The SCRA is a federal law that provides a variety of financial and housing protections to members of the U.S. military. The law prohibits a towing company from selling a vehicle owned by a servicemember unless it first obtains a court order allowing it to do so.
The department filed a lawsuit against United Tows on Sept. 28, 2020, alleging that the company auctioned a car belonging to a man who was attending U.S. Air Force basic training in San Antonio, Texas. The complaint alleges that when the servicemember learned that his vehicle had been towed, he contacted United Tows and told them that he was out of town on active duty. According to the complaint, the owner of United Tows responded by telling the servicemember that she did not believe that he was in the military. United Tows sold the vehicle at auction without a court order while the servicemember was still completing his training requirements.
A subsequent investigation by the department revealed that United Tows had illegally sold at least four other vehicles owned by active duty servicemembers between Oct. 4, 2014, and April 26, 2019.
Under the proposed settlement, which is subject to approval by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, United Tows must adopt new policies and implement new training requirements. United Tows will also be required to pay a total of $50,000: $20,000 in compensation to the originally identified servicemember; a $20,000 fund to be shared by the four additional servicemembers; and a $10,000 civil penalty to the U.S. Treasury.
“United Tows not only disregarded the legal rights of servicemembers, it made hurtful and dismissive comments about a member’s military service,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The members of our armed forces selflessly devote themselves to the defense of our nation and are deserving of our respect and utmost consideration. The Department of Justice remains committed to the vigorous enforcement of the SCRA and all other laws that protect our servicemembers.”
“United Tows violated a victim’s rights while he was selflessly serving his country,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Prerak Shah for the Northern District of Texas. “We were appalled to learn that this Airman came home from basic training to find his car sold at auction. The men and women of our armed forces represent the best among us, and we are proud to enforce the SCRA and other laws designed to protect them.”
Servicemembers and their dependents who believe their SCRA rights have been violated should contact the nearest Armed Forces Legal Assistance Program Office. Office locations can be found at http://legalassistance.law.af.mil/.
The Justice Department’s enforcement of the SCRA is conducted by the Civil Rights Division’s Housing and Civil Enforcement Section and U.S. Attorney’s Offices throughout the country. Since 2011, the department has obtained over $474 million in monetary relief for over 120,000 servicemembers through its enforcement of the SCRA. Additional information on department’s enforcement of the SCRA and other laws protecting servicemembers is available at www.servicemembers.gov.
Interface Rehab to Pay $2 Million to Resolve False Claims Act AllegationsRead the Press Release
Interface Rehab (Interface), headquartered and operating in California, has agreed to pay $2 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by causing the submission of claims to Medicare for rehabilitation therapy services that were not reasonable or necessary.
The settlement resolves allegations that, from Jan. 1, 2006, through Oct. 10, 2014, Interface knowingly submitted or caused the submission of false claims for medically unreasonable and unnecessary “Ultra High” levels of rehabilitation therapy for Medicare Part A residents at 11 Skilled Nursing Facilities. These facilities include Colonial Care Center, Covina Rehabilitation Center, Crenshaw Nursing Home, Green Acres Lodge, Imperial Care Center, Laurel Convalescent Hospital, Live Oak Rehabilitation Center, Longwood Manor Convalescent Hospital, Monterey Care Center, San Gabriel Convalescent Center, and Whittier Pacific Care Center. In July 2020, the Department of Justice announced that Longwood Management Corporation and 27 affiliated skilled nursing facilities agreed to pay $16.7 million to the United States to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by submitting false claims to Medicare for rehabilitation therapy services that were not reasonable or necessary. The settlement announced today resolves Interface’s role in that alleged conduct.
During the relevant time period, Medicare reimbursed skilled nursing facilities at a daily rate that reflected the skilled therapy and nursing needs of qualifying patients. The greater the patient’s needs, the higher the level of Medicare reimbursement. The highest level of Medicare reimbursement for skilled nursing facilities was for “Ultra High” therapy patients, who required a minimum of 720 minutes of skilled therapy from two therapy disciplines (e.g., physical, occupational or speech therapy), one of which had to be provided five days a week.
The United States contends that Interface pressured therapists to increase the amount of therapy provided to patients in order to meet pre-planned targets for Medicare revenue. These alleged targets could only be achieved by billing for a high percentage of patients at the “Ultra High” level without regard to patients’ individualized needs.
“This settlement reflects our continuing efforts to protect patients and taxpayers by ensuring that the care provided to beneficiaries of government-funded health care programs is dictated by clinical needs, not a provider’s fiscal interests,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton for the Department of Justice’s Civil Division. “Rehabilitation therapy companies provide important services to our vulnerable elderly population, but they will be held to account if they provide therapy services based on maximizing revenue rather than the interests of their patients.”
“The claims that patients required ultra-high levels of care appear to be driven solely by a desire to send ultra-high bills to Medicare,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Tracy L. Wilkison for the Central District of California. “This case is further proof that the government will vigorously pursue those who attempt to cheat the taxpayer-funded system that pays for medical care for millions of Americans, sometimes with the help of whistleblowers who shine a light on fraud.”
“Our agency will continue to aggressively investigate health care providers that attempt to boost their profits by falsely billing federal health care programs for medically unnecessary services,” said Special Agent in Charge Timothy B. DeFrancesca of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “We will not tolerate such fraud schemes, which undermine medical decision-making and the public's trust in the health profession.”
“This multimillion-dollar settlement agreement signifies an important conclusion to the government’s investigation into Interface Rehab’s dubious business practices that tainted the integrity of federal healthcare programs, including the Department of Defense's TRICARE program, by unnecessarily inflating costs,” said Paul K. Sternal, Deputy Director of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS). “DCIS is committed to working with its law enforcement partners to protect the healthcare interests of our military service members, their families and American taxpayers.”
This civil settlement includes the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by Keith Pennetti, a former Director of Rehab at Interface. Under those provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. Mr. Pennetti will receive $360,000 of the settlement proceeds. The qui tam case is captioned United States ex rel. Pennetti v. Interface Rehab, et al., No. CV-14-4133 (C.D. Cal.).
The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, with assistance from the HHS-OIG and DCIS.
The investigation and resolution of this matter illustrate the government’s emphasis on combating health care fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).
The matter was investigated by Trial Attorney Amy Likoff and Assistant U.S. Attorney John Lee of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
Interface Rehab to Pay $2 Million to Resolve Allegations It Caused Medicare Submissions for Unnecessary or Unreasonable ServicesRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – Interface Rehab (Interface), headquartered and operating in Orange County, has agreed to pay $2 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by causing the submission of claims to Medicare for rehabilitation therapy services that were not reasonable or necessary.
The settlement resolves allegations that, from January 1, 2006, through October 10, 2014, the Placentia-based Interface knowingly submitted or caused the submission of false claims for medically unreasonable and unnecessary “Ultra High” levels of rehabilitation therapy for Medicare Part A residents at 11 Skilled Nursing Facilities. These facilities include Colonial Care Center, Covina Rehabilitation Center, Crenshaw Nursing Home, Green Acres Lodge, Imperial Care Center, Laurel Convalescent Hospital, Live Oak Rehabilitation Center, Longwood Manor Convalescent Hospital, Monterey Care Center, San Gabriel Convalescent Center, and Whittier Pacific Care Center.
In July 2020, the Department of Justice announced that Longwood Management Corporation and 27 affiliated skilled nursing facilities agreed to pay $16.7 million to the United States to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by submitting false claims to Medicare for rehabilitation therapy services that were not reasonable or necessary. The settlement announced today resolves Interface’s role in that alleged conduct.
During the relevant time period, Medicare reimbursed skilled nursing facilities at a daily rate that reflected the skilled therapy and nursing needs of qualifying patients. The greater the patient’s needs, the higher the level of Medicare reimbursement. The highest level of Medicare reimbursement for skilled nursing facilities was for “Ultra High” therapy patients, who required a minimum of 720 minutes of skilled therapy from two therapy disciplines (e.g., physical, occupational, or speech therapy), one of which had to be provided five days a week.
The United States contends that Interface pressured therapists to increase the amount of therapy provided to patients in order to meet pre-planned targets for Medicare revenue. These alleged targets could only be achieved by billing for a high percentage of patients at the “Ultra High” level without regard to patients’ individualized needs.
“The claims that patients required ultra-high levels of care appear to be driven solely by a desire to send ultra-high bills to Medicare,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Tracy L. Wilkison for the Central District of California. “This case is further proof that the government will vigorously pursue those who attempt to cheat the taxpayer-funded system that pays for medical care for millions of Americans, sometimes with the help of whistleblowers who shine a light on fraud.”
“This settlement reflects our continuing efforts to protect patients and taxpayers by ensuring that the care provided to beneficiaries of government-funded health care programs is dictated by clinical needs, not a provider’s fiscal interests,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton for the Department of Justice’s Civil Division. “Rehabilitation therapy companies provide important services to our vulnerable elderly population, but they will be held to account if they provide therapy services based on maximizing revenue rather than the interests of their patients.”
“Our agency will continue to aggressively investigate health care providers that attempt to boost their profits by falsely billing federal health care programs for medically unnecessary services,” said Special Agent in Charge Timothy B. DeFrancesca of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “We will not tolerate such fraud schemes, which undermine medical decision-making and the public's trust in the health profession.”
“This multi-million dollar settlement agreement signifies an important conclusion to the government's investigation into Interface Rehab’s dubious business practices that tainted the integrity of federal healthcare programs, including the Department of Defense's TRICARE program, by unnecessarily inflating costs, ” said Paul K. Sternal, Deputy Director of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS). “DCIS is committed to working with its law enforcement partners to protect the healthcare interests of our military service members, their families, and American taxpayers.”
This civil settlement includes the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by Keith Pennetti, a former Director of Rehab at Interface. Under those provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. Mr. Pennetti, will receive $360,000 of the settlement proceeds. The qui tam case is captioned United States ex rel. Pennetti v. Interface Rehab, et al., No. CV-14-4133 (C.D. Cal.).
The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California with assistance from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service.
The investigation and resolution of this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating health care fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement, can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).
The matter was investigated by Assistant United States Attorney John E. Lee of the Civil Division’s Civil Fraud Section and Justice Department Trial Attorney Amy Likoff.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
Informational: Federal Court arraignmentsRead the Press Release
The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that the following persons were arraigned or appeared this week before U.S. Magistrate judges on indictments handed down by the Grand Jury or on criminal complaints. The charging documents are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty:
Appearing in Billings before U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan and pleading not guilty on July 20 was:
Mark Eugene Benton, 60, of Billings, on charges of prohibited person in possession of a firearm and ammunition. If convicted of the most serious crime, Benton faces a maximum 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Benton was detained pending further proceedings. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. PACER case reference. 21-32.
Appearing in Great Falls before U.S. Magistrate Judge John T. Johnston and pleading not guilty on July 21 was:
Brocktin Russo, 31, of Great Falls, on charges of possession with intent to distribute heroin. If convicted of the most serious crime, Russo faces a mandatory minimum 10 years to life in prison, a $10 million fine and five years of supervised release. Russo was detained pending further proceedings. The Russell Country Drug Task Force and Great Falls Police Department investigated the case. PACER case reference. 21-41.
The progress of cases may be monitored through the U.S. District Court Calendar and the PACER system. To establish a PACER account, which provides electronic access to review documents filed in a case, please visit http://www.pacer.gov/register.html. To access the District Court’s calendar, please visit https://ecf.mtd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/PublicCalendar.pl.
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Indonesian Man Sentenced for Illegally Using Social Security Number to Obtain EmploymentRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA –The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana announced today that RUDY GUNAWAN, age 41, a citizen of Indonesia, was sentenced on July 20, 2021 to time served by the Honorable Wendy B. Vitter on one count of possession of fraudulent immigration documents. Additionally, the Court ordered GUNAWAN to pay a $100 special assessment cost.
According to court documents, United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers received information that GUNAWAN was in the United States illegally and using a Social Security card bearing the name and number of another person. On September 28, 2020, CBP officers encountered GUNAWAN at his place of employment, Samurai Sushi (Slidell, Louisiana). An officer asked for identification and GUNAWAN produced a U.S. Social Security card and claimed to be a U.S. citizen from Puerto Rico. GUNAWAN later admitted that he knew that the U.S. Social Security card was falsely made and that he had obtained the card from an individual in Memphis, Tennessee for $700. He also admitted that the name and number on the card were not lawfully issued to him and that he purchased the fraudulent documents in order to be able to stay within the United States and work.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of United States Customs and Border Protection and the Social Security Administration in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Jon Maestri is in charge of the prosecution.
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IRS Officer Sentenced for Obstructing Tax LawRead the Press Release
A former IRS officer was sentenced today to three years in prison for obstructing federal tax laws, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Prerak Shah.
Former Revenue Officer Sonya Vivar, 55, pleaded guilty in November to one count of corrupt endeavor to obstruct or impede the due administration of internal revenue laws. She was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman.
According to plea papers, Ms. Vivar admitted she attempted to conceal her personal relationship with C.J.B., the subject of an IRS investigation, from the IRS and U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.
At the time, C.J.B. was operating a business that was delinquent on its employment taxes.
C.J.B. had purchased the company only after Ms. Vivar was assigned to oversee collection efforts against it. Ms. Vivar was aware that C.B.J. had acquired the company and sold its assets at a profit or transferred the assets into newly formed business entities.
At Friday’s sentencing hearing, the judge found that due to the defendant’s crimes, the IRS lost the opportunity to collect more than $4 million in taxes.
IRS – Criminal Investigations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rob Boudreau and Jay Weimer are prosecuting the case.
Idaho Woman Ordered to Pay over $5000 in Restitution for Improperly Storing Food in Campsite at Grand Teton National ParkRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Bob Murray announced today that BELINDA J. ARVIDSON, 50, of Idaho was ordered to pay $5,826.99 in restitution for improper food storage, a misdemeanor offense, in Grand Teton National Park. The sentence was handed down by United States Magistrate Judge Mark L. Carman in Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyoming, on July 20, 2021. Arvisdon will also serve four years of unsupervised release.
While camping in Grand Teton National Park, Arvidson failed to properly store garbage and beverages resulting in a grizzly bear receiving a food reward when it found the unattended garbage and drink at the campsite. Individuals camping in the area took photos and videos of the grizzly bear while it was in Arvidson’s campsite rummaging through the trash and other food items. The campground contained multiple warning signs about bears and proper food storage as well as bear boxes in which food and other items could be stored.
Due to the bear receiving a food reward, upon locating the bear, it was tranquilized, collared, and relocated by boat to another area of the park. It could pose a danger to humans if the bear were to have another similar incident, and euthanizing the bear may become necessary. The amount of restitution to be paid by Arvisdon covers the National Park Service’s costs for this operation, including the cost of a GPS collar now necessary to track the bear’s movement
Grand Teton National Park Superintendent Chip Jenkins said, “Irresponsible behaviors have consequences, and many times it is the wildlife that pays the ultimate price. We all have responsibilities to preserve and protect the incredible wild animals of Grand Teton National Park and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.”
Grizzly bears and black bears thrive in Grand Teton National Park and the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway. Odors attract bears into parking lots, campgrounds, and picnic areas. All food and items with a smell must be stored in a bear-resistant food storage locker or in a hard-sided vehicle with the doors locked and windows closed day and night. Never store food, garbage, or toiletries in tents. For information about bear safety in Grand Teton National Park visit Safety in Bear Country - Grand Teton National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov).
This crime was investigated by the National Park Service and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie Hambrick. For questions relating to Grant Teton National Park, please contact Denise Germann at [email protected] or 307-739-3393.
Horse Doping Drug Company’s Sales Director Pleads Guilty in Manhattan Federal CourtRead the Press Release
Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that defendant MICHAEL KEGLEY JR. pled guilty today to his role in the distribution of adulterated and misbranded drugs with the intent to defraud and mislead, in connection with the charges filed in United States v. Navarro et al., 20 Cr. 160 (MKV). KEGLEY pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil, and will be sentenced by Judge Vyskocil on November 22, 2021.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: “Michael Kegley promoted and sold unregulated performance enhancing substances intended for use by those engaged in fraud and unconscionable animal abuse in the world of professional horseracing. This conviction underscores that our Office and our partners at the FBI are committed to the prosecution and investigation of corruption, fraud, and endangerment at every level of the horse racing industry.”
According to the allegations contained in the Superseding Information, the prior Indictments[1], other filings in this case, and statements during court proceedings:
The charges in the Navarro case arise from an investigation of widespread schemes by racehorse trainers, veterinarians, performance-enhancing drug (“PED”) distributors, and others to manufacture, distribute, and receive adulterated and misbranded PEDs and to secretly administer those PEDs to racehorses competing at all levels of professional horseracing. By evading PED prohibitions and deceiving regulators and horse racing officials, participants in these schemes sought to improve race performance and obtain prize money from racetracks throughout the United States and other countries, including in New York, New Jersey, Florida, Ohio, Kentucky, and the United Arab Emirates (“UAE”), all to the detriment and risk of the health and well-being of the racehorses. Trainers who participated in the schemes stood to profit from the success of racehorses under their control by earning a share of their horses’ winnings, and by improving their horses’ racing records, thereby yielding higher trainer fees and increasing the number of racehorses under their control. Veterinarians and drug distributors, such as KEGLEY, who worked as the director of sales for an unregistered distributor of equine drugs, profited from the sale and administration of these medically unnecessary, misbranded, and adulterated substances.
Among the misbranded and adulterated PEDs marketed and sold by KEGLEY was the drug “SGF-1000,” which was compounded and manufactured in unregistered facilities. SGF-1000 was an intravenous drug promoted as, among other things, a vasodilator capable of promoting stamina, endurance, and lower heart rates in horses through the purported action of “growth factors” supposedly derived from sheep placenta. Despite marketing, selling, and administering SGF-1000, KEGLEY acknowledged in intercepted calls that he, along with a co-defendant involved in the sale of SGF-1000, did not know the actual contents of SGF-1000. Nevertheless, KEGLEY’s sales of that drug persisted, aided by the claim that SGF-1000 would be untestable in horses by law enforcement.
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U.S. Attorney Strauss praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI New York Office’s Eurasian Organized Crime Task Force and its support of the FBI’s Integrity in Sports and Gaming Initiative.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Money Laundering and Transnational Criminal Enterprises Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Sarah Mortazavi, Andrew C. Adams, Anden Chow, and Benet Kearney are in charge of the prosecution.
[1] As to Kegley’s co-defendants, the entirety of the texts of the Indictments and the descriptions of the Indictments set forth herein constitute only allegations and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Honduran National Guilty of Soliciting Murder-For-Hire of Family MembersRead the Press Release
BEAUMONT, Texas – A Honduran national residing in Port Arthur has pleaded guilty to federal violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei today.
Santos Orellana-Hernandez, 47, pleaded guilty to use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire, tampering with a witness by intimidation and threats, and conspiracy to commit witness tampering. Orellana-Hernandez entered his guilty plea today before U.S. District Judge Thad Heartfield.
“Public safety in the Eastern District of Texas is enhanced by the excellent partnerships we have between local and federal law enforcement. In this case, as soon as the Port Arthur Police Department learned of the defendant’s plot to kill his Port Arthur family’s relatives in Honduras, they coordinated with the FBI, who moved swiftly to prevent any bloodshed,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. “I also commend the tremendous work of the investigative and prosecutorial team, which flew to Honduras to interview witnesses and prepare the criminal case against Mr. Orellana-Hernandez. Because of the excellent work of law enforcement in this matter, lives were saved.”
“Today’s announcement highlights the FBI's efforts in Beaumont, the FBI Legal Attaché office, and its local law enforcement and international partners to tirelessly and aggressively utilize all available investigative tools and methods at their disposal,” said Houston FBI Special Agent in Charge Perrye K. Turner. “Law enforcement and the public must continue to work together to ensure our communities’ safety.”
“We appreciate the continued collaboration of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI on this case,” said Port Arthur Police Chief Timothy Duriso. “We will continue to work closely with our federal partners to make Port Arthur a safer place.”
According to information presented in court, from January to March of 2020, Orellana-Hernandez, residing in Port Arthur, Texas, solicited the murder of two extended family members residing in Honduras. Specifically, Orellana-Hernandez solicited Gustavo Ramires, a person located in Honduras, to kill Orellana-Hernandez’s mother-in-law, G.V., and brother-in-law, J.A.V. The purpose of the intended murders was revenge against Orellana-Hernandez’s soon-to-be ex-wife, who was seeking a divorce from Orellana-Hernandez in Jefferson County, Texas. Orellana-Hernandez reportedly told E.A.V. that he would make her “cry tears of blood.”
Orellana-Hernandez offered to pay Ramires $200,000 in Honduran Lempira (approximately $8,000 in U.S. dollars) upon proof that Ramires had killed G.V., J.A.V., and two other individuals. Orellana-Hernandez directed Ramires to perform the killings on or after April 21, 2020, the date when the divorce was to become final. Ramires was additionally instructed to provide photographic proof of the killings before he would receive payment. Ramires later placed a recorded telephone call to Orellana-Hernandez, in which the two discussed the murder-for-hire plot, using coded language such as “planting the corn,” to refer to the killings. Ramires later told investigators that “planting the corn” meant burying the victims’ bodies.
Orellana-Hernandez was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 20, 2020 and taken into federal custody. In early June, while jailed, Orellana-Hernandez conspired with another person to intimidate E.A.V. in an attempt to make her withdraw the murder-for-hire accusation. On Nov. 4, 2020, the grand jury returned a superseding indictment that added the witness tampering charges.
Orellana-Hernandez faces up to 20 years in federal prison. The maximum statutory sentence prescribed by Congress is provided here for information purposes, as the sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John B. Ross and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean C. Day.
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Henryetta Resident Found Guilty by Federal Jury of Sexual Abuse of ChildRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, announced today that Kendall Len Burgess, age 22, of Henryetta, Oklahoma was found guilty by a federal jury of Aggravated Sexual Abuse in Indian Country, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1151, 1153, 2241(c) and 2246(2)(B) and Abusive Sexual Contact in Indian Country, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1151, 1153, 2244(a)(5) and 2246(3). The defendant was acquitted on one count of Assault by Striking, Beating, or Wounding in Indian Country. The jury trial began with testimony on Monday, July 19, 2021 and concluded on Wednesday, July 21, 2021 with the guilty verdicts. The defendant is facing imprisonment for not less than 30 years to life for the crimes the jury found he committed.
During the trial, the United States presented evidence that the defendant perpetrated various sexual acts on a seven-year-old victim.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma ultimately prosecuted the case because the defendant is a member of a federally-recognized Indian tribe and the crime occurred in Okmulgee County, within the boundaries of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, and within the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The guilty verdicts were the result of an investigation by the Henryetta Police Department, Okmulgee County Sheriff’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma in Muskogee, presided over the trial and ordered the completion of a presentence report. Sentencing will be scheduled following completion of the report. Burgess was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshal pending the imposition of sentencing.
Special Assistant United States Attorney L.C. Wright and Assistant United States Attorney Edith Singer represented the United States.
Hartford Man Charged with Illegally Possessing Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, David Sundberg, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Hartford Police Chief Jason Thody today announced that a federal grand jury in Hartford has returned an indictment charging LAMONT FIELDS, 23, of Hartford, with unlawfully possessing a firearm and ammunition.
The indictment was returned on July 20 and Fields was arrested last night. He appeared today via videoconference before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas O. Farrish who ordered Fields detained.
As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, on March 24, 2021, Hartford Police arrested Fields after officers found him in possession of a loaded .357 Glock 31 pistol. The investigation revealed that the firearm had been reported stolen in Atlanta, Georgia.
It is further alleged that, on May 13, 2021, while Fields was released on bond in his state case related to his March 24 arrest, Hartford Police arrested Fields after officers found him in possession of a loaded 9mm “ghost gun.” Fields was again released on bond.
It is alleged that analysis by the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) determined that the ghost gun seized from Fields is likely the firearm that was used on May 4, 2021, to shoot three victims in Hartford, killing one and seriously wounding the other two.
It is alleged that Fields’ criminal history includes state felony convictions in 2017 for carrying a dangerous weapon, and in 2018 for criminal possession of a weapon. It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.
The indictment charges Fields with one count of possession of a firearm by a felon, and one count of possession of ammunition by a felon. Each offense carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.
Acting U.S. Attorney Boyle stressed that an indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Connecticut Violent Crimes Task Force and the Hartford Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert S. Ruff.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Haines City Man Receives Twelve Years in Prison for Tallahassee Drug Trafficking OffensesRead the Press Release
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA –Taree Lamott Armstrong, 30, of Haines City, Florida, has been sentenced to twelve years in federal prison after pleading guilty to multiple drug-trafficking offenses. Jason R. Coody, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the sentence.
According to court documents, on March 25, 2020, Armstrong was stopped by a trooper with the Florida Highway Patrol for having a license plate attached to the wrong vehicle. During the traffic stop, the trooper found approximately $1520 and two bags of marijuana in Armstrong’s pockets. A search of Armstrong’s vehicle revealed cocaine, crack cocaine, hydrocodone, 43.6 grams of methamphetamine, and 2.25 pounds of marijuana. Armstrong was arrested on state charges and released on bond.
On July 2, 2020, Armstrong was a passenger in a traffic crash which occurred in Tallahassee. During the accident investigation, officers of the Tallahassee Police Department discovered that Armstrong attempted to hide two black bags which contained marijuana, crack cocaine, and drug paraphernalia associated with the sale of controlled substances. Officers also discovered approximately $1453 in Armstrong’s pockets. Armstrong was arrested on state charges and was again released on bond.
On August 4, 2020, Armstrong was federally indicted for the previous drug-related charges. Armstrong was arrested by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with the assistance of the Florida Highway Patrol, on August 6, 2020, to address the federal charges. Upon his arrest, agents seized methamphetamine, marijuana, synthetic marijuana, approximately $1160 in cash, and two digital scales from his vehicle.
Armstrong’s prior criminal history includes nine felony convictions, several of which involve narcotics distribution and violence against law enforcement officers. Given the nature of his prior felony convictions, Armstrong qualified as a Career Offender and was subject to increased Federal sentencing penalties.
“Those who repeatedly commit serious crimes are deserving of significant prison sentences,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Coody. “This career criminal has demonstrated his unwillingness to abide by the law, committing repeated drug crimes – while on bond for identical violations. Given the outstanding work of our state, local, and federal law enforcement partners, he will no longer be distributing drugs in our community.”
“As always, the Drug Enforcement Administration is committed to working with our law enforcement partners as these relationships are vital to protecting our communities,” said DEA Miami Field Division Acting Special Agent in Charge La Verne Hibbert. “The strong partnership with the Florida Highway Patrol and Tallahassee Police Department allowed us to quickly coordinate efforts that led directly to another career criminal being taken off our streets.”
This sentence resulted from an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Florida Highway Patrol, and the Tallahassee Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys James A. McCain prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders works together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. Here in Tallahassee, the Sheriff’s ALLinLEON initiative has focused on enforcement, but also engaged community volunteers to regularly take at-risk youth to places of worship, activated Neighborhood Crime Watch programs, and conducted other activities to target neighborhoods that are perennial hotspots for violence. The effort also aims to help connect individuals who are reentering the community from incarceration with education, job skills and substance abuse treatment.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html
Grand Island Man Sentenced for Distributing MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Jan Sharp announced that John Wizinsky, 57, of Grand Island, Nebraska, was sentenced today in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for Distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Chief United States District Court Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Wizinsky to 262 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, he will begin an 8-year term of supervised release.
On October 10, 2019, a confidential informant purchased 52 grams of actual methamphetamine from Wizinsky at the Pump and Pantry in Grand Island. On September 28, 2020, Wizinsky was arrested on his federal warrant, and he had another 25 grams of actual methamphetamine in his rear pocket. Wizinsky was responsible for 77 grams actual methamphetamine and was found to be a career offender for having two prior felony convictions for controlled substance offenses.
This case was investigated by the Nebraska State Patrol.
Four More Individuals Face Charges Related to the Kidnapping and Death of an Osage Nation CitizenRead the Press Release
Eleven defendants from the Joplin, Missouri, area have now been charged in a third superseding indictment for a kidnapping conspiracy that led to the death of an Osage citizen and for attempting to obstruct the ensuing federal investigation.
“The 11 defendants charged were allegedly involved in either the kidnapping and resulting death of Jolene Walker Campbell or with threatening witnesses and concealing evidence to cover up their crimes,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “This indictment reflects a year’s worth of thorough investigative work and commitment from FBI special agents and federal prosecutor Kevin Fletcher to provide justice for the victim and her family.”
Jolene Walker Campbell’s body was discovered on July 15, 2020, in a remote field in Mayes County within the boundaries of the Muscogee Nation. The victim’s identity was initially unknown. Through an investigation involving the FBI, Mayes County Sheriff’s Office, Muscogee Nation Lighthorse Police Department and the Joplin Police Department, Ms. Walker Campbell was soon identified. The kidnapping and resulting death is alleged to have occurred between July 4 and 5, 2020.
Brothers Tre Robert Allan Ackerson and Lane Ryan Bronson along with Jacob Ryan Scribner and Kimberly Kay Grissom are newly charged in the third superseding indictment. Grissom is Ackerson and Bronson’s mother. The two brothers are in state custody in Missouri. Scribner and Grissom remain at large. All other defendants are in custody or are on pre-trail release.
Defendants Breanna Lynn Sloan, Tre Robert Allen Ackerson and Lane Ryan Bronson, all non-Indians, are charged with a kidnapping conspiracy that resulted in the death of Jolene Walker Campbell, a citizen of the Osage Nation. According to the indictment, the defendants conspired with one another and others to kidnap the victim whom they suspected was a federal informant. On July 4, 2020, Bronson allegedly pointed a gun at the victim’s head and forced her into a vehicle in Joplin, Missouri. Between July 4 and July 5, 2020, Ackerson and Sloan are alleged to have transported the victim across state lines into Oklahoma, through both the Cherokee and Muscogee Nations, and left her body in a field in Mayes County within the boundaries of the Muscogee Nation. Counts 1-3 relate to the kidnapping and death of Ms. Walker Campbell.
In count 4, the trio is further charged with desecrating the victim’s body by disposing of it to conceal the crime and to impede any possible investigation and prosecution.
Chloe Louise Stith, David William Morris, Breanna Lynn Sloan, Morgan Lee Bowman, Sarah Michelle Humbard, Megan Louise Detherage, Ariel Sue Paige Divine, Tre Robert Allen Ackerson, Lane Ryan Bronson, Jacob Ryan Scribner, and Kimberly Kay Grissom are charged in Count 5 with conspiracy to tamper with a witness, victim, and informant by using and threatening physical force. From July 5, 2020, to the date of the third superseding indictment (July 20, 2021) the defendants allegedly intimidated, threatened, and used physical force against at least four victims/witnesses/informants to prevent them from communicating with agents regarding the death of Ms. Walker Campbell.
Chloe Louise Stith, Ariel Sue Paige Divine, Tre Robert Allen Ackerson and Layne Ryan Bronson are charged in Count 6 with disposing of the victim’s belongings and her body on July 5, 2020, to make them unavailable as evidence in an investigation into the killing.
Breanna Lynn Sloan, Morgan Lee Bowman, Megan Louise Detherage, Tre Robert Allen Ackerson, and Lane Ryan Bronson are charged with tampering with a witness, victim, and informant in Count 7. On July 7, 2020, the defendants allegedly bound and blindfolded two witnesses, kidnapped them, and took them to a remote location. According to the indictment, the defendants then shot at Witness 1 with a semi-automatic rifle and told the witness to “dance” while Witness 2, still blindfolded, was forced to listen to the gunshots and Witness 1 scream. The two were then warned not to speak with law enforcement. In Count 8, the same defendants are charged for attempting to destroy evidence of the assault by cleaning one of the witnesses’ car with bleach.
Tre Robert Allen Ackerson, Lane Ryan Bronson, and Jacob Ryan Scribner are charged in Count 9 with tampering with a witness, victim, and informant when they allegedly carjacked Witness 1 to remind and warn the witness not to speak with law enforcement about the federal investigation. The incident occurred on July 19, 2020, two days after the news reported that the body found in Oklahoma was Ms. Walker Campbell.
Breanna Lynn Sloan is charged in Count 10 with tampering with a witness, victim, or informant by corrupt persuasion when on Aug. 8, 2020, she allegedly offered Witnesses 1 and 2 $1,000 if the witnesses recanted their testimony in Missouri state court against Tre Robert Allen Ackerson for the carjacking discussed in Count 9.
In Count 11, David William Morris, Sarah Michelle Humbard and Lane Ryan Bronson are charged with threatening physical force against Witness 2 with intent to hinder the witness’ testimony in Missouri state court. On Aug. 11, 2020, Morris and Humbard allegedly reminded Witness 2 about the death of Ms. Walker Campbell, warned that the witness was playing with fire, and directed the defendant to drive to a hotel in Carthage, Missouri, where they met Bronson. The indictment states that Bronson then demanded that Witness 2 appear in court the next day and change his testimony about Tre Robert Allen Ackerson or he would pay.
Chloe Louise Stith and Lane Ryan Bronson are charged in Count 12 with tampering with a witness, victim and informant. On Aug. 13, 2020, the two defendants allegedly covered Witnesses 3 and 4’s eyes with duct tape, bound their hands with zip ties, forced them into a car, and took them to a remote location. Bronson then allegedly beat Witness 3 while making Witness 4 watch. He stated that he heard Witness 4 was talking about the disappearance of Ms. Walker Campbell. He then allegedly warned that witness 4 would be beaten if the witness spoke to law enforcement.
Chloe Louise Stith and Jacob Ryan Scribner are charged in Count 13 with conspiracy to retaliate against a witness, victim and informant. On Aug. 22, 2020, the two allegedly conspired together and with others to retaliate against Witness 4 for speaking to authorities.
Finally, in Count 14, Tre Robert Allen Ackerson, Jacob Ryan Scribner, and Kimberly Kay Grissom are charged with conspiracy to retaliate against a witness, victim and informant. On April 26, 2021, they are alleged to have conspired together and with others to retaliate against Witness 3.
An indictment is merely an allegation and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Below is a list of defendants named in the indictment:
Chloe Louise Stith, 34
David William Morris, 34
Breanna Lynn Sloan, 22
Morgan Lee Bowman, 26
Sarah Michelle Humbard, 24
Megan Louise Detherage, 27
Ariel Sue Paige Divine, 29
Tre Robert Allen Ackerson, 27
Lane Ryan Bronson, 28
Jacob Ryan Scribner, 33
Kimberly Kay Grissom, 46
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Fletcher is prosecuting the case. AUSA Fletcher is a prosecutor from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Iowa. He volunteered to assist prosecution efforts here in the Northern District of Oklahoma due to increased jurisdictional responsibilities regarding crimes involving Native American victims or defendants and that occur within the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and Cherokee Nation Reservations.
Fort Smith Trio Sentenced to over 38 Years Combined in Federal Prison for Firearms PossessionRead the Press Release
FORT SMITH – Trio sentenced to over 38 years combined in federal prison on one count each of Being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm. The Honorable Judge P.K Holmes, III, presided over the sentencing hearing’s in the United States District Court in Fort Smith.
According to court documents, In November 2020, members of the 12th/21st Drug Task Force (DTF) received information that Charlene M. Elmore, 26, and Frankie Leon Hunter, 29, possessed numerous firearms that were suspected to have been stolen. Elmore was a parolee with an active absconder warrant issued by the Arkansas Parole Board due to her absconding from parole supervision on or about July 31, 2020. Hunter was also a parolee. On November 9, 2020, DTF members went to their residence in Fort Smith, Arkansas. When DTF members arrived at the residence, they saw Elmore, the driver, and Hunter, the passenger, leaving in a green Chevrolet Equinox. Patrol officers attempted a traffic stop, but Elmore stopped only when her vehicle became disabled. Elmore and Hunter were taken into custody. After Elmore and Hunter were taken into custody, law enforcement officers returned to the residence where Jeremy Robinson, 29, another parolee living at the residence, answered the door. Arkansas State Parole Officers had parole search waivers on file for all three individuals that allowed them to search the residence. Eighteen firearms were found, six of which had been reported stolen in Roland, Oklahoma.
Elmore was sentenced yesterday to 92 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release.
Hunter was sentenced on July 21, 2021 to 192 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release.
Robinson was sentenced on June 10, 2021 to 180 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release.
Acting U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The 12th/21st Drug Task Force investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyra Jenner prosecuted the case.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
Former prison guard admits role in major south Georgia drug trafficking conspiracyRead the Press Release
WAYCROSS, GA: A former prison guard has admitted participating in a drug trafficking operation in south Georgia that included smuggling contraband to inmates.
Jessica Azaelae Burnett, a/k/a “The Madam,” 41, of Douglas, Ga., awaits sentencing after pleading guilty in U.S. District Court to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Methamphetamine and Marijuana, said David H. Estes, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. Burnett’s guilty plea exposes her to a statutory penalty of up to 20 years in prison and substantial financial penalties, followed by a minimum of three years of supervised release after completion of any prison sentence. There is no parole in the federal system. As part of her plea agreement, Burnett also agrees to the forfeiture of five firearms seized during the investigation.
“Compromised corrections officers who breach prison security to provide contraband to inmates represent a significant danger not only to inmates and guards, but also to citizens outside prison walls who are within reach of unmonitored jail communications from smuggled cell phones,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Estes. “Jessica Burnett is rightfully being held accountable for violating her oath and endangering the community.”
Burnett, who was a sergeant and a senior guard with CoreCivic, the private prison company that operates Coffee County Correctional Facility, admitted working with other conspirators in distribution of methamphetamine and marijuana. Her role in the conspiracy included smuggling cell phones, drugs and other contraband into the state prison.
Burnett is one of 48 defendants indicted in Operation Sandy Bottom, the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force investigation centered in the Sand Ridge neighborhood on the east side of Douglas, Ga., in an area known as “the bottoms.” The 57-count indictment, USA v. McMillan et. al, was unsealed in January 2021 and alleges that the conspiracy, controlled by a subset of the violent Gangster Disciples street gang, used guns, violence and fear to control methamphetamine trafficking operations throughout the community and to enable contraband distribution inside Georgia prisons.
Altogether, the indictment charged the 48 defendants with a total of 129 felonies. With Burnett, 20 of the defendants await sentencing after pleading guilty; that includes another former prison guard: Idalis Qua Dazia Harrell, 24, of Douglas, a former guard at Coffee County Correctional Facility, who pled guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Methamphetamine and Marijuana. The remaining defendants are awaiting trial, and are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The investigation began in 2018 when the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office Drug Unit, responding to complaints about the increasing level of violence and drug activity in the Sand Ridge neighborhood of Douglas, enlisted the assistance of the FBI and the Coastal Georgia Violent Gang Task Force. The indictment alleges that the conspiracy controlled multiple “trap houses” to store and distribute illegal drugs, primarily methamphetamine, and was coordinated by leaders of the Gangster Disciples who distributed drugs throughout Coffee, Bacon, Emanuel, Jeff Davis, Pierce and Wheeler counties, along with other parts of Georgia.
Investigators infiltrated the operation, intercepting multiple kilograms of drugs and nearly two dozen illegally possessed firearms, along with seven vehicles and more than $12,000 in cash identified as drug-trafficking proceeds.
Cell phones were used by some of the conspirators in Operation Sandy Bottom to facilitate drug trafficking throughout south Georgia from inside the state prison system.
“Not only did Burnett jeopardize the safety of staff and inmates at the Coffee County Correctional Facility, her actions fostered criminal activity inside and outside the facility,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “By violating her sworn oath she betrayed every honest, hard-working officer and she will be held accountable.”
“CoreCivic is committed to the safety and security of our employees, those in our care, and the communities we serve. The facility management team at Coffee Correctional Facility fully supported this investigation and appreciate the efforts of all agencies involved in preventing further introduction of contraband into correctional facilities,” said Vance Laughlin, CoreCivic’s Managing Director of Operations.
Operation Sandy Bottom is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. It is being investigated by the FBI and the FBI Coastal Georgia Safe Streets Violent Gang Task Force; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the U.S. Marshals Service; the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office and the Coffee County Drug Unit; the Georgia Department of Corrections; the Jeff Davis County Sheriff’s Office; Pierce County Sheriff’s Office; Bacon County Sheriff’s Office; Emanuel County Sheriff’s Office; Lanier County Sheriff’s Office; the Blackshear Police Department; Nicholls Police Department; Douglas Police Department; Alma Police Department; the Glynn County Police Department; the Brunswick Police Department; the Swainsboro Police Department; and the Coffee County Department of Family and Children Services.
The cases is being prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph McCool, Frank Pennington II and E. Greg Gilluly, with asset forfeitures coordinated by Xavier A. Cunningham, Section Chief of the Asset Forfeiture Recovery Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Former U.S. Government Employee Pleads Guilty to Sexual Abuse and Obscenity Offenses Committed over 14 YearsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A California man pleaded guilty today to sexual abuse and admitted to the abusive sexual contact of numerous women, as well as photographing and recording dozens of nude and partially nude women without their consent during his career as a U.S. government employee.
According to court documents, Brian Jeffrey Raymond, 45, of La Mesa, was most recently employed by the U.S. government at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City, Mexico. Raymond departed Mexico after an adult woman was observed nude and screaming for help from his balcony on May 31, 2020. The woman reported she had no memory of events after consuming drinks and food provided by Raymond.
“Brian Raymond betrayed the trust granted to him as a U.S. government employee representing the United States abroad by engaging in years of predatory conduct sexually abusing, exploiting, and recording vulnerable women he targeted in the United States and around the world,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “As demonstrated by Raymond’s prosecution and plea, the Department of Justice and its law enforcement partners will use all of the tools at our disposal to hold accountable those who victimize women.”
During the subsequent investigation, law enforcement agents recovered hundreds of photographs and videos depicting more than 20 unconscious and nude or partially nude women from Raymond’s cell phones, iCloud account, and other electronic devices. Raymond created these materials starting at least as early as 2006 and continuing up until May 30, 2020. Raymond’s hand is visible in photographs and videos manipulating his victims’ eyes, mouths, and limbs and fondling their breasts and buttocks. Raymond is also seen lying in bed with unconscious women on two different occasions. The women experienced memory loss during their time with Raymond and had no knowledge of the photographs, videos or physical contact. Internet history recovered from Raymond’s devices revealed searches for unconscious women, as well as searches for the side effects of prescription drugs combined with alcohol, for example, “ambien and alcohol side effects,” “Ambien dissolve,” “Ambien and alcohol pass out” and “passed out and carried.”
“Thanks to the coordinated efforts of law enforcement here and abroad, Brian Raymond was brought to justice for the sexual and exploitive crimes he repeatedly committed against numerous women,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips for the District of Columbia. “We hope that this guilty plea brings some solace to his many victims.”
In the plea agreement, Raymond admitted he engaged in sexual intercourse with two of the victims depicted in the recordings when both were incapable of appraising the nature of the conduct or consenting to it. These offenses occurred on May 30, 2020, and March 26, 2020, in Raymond’s embassy-leased residence in Mexico City. Additionally, Raymond admitted that over the course of 14 years he recorded and/or photographed at least 24 unconscious and nude or partially nude women and touched the breasts, buttocks, groin area and/or genitalia of numerous women while they were incapable of consent. Raymond transported these obscene materials, specifically 479 photographs and videos of 20 unconscious and nude or partially nude women, into the United States. While under investigation, Raymond attempted to delete the photographs and videos from his devices and internet accounts and made materially false statements to law enforcement.
“Today’s guilty plea of Brian Jeffrey Raymond sends a strong message: The Diplomatic Security Service is committed to making sure U.S. government employees who engage in predatory behavior for which they can be charged with a criminal offense face serious consequences,” said Acting Assistant Director for Domestic Operations Julia Sweeney of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS). “Our strong relationships with the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. and foreign law enforcement partners around the world continue to be essential in the pursuit of justice.”
“Brian Jeffrey Raymond’s guilty plea is a step in the right direction in the pursuit of justice for the many victims of his predatory behaviors,” said Assistant Director in Charge Steven M. D’Antuono of the FBI’s Washington Field Office. “The FBI is grateful to the brave women who came forward to provide information to further this investigation and put a stop to Raymond’s actions.”
Raymond will be sentenced at a date to be determined and faces a maximum penalty of life in prison, a fine of $250,000, a term of supervised release of at least five years and mandatory restitution. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Trial Attorneys Jamie Perry and Danielle Hickman of the Justice Department’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney April Russo of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case.
The FBI and the Department of State’s DSS Office of Special Investigations are investigating the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and National Security Division provided valuable assistance.
The Department of Justice gratefully acknowledges the Government of Mexico, to include the Fiscalía General de la República and the Fiscalía General de Justicia de la Ciudad de México, for their extraordinary efforts, support and cooperation during the investigation.
If you believe you have been a victim, have information about Raymond or know of someone who may have information about Raymond, the FBI requests that you fill out this secure, online questionnaire, email FBI at [email protected] or call 1-800-CALL-FBI.
Former U.S. Government Employee Pleads Guilty to Sexual Abuse and Obscenity Offenses Committed over 14 YearsRead the Press Release
A California man pleaded guilty today to sexual abuse and admitted to the abusive sexual contact of numerous women, as well as photographing and recording dozens of nude and partially nude women without their consent during his career as a U.S. government employee.
According to court documents, Brian Jeffrey Raymond, 45, of La Mesa, was most recently employed by the U.S. government at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City, Mexico. Raymond departed Mexico after an adult woman was observed nude and screaming for help from his balcony on May 31, 2020. The woman reported she had no memory of events after consuming drinks and food provided by Raymond.
“Brian Raymond betrayed the trust granted to him as a U.S. government employee representing the United States abroad by engaging in years of predatory conduct sexually abusing, exploiting, and recording vulnerable women he targeted in the United States and around the world,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “As demonstrated by Raymond’s prosecution and plea, the Department of Justice and its law enforcement partners will use all of the tools at our disposal to hold accountable those who victimize women.”
During the subsequent investigation, law enforcement agents recovered hundreds of photographs and videos depicting more than 20 unconscious and nude or partially nude women from Raymond’s cell phones, iCloud account, and other electronic devices. Raymond created these materials starting at least as early as 2006 and continuing up until May 30, 2020. Raymond’s hand is visible in photographs and videos manipulating his victims’ eyes, mouths, and limbs and fondling their breasts and buttocks. Raymond is also seen lying in bed with unconscious women on two different occasions. The women experienced memory loss during their time with Raymond and had no knowledge of the photographs, videos, or physical contact. Internet history recovered from Raymond’s devices revealed searches for unconscious women, as well as searches for the side effects of prescription drugs combined with alcohol, for example, “ambien and alcohol side effects,” “Ambien dissolve,” “Ambien and alcohol pass out,” and “passed out and carried.”
“Thanks to the coordinated efforts of law enforcement here and abroad, Brian Raymond was brought to justice for the sexual and exploitive crimes he repeatedly committed against numerous women,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips for the District of Columbia. “We hope that this guilty plea brings some solace to his many victims.”
In the plea agreement, Raymond admitted he engaged in sexual intercourse with two of the victims depicted in the recordings when both were incapable of appraising the nature of the conduct or consenting to it. These offenses occurred on May 30, 2020, and March 26, 2020, in Raymond’s embassy-leased residence in Mexico City. Additionally, Raymond admitted that over the course of 14 years he recorded and/or photographed at least 24 unconscious and nude or partially nude women and touched the breasts, buttocks, groin area and/or genitalia of numerous women while they were incapable of consent. Raymond transported these obscene materials, specifically 479 photographs and videos of 20 unconscious and nude or partially nude women, into the United States. While under investigation, Raymond attempted to delete the photographs and videos from his devices and internet accounts and made materially false statements to law enforcement.
“Today's guilty plea of Brian Jeffrey Raymond sends a strong message: The Diplomatic Security Service is committed to making sure U.S. government employees who engage in predatory behavior for which they can be charged with a criminal offense face serious consequences,” said Acting Assistant Director for Domestic Operations Julia Sweeney of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS). “Our strong relationships with the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. and foreign law enforcement partners around the world continue to be essential in the pursuit of justice.”
“Brian Jeffrey Raymond’s guilty plea is a step in the right direction in the pursuit of justice for the many victims of his predatory behaviors,” said Assistant Director in Charge Steven M. D’Antuono of the FBI’s Washington Field Office. “The FBI is grateful to the brave women who came forward to provide information to further this investigation and put a stop to Raymond’s actions.”
Raymond will be sentenced at a date to be determined and faces a maximum penalty of life in prison, a fine of $250,000, a term of supervised release of at least five years and mandatory restitution. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Trial Attorneys Jamie Perry and Danielle Hickman of the Justice Department’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney April Russo of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case.
The FBI and the Department of State’s DSS Office of Special Investigations are investigating the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and National Security Division provided valuable assistance.
The Department of Justice gratefully acknowledges the Government of Mexico, to include the Fiscalía General de la República and the Fiscalía General de Justicia de la Ciudad de México, for their extraordinary efforts, support and cooperation during the investigation.
If you believe you have been a victim, have information about Raymond or know of someone who may have information about Raymond, the FBI requests that you fill out this secure, online questionnaire, email FBI at [email protected] or call 1-800-CALL-FBI.
Former Tech Employee at Blue Ridge School District Sentenced to 30 Months' ImprisonmentRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A former technology coordinator who worked for Blue Ridge Community School District in Farmer, City, Ill., Joshua Raymer, 45, was sentenced on July 22, 2021, to 30 months in federal prison, to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release, in relation to a scheme that defrauded the district of approximately $336,276 over two years.
Raymer pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud in connection with the scheme in February 2021. According to court documents, during the time Raymer carried out the scheme, from April 2016 to December 2018, he falsely represented to a district official that computer switches had failed, and replacements were needed to maintain the district’s computer system. Raymer repeatedly used his position to have the district order and pay for more than 100 computer switches that it did not use or need, from two separate vendors, at a total cost of more than $400,000. Another 28 computer switches were ordered that were never paid for that resulted in a loss to the vendor of approximately $106,200.
When Raymer received the switches, he admitted that he sold them as if they were his personal property and used the money for himself. Acting under his name and doing business as “The Bored Woodworker,” Raymer contacted at least five different buyers and negotiated a purchase price for the switches that had been shipped to and paid for by the Blue Ridge school district. Raymer then shipped the switches to his buyers and had payments issued to himself or his business name.
At the sentencing, U.S. District Court Judge Sue E. Myerscough also ordered Raymer to pay $460,373.77 in restitution. Raymer is required to pay $336,276 to the school district and its insurer and $106,200 to a computer vendor. The judge also ordered Raymer to pay an additional $17,897.77 to Special Olympics Illinois in relation to a theft from that organization, where Raymer worked following his employment with the school district. Raymer had agreed to pay restitution in relation to that uncharged conduct as part of his plea agreement.
“The Farmer City Police Department deserves praise for an outstanding investigation,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Douglas J. Quivey. “Public corruption at any level of government simply cannot be tolerated. Our school children deserve quality technology, and prosecution with a resulting prison sentence that includes restitution serves to restore a needed level of public trust and reminds us all that those who decide to cheat will pay a stiff price.”
The charges were investigated by the Farmer City, Ill., Police Department, with the full cooperation of the school district, which referred the matter to law enforcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Bass represented the government in the prosecution.
Former Springfield Business Owner Charged in Fraudulent Loan SchemeRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE – A federal indictment was unsealed today, charging Chad William Rudicel, 52, formerly of Springfield, Tennessee, with seven counts of wire fraud, one count of mail fraud, and two counts of aggravated identity theft, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Mary Jane Stewart for the Middle District of Tennessee. Rudicel was arrested by FBI agents at him home in Largo, Florida, earlier this morning.
According to the indictment, Rudicel owned Ellis & Rudicel Welding (E&R), a steel fabrication and welding company located in Springfield, Tennessee. In the summer of 2015, Rudicel offered to purchase Brown’s Welding and Steel Services / Brown Cliff Crane (Brown’s Welding), another steel welding and fabrication business. The owner of the business gave Rudicel access to the books and records of the business so that Rudicel could have the business appraised. Rudicel never actually purchased Brown’s Welding but instead, in the spring of 2016, Rudicel sought funding from Thermo Communications Funding, LLC (Thermo). As part of the loan agreement, Rudicel falsely claimed that E&R had performed work for Brown’s Welding in the amount of $279,700. E&R had not, in fact, performed any work for Brown’s Welding, and Brown’s Welding did not owe E&R any money. Rudicel gave Thermo fabricated invoices and forged the signature of the owner of Brown’s Welding on a number of documents. Further, Rudicel falsely represented to Thermo that the owner of Brown’s Welding had consented to the deal. Rudicel did not repay the loan to Thermo but instead, took out another loan in the amount of $25,000 from an investment company called New Hope Properties, LLC, which he promised to repay within two months. Rudicel opened a bank account in the name of “Brown’s Welding and Crane Service,” and deposited the check into that account. He then wrote Thermo a check for $25,000 out of that account, but that check was returned for insufficient funds because Rudicel had already spent the money he received from New Hope.
In March 2017, Rudicel applied for another loan, this time from Construction Finance LLC. Rudicel applied for that loan in the name of the owner of Brown’s Welding, without his knowledge, and forged the owner’s signature on several documents. Rudicel gave Construction Finance several false invoices and job contracts that made it appear that Brown’s Welding had entered into contracts with various clients, and that Brown’s Welding had subcontracted that work to E&R. Rudicel falsely made it appear as though E&R was owed approximately $531,000. Several of these false documents contained the forged signatures of a Brown’s Welding employee and representatives of the purported clients. In addition to the forged signatures, these invoices and contracts were false and fraudulent because neither E&R nor Brown’s Welding had entered into contracts with these clients, nor completed the work, nor were they owed money by any of these clients.
If convicted, Rudicel faces a mandatory two-year sentence on each aggravated identity theft count and up to 20 years and a $250,000 fine on each wire and mail fraud count.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn W. Booth is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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Former Pharmaceutical Sales Representative Indicted in Compounded Prescription Drug SchemeRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A former pharmaceutical sales representative was charged today for his role in a scheme to defraud a telecommunications company’s health care plan by billing for medically unnecessary compounded prescriptions, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Carmine A. Mattia Jr. 60, of Cedar Grove, New Jersey, was indicted on one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and three counts of health care fraud. He will have his initial appearance on a date to be determined.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Compounded medications are specialty medications mixed by a pharmacist to meet the specific medical needs of an individual patient. Although not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), they are properly prescribed when a physician determines that an FDA-approved medication does not meet the health needs of a particular patient, such as if a patient is allergic to a dye or other ingredients in the prescription.
The scheme centered on Mattia’s work as a sales representative for a marketing company and various compounding pharmacies, for which he sold compounded medications, including pain creams, scar creams, wound creams, and metabolic supplements/vitamins. Mattia was also a full-time employee of the telecommunications company and was a union representative for the company’s employees.
Between April 2016 and July 2016, Mattia participated in a conspiracy to submit fraudulent prescriptions for compounded medications to the telecommunications company’s health care plan. The compounding pharmacies paid Mattia a commission in exchange for each prescription for compounded medication Mattia caused to be billed to the company’s health care plan.
To fraudulently increase his profits as a sales representative, Mattia recruited Individual-1 to receive medically unnecessary compounded medications. Mattia paid Individual-1 to induce Individual-1 to receive these medications. Mattia also secured the signature of a New Jersey doctor, Robert Agresti, on prescription forms for Individual-1. Agresti and Individual-1 did not have a doctor/patient relationship, Agresti did not determine if Individual-1 needed the compounded medications selected, and he did not examine Individual-1. Agresti pleaded guilty on June 26, 2018, to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and is awaiting sentencing.
Mattia’s participation in the scheme caused a loss to the telecommunications company’s health care plan of approximately $100,000.
The conspiracy charge and substantive health care fraud charges each carry a statutory maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greatest.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge George M. Crouch Jr. in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s indictment.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emma Spiro and Sean M. Sherman of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Opioid Abuse Prevention and Enforcement Unit in Newark.
The charge and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Former Payroll Administrator Found Guilty of $1.5 Million Fraud Against Longtime EmployerRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A longtime payroll administrator was found guilty today of wire fraud and other charges for a scheme in which she embezzled more than $1.5 million from her former employer, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Robert E. Bornstein, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division.
Eleanor Milligan, 61, of Silver Spring, Md., was found guilty of a total of 13 counts, including wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and first-degree theft. The verdict followed a trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The Honorable Timothy J. Kelly scheduled sentencing for Oct. 22, 2021.
According to the government’s evidence, except for brief periods, Milligan worked from 1998 to 2016 for a company based in Washington, D.C. Beginning in at least or about August 2009, and continuing until in or about March 2016, Milligan used her fellow employees’ names and personal identifying identification without authority to transmit false payment requests to herself through the employer’s payroll processing system. In total, Milligan caused more than $1.5 million in fraudulently obtained payments to be direct-deposited into accounts under her control and otherwise paid for her benefit.
In announcing the verdict, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillips and Acting Special Agent in Charge Bornstein commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). They commended the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Chad Byron and Michon Tart, Victim-Witness Service Coordinator Tonya Jones, Supervisory Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling, and Litigation Technology Specialist Jeanie Latimore-Brown. Finally, they acknowledged the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Diane Lucas and Christine Macey, who prosecuted the matter.