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21 July 2021
7 Defendants in Nationwide Money Laundering Organization Charged for Laundering over $28 Million for Drug Trafficking OrganizationsRead the Press Release
Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Ray Donovan, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), announced charges today against seven individuals involved in laundering tens of millions of dollars for drug trafficking organizations selling illegal narcotics throughout the United States. YING SUN, JIAN WANG, FRANK LIU, DIELONG WU, LARRY LAI, and JIE LIN, are charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmission business; STEVEN WOO was also charged as part of the conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmission business. SUN, LIU, and WOO were arrested in California and will be presented in the Central District of California this afternoon before Magistrate Judge John D. Early. WU and LAI were arrested today in New York and will be presented in the Southern District of New York before Magistrate Judge Katharine H. Parker. WANG and LIN remain at large. During the investigation, law enforcement agents seized over $6.5 million from the defendants’ money laundering organization, and, in coordination with unsealing the charges today, seized an additional $8 million in assets traceable to the illicit proceeds laundered by the organization. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Sidney H. Stein.
U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: “Like drug dealers, those who launder the proceeds of drug trafficking profit from the sale of dangerous narcotics that wreak havoc in communities throughout the United States. As alleged, the individuals arrested today facilitated drug traffickers by concealing millions of dollars of their ill-gotten profits. Our Office will continue to work closely with the DEA and our law enforcement partners to go after the money networks that are necessary to the operations of the international drug trade.”
DEA Special Agent in Charge Ray Donovan said: “One of the most powerful criminal elements of transnational drug trafficking organizations is money laundering. Like any business, the ultimate goal of drug trafficking is to profit. These money laundering networks provide an invaluable service to traffickers, transferring their ill-gotten gains across the globe. The men and women of the DEA are focused on bringing to justice not only drug traffickers, but anyone who facilitates the drug trade.”
According to the allegations in the Indictment unsealed today[1]:
From at least November 2019 through May 2021, SUN coordinated the activities of a money laundering organization (“MLO”), communicating with drug trafficking organizations (“DTOs”) throughout the United States and in Mexico to receive large quantities of cash to be laundered. From April 2020 through April 2021, SUN organized more than 130 money pickups in 23 states involving over $20 million in drug trafficking proceeds. WANG, LIU, WU, LAI, LIN, and WOO facilitated the MLO’s operations by conducting these money pickups, transporting the cash, depositing the money into the retail banking system, and/or transferring the money to different individuals or entities.
During the course of the investigation, law enforcement agents conducted numerous seizures of bulk currency in connection with the money pickups conducted by the MLO, and seized over $6.5 million.
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SUN, 65, of Arcadia, California, WANG, 52, of Rosemead, California, LIU, 65, of Yorba Linda, California, WU, 58, of Staten Island, New York, LAI, 69, of Queens, New York, and LIN, 58, of Upland, California, are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and, along with WOO, 69, of Montebello, California, one count of conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmission business, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the judge.
Ms. Strauss praised the outstanding work of the DEA. She also thanked the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California for their assistance.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Narcotics Unit. Assistant United States Attorney Brett M. Kalikow is in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment, and the description of the Indictment set forth herein, constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
50-year prison sentence for Valdosta man guilty of producing child pornographyRead the Press Release
MACON, Ga. – Two Valdosta residents were sentenced to federal prison today for producing child pornography.
Robert Abacan, 44, of Valdosta, Georgia, was sentenced to serve a total of 50 years in prison (30 years for count one and 20 years for count two to run consecutively) to be followed by 25 years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Hugh Lawson after pleading guilty to two counts of production of child pornography. Co-defendant Frances Abacan, 43, of Valdosta, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison to be followed by 25 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to one count production of child pornography. They will have to register as sex offenders under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act upon release from federal prison. There is no parole in the federal system.
“The Abacan’s actions were monstrous, but today justice has been served. This fifty-year sentence guarantees that Robert Abacan will never again be able to harm children,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “I am thankful to our local and federal law enforcement partners for helping us hold the Abacans accountable for their despicable crimes against children.”
“The FBI is extremely grateful to our law enforcement partners for bringing this case to our attention so that we could hold this couple accountable to the greatest extent of the law,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The children involved in this horrendous abuse will be scarred for life, but hopefully, because of this sentence, the Abacans won’t be able to hurt any more children.”
“This is one of the worst cases of child pornography and exploitation I have encountered during my decades in law enforcement. Putting these people behind bars wouldn’t have happened without the close cooperation of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI and all of the federal agencies that worked to bring the Abacans to justice,” said Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk.
In 2018, the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office received information which ultimately revealed that Abacan had sexually molested three minor victims. Some of this sexual abuse was recorded on video, and a copy was transported from the state of California to Valdosta.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
FBI and Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katelyn Semales and Alex Kalim prosecuted the case for the Government, with assistance from Victim Assistance Specialist Marsha Vera.
16 charged in narcotics, firearms conspiraciesRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – A federal grand jury has charged 16 individuals in narcotics and firearms conspiracies.
The alleged narcotics conspiracy involves 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and cocaine and 10 grams or more of LSD, as well as detectable amounts of MDMA, DMT, marijuana and ketamine. Defendants are also alleged to have conspired to possess firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking.
The grand jury originally charged the two individuals allegedly involved in an Aug. 7, 2020 chase through Cincinnati that resulted in the deaths of two bystanders in Newport, Kentucky. The original indictment was returned Aug. 26, 2020. Mason Meyer, 29, and Kirsten Johnson, 23, both of Cincinnati, were charged federally with possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Meyer is also charged with illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. In Campbell County, Kentucky, Meyer is charged with two counts of murder, endangerment, and fleeing and evading.
Ongoing investigation led to the additional defendants and charges. The second superseding indictment charges 14 additional defendants. As charged in the latest indictment, the narcotics conspiracy is punishable by at least 10 years and up to life in prison.
According to court documents, officials with the ATF, Cincinnati Police and the Northern Kentucky Drug Strike Force were surveilling Meyer in Cincinnati on Aug. 7, 2020 when Meyer drove away.
Cincinnati Police officers attempted to stop Meyer when he fled, causing a police chase through Cincinnati and into Covington and Newport, Kentucky.
Local court documents detail that Meyer’s vehicle struck and killed a couple dining on the patio of Press on Monmouth in Newport, Kentucky. Two other pedestrians were struck and suffered minor injuries.
At the time of the chase, court documents allege Meyer and Johnson possessed 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, two loaded handguns and a loaded rifle.
Those currently charged in the case include:
Name
Age
City of Residence
Mason Meyer
29
Cincinnati
Kirsten Johnson
29
Cincinnati
Ryan Haskamp
33
Cincinnati
William Keith Jenkins
34
Cincinnati
Michael Alden Mobley
39
Ghent, Ky.
Michael Tyler Boeh
32
Cincinnati
Victoria Stauffer
27
Cincinnati
Quincy Pemberton
30
Cincinnati
Damon Gene Wade
28
California, Ky.
Kelly Marie Smart
32
Cincinnati
Kevin Patrick Thiery
41
Cincinnati
Crystal Randall
33
Cincinnati
Rory Hartmann
27
Cincinnati
Julie Renae Wetzel
31
Cincinnati
Ashley Long
27
Cincinnati
Haley Pennington
23
Moraine, Ohio
Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Roland Herndon, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); Keith Martin, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot K. Isaac and agencies with the Northern Kentucky Drug Strike Force and Drug Abuse Reduction Task Force (DART) announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorneys Timothy D. Oakley, Jennifer K. Weinhold and Ashley N. Brucato are representing the United States in this case.
An indictment merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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20 July 2021
Wyoming County Man Indicted on Charges of Transportation and Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that a federal grand jury has returned and indictment charging Shayne M. Hildreth, 40, of Bliss, NY, with transportation and possession of child pornography. The charges carry a minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of 40 years, and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron J. Mango, who is handling the case, stated that according to the indictment and a previously filed complaint, in February 2018, the Aurora-Marionville Police Department in Lawrence County, Missouri was dispatched to an address in Aurora, Missouri based on a report of a past sexual assault involving a 15-year-old Minor Victim (MVI). MVl stated that she was molested by the defendant over the past several years in the states of New York, Colorado, and Missouri. MVl stated that she had previously found child pornography, including surreptitiously recorded images of herself, on Hildreth’s cellular phone and laptop computer. On February 24, 2018, Aurora-Marionville Police encountered the defendant and seized a cellular telephone found in his possession. On March 2, 2018, during the execution of a search warrant on the phone, three images of child pornography were recovered.
The defendant was arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy and was detained.
The indictment is the result of an investigation by the Aurora-Marionville Police Department, under the direction of Chief Richard Witthuhn, and Homeland Security investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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Worcester Psychiatrist Indicted for Unlawful Distribution of Controlled Substances and Health Care FraudRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Worcester psychiatrist was arrested yesterday on charges that he illegally prescribed controlled substances to patients and submitted false reimbursement claims to defraud the Medicare program.
Mohamad Och, 65, was indicted on eight counts of unlawful distribution of a controlled substance and two counts of health care fraud. Och was released on conditions following an initial appearance yesterday before U.S. Magistrate Judge David H. Hennessy in federal court in Worcester.
Och was a licensed psychiatrist who owned and operated Island Counseling Center (ICC), in Worcester, Mass., and has practiced psychiatry elsewhere in Massachusetts including Nantucket. Among other services, Och was authorized to prescribe Schedule II-IV controlled substances to patients.
According to the charging documents, Och repeatedly prescribed a combination of benzodiazepines and stimulants to patients without a legitimate medical purpose. Specifically, it is alleged that on at least numerous occasions between August 2016 and March 2017, Och knowingly issued prescriptions for Adderall (a Schedule II controlled substance) in combination with Xanax or Klonopin (both of which are Schedule IV controlled substances) to patients outside the usual course of professional practice.
It is also alleged that between approximately January 2016 and July 2017, Och engaged in a scheme to defraud Medicare by submitting or causing to be submitted false and fraudulent claims in connection with office visits in order to obtain greater reimbursements than he was entitled to receive based on the services actually provided.
The charge of illegal prescription of a Schedule II controlled substance provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $1 million. The charge of illegal prescription of a Schedule IV controlled substance provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of health care fraud conspiracy provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Division; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Phillip M. Coyne, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office of the Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Regional Office made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Mulcahy of Mendell’s Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Woman Pleads Guilty to Unauthorized Removal and Retention of Classified MaterialRead the Press Release
A Hawaii woman pleaded guilty today to one count of knowingly removing classified information concerning the national defense or foreign relations of the United States and retaining it at an unauthorized location.
According to court documents, Asia Janay Lavarello, 31, of Honolulu, admitted to having removed and retained numerous classified documents, writings and notes relating to the national defense or foreign relations of the United States without authority. While working as an Executive Assistant for the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii, Lavarello accepted a temporary assignment working at the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines. There, she had access to classified computers and documents, and attended classified meetings as part of her official duties. Court documents list several specific instances in which Lavarello mishandled classified material of the United States.
According to her plea, on March 20, 2020, Lavarello removed classified documents from the U.S. Embassy in Manila. She took the classified documents to her hotel room where she hosted a dinner party later that evening. Among the guests were two foreign nationals. During the party, a co-worker discovered the documents, which included documents classified at the SECRET level. Lavarello’s temporary assignment in the Philippines was ultimately terminated due to her mishandling of SECRET classified documents.
After Lavarello returned to Hawaii, investigators executed a search warrant at her government workplace. In her desk, investigators found a notebook containing Lavarello’s handwritten notes of meetings she attended while working at the U.S. Embassy in Manila. The notes contained facts and information classified at the CONFIDENTIAL and SECRET levels. Investigators determined that Lavarello personally transported the documents to Hawaii, unsecured, and kept the classified notebook at an unsecure location until at least April 13, 2020.
Investigators also discovered that Lavarello included information from the classified notebook in a Jan. 16, 2020, email from her personal Gmail account to her unclassified U.S. Government email account. The information she transmitted over unsecure networks was classified at the SECRET level.
Lavarello pleaded guilty to the charge of unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents or material and faces up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI and Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mohammed Khatib of the District of Hawaii and Trial Attorney Stephen Marzen of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.
Webb City Man Pleads Guilty to Sexual Exploitation of Two ChildrenRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Webb City, Missouri, man pleaded guilty in federal court today to the sexual exploitation of two victims, an 8-year old and a 16-year old.
Harley Wayne Schrader, 26, pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to two counts of the sexual exploitation of a child.
By pleading guilty today, Schrader admitted that he solicited pornographic images from an 8-year-old child victim and that he sent her pornographic images of himself through Facebook Messenger. Schrader also admitted that he solicited pornographic images from a 16-year-old victim he met through a video game.
A Joplin, Mo., police officer took a report on July 7, 2017, that Schrader was sending inappropriate pictures to the child victim through Facebook Messenger. Investigators also found sexually explicit images of the child victim that had been sent to Schrader through Facebook Messenger.
On Oct. 4, 2017, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Schrader’s residence and seized his cell phone. During an interview with officers, Schrader also admitted that he met a 16-year-old female through the video game Immortal Knight, and she sent him nude images of herself. Investigators found multiple messages between Schrader and the 16-year-old victim on his cell phone, as well as images of child pornography.
Under federal statutes, Schrader is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of 30 years in federal prison without parole. Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, the government will recommend no more than a concurrent 18-year term of incarceration. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant 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 United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by the FBI, the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crime Task Force, and the Joplin, Mo., Police Department.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Washington County Woman Sentenced for Role in Drug Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A resident of Washington County has been sentenced in federal court to three years’ probation on her conviction of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute cocaine and crack cocaine, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.
Senior United States District Judge Arthur J. Schwab imposed the sentence on Brianne Dean, age 33, of Ellsworth, PA.
According to information presented to the court, in 2017, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration initiated a wiretap investigation, primarily targeting the GBK street gang and drug trafficking in and around an area known as the Greenway Projects, located in the West End of the City of Pittsburgh. The wiretap investigation revealed that from in and around November 2017 through in and around June 2018, Brianne Dean conspired to distribute over 28 grams of crack cocaine and over 500 grams of cocaine.
Prior to imposing sentence, Senior Judge Schwab stated that the sentence was sufficient but not greater than necessary to achieve the goals of sentencing.
Assistant United States Attorneys Tonya Sulia Goodman and Yvonne M. Saadi prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
Acting United States Attorney Kaufman commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration jointly with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, Pennsylvania State Police, Robinson Township Police Department, Stowe Township Police Department, Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, Wilkinsburg Borough Police Department, and the McKees Rocks Police Department, for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Dean.
This prosecution is a result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles high-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten communities throughout the United States. OCDETF uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Warwick Man Sentenced to More than Eleven Years for Transporting a Minor with Intent to Engage in SexRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A 45-year-old Warwick man who befriended online a 15-year-old Michigan girl and executed a plan to run away with her was sentenced in federal court in Providence, RI, today to more than eleven years in federal prison and twenty years of federal supervised release for transporting the girl from her hometown to Rhode Island with the intent of repeatedly engaging in illicit sex and for having her send him sexually explicit images of herself.
According to court documents, in mid-July 2019, Charles Morancey befriended the Hopkins, MI, 15-year-old who expressed to him that she was experiencing difficulties at home. During online conversations that Morancey often turned sexually explicit and graphic, he helped the 15-year-old create a plan to run away from home with him and to prevent her parents from locating or contacting her or from accessing her social media accounts. He advised her to remove and destroy her cell phone sim card and to change passwords or delete her social media accounts. The girl chose not to follow all of Morancey’s instructions.
On August 2, 2019, the 15-year-old left her home without her parent’s knowledge and met Morancey at a nearby location. Morancey drove the girl to his Warwick residence, stopping in an Indiana rest area during the two-day drive to engage in sexual contact. Upon arriving in Rhode Island, Morancey engaged in sexual activity with the minor girl on multiple occasions.
On August 6, 2019, the Allegan County Sherriff’s Department obtained an emergency search warrant for the missing teen’s Instagram account, and determined that the girl had logged on to her account from an IP address in Rhode Island. The investigation determined that the IP address belonged to Morancey. Warwick Police were notified and responded to Morancey’s residence where they located the missing girl. Later that afternoon, Morancey was located in Warwick driving his vehicle and was arrested.
Charles Morancey pled guilty on November 18, 2019, to a two-count information charging him with travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct and receipt of child pornography.
Today’s sentencing of Morancey by U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith to 135 months in federal prison to be followed by twenty years of federal supervised release, and an assessment in the amount of $5,000 pursuant to the Justice for Victims Trafficking Act, is announced by Acting United States Attorney Richard B. Myrus.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lee H. Vilker.
The matter was investigated by the Allegan County Sherriff’s Office and the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force, with the assistance of the Warwick Police Department.
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Two Romanian Nationals Charged for Roles in an International Online Auction Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Acting U.S. Attorney Bridget M. Brennan announced that two Romanian nationals were charged in a twelve-count indictment, unsealed in federal court today, stemming from their roles in an international criminal network, whose members engaged in a wide-ranging online auction fraud scheme that targeted victims in the Northern District of Ohio and elsewhere in the United States.
Costel Alecu, 37, of Bucharest, Romania, and Madalin Ghinea, 34, of Alexandria, Romania, are both charged in the indictment with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, eight counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit service marks, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and one count of aggravated identity theft. Alecu and Ghinea were arrested by Romanian authorities in March of 2021.
The indictment alleges that beginning in July of 2008 through August of 2020, Alecu, Ghinea and others known and unknown to the Grand Jury, devised a scheme to entice victims in the United States and elsewhere to purchase items online, including vehicles and other high-value items, that did not exist and to obtain the personal identifying information of their victims. As a result, victims suffered a combined loss of approximately $9 million USD.
To conduct their scheme, Alecu and other members of the conspiracy created accounts on various auction websites to post advertisements for goods that did not exist. In certain cases, Alecu and others allegedly created and used fictitious websites, email addresses and other forms of communication that contained counterfeit trademark information designed to convince their victims that the advertisements were genuine. Furthermore, it is alleged that the group used a number of fraudulent online communication templates and email addresses intended to deceive victims into believing that they were communicating with legitimate business representatives, when in fact, they were speaking with a member of the conspiracy.
The indictment states that around August of 2014, Alecu and Ghinea exchanged a number of these fraudulent communication templates and the personal identifying information of their victims for use in the scheme to defraud.
Alecu and others allegedly used a network of money launderers and money mules to obtain payment from their victims and transfer the funds overseas.
Additionally, the indictment alleges that Alecu and other members of the group used the stolen personal identifying information of their victims, credit cards and bank accounts to launder money overseas and fund the operation of their network by purchasing items such as Virtual Private Networks and domain names.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
If convicted, the Defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to this case, including the Defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the Defendant’s role in the offense, and the characteristics of the violation.
In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum, and in most cases, it will be less than the maximum.
This case was investigated by the Cleveland FBI with help from authorities in Romania. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Duncan T. Brown and Brian S. Deckert of the Northern District of Ohio and Senior Counsel Timothy Flowers of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section.
Tulsa Man Pleads Guilty to Trafficking Firearms in Exchange for Distribution Amounts of High-Grade MarijuanaRead the Press Release
A Tulsa gang member pleaded guilty for conspiring with others to collect firearms and exchange them for marijuana to sell on the black market, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
Shelvon Tyrone Williams, 27, pleaded guilty Thursday, July 15, to firearms conspiracy and will be sentenced Nov. 18, 2021.
In his plea agreement, Williams admitted that from November 2018 to March 2020, he collected and transported firearms from Oklahoma to northern California in exchange for distribution amounts of high-grade marijuana. Williams then sold the marijuana in the Northern District of Oklahoma.
“Shelvon Williams and his coconspirators furthered their illegal marijuana distribution operation by putting firearms into the hands of other dangerous criminals. The trafficking of firearms fuels violent crime and places those living in communities across our nation at risk,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “The Justice Department is focused on preventing and disrupting violent crime. My office will work alongside our local, state, federal, and tribal partners to vigorously prosecute the criminal trafficking of firearms.”
On March 4, 2020, the U.S. Attorney’s Office charged Williams and five others for their involvement in the firearms conspiracy and drug conspiracy. Williams and other defendants are members of the Squeeze Team, a violent street gang made up of various members affiliated with the Bloods, Neighborhood Crips, and 5-tre Crips.
According to the indictment, the conspirators concealed the firearms in backpacks, duffel bags, and suitcases and transported them in cars and buses to individuals in California. The defendants purchased bus tickets with cash using false names to help conceal their crimes. In exchange for each handgun they delivered to California, the defendants received one to two pounds of high-grade marijuana shipped through the U.S. Postal Service. Conspirators in California shipped the packages of marijuana to a specific geographical region in Tulsa where U.S. Postal Service employee and codefendant, Whitney D’ron Clark, retrieved the packages. She then delivered the packages to other conspirators who re-packaged the marijuana for sale in northeastern Oklahoma.
Codefendants Brian Lee Thomas, Whitney D’ron Clark, and Kenyante Hampton previously pleaded guilty to drug conspiracy. Also pleading guilty to firearms conspiracy was codefendant Sheldon Tyrone Christopher Williams Jr.
“ATF and our partners are committed to stopping the illegal flow of firearms across the United States. Mr. Williams and his partners’ greed put the safety of Oklahomans and Californians at risk. They were living the high life for a while, but the law will always catch up with you. I applaud the efforts of all the agencies involved in this significant investigation” stated ATF Dallas Field Division Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey C. Boshek II.
This prosecution was a part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Operation Squeezed Out. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.
The Tulsa Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel-lyn A. McCormick prosecuted the case. AUSA McCormick serves as the lead attorney for the U.S. Attorney’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces.
South Bend Housing Authority Former Executive Director and OthersRead the Press Release
SOUTH BEND – Five individuals have been charged by way of an 11-count indictment, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Tina L. Nommay.
The following individuals were charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud; 6 counts of bank fraud; and 2 counts of wire fraud: Tonya Robinson, 58; Albert Smith, 44; Tyreisha Robinson, 30; Archie Robinson III, 60; and Ronald Taylor, Jr, 42; all of South Bend. Tonya Robinson, Albert Smith, and Tyreisha Robinson were also charged with one count of federal program theft. Tyreisha Robinson was also charged with theft of government money.
According to documents in this case, Tonya Robinson was the former Executive Director of the South Bend Housing Authority (HASB) from approximately 2014 to 2019. Albert Smith and Tyreisha Robinson are former employees at the HASB. Archie Robinson and Ronald Taylor are owners of contracting businesses hired by the HASB to do contracting work.
The HASB provides housing opportunities and services to the South Bend community, managing more than 800 public housing residential units. The HASB had an annual contract with the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development from which it receives several hundred thousand dollars annually in assistance from the federal government. As Executive Director, Tonya Robinson was the primary person responsible for the overall day-to-day operations of the HASB.
It is alleged that all five defendants conspired to defraud and obtain money belonging to the HASB by means of materially false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises for their personal use and benefit. The scheme is alleged to involve the creation of fraudulent HASB payment checks for contracting work that had not actually occurred; the contractors cashing and depositing the HASB payment checks while knowing that the work had not actually occurred; and the contractors kicking back a portion of the money from the HASB payment checks to employees at the HASB, including Tonya Robinson and Albert Smith.
The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that an indictment is merely an allegation, and that all persons are presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty in court.
If convicted, any specific sentence to be imposed will be determined by the judge after a consideration of federal statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Division, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Luke N. Reilander.
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Shreveport Tax Preparer Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
SHREVEPORT, La. – Dequita Hopkins-Ashley, 40, of Shreveport, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Donald E. Walter to spend 18 months in prison, followed by 1 year of supervised release, for tax fraud, announced Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook. Hopkins-Ashley was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $129,000.
Hopkins-Ashley was indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2020 and charged with numerous counts of aiding and assisting in making and subscribing a false return and three counts of false statement on an income tax return. On March 26, 2021, Hopkins-Ashley entered a plea of guilty to the charge of aiding and assisting in making and subscribing a false return. According to information presented in court, Hopkins-Ashley owned and operated a tax preparation service called “Elite Tax Service” in Shreveport and was employed as a tax preparer.
In February 2017, Hopkins-Ashley met with an undercover agent posing as a client of Elite Tax Service. Hopkins-Ashley prepared and filed a Form 1040 for the undercover agent and claimed a false business loss on Form Schedule C in the amount of $6,100. The undercover agent did not provide this information to her, and in truth and in fact, no such business existed. As a result of the misrepresentation on the Form Schedule C, the falsified tax return showed a refund to which the individual was not entitled and was a misrepresentation that Hopkins-Ashley knew to be untrue.
The IRS - Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian C. Flanagan and Seth D. Reeg prosecuted the case.
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Sage Consulting Group, Inc. Agrees to Pay $4.8 Million to Settle Civil False Claims Act and Anti-Kickback Act AllegationsRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Virginia-based consulting group and its president and majority owner agreed to a $4.8 million settlement with respect to allegations that they paid kickbacks, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Raj Parekh for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Sage Consulting Group, Inc. (Sage), a federal government contractor located in Vienna, specializes in providing information technology services to the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD). Robert Pleghardt, of Vienna, is the President and 99.5% owner of Sage. Sage and Pleghardt agreed to pay $4.8 million to settle allegations that they paid kickbacks to companies certified by the Small Business Administration (SBA) as 8(a) small businesses, which are owned and operated by socially and economically disadvantaged citizens, in order to obtain subcontracts on 8(a) set-aside contracts. According to the United States’ allegations, Sage and Pleghardt falsely represented to government agencies that the 8(a) certified companies would be performing at least 50% of the work on these contracts when, in fact, Sage performed 100% of the work.
The United States alleged that Wete and Company, Inc. (Wete), formerly an 8(a) certified company, agreed to subcontract work on 8(a) set-aside contracts and task orders for the Department of Defense Education Activity (DODEA) to Sage in exchange for an hourly fee paid by Sage to Wete for every hour of work Wete subcontracted to Sage. The United States also alleged that Pleghardt falsely represented, in a proposal submitted to DODEA, that Wete employees would be working on a task order when he knew that all the work on the task order would, in fact, be performed by Sage employees.
The United States further alleged that Index Systems, Inc. (Index), an 8(a) certified company, agreed to subcontract work on 8(a) set-aside contracts for DODEA and the Defense Human Resources Activity (DHRA) to Sage in exchange for an hourly fee paid by Sage to Index for every hour of work Index subcontracted to Sage. The United States also alleged that Pleghardt falsely represented to DHRA officials that Index employees would be working on a DHRA contract when he knew that all the work on the contract would, in fact, be performed by Sage employees.
The settlement resolves federal civil claims under the False Claims Act and the Anti-Kickback Act. Sage and Pleghardt cooperated with the government’s investigation.
The resolutions obtained in this matter were the result of a coordinated effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and the General Services Administration Office of Inspector General.
This matter was investigated by Assistant U.S. Attorney Krista Anderson.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
The civil claims settled by this agreement are allegations only; there has been no determination of civil liability.
Project Safe Neighborhoods Cases Result in Two Shreveport Men Going to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
SHREVEPORT, La. – Two Shreveport men were sentenced today by United States District Judge Donald E. Walter in separate cases which are a result of continued efforts by federal and local law enforcement agencies to curb gun violence in the area as part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods program, Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced.
LaBroderick B. Gandy, 29, was charged in an indictment with one count of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and pled guilty to the charge on March 23, 2021. Gandy was sentenced to 60 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release. Evidence presented in court revealed that on May 20, 2020, Gandy possessed a firearm which he was prohibited from doing. Officers with the Shreveport Police Department responded to a call from a concerned citizen about shots being fired at an apartment complex on Pines Road in Shreveport. While in route to the location, officers received a call from another concerned citizen that a man wearing a red shirt was seen walking on Pines Road and it appeared he was reaching in his belt line to retrieve a possible weapon.
Officers traveled down Pines Road and located a suspect wearing a red shirt, later determined to be Gandy. Before making contact with Gandy, officers observed him throw an object into a wooded area. Gandy was taken into custody and officers searched the wooded area and located a firearm. Gandy has prior felony convictions for possession of a controlled substance (2017), aggravated assault with a firearm (2015), and simple assault (2014) and is prohibited from possessing a firearm.
Michael S. Collins, Jr., 22, was sentenced to 60 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking offense. Collins pleaded guilty to the charge on March 26, 2021.
According to information presented to the court, Shreveport Police Department officers received a call regarding suspicious activity in the area of Lynbrook Drive in Shreveport. The call reported that a black male approached a mail carrier while having a firearm visible in his vehicle wanting a package that did not have his name on it. The package was being shipped to a vacant residence. The postal worker told him the house was vacant and the package would be at the main post office. When police officers arrived at the main post office, they observed Collins getting into a car and leaving. A traffic stop was conducted, and Collins was found to be sitting on a loaded .40 caliber pistol and had an AR-15 with a drum magazine loaded with 56 rounds behind the driver’s seat. Officers also found Collins to have over $2,300 in cash and a package containing approximately three pounds of marijuana edibles and a scale. In addition, the package Collins picked up from the post office was found and it contained over four pounds of vacuum-sealed marijuana inside.
The ATF and Shreveport Police Department conducted the investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tennille Gilreath and J. Aaron Crawford prosecuted the cases.
These cases are part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN is part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime. To learn more about Project Safe Neighborhoods, go to www.justice.gov/psn.
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Prattville Woman Sentenced for Possession of Meth with Intent to DistributeRead the Press Release
Montgomery, Ala. – Today, Acting United States Attorney Sandra J. Stewart announced that a Prattville, Alabama woman has been sentenced for possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. On July 15, 2021, 40-year-old Mary Elizabeth Griffin Wilson was sentenced to 60 months in prison after pleading guilty to the crime in March of this year. Following her sentence, she will serve three years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court records, on March 1, 2019, Wilson was stopped by law enforcement while driving in Autauga County for a traffic violation. As deputies approached the vehicle, they saw movements from Wilson indicating she was trying to conceal something from them. She was asked to exit the vehicle, and when she did, deputies observed methamphetamine in the seat where she had been sitting. After being taken into custody, she also told officers she had more meth in her pants pockets. Deputies also discovered approximately $20,000.00 in cash in her purse.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Autauga County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Kevin Davidson prosecuted the case.
Pittsburgh Man Pleads Guilty to Trafficking Endangered and Invasive FishRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH – A Pennsylvania man pleaded guilty today in the Western District of Pennsylvania for trafficking in endangered and invasive fish in violation of the Lacey Act.
Anthony Nguyen, aka JoJo Nguyen and Jackie Lee, 49, of Pittsburgh, entered guilty pleas before U.S. District Judge Nora B. Fischer to counts one and two of the indictment returned against him on Nov. 13, 2020, alleging that he trafficked in endangered Asian arowana and invasive snakehead fish. Nguyen owned and operated a Pittsburgh business, Ichiban Tropical Fish, specializing in the sale of rare and exotic freshwater tropical fish species.
During his plea hearing, Nguyen admitted to violating the Lacey Act in 2016 when he sold illegally imported Asian arowana, which are native to Southeast Asia and are protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA). Arowana, also known as “dragon fish” or “Asian bonytongue fish,” are considered the most expensive freshwater fish on earth, with highly sought-after specimens selling for tens of thousands of dollars. Arowana are also listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES), which is reserved for the most endangered species of fish and wildlife.
Nguyen also admitted to violating the Lacey Act for selling invasive and injurious snakehead fish in 2019, in violation of Pennsylvania law. Snakeheads are native to Asia, but have been introduced into freshwater habitats in the U.S. Pursuant to the terms of Nguyen’s plea agreement, he will also accept responsibility for falsifying documents related to the snakehead shipment.
Nguyen is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 1 and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each charge.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department also provided assistance during the investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Patrick M. Duggan of the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric G. Olshan.
Pittsburgh Man Indicted on Drug and Firearms ChargesRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA - A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of violating federal narcotics and firearms laws, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.
The three-count Indictment named Darion Ethridge, age 21, as the sole defendant. Ethridge is charged with possession with the intent to distribute a mixture containing fentanyl and heroin, possession of a firearm as a convicted felon, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking offense.
According to a publicly filed affidavit, investigators had information that a male matching Mr. Ethridge’s description and car would be bringing 10 bricks of heroin to the area of 2727 Mosside Blvd., Monroeville, PA. When Mr. Ethridge arrived, he was stopped by police for a traffic violation and refused to exit the vehicle. He tried to drive away from officers but drove to the dead-end section of the parking lot. Mr. Ethridge then exited his vehicle, engaged in a brief physical altercation with a detective, and ran away ran through two parking lots. He ran onto Northern Pike where he stopped traffic and resisted multiple police officer. Mr. Ethridge was caught and taken into custody. In the car that Mr. Ethridge had been driving, investigators found a fully loaded, stolen firearm and 20 bricks, which is 1,000 stamp bags, of a substance that field-tested positive for fentanyl. Mr. Etheridge was arrested at the scene.
For the drug charge, the law provides for a maximum total sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of $1 million, or both, if Mr. Ethridge is convicted. For possession of the firearm in furtherance of that drug-trafficking offense, the law provides for an additional sentence of 5 years in prison, to run consecutive to the sentence for the drug-trafficking offense. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant. Mr. Ethridge is being detained as determined at a prior hearing.
Assistant United States Attorney Ira M. Karoll is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Monroeville Police Department and the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General are leading the investigation and have been assisted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosive in conducting the investigation, leading to the arrest of Mr. Ethridge.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Pennsylvania Man Pleads Guilty to Trafficking Endangered and Invasive FishRead the Press Release
A Pennsylvania man pleaded guilty today in the Western District of Pennsylvania for trafficking in endangered and invasive fish in violation of the Lacey Act.
Anthony Nguyen, aka JoJo Nguyen and Jackie Lee, 49, of Pittsburgh, entered guilty pleas before U.S. District Judge Nora B. Fischer to counts one and two of the indictment returned against him on Nov. 13, 2020, alleging that he trafficked in endangered Asian arowana and invasive snakehead fish. Nguyen owned and operated a Pittsburgh business, Ichiban Tropical Fish, specializing in the sale of rare and exotic freshwater tropical fish species.
During his plea hearing, Nguyen admitted to violating the Lacey Act in 2016 when he sold illegally imported Asian arowana, which are native to Southeast Asia and are protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA). Arowana, also known as “dragon fish” or “Asian bonytongue fish,” are considered the most expensive freshwater fish on earth, with highly sought-after specimens selling for tens of thousands of dollars. Arowana are also listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES), which is reserved for the most endangered species of fish and wildlife.
Nguyen also admitted to violating the Lacey Act for selling invasive and injurious snakehead fish in 2019, in violation of Pennsylvania law. Snakeheads are native to Asia, but have been introduced into freshwater habitats in the U.S. Pursuant to the terms of Nguyen’s plea agreement, he will also accept responsibility for falsifying documents related to the snakehead shipment.
Nyugen is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 1 and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each charge.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department also provided assistance during the investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Patrick M. Duggan of the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric G. Olshan.
Ohio Man Sentenced for Distributing Counterfeit Pharmaceuticals in the Eastern District of TexasRead the Press Release
PLANO, Texas – An Ohio man has been sentenced to federal prison for drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei today.
Austin Seymour, 26, of Uniontown, Ohio, pleaded guilty on Jan. 26, 2021, to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and was sentenced to 168 months in federal prison today by U.S. District Judge Sean D. Jordan.
“The Eastern District of Texas remains committed to pursuing the fight against illegal narcotics on all fronts,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. “This defendant was in the business of distributing counterfeit pharmaceutical drugs, which can often have deadly consequences for the user. These drugs are increasingly being sold in the Eastern District of Texas, and our Office is committed to leveraging all of our resources to locate and prosecute those responsible for distributing these unsafe drugs into our communities.”
“Counterfeit pharmaceutical pills like the ones Mr. Seymour and his co-conspirators distributed throughout North Texas are responsible for the destruction of countless families and lives taken too soon,” said Eduardo A. Chavez, Special Agent in Charge of DEA Dallas. “DEA Dallas will continue to partner with our communities to educate and prevent these drugs from reaching our homes and will most importantly, hold those accountable who choose to distribute and profit from this poison.”
According to information presented in court, in February 2019, Seymour became the primary distributor for the Gary Collin Bussell drug trafficking organization and was responsible for the organization’s drug stash house. In so doing, he also assumed the role of the primary distributor to customers in the DFW area. He distributed counterfeit pharmaceutical pills, marijuana, and THC and was responsible for making payments to the organization’s narcotics suppliers. When a search was executed at Seymour’s residence, agents found a loaded Glock firearm in his vehicle along with various narcotics, bulk U.S. currency, a money counter, and a drug ledger in his apartment. Seymour was indicted by a federal grand jury on Oct. 8, 2019 and charged with drug trafficking violations.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Dallas Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Combs.
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North East, PA Man Had Sexual Images of Children on His ComputerRead the Press Release
ERIE, Pa. - A resident of North East, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of violating federal laws relating to the sexual exploitation of children, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.
Gregory A. Doyle, 58, pleaded guilty to one count before Senior United States District Judge David S. Cercone.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that Doyle possessed computer images depicting minors under the age of 12 engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
Judge Cercone scheduled sentencing for December 13, 2021, at 2:00 p.m. The law provides for a total sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Pending sentencing, the court continued Doyle on bond.
Assistant United States Attorney Christian A. Trabold is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Pennsylvania State Police conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Doyle.
Nocona Man Convicted of Sexual Exploitation of Missing BoyRead the Press Release
A Nocona man named a person of interest in the 2015 disappearance of a local 18-year-old pleaded guilty today to preying on the boy when he was a minor, announced Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Prerak Shah.
Hours after the court declared a mistrial due to juror injury, Ricky Dale Howard, 59, pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a child.
“Although much of what happened to this young boy remains a mystery, we know one thing for sure: Before he went missing, he suffered at the hands of a child sex predator. He was preyed upon by a man his family knew and trusted,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Shah. “Our fervent hope is that one day, he will be found. In the meantime, we are proud to put the man who abused him behind bars.”
FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Matthew J. DeSarno said, “We will continue to work with our partners to seek justice for this victim’s family and do all that we can to ensure that vulnerable members of our community are protected from those who seek to do them harm. The defendant will be held accountable for his reprehensible conduct, and we will remain committed to investigating anyone who seeks to exploit children.”
According to evidence presented in court before the mistrial was declared, law enforcement obtained several of Mr. Howard’s computers during an investigation into the disappearance of a high school senior who was reported missing on April 1, 2015, just two weeks after his 18th birthday.
On the computers, investigators found sexually explicit images that appeared to show Mr. Howard sexually abusing the missing boy. In pleading guilty, Mr. Howard admitted that he enticed the minor into engaging in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of creating a visual depiction.
At trial, the boy’s mother testified she and her children had been close with the Howard family since the boys were children. Tami Diehl said her son began performing odd jobs for Mr. Howard during middle school.
Law enforcement officers testified that following the boy’s disappearance, Mr. Howard told police the last time he’d seen the victim was the weekend before he went missing, when the pair attempted to repair his broken-down truck. Several days into the missing person investigation, an officer observed a burn pit with several incinerated computers on Mr. Howard’s property.
Two years after the disappearance, Ms. Diehl discovered a small handheld tape recorder hidden in the back of a bathroom cabinet. The tape recorder contained audio of Mr. Howard asking himself polygraph questions pertaining to his sexual interest in young boys.
Shortly thereafter, investigators re-examined the missing persons case. Recalling the incinerated computers, officers asked Mr. Howard’s ex-wife and later his daughter for the computers, which were examined by analysts at the FBI’s North Texas Regional Computer Forensic Lab. Ms. Diehl, one of Mr. Howard’s sons, and Mr. Howard’s ex-wife all identified the missing victim in redacted versions of photographs extracted from the computers.
Mr. Howard now faces up to 30 years in federal prison.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office, Wichita Falls Resident Agency, the Montague County Sheriff’s Office, and the Nocona Police Department conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Montague County District Attorney’s Office and the Texas Rangers. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brandie Wade and Nancy Larson are prosecuting the case. U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor presided over trial in Fort Worth.
New York City Man Arrested in Kidnapping of Elderly Woman with Dementia at West L.A. Veterans’ Affairs Medical CenterRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A New York man is scheduled to be in federal court this afternoon after being arrested Monday on a kidnapping charge stemming from his alleged abduction of a 68-year-old woman with dementia at the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
Johnny Ray Gasca, 51, of Bronx, New York, was charged in a federal criminal complaint filed today with one count of kidnapping, an offense that carries a statutory maximum penalty of life in federal prison.
The FBI arrested Gasca on Monday afternoon outside a Hollywood motel. The victim was rescued at the same time.
According to the affidavit in support of the criminal complaint, the victim was kidnapped at approximately 8:30 a.m. on Monday after attempting to obtain a medical appointment at the VA facility. The victim was accompanied by a long-time friend, and as the two of them “approached their car, Gasca appeared unexpectedly,” the affidavit states. “Gasca put his arms around [the victim] and pushed her toward a gold-colored pickup truck that was parked nearby. Gasca then picked [the victim] up and threw her into the rear portion of the truck’s passenger compartment.”
After the Department of Veteran Affairs Police Department contacted the FBI later in the morning, the victim’s friend told agents she recognized Gasca, believed he previously was in some kind of relationship with the victim, and suspected Gasca may have taken some of [the victim’s] money from her bank and retirement accounts, according to the affidavit.
The witness also reported that the victim previously noted she was missing some of her credit cards, and when the two went to the victim’s bank to review her accounts, bank records showed a $35,000 withdrawal from the victim’s retirement account, followed by a number of Venmo, MoneyGram and PayPal transactions that the friend believed the victim did not have “the knowledge or wherewithal” to conduct, the affidavit states.
Within hours of beginning its investigation, the FBI located the victim’s phone at The Dixie Hollywood Hotel on Hollywood Boulevard, where agents converged. Soon after, Gasca and the victim exited the hotel, leading to Gasca’s arrest.
During an interview recounted in the affidavit, Gasca described the victim as his girlfriend and told agents that, after leaving the VA facility, they stopped at a bank where the victim made a $15,000 withdrawal.
A criminal complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The FBI investigated this matter and received substantial assistance from the VA Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorney Kevin Reidy of the Violent and Organized Crime Section is prosecuting this case.
New Bedford Man Sentenced 10 Years in Federal Prison for Cocaine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A New Bedford man was sentenced yesterday for his role in a cocaine distribution conspiracy.
Victor Alejandro-Carrillo, 26, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock to 10 years in prison and five years of supervised release. On March 15, 2021, Alejandro-Carrillo pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, one count of conspiring to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and one count of conspiring to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin and 40 grams or more of fentanyl.
In December 2019, Alejandro-Carrillo was charged along with 12 co-defendants with various drug trafficking offenses.
From at least June 2017 through December 2019, it is alleged that Alejandro-Carrillo was involved in a cocaine distribution conspiracy in which he agreed with others to receive parcels containing cocaine that had been shipped from Puerto Rico to Massachusetts. Upon receipt of the parcels, Alejandro-Carrillo arranged to deliver the cocaine to co-conspirators. Investigators intercepted a number of communications between the defendant and co-conspirators in furtherance of that conspiracy and seized multiple parcels containing kilograms of cocaine. In total, Alejandro-Carrillo possessed and conspired to distribute at least 17.9 kilograms of cocaine.
In addition, from at least February 2019 through December 2019, Alejandro-Carrillo was allegedly involved in another cocaine distribution conspiracy. As a part of that conspiracy, Alejandro-Carrillo communicated with co-conspirators to purchase varying quantities of cocaine on multiple occasions for re-distribution. In addition, from approximately February 2019 through April 2019, Alejandro-Carrillo was involved in a conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin and 40 grams or more of fentanyl. Investigators intercepted communications with respect to both of those conspiracies.
Alejandro-Carrillo is the second defendant to be sentenced. One additional defendant has pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing. The remaining 10 defendants have pleaded not guilty.
Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; Joshua McCallister, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division; and New Bedford Police Chief Joseph C. Cordeiro made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Estes of Mendell’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Ms-13 Gang Member Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison for Conspiracy to Destroy and Conceal Murder Evidence and Conspiracy to Participate in a Racketeering EnterpriseRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced Kevin Alexis Rodriguez-Flores, age 20, of Annandale, Virginia to 30 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise and conspiracy to destroy and conceal evidence related to the murder of a MS-13 gang member.
The sentence was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Jonathan F. Lenzner; Assistant Director in Charge Steven M. D’Antuono of the Federal Bureau of Investigation - Washington Field Office; Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department; Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha N. Braveboy; Chief Kevin Davis of the Fairfax County Police Department; and Sheriff David P. Decatur of the Stafford County, Virginia Sheriff’s Office.
MS-13 is a national and transnational gang composed primarily of immigrants or descendants from El Salvador. Branches or “cliques” of MS-13, one of the largest street gangs in the United States, operate throughout Maryland, Virginia, and throughout the United States. Members of MS-13 are expected to protect the name, reputation, and status of the gang from rival gang members and other persons. To protect the gang and to enhance its reputation, MS-13 members are expected to use any means necessary to force respect from those who showed disrespect, including acts of intimidation and violence. MS-13 members are required to commit acts of violence to maintain membership and discipline within the gang. One of the principal rules of MS-13 is that its members must attack and kill rivals, known as “chavalas,” whenever possible. Another principal rule of MS-13 is that its members must never cooperate with law enforcement. Violation of this rule results in an order of death for the offender.
According to his plea agreement, from 2018 to April 2019 Rodriguez-Flores was a member of the Enfermos Criminales Salvatruchas MS-13 clique and associated with members of the Los Ghettos Criminales Salvatrucha clique (LGCS) of MS-13. During this time period, Rodriguez-Flores and other members of the LGCS clique discussed committing racketeering acts, including killing a member of the LGCS clique (Victim 1) as well as rival gang members.
Specifically, on March 8, 2019, Rodriguez-Flores and other LGCS clique members, met at the Hyattsville, Maryland residence of the LGCS clique leader to question Victim 1’s possible cooperation with law enforcement. During the interrogation of Victim 1, the clique leader and gang members threatened and assaulted Victim 1 as the gang suspected that Victim 1 was cooperating with law enforcement. Gang members, including the clique leader, used knives to repeatedly cut and stab Victim 1. After Victim 1 was taken into the basement of the residence, the clique leader ordered Victim 1 to be killed. Gang members, including Rodriguez-Flores, stabbed Victim 1 with knives until Victim 1 was dead. Victim 1 died as a result of Rodriguez-Flores and the other gang member’s actions. According to the autopsy report, Victim 1 sustained a total of 144 wounds: 68 stab wounds and 76 cutting wounds. The autopsy also reported that the victim’s left internal jugular vein was cut and left carotid artery, an artery within the throat cavity, was transected.
Following the murder of Victim 1, the clique leader ordered three MS-13 members to dispose of Victim 1’s body in Virginia. According to the plea agreement, gang members subsequently burned the body of Victim 1. Rodriguez-Flores and other members remained at the clique leader’s residence and attempted to destroy evidence of Victim 1’s murder. This included disposing of blood in the basement and removing blood stained carpet.
After the MS-13 members returned from disposing of Victim 1’s body, co-conspirators cleaned the car, particularly the trunk area, in an attempt to remove evidence of the murder of Victim 1. Rodriguez-Flores remained at the residence of the clique leader until the following day, March 9, 2019, when he and other MS-13 members traveled back to Virginia.
Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner praised the FBI, HSI Baltimore, the Prince George’s County Police Department, the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office, the Fairfax County, Virginia Police Department, and the Stafford County, Virginia, Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Lenzner thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys William Moomau and Erin B. Pulice, who prosecuted the case.
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Missoula man sentenced to 20 years in prison for Flathead Valley meth trafficking; gun crimesRead the Press Release
MISSOULA – A Missoula man was sentenced today to 20 years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release for conviction in a large methamphetamine trafficking investigation in which multi-pound shipments of meth were stored at his shop in East Missoula and distributed in the Flathead Valley, Acting U.S. Leif M. Johnson said.
Leon Paul Kavis, Jr., 37, pleaded guilty on March 9 to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute meth and to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided. Judge Christensen also ordered the forfeiture of $13,920, nine guns, ammunition and magazines. Kavis was detained.
The government alleged in court documents that Kavis was identified to law enforcement as a source of meth in the Flathead Valley from about November 2019 to November 2020. California authorities also identified Kavis as working with individuals to bring meth to Montana. Eight informants reported receiving at least 34 pounds of meth from Kavis. Investigators recovered about five pounds of meth that were sent to Kavis’ shop in East Missoula and recovered another two pounds of meth during a search of the shop. In addition, the government alleged that law enforcement learned that several packages totaling 28 pounds of meth from known drug associates had been delivered to Kavis’ shop. Court documents also alleged Kavis told informants that he was bringing in 30 pounds of meth per week. Thirty pounds of meth is the equivalent of about 108,720 doses. The government alleged that Kavis always carried a firearm for protection and often had large sums of cash, ranging from $30,000 to $50,000.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer S. Clark prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI’s Montana Regional Violent Crimes Task Force, the Missoula Police Department and the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a U.S. Department of Justice initiative to reduce violent crime. Through PSN, federal, tribal, state and local law enforcement partners in Montana focus on violent crime driven by methamphetamine trafficking, armed robbers, firearms offenses and violent offenders with outstanding warrants.
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Mississippi Pharmacist Pleads Guilty to More than $180-Million Health Care Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
A Mississippi pharmacist pleaded guilty today for his role in a multimillion-dollar scheme to defraud TRICARE and private insurance companies by paying kickbacks to distributors for the referral of medically unnecessary compounded prescription medications that were ultimately dispensed by his pharmacies. The conduct allegedly resulted in more than $180 million in fraudulent billings, including more than $50 million paid by federal healthcare programs.
According to court documents, David “Jason” Rutland, 42, of Bolton, a pharmacist and co-owner of various compounding pharmacies, admitted that he participated in a scheme to defraud TRICARE and other health care benefit programs by distributing medically unnecessary compounded medications by, among other things: adjusting prescription formulas to ensure the highest reimbursement without regard to efficacy; soliciting recruiters to procure prescriptions for high-margin compounded medications and paying those recruiters commissions based on the percentage of reimbursements paid by pharmacy benefit managers and health care benefit programs, including commissions on claims reimbursed by TRICARE; and routinely and systematically waiving and/or reducing copayments to be paid by beneficiaries and members, including utilizing a purported copayment assistance program to falsely make it appear as if Rutland’s pharmacy and its affiliate compounding pharmacies had been collecting copayments.
Rutland pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States and solicit, receive, offer and pay illegal kickbacks, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. Sentencing has been scheduled for Nov. 30. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Rutland must also pay restitution and forfeit all assets traced to the ill-gotten gains.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicholas L. McQuaid of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Acting U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca for the Southern District of Mississippi; Special Agent in Charge Michelle Sutphin of the FBI’s Jackson Field Office and Special Agent in Charge Cynthia A. Bruce of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) Southeast Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI and DCIS are investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Emily Cohen and Alejandra Arias of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathlyn Van Buskirk of the Southern District of Mississippi are prosecuting the case with assistance from Sara Porter and Dustin Davis from the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.
Mexican National with Extensive Criminal History Found Guilty by Pecos JuryRead the Press Release
PECOS – Yesterday a federal jury in Pecos found Mexican national Graciano Moral-Carrillo, aka Francisco Mora-Carrillo, guilty of one count of illegal entry after seven prior deportations and three prior illegal reentry convictions.
Evidence presented at trial showed that Presidio Border Patrol Agents arrested Moral-Carrillo on March 1, 2021, for being an illegal alien present in the United States.
Court records also disclosed that Moral-Carrillo had numerous other convictions in the U.S., including three for driving while intoxicated in the Odessa/Midland area; one for resisting arrest; one for assaulting a public servant; and one for possession with intent to distribute marijuana.
Moral-Carrillo has remained in federal custody since his arrest on March 1. The sentencing date before U.S. District Judge David Counts has not been set.
U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff of the Western District of Texas and Big Bend Sector Chief Patrol Agent Sean L. McGoffin made the announcement.
U.S. Border Patrol investigated this case. AUSAs Lance Kennedy and Kevin Eaton are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
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Mexican National Drug Trafficker Convicted in Beaumont Federal TrialRead the Press Release
BEAUMONT, Texas –A Mexican national residing in Houston, Texas, was convicted at trial of conspiracy charges related to drug trafficking and money laundering, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei today.
Fernando Perez-Gomez, 35, of Houston, was convicted by a jury of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance and conspiracy to commit money laundering today following an eight-day trial before U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone.
“The importation of bulk quantities of drugs from Mexico is a pressing public safety issue that impacts cities and towns far beyond the border,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. “EDTX will aggressively seek out and prosecute those that seek to profit by smuggling narcotics into our country and distributing these deadly wares in our communities.”
“The conviction of Perez-Gomez is the result of focusing investigative resources against drug trafficking organizations that import large shipments of hard drugs from Mexico then deliver them to cities throughout the United States,” stated DEA Houston Division Special Agent in Charge Daniel C. Comeaux. “DEA and our partners remain determined to identify, dismantle, and destroy drug trafficking organizations that import and spread their poison in cities across our nation.”
According to information presented in court, from at least May 2014 through May 2016, Perez-Gomez was involved in a conspiracy to traffic drugs from the Houston-area through the Eastern District of Texas and to various destinations for distribution through the United States. The investigation revealed that at least 16 persons were involved in this polydrug conspiracy, which resulted in the seizure of approximately 80 kilograms of cocaine, over four kilograms of methamphetamine, and a kilogram of heroin. Additionally, $2.5 million in cash was seized as part of the investigation.
Perez-Gomez was indicted by a federal grand jury on July 1, 2020, and faces up to life in federal prison at sentencing. The maximum statutory sentences prescribed by Congress are provided here for information purposes, as the sentencings will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing hearings will be scheduled after the completion of presentence investigations by the U.S. Probation Office.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Houston Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michelle S. Englade and Jonathan Lee.
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Manhattan Investment Fund Manager Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Securities Fraud and Misappropriation SchemeRead the Press Release
Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that DONALD LAGUARDIA was sentenced today to 60 months in prison for his securities fraud and misappropriation scheme. LAGUARDIA was the chief executive and co-founder of a New York-based investment firm, L-R Managers, LLC, which managed the LR Global Frontier Master Fund and two related feeder funds (collectively, the “Frontier Funds”). LAGUARDIA was found guilty of securities fraud, investment adviser fraud, and wire fraud following a trial last November before United States District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan, who imposed today’s sentence.
U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: “Donald LaGuardia pitched his clients on frontier market investments, but the Frontier Funds turned out to be a front for fraud. LaGuardia betrayed his clients’ trust by diverting millions to other uses, including his own personal and business expenses. Now LaGuardia has been sentenced to prison for his crimes.”
According to statements in the Indictment, evidence presented during the trial, and other filings and statements at public court proceedings in the case:
From in or about 2013 through in or about 2017, LAGUARDIA solicited approximately $6.4 million from investors for Frontier Funds, which had a stated focus on investments in “frontier” markets in Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Contrary to LAGUARDIA’s representations, and in breach of his duties to investors in the Frontier Funds, LAGUARDIA misappropriated investors’ money to finance L-R Managers’ payroll, pay rent for its office space on Park Avenue in Manhattan, and pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in charges on the firm’s credit card, among other unauthorized expenses. Hundreds of thousands of dollars went to the benefit of LAGUARDIA personally.
In one example, in 2013, LAGUARDIA solicited an $800,000 investment in the Frontier Funds from an investor (“Investor-1”). Upon receipt of Investor-1’s money, an L-R Managers employee sent an email to LAGUARDIA and another person asking for approval to forward the $800,000 to the Frontier Funds. LAGUARDIA responded, “Dont [sic] wire anything yet!” LAGUARDIA then caused approximately $390,000 of Investor-1’s investment never to be transmitted to the Frontier Funds, but instead to be used to pay himself approximately $52,000 and for various other personal and business expenses.
By September 2015, L-R Managers faced substantial financial difficulties. On September 1, 2015, an L-R Managers principal sent an email to LAGUARDIA and others at the firm stating that it would be “ethically troubling to accept money into the [Frontier Funds] when [L-R Managers] can no longer support . . . payroll and mission critical services.” Nevertheless, just a few days later, a new investor solicited by LAGUARDIA (“Investor-2”) made a $2 million investment into the Frontier Funds. Prior to this investment, LAGUARDIA concealed his firm’s near insolvency from Investor-2 and did not disclose that the Frontier Funds had been paying substantial expenses for L-R Managers, contrary to the representations in the funds’ offering documents. LAGUARDIA then proceeded, over the course of several months, to use a substantial portion of Investor-2’s investment in the Frontier Funds to continue paying himself and subsidizing his firm’s business expenses.
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LAGUARDIA, 54, of Lavallette, New Jersey, was also sentenced to three years of supervised release. He was further ordered to forfeit $2,571,500 and pay restitution to victims in the amount of $4,039,872.46.
Ms. Strauss praised the investigative work of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and thanked the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for its assistance.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force. Assistant United States Attorneys Margaret Graham and Daniel Loss are in charge of the prosecution.
Manchester Man Sentenced to 120 Months for Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
CONCORD - Keith Robertson, 47, of Manchester, was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison for possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, Acting United States Attorney John J. Farley announced today.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on October 12, 2019, Robertson was a passenger in a vehicle that was stopped by the Barnstead Police for a defective headlight. During the stop, the officer determined that Robertson was the subject of an arrest warrant and placed him under arrest.
The driver subsequently consented to a search of the vehicle. During the search, the officer found evidence of drug use and a scale, as well as a bag containing a drug ledger, approximately $1,600 in cash, and Robertson’s identification card.
After being transported to the police station, Robertson admitted that he had methamphetamine concealed on his person and removed a bag from his pants containing over 132 grams of methamphetamine.
Robertson previously pleaded guilty on March 11, 2021. Upon completion of his sentence, Robertson will be under supervised release for five years.
“Methamphetamine presents a growing danger to the Granite State,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Farley. “In order to protect our community, we work closely with our law enforcement partners to identify and prosecute the drug traffickers who are responsible for distributing methamphetamine and other dangerous drugs in New Hampshire.”
“As methamphetamine seizures are on the rise, DEA stands committed to keeping this highly addictive drug out of the Granite State,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Brian D. Boyle. “This investigation demonstrates the strength of collaborative law enforcement efforts in New Hampshire.”
This matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the Barnstead Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kasey Weiland.
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Madison County Woman Pleads Guilty to Mail Fraud, Wire FraudRead the Press Release
CHARLOTESVILLE, Va. – A Madison County, Virginia woman pleaded guilty yesterday to mail and wire fraud charges related to a scheme in which she stole at least $1.5 million from victims while purporting to have terminal cancer, vast wealth, and connections to celebrities.
According to court documents, Christine F. Anderson, 51, of Reva, Va., owned and operated the publishing companies known as Christine F. Anderson Publishing and Media (CFA) and Sage Wisdom. Anderson took money from book authors but later failed to pay the authors their royalties as owed and did not provide products and services as negotiated. In addition, Anderson often falsely claimed to have been diagnosed with cancer to delay payment to the book authors, while also purporting to maintain vast wealth, and connections to celebrities.
When authors failed to receive the royalty payments they were owed, Anderson made elaborate excuses for the delay, including being busy working with the White House on the State of the Union.
In addition to the book publishing scheme, Anderson also admitted to orchestrating a real estate scheme where she signed contracts for expensive real estate, provided false proof of funds, and then was unable to provide the earnest money deposits. Often, Anderson would sign bad checks for the earnest money deposits, which would never clear. While she was putting contracts on these properties, Anderson took money from individuals helping her in these real estate schemes, promising to pay these individuals back. Anderson used her false interest in the expensive real estate to prove to her victims that she was able to pay back the loans, but never did. Anderson’s excuses for her inability to pay the earnest money deposit and the loans included her false claims of a cancer diagnosis and freezes on her bank accounts, among other excuses.
The total actual loss to victims is between $1.5 and $3.5 million.
“To cover up her expansive fraud scheme, the defendant preyed upon victims’ sympathies, including making false statements about having cancer,” Acting United States Attorney Daniel P. Bubar stated today. “Such behavior is not only unconscionable, but also a serious federal crime. I am proud of the hard work of the FBI and Madison County Sheriff’s Office, which brought Anderson to justice and will restore some measure of resolution to the victims.”
“With this guilty plea, Ms. Anderson has finally accepted responsibility for her actions; and those who were manipulated and suffered losses because of her deceit will see justice served,” stated Special Agent in Charge Stanley M. Meador. “FBI Richmond appreciates the partnership of the Madison County Sheriff’s Office and the Western District of the United States Attorney’s Office during this investigation. If you suspect fraud, please report it to tips.fbi.gov or to your local FBI office.”
Anderson pleaded guilty yesterday to three counts of mail fraud and eight counts of wire fraud. She is scheduled to be sentenced on December 2, 2021 and faces up to 20 years imprisonment on each count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Madison County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kate Rumsey and Madison County Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Wade Gelbert are prosecuting the case.
If you believe you are a victim of fraud or have information about the allegations in this case, please contact the FBI in Charlottesville at 434-293-9663.
Local Felon Indicted on Firearms ChargeRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH – A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge of possessing ammunition as a convicted felon, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.
The one-count Indictment named Clentai Arthor Wilcox, age 32, as the sole defendant.
According to the Indictment, on or about March 22, 2021, knowing he was a previously convicted felon, Wilcox knowingly possessed ammunition.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not more than ten years in prison, a fine not to exceed $250,000.00, a term of supervised release of not more than three years, or a combination thereof. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin J. Risacher is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.
An Indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Lawrence Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Distribution ChargesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Lawrence man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to cocaine distribution charges.
Anthony Rafael Corcino, 33, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and one count of attempted possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris scheduled sentencing for Oct. 19, 2021. Corcino was charged in October 2020.
On or about May 19, 2020, Corcino sought to obtain a parcel shipped to a business in Wilmington, which was subsequently found to contain 23 kilograms of cocaine. After initially failing to obtain the drugs, Corcino had multiple communications with an undercover agent in which he attempted to obtain the parcel. According to court documents, the value of 23 kilograms of cocaine is well over $500,000.
The charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine provides for a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 million. The charge of attempted possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine provides for a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; and Wilmington Police Chief Joseph Desmond made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Estes of Mendell’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.
Justice Department Reaches Settlement with Los Angeles Towing Company for Illegally Selling a Car Owned by a U.S. MarineRead the Press Release
The Justice Department today announced that it reached an agreement with Los Angeles towing company Black and White Towing Inc. to resolve allegations that it illegally auctioned off an active-duty U.S. Marine’s car, 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 auctioning off a vehicle owned by a servicemember unless it first obtains an order from a court allowing it to do so.
The department’s lawsuit, which was filed today along with the settlement, alleges that Black and White illegally auctioned a U.S. Marine’s 2014 Honda Accord while the Marine was stationed at Camp Pendleton in San Diego County, California. The Marine’s car was struck by another vehicle while it was legally parked and unoccupied. Black and White towed the car to its lot in Pacoima, California. When the Marine learned that her vehicle had been towed, she contacted Black and White and told them that she was in the military and would be working with the other driver’s insurance company to retrieve the vehicle. The complaint also alleges that the Marine’s car contained her military uniform and several military awards and certificates, and Department of Motor Vehicle records indicated that she had obtained her vehicle loan through Navy Federal Credit Union. Before the insurance company could arrange to inspect or retrieve the vehicle, Black and White sold it at auction, without a court order. As a result, the Marine lost the use and ownership of the car, but still had to continue making her monthly car loan payments to Navy Federal.
Under the proposed settlement, which is subject to approval by the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Black and White must pay $22,000 in compensation to the Marine and a $5,000 civil penalty to the U.S. Treasury. Black and White will also be required to adopt new policies and implement new training requirements.
“When towing companies ignore their legal obligations under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, it can have serious financial consequences for servicemembers and their families,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Civil Rights Division. “We hope this settlement encourages all towing companies to review and improve their policies and ensure that the rights of all servicemembers are honored and respected.”
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 the department’s enforcement of the SCRA and other laws protecting servicemembers is available at www.servicemembers.gov.
Jury convicts Laredo man on cocaine chargesRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A Laredo federal jury has convicted a 35-year-old legal permanent resident for conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
The jury deliberated for approximately four hours before convicting Baldemar Guadiana following a two-day trial which included four witnesses.
At trial, the jury heard about the investigation which resulted in the discovery of approximately 3.68 kilograms of cocaine.
On Jan. 31, 2018, an undercover officer received eight bundles of narcotics at a local grocery store parking lot. Later that day, Guadiana contacted the officer and made arrangements to meet and take possession of the cocaine. Once at the pre-arranged location, Guadiana parked behind the officer. He then took the drugs and attempted to leave.
Law enforcement soon stopped him and took him into custody. authorities ultimately discovered a total of nearly four kilograms of cocaine in the eight bundles.
The defense attempted to convince the jury Guadiana had no knowledge the bundles in his truck contained narcotics. They also contended law enforcement did not perform an adequate and thorough enough investigation to convict him. The jury disagreed and found him guilty as charged.
U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo presided over trial and set sentencing for Oct. 25. At that time, Guadiana faces up to 40 years of imprisonment and a possible $5 million maximum fine. Not a U.S. citizen, he could lose his status as a legal permanent resident.
Previously released on bond, Guadiana was taken into custody following the trial today where he will remain pending his sentencing.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Laredo Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys José Angel Moreno and Yoona Lim are prosecuting the case.
Judge Finds Monongahela Man Guilty of Conspiring to Possess CocaineRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA - After deliberating less than one hour, Chief United States District Judge Mark R. Hornak found Tyler Mucci guilty of one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.
Mucci, 33, of Monongahela, PA 15063 was tried before Chief United States District Judge Mark R. Hornak in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
According to Assistant United States Attorney Shaun E. Sweeney, who prosecuted the case, the evidence presented at trial established that Mucci conspired with other individuals to possess with the intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine in the Mon Valley area from March 2017 through December 2017. Evidence at trial showed that Mucci was one of the lower level participants in the conspiracy.
Judge Hornak has not yet set a date for sentencing The law provides for a total sentence of 30 years in prison, a fine of $2,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based on the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Pending sentencing, the court continued the defendant’s release on bond.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Pennsylvania State Police conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Tyler Mucci.
Illegal Alien Indicted for Attempted Coercion of a Minor for Sex and Illegal Re-entry after DeportationRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – An illegal alien from Guatemala has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity and illegal reentry of a removed alien, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.
The two-count Indictment named Horacio Miranda-Mejia, 26, of Guatemala as the sole defendant.
According to the Indictment, from on or about June 22, 2021, until on or about June 25, 2021, Miranda-Mejia used cellular telephone networks and the internet to knowingly attempt to persuade, induce, entice, or coerce an individual who had not attained the age of 18, to engage in unlawful sexual activity. In addition, on June 25, 2021, Miranda-Mejia, an alien, was unlawfully present in the United States after having been previously deported.
The law provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years and a maximum total sentence of life in prison, a fine of not more than $250,000.00, supervised release for any term of years not less than five or a combination. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin J. Risacher is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, as well as United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Hunter Army Airfield contractor charged with lying to investigators about violent assaultRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, GA: A contractor at Hunter Army Airfield has been indicted on three felony charges after Army investigators allege he falsely claimed to have been assaulted on post.
Eric T. Nakamura, 49, of Beaufort, S.C., is charged with three counts of False Statement Made to a Department or Agency of the United States, said David H. Estes, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. Each charge carries a statutory penalty upon conviction of up to five years in federal prison, along with substantial financial penalties and up to five years of supervised release following any prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Army investigators spent substantial time and taxpayer resources investigating this alleged assault,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Estes. “We commend their diligence in seeking a resolution to this case.”
Nakamura has appeared before Magistrate Judge Christopher L. Ray for arraignment and entered a plea of not guilty to the charges.
The indictment alleges that on July 20, 2020, Nakamura falsely claimed to a U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID) special agent that Nakamura was “stabbed with a knife and robbed by an unknown person in an Army uniform with the name tape ‘Brown’ while in the lab in which he worked at Hunter Army Airfield. The indictment alleges that Nakamura repeated the claim in subsequent interviews with CID special agents on Oct. 14, 2020, and again Feb. 1, 2021, despite knowing “he had stabbed himself with a knife, and had not been robbed.”
Criminal indictments contain only charges; defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command is investigating the case, which is being prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Darron J. Hubbard.
Honolulu woman pleads guilty to unauthorized removal and retention of classified materialRead the Press Release
HONOLULU – Asia Janay Lavarello, 31, pleaded guilty today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii to one count of knowingly removing classified information concerning the national defense or foreign relations of the United States and retaining it at an unauthorized location. Chief U.S. District Court Judge J. Michael Seabright took Lavarello’s guilty plea and scheduled sentencing for November 4, 2021.
Lavarello, a Department of Defense employee, admitted to having removed and retained numerous classified documents, writings, and notes relating to the national defense or foreign relations of the United States without authority. While working as an Executive Assistant at the United States Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii, Lavarello accepted a temporary assignment working at the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines. There, Lavarello had access to classified computers and documents, and attended classified meetings as part of her official duties. Court documents list several specific instances in which Lavarello mishandled classified material of the United States.
On March 20, 2020, Lavarello removed classified documents from the U.S. Embassy Manila. She took the classified documents to her hotel room where she hosted a dinner party later that evening. Among the guests were two foreign nationals. During the party, a co-worker at the U.S. Embassy Manila discovered the documents, which included documents classified at the SECRET level. Lavarello’s temporary assignment in the Philippines was ultimately terminated due to her mishandling of SECRET classified documents.
Around March 28, 2020, Lavarello returned to Hawaii. In June of that year, investigators executed a search warrant at her workplace at the United States Indo-Pacific Command. In her desk, investigators found a notebook containing Lavarello’s handwritten notes of meetings she attended while working at the U.S. Embassy Manila. The notes contained facts and information classified at the CONFIDENTIAL and SECRET levels. Investigators determined that Lavarello did not send the classified notebook via secure diplomatic pouch from the U.S. Embassy Manila to Hawaii, as required. Instead, she personally transported the documents to Hawaii, unsecured, and kept the classified notebook at an unsecure location until at least April 13, 2020.
Investigators also discovered that Lavarello included information from the classified notebook in a January 16, 2020 email from her personal Gmail account to her unclassified U.S. Government email account. The information she transmitted over unsecure networks was classified at the SECRET level.
The charge of unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents or material provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. According to a plea agreement filed in the case, the United States will not file charges against Lavarello related to false statements she made to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting United States Attorney Judith A. Philips; Acting Assistant Attorney General Mark Lesko; Steven B. Merrill, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Honolulu Field Division; and Norman Dominesey, Special Agent in Charge of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Hawaii Field Office made the announcement today.
Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Hawaii Judith A. Philips said: “Protecting the national security of the United States is our highest priority, and failing to adhere to the most basic security practices, as this defendant did, is contrary to this critical priority.”
“Government employees are entrusted with a responsibility to ensure classified information is properly handled and secured. Asia Janay Lavarello failed in her duty when she removed classified documents from the U.S. Embassy Manila,” said Special Agent in Charge Steven Merrill. “Today’s guilty plea is a direct result of the professional and thorough investigation conducted by the FBI and NCIS. We will always work together with our partners to keep our communities safe and bring perpetrators to justice.”
“The NCIS appreciates the opportunity to have worked in partnership with the FBI and the United States Attorney’s Office to bring this investigation to a successful conclusion,” said NCIS Special Agent in Charge Norman Dominesey. “For those entrusted with safeguarding our national security interests, this case underscores the far-reaching ramifications of violating that trust.”
This conviction is the result of a joint investigation between the FBI and NCIS. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mohammad Khatib and Trial Attorney Stephen Marzen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division are prosecuting the case.
Hollis Man Sentenced for Drug and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: A Hollis man was sentenced today in federal court for possessing fentanyl with intent to distribute and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.
U.S. District Judge D. Brock Hornby sentenced Dustin Homewood, 23, to six years in prison and three years of supervised release. Homewood entered a guilty plea on February 2, 2021.
According to court records, on May 31, 2020, the Rumford Police Department responded to a report of a male under the influence of drugs at a gas station. Officers found Homewood unconscious behind the wheel of a car. Once Homewood was alert, officers discovered a set of brass knuckles and a loaded firearm in his pocket. An ensuing search of his vehicle resulted in the seizure of another firearm and more than 300 grams of fentanyl.
The Rumford Police Department and the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force investigated the case with assistance from the Maine State Police.
Guatemalan National Sentenced for Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Guatemalan national was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for illegal reentry after deportation.
Franklin Vasquez Ramirez, 39, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin to five months in prison and three years of supervised release. Ramirez will be subject to deportation proceedings upon completion of his sentence. Earlier in the hearing, Ramirez pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. Ramirez was indicted on June 9, 2021.
In December 2020, law enforcement encountered Ramirez in Ashland and determined him to be illegally present in the United States. Ramirez was previously deported in November 2010.
Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Matthew B. Millhollin, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; and Todd M. Lyons, Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin A. Saltzman of Mendell’s Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
Glastonbury Business Owner Admits Filing False Income Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Ramsey E. Covington, Acting Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in New England, announced that GEORGE LEE, 50, of Glastonbury, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today to a federal tax offense.
Pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), the court proceeding before U.S. Magistrate Judge Donna F. Martinez occurred via videoconference.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Lee own and operates American U.S.A. Paving. For the 2015 through 2018 tax years, Lee provided his tax return preparer with information that substantially understated the gross receipts for the paving business. As a result, Lee’s personal income tax returns for the 2015 through 2018 tax years, which Lee authorized his preparer to file with the IRS, underreported his income by a total of more than $588,000, resulting in a tax loss of $154,238.
Lee pleaded guilty to one count of filing a false tax return, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of three years. He is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant on October 13, 2021, in Hartford.
Lee is released pending sentencing.
This investigation is being conducted by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher W. Schmeisser.
Gladstone Man Indicted for Producing, Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Gladstone, Missouri, man was indicted by a federal grand jury today for producing and attempting to distribute child pornography.
Joshua Paul Goodspeed, 45, was charged in a two-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo. Today’s indictment replaces a federal criminal complaint that was filed against Goodspeed on June 21, 2021.
Today’s indictment charges Goodspeed with one count of producing child pornography, which involved two child victims, and one count of attempting to distribute child pornography over the internet.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, FBI agents identified Goodspeed during an investigation of a secure file sharing platform, identified in court documents as “Cloud A.” Goodspeed allegedly was among users of the platform who accessed, imported, or maintained video files from a series that depicts the sadistic sexual exploitation, torture, and abuse of a toddler.
Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Goodspeed’s residence on June 16, 2021. Investigators found hundreds of files of child pornography on Goodspeed’s iPhone, laptop, and external hard drive, including some photos of child victims allegedly taken by Goodspeed. Goodspeed’s file-sharing application account contained more than 1,000 videos of child pornography.
The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine A. Connelly. It was investigated by the FBI and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Former police officer gets 30 years for violating the civil rights of two menRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas - A 26-year-old former local police officer has been ordered to federal prison after sexually assaulting two men while in his custody, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
A federal jury deliberated for approximately two hours before returning guilty verdicts March 10 against Matthew Lee Sepulveda, Edinburg, on two violations of civil rights following a two-day trial.
Today, U.S. District Judge Randy Crane ordered Sepulveda to serve a 360-month sentence to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. In handing down the sentence, Judge Crane commented on the shame and embarrassment to law enforcement as a result of Sepulveda’s actions. The court further noted its disappointment in Sepulveda’s lack of empathy for the victims.
“The vast majority of law enforcement officers in the United States are deeply committed to fulfilling their oath to serve and protect our community,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs of the FBI. “Sepulveda betrayed this oath by preying on his victims, exploiting his authority to serve his own personal, depraved interests.”
Sepulveda served as a law enforcement officer with the Progreso Police Department from April 17 to July 2, 2019. The jury heard that while acting under his authority as a uniformed police officer, Sepulveda performed oral sex on two victims while they were in his custody.
At trial, The jury heard from the two men.
The first explained that after he was arrested, Sepulveda took him from the jail cell and escorted him to another office at the police department. Sepulveda then began asking him questions of a sexual nature and performed oral sex on him. The victim testified because Sepulveda was a police officer, he was scared and did not think he could leave.
The evidence showed that Sepulveda’s DNA was found on the victim’s underwear. The jury also heard that Sepulveda logged the victim’s arrest and case after the fact.
The second victim, who was only 17 at the time, was taken to the police department because he was unable to contact his parents subsequent to a traffic stop in which he was a passenger. He described how Sepulveda took him to an office located within the police department where he began asking the victim questions of a sexual nature and also performed oral sex on the victim.
The defense attempted to portray one of the victims as a liar and questioned some of the evidence. The jury was unconvinced and found Sepulveda guilty of two civil rights violations. They also found that on the second count, his conduct resulted in bodily injury and included attempted aggravated sexual abuse, aggravated sexual abuse and kidnapping.
Sepulveda will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation with the assistance of the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarina S. DiPiazza and Angel Castro prosecuted the case.
Former New Jersey Resident Admits Conspiring to Distribute Fentanyl AnalogueRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A former New Jersey resident today admitted conspiring to distribute a fentanyl analogue, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Darryl Hinkson, 46, formerly of Jersey City, New Jersey, pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Claire C. Cecchi to an information charging him with conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 100 grams or more of a fentanyl analogue.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From Sept. 11, 2018, to Oct. 18, 2018, Hinkson conspired with others to distribute pills that contained a fentanyl analogue, an illegal controlled substance. On Sept. 11, 2018, Hinkson met with an individual (Individual-1) and sold Individual-1 approximately 20 pills of purported “Percocet” and 20 pills of purported “Xanax” in exchange for U.S. currency. On Sept. 25, 2018, Hinkson again met with Individual-1 and sold Individual-1 550 pills of purported “Percocet” and approximately 300 pills of purported “Xanax” in exchange for U.S. currency. The pills were not, in fact, Percocet or Xanax, but instead contained a fentanyl analogue.
The count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl analogue carries a maximum penalty of life in prison and a fine of $10 million. Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 9, 2021.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited special agents and task force officers of the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Susan A. Gibson in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Baker of the Opioid Abuse Prevention and Enforcement Unit.
Former New Bedford Police Union Treasurer Agrees to Plead Guilty to Stealing Union FundsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A former New Bedford Police Department (NBPD) officer and NBPD Union Treasurer has agreed to plead guilty to stealing nearly $50,000 in union funds.
Joshua Fernandes, 42, of New Bedford, was charged with one count of wire fraud. A plea hearing has not yet been scheduled.
According to the charging documents, Fernandes abused the trust placed in him by fellow union members by using nearly $50,000 in union funds to pay for personal expenses including vacations, family outings, and a monthly wireless family phone plan, among other things. Fernandes carried out his scheme by reimbursing his personal credit card accounts with union funds and by using the union’s credit cards to pay directly for non-union expenses.
The charging statute provides a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Jonathan Russo, District Director of U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Labor Management Standards, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eugenia M. Carris, Deputy Chief of Mendell’s Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit, is prosecuting the case.
Former Kentucky Attorney Sentenced to One Year of Probation for Conspiracy to Defraud the Food and Drug AdministrationRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Jonathan Clark Baird, age 45, of Louisville, Kentucky, was sentenced on July 19, 2021, to one year of probation by Chief United States District Court Judge John E. Jones, III, for conspiracy to defraud the Food and Drug Administration.
According to Acting United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, Baird was an attorney licensed to practice law in the Commonwealth of Kentucky focusing on steroid and nutritional supplements law. Baird conspired with two Internet-based businesses, Total Trading LLC and L and P, LLC, from December 2011 to on or about December 2014, to defraud the United States. In particular, Baird agreed to use his knowledge of steroid laws, nutritional supplement laws and the FDA’s regulatory and enforcement practices to instruct these companies on the methods to use to interfere and obstruct the United States Food and Drug Administration enforcement and regulatory oversight, including instructing his co-conspirators on the steps to be taken to fraudulently conceal the true nature of their illegal sale of prescription drugs from the FDA.
Baird’s coconspirators, Paul Leix and co-defendant, Dominic Pileggi, were involved in a business, L&P Trading, which used the internet to market and distribute peptides (a type of amino acid), along with other bodybuilding chemicals, to individuals seeking to enhance their physiques. Leix and Pileggi marketed these products on their website while providing a disclaimer that the substances were not for human consumption and use (for research purposes only). Customers who visited the website seeking these products for bodybuilding purposes would falsely attest that they were buying the chemicals for research purposes. By marketing the products to the online bodybuilding community, Leix and Pileggi knew that purchasers would use the products for personal consumption rather than research. The “research only” disclaimer was a ruse to circumvent the regulatory authority of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). L&P Trading advertised on body-building billboards and sites and Leix and Pileggi were not properly licensed or had the required approvals to manufacture, sell or prescribe these products. Leix and Pileggi also sold these drugs and their chemical components to other illegal distributors and manufacturers, including Total Trading, LLC, a company owned and operated by co- conspirator Thomas Keightly, located in Lebanon County. Keightly, in turn, sold directly to end users in the same manner as Leix and Pileggi.
Paul Leix was sentenced to four months’ imprisonment and Thomas Keightly was sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment for conspiracy to commit money laundering and delivery of altered or misbranded drugs by fraud. Pileggi was sentenced to time-served for conspiracy to commit money laundering and introduction of misbranded drugs into interstate commerce.
“Selling unapproved prescription drugs in the U.S. marketplace is illegal and puts consumers’ health at risk,” said Special Agent in Charge Mark S. McCormack, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations Metro Washington Field Office. “We remain fully committed to disrupting and dismantling illegal drug distribution networks that take steps to avoid FDA regulatory scrutiny at the expense of public health and safety.”
The cases were investigated by the Food and Drug Administration and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph Terz prosecuted the cases.
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Former Falmouth Resident Pleads Guilty to Accessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: A former Falmouth resident pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Portland to accessing child pornography with intent to view, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.
According to court records, in March 2015, agents with Homeland Security Investigations were investigating the sharing of child pornography using Ares, a peer-to-peer file-sharing program. They downloaded a child pornography video from an internet protocol address that was determined to be assigned to a residence in Falmouth. Agents obtained a search warrant for the residence and executed it in May 2015. They found a laptop computer in the bedroom of Aaron Cassidy, 48, that was later found to contain evidence of the Ares file-sharing program, as well as images and videos of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
Cassidy faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and a term of supervised release of at least five years and up to life. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Former Bureau of Prisons Corrections Officer Pleads Guilty to Sexually Abusing an Inmate and Witness TamperingRead the Press Release
Eric Todd Ellis, 32, a former Bureau of Prisons (BOP) corrections officer at the FCI-Aliceville facility in Aliceville, Alabama, pleaded guilty today in federal court to one count of sexual abuse of a ward and one count of tampering with a witness.
According to court documents, on or about June 11, 2020, Ellis knowingly engaged in a sexual act with a female inmate while in the back of the laundry room of the prison. At the time, Ellis was on-duty and acting in his capacity as a corrections officer. The female inmate was in official detention and under Ellis’s custodial authority. Ellis subsequently admitted his conduct to another corrections officer.
Thereafter, the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General (OIG) began investigating Ellis’s conduct. While that investigation was ongoing, Ellis made the following statements – on a recorded call – to that corrections officer (to whom he had previously admitted his conduct) in reference to the federal investigation and his conduct: “Just tell [the OIG agents], yeah, we’re friends, but, I mean, you hadn’t really talked to me about it. And when you have it’s – I’ve just told you that nothing happened.” Ellis admitted in the plea agreement that he made those statements because was attempting to persuade that other corrections officer to provide false information to OIG agents about his sexual abuse of the female inmate.
“Inmates detained inside jails and prisons have the right to be free from sexual assaults and sexually abusive behavior,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Department of Justice will continue to hold accountable prison employees who exploit their positions of power to sexually abuse individuals in their custody, and then attempt to cover up their misconduct. Corrections officers who commit sexual assault have no place inside the Bureau of Prisons, and we will continue to fight for justice for victims of these despicable crimes.”
“The Department of Justice strives to maintain a safe, secure and supportive environment for prison inmates, and one that promotes the successful reentry of inmates into society,” said U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona. “My office works closely with the OIG and the Civil Rights Division to investigate and prosecute any sexual abuse of inmates by prison employees.”
“Ellis sexually abused an inmate in his custody and then tried to coerce another correctional officer to help him cover up his crime,” said Special Agent in Charge James F. Boyersmith of the Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General Miami Field Office. “The DOJ Office of the Inspector General will continue to investigate and bring to justice anyone who engages in this kind of behavior.”
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Oct. 26.
This case was investigated by the Atlanta Division of the OIG. Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Posey and Assistant U.S. Attorney Robin Mark of the Northern District of Alabama and Special Litigation Counsel Fara Gold and Trial Attorney Anna Gotfryd of the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice are prosecuting the case.