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Monday 15 March 2021
Marana Man Sentenced to 12 Years for Assaulting Federal Agent, Weapons CrimesRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Chris Paul Snow, 68, of Marana, Arizona, was sentenced Friday by U.S. District Court Judge Jennifer G. Zipps to 144 months in prison for assault of a federal officer with a deadly weapon, unlawful possession of a destructive device, possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon, and use of a firearm during a crime of violence.
On August 3, 2018, law enforcement responded to a 911 call reporting a shooting incident at Snow’s residence in Marana. While investigating the incident, officers found several rounds of ammunition, loaded firearm magazines, and a live grenade in Snow’s bedroom. Snow, a convicted felon, was indicted in federal court for unlawfully possessing the grenade and ammunition, and the court issued a warrant for his arrest.
On September 13, 2018, federal agents attempted to serve the arrest warrant at Snow’s residence. While agents were inside his residence, Snow pointed a firearm at one of the agents and refused to obey commands to drop the firearm. Agents were eventually able to disarm Snow and place him under arrest. Snow was subsequently indicted for these additional crimes. On October 16, 2020, Snow was convicted of all five charges against him following a trial.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, with assistance from the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant United States Attorney Angela W. Woolridge, District of Arizona, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR18-1796-TUC-JGZ
RELEASE NUMBER: 2021-013_Snow# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Manchester Man Sentenced to 24 Months for Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
CONCORD - Alex Stoltman, 23, of Manchester, was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison for bank robbery, Acting United States Attorney John J. Farley announced today.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on September 2, 2020, Stoltman entered a Citizens Bank branch in Manchester and handed a note to the bank teller that read, in part, “This is a robbery. Keep your hands where I can see them. Do not look at anyone. Do not think about hitting the alarm, I will blow your brains out. Give me all the money you can reach.” The victim bank teller gave Stoltman all of the money in the teller’s cash drawer.
Stoltman was arrested two days after the robbery.
Stoltman previously pleaded guilty on November 9, 2020. He was ordered to pay $2,767 in restitution to the bank.
“Bank robberies are violent crimes that endanger bank employees and members of the public,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Farley. “Although no one was physically injured in this crime, the defendant’s threatening actions may have an enduring impact on his victims. To protect the public and seek justice for victims, we work collaboratively with the FBI, the Manchester Police Department, and all our law enforcement partners to identify and prosecute those who commit violent crimes in the Granite State.”
“Shortly after he put innocent bystanders in fear for their lives by threatening an armed bank robbery, Alex Stoltman told an acquaintance that he was going to continue robbing banks until he got caught. But thanks to the quick work of law enforcement, his crime spree was brought to an end,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “The collaborative effort to address violent crimes is just one example of how the FBI and our partners at the Manchester Police Department are working together to make our communities safer.”
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Manchester Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Krasinski.
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Man Sentenced in Deaths of Three Smuggled Chinese MigrantsRead the Press Release
Assistant U. S. Attorney Michael G. Wheat (619) 546-8437
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – March 15, 2021
SAN DIEGO – Neil Edwin Valera, a U.S. citizen who resided in Tijuana, was sentenced in federal court today to five years in prison in connection with the deaths of three Chinese migrants, including a mother and her 15-year-old son, who were found in the trunk of Valera’s BMW two days after he crossed into the United States through the San Ysidro Port of Entry in the same car.
Valera, a truck driver from El Paso, Texas, pleaded guilty in February 2020 to Encouraging Aliens to Enter Resulting in Death and Bringing in Aliens without Presentation for Financial Gain.
At the sentencing hearing today, U.S. District Judge Anthony Battaglia said: “There’s an inherent danger with putting people in the trunks and compartments of cars. It’s not just a fairy tale that people will get hurt or die - it really does happen.”
On August 11, 2019, at 4:54 p.m., San Diego police received an emergency 911 call from a person reporting a foul odor and blood dripping from a suspicious vehicle with Texas license plates parked near the 2100 block of Jaime Avenue in San Diego.
San Diego police officers discovered a 1999 silver BMW with a Texas license plate. The officers lifted the trunk and found what initially appeared to be two deceased Asian females. Homicide detectives found an additional victim, an Asian male, pressed up against the rear wall of the trunk. A witness said the car was first noticed two days earlier and no one was seen coming or going.
Video recordings show the same car crossing into the United States from Mexico on August 9, 2019, at the San Ysidro port of entry at 3:14 p.m. According to the complaint, the driver was Valera, the registered owner of the vehicle. Valera used his Sentri card to enter into the U.S. After that day, Valera only crossed into the United States on foot, through pedestrian lanes at the San Ysidro Port of Entry.
“This smuggler showed a reckless disregard for the lives of his customers,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman. “This office will aggressively seek justice for victims who no longer have a voice.” Grossman thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Wheat and officials from the San Diego Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations for their excellent work on this case.
DEFENDANT Case Number 3:19-cr-03865-AJB
Neil Edwin Valera Age: 52 Tijuana
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Encouraging Aliens to Enter Resulting in Death – Title 8, U.S.C., Section 1324(a)(1)(A)(vi) and (B)(iv)
Maximum penalty: Life in prison or death and $250,000 fine
Bringing in Aliens without Presentation for Financial Gain – Title 8, U.S.C., Section 1324(a)(2)(B)(ii)
Maximum penalty: Mandatory minimum three years, up to 15 years in prison
AGENCY
San Diego Police Department
Homeland Security Investigations
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations
Local Landscaping Company Owner Charged with Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
BOSTON – The owner of a local landscaping company was charged today with tax evasion in connection with a scheme to underreport income on his business and personal tax returns.
Kevin Newman, 70, of Auburndale, the owner of Kevin Newman Landscape and Tree Inc., has agreed to plead guilty to one count of tax evasion. A plea hearing has not yet been scheduled.
As alleged in the charging document, for tax years 2015 through 2019, Newman underreported income and inflated expenses on his personal tax returns, and those his company filed, resulting in a tax loss of more than $384,000.
The charge of tax evasion provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell and Ramsey E. Covington, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Miron Bloom of Mendell’s Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Las Vegas Felon Sentenced to Prison for Selling Oxycodone Pills and Possessing Two Loaded FirearmsRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – A convicted felon was sentenced last Monday (March 8, 2021) to eight years and six months in federal prison for unlawfully selling over 1,000 pills of Oxycodone — a Schedule II controlled substance — and unlawfully possessing two loaded firearms, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Christopher Chiou for the District of Nevada.
Kary Watson, 50, of Las Vegas, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and one count of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a prohibited person. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Jennifer A. Dorsey sentenced Watson to three years of supervised release.
According to court documents and admissions made in court by Watson, between August 2016 and April 2017, he and co-conspirators agreed to obtain Oxycodone pills and resell them. Watson received and sold more than 1,155 Oxycodone 30 mg pills during the conspiracy. In addition, he possessed a loaded Sig Sauer Model 556 .223 caliber rifle and a loaded H&K P2000 semi-automatic handgun. He has prior drug felony convictions that prohibit him from possessing a firearm.
Co-defendants Earnest Rogers, Jason West, Marcus Jones, Leslie Brass, Artavious Wright, Murray Newton, Jamal William, and Richard Roberts, have all pleaded guilty and been sentenced. Co-defendant Damien Norris was convicted by a federal jury and was sentenced. A federal jury trial for the final co-defendant, John Phillips, is scheduled for June 8, 2021.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Oxycodone — a semi-synthetic opioid — has a high potential for abuse that can lead to severe psychological and physical dependence and can result in fatal overdoses.
If you have a tip or information about illegal sales or distribution of prescription opioids, including Fentanyl, Oxycodone, and Hydrocodone, please call the DEA at 1-877-RX-Abuse (792-2873). For information about the harmful effects of illicit drug use, visit www.JustThinkTwice.com for teens and www.GetSmartAboutDrugs.com for parents, educators, and caregivers.
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Judge sentences St. Louis County fentanyl dealer for distribution causing deathRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – United States District Judge Henry E. Autrey sentenced Travis Broeker to 23 years in prison today. On September 17, 2020, at the conclusion of a four-day jury trial, the 36-year-old Clayton, Missouri resident was found guilty of distribution of fentanyl resulting in death and conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.
The evidence at trial established on February 28, 2018, Broeker met the victim on a parking lot of a convenience store and sold him six fentanyl capsules. The victim returned to his residence in the 2800 block of Telegraph, ingested fentanyl and overdosed. The victim’s roommate called 911 at 7:27 p.m. The victim was successfully treated with NARCAN and released from the hospital late in the evening of February 28. While the victim was in the hospital, his roommate confiscated what he believed to be the victim’s remaining fentanyl and his cell phone for the victim’s safety. Unfortunately, the victim’s roommate was unaware that the victim had concealed some of the remaining fentanyl in a hollowed-out rubber ball.
The victim returned home around midnight where he and his roommate spoke before the roommate went to sleep. During the early morning hours of March 1, the victim’s roommate found him unresponsive, in a fetal position. The same paramedics who treated the victim the previous night responded a second time and determined he was “beyond help.” The victim was pronounced dead at 6:08 a.m. on March 1.
St. Louis County Police investigators obtained the victim’s remaining fentanyl and cell phone from his roommate. The police used an undercover detective purporting to be the victim’s friend to contact Broeker, who agreed to distribute additional fentanyl to the victim and the undercover detective. Broeker enlisted co-defendant Pamela Barton to deliver 20 capsules of fentanyl to the undercover detective. Barton unwittingly contacted the police to make the fentanyl delivery and was arrested. Investigators later arrested Broeker, who admitted distributing fentanyl to the victim.
On January 15, 2020, Judge Autrey sentenced Barton to 60 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.
The St. Louis County Police Department investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Nauman Wadalawala is handling the case.
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Georgia Man Sentenced for Conspiring to Commit Marriage FraudRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina announced that today in federal court, Tojiddin Ghaibulloyev Rahimov, age 47, a naturalized citizen of the United States, born in Tajikistan, residing in Columbus, Georgia, was sentenced by United States District Judge Louise W. Flanagan to 8 months imprisonment following a guilty plea to conspiracy to commit marriage fraud.
The indictment alleges that Melissa Godshall and Robert Kennerley, who were romantically involved, were panhandling for money on the side of the road in Granville County, North Carolina. Rahimov approached them and asked Godshall if she would be willing to marry a foreign-born national for money. Rahimov introduced Godshall to Levan Lomtatidze, a citizen of the former Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic. Thereafter, Godshall agreed to engage in the marriage to Lomtatidze in exchange for $12,000, housing, and a vehicle.
Lomtatidze and Godshall got married in Granville County, North Carolina. The marriage ceremony was witnessed by Kennerley and another individual. Thereafter, Lomtatidze transferred $1,000 to Rahimov’s bank account.
Lomtatidze, Godshall and Kennerley entered into a rental agreement for a house located in Raleigh, North Carolina. The rent was paid for by Lomtatidze as part of the payment for the sham marriage. Thereafter, Godshall and Lomtatidze submitted fraudulent applications to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) requesting Lomtatidze’s adjustment of status as a lawful permanent resident in the United States (commonly known as a “green card”). Rahimov prepared Lomtatidze and Godshall for their interview with USCIS.
At the interview, both Godshall and Lomtatidze attested under oath they were married in good faith. As a result of the interview, USCIS approved the request and Lomtatidze was granted conditional resident status in the United States. Later, Lomtatidze and Godshall submitted to USCIS another application attesting they were still married in good faith and requesting Lomtatidze’s removal of conditions on his resident status. A fraudulent letter supporting Lomtatidze’s removal of conditions attesting to the legitimacy of the marriage was submitted by Godshall’s mother, Marilyn Godshall.
Godshall, Lomtatidze, and Kennerley were all charged and sentenced for conspiracy to commit marriage fraud via separate indictments in Case No. 5:19-cr-00106-FL. Moreover, Marilyn Godshall was also charged and convicted for aiding and abetting in Case No. 7:19-mj-01053-FL.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. Agents with Homeland Security Investigations, assigned to the Document Benefit Fraud Task Force, investigated the case.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:19-cr-00180-FL.
Former correctional employee admits to sexual contact with inmateRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Heather D. Obrad, a correctional employee at Federal Corrections Institution Hazelton, has admitted to having inappropriate contact with an inmate, Acting United States Attorney Randolph J. Bernard announced.
Obrad, of Granville, West Virginia, pleaded guilty today to one count of “Abusive Sexual Contact.” Obrad, 27, a secretary at FCI Hazelton, admitted to having sexual contact with an inmate at the facility from August to October 2020.
Obrad is facing up to two years of incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher L. Bauer is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Office of Inspector General investigated.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.
Former Old Dominion University Student Sentenced for Swatting ConspiracyRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Vienna man was sentenced today to 33 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy that involved multiple swatting attacks targeting journalists, a Virginia university, a historic Virginia church, an Islamic Center in Arlington, Texas, and a former U.S. Cabinet member.“Swatting attacks are serious crimes that disrupt the operations of local emergency agencies, take first responders away from real emergencies, and place victims, community members, and law enforcement officers in grave danger,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “EDVA will continue to bring to justice those who threaten public safety with these menacing hoaxes, especially when those threats are motivated by racial or religious animus, which are intolerable and have no place in our society.”
According to court documents, John William Kirby Kelley, 20, conspired with John Cameron Denton, a former leader of the Atomwaffen Division in Texas, and others to conduct “swatting” calls. Swatting is a harassment tactic that involves deceiving emergency dispatchers into believing that a person or persons are in imminent danger of death or bodily harm, thus causing the dispatchers to send police and emergency services to an unwitting third party’s address.
“Swatting is not only harassment, but these calls also waste resources and put innocent people and first responders in danger,” said James A. Dawson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners take all threats seriously and investigate instances of swatting. Law enforcement and first responders put their lives at risk every day, and swatting instances which increase that risk will not be tolerated.”
Kelley managed the online chatroom where conspirators chose targets and regularly coordinated the swatting calls. Many of the conspirators held white supremacist views and targeted individuals because they were motivated by racial animus. Kelley communicated with these white supremacists and used racial epithets.
Kelley is a former student at Old Dominion University. In early November 2018, he asked conspirators to swat Old Dominion University, which conspirators ultimately did on November 29 and December 4, 2018. In response to the bomb threat on November 29, 2018, university officials issued a shelter-in-place order and law enforcement officers were forced to search and clear every building on campus.
During the conspiracy, members placed at least 134 swatting calls to jurisdictions across the country. In addition to the swatting calls against Old Dominion University, conspirators conducted two additional swatting calls in the Eastern District of Virginia, including a call to the Alfred Street Baptist Church in November 2018, and to a former U.S. Cabinet member living in northern Virginia in January 2019.
During today’s sentencing, the Court applied both a hate crime and an official victim enhancement after finding that Kelley participated in a conspiracy that, in part, targeted individuals because of their race or status as government officials.
Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and James A. Dawson, Special Agent in Charge, Criminal Division, FBI Washington Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Carina A. Cuellar prosecuted the case. FBI’s Memphis Field Office provided significant assistance investigating this case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:20-cr-82.
Former FCI Gilmer inmate sentenced for assaulting corrections officerRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Elijah Jeremiah Smith, a former inmate at Federal Corrections Institution Gilmer, was sentenced today to 71 months of incarceration for assaulting a correctional officer, Acting United States Attorney Randolph J. Bernard announced.
Smith, 24, pleaded guilty today to one count of “Assault of a Correctional Officer Resulting in Bodily Injury.” Smith admitted to assaulting an officer and causing bodily injury while in custody in September 2019 in Gilmer County. Smith punched the officer, lacerating his lip, knocking out a tooth, and injuring his shoulder.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon S. Flower prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Prisons investigated.
Senior U.S. District Judge Irene M. Keeley presided.
Foreign Nationals Sentenced for Manufacturing Counterfeit Identification DocumentsRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Lucas Lara Portillo, 39, a foreign national residing in Fresno, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd to 15 months in prison for conspiring to produce false identification documents, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
On Dec. 15, 2020, Judge Drozd sentenced Portillo’s co-conspirator, Isaias Herrera-Ortiz, 30, to 15 months in prison for the same offense.
According to court documents, between February 2018 and November 2019, Portillo and Herrera-Ortiz produced, possessed, transferred, and sold false identification documents. These documents included counterfeit lawful permanent resident or LPR cards and fraudulent Social Security number or SSN cards. Portillo and Herrera-Ortiz sold these documents on at least four separate occasions for an average price of $130 per set. In total, the pair was responsible for manufacturing between 25 and 99 sets of fraudulent documents.
This case was the product of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura D. Withers prosecuted the case.
Florida Man Sentenced to Probation for Federal Program TheftRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that on March 12, 2021, Eliseo Sierra, age 43, of Stuart, Florida, was sentenced to five years of probation, by U.S. District Court Judge Jennifer P. Wilson, for federal program theft. Judge Wilson also ordered Sierra to pay $61,337.09 in restitution.
According to Acting United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, in 2014, while employed as an operations manager at Lincoln Charter School, in York, Pennsylvania, Sierra embezzled over $78,000 from the school. He previously repaid the school approximately $16,000. At the time of Sierra’s crime, the school received grants funded by the U.S. Department of Education.
In imposing the probationary sentence, Judge Wilson highlighted Sierra’s medical conditions and the pandemic as a reason for the non-custodial sentence. She also pointed to the age of Sierra’s conduct.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carlo D. Marchioli prosecuted the case.
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Fayetteville Man Sentenced to 10 Years’ After Firing Gun During Gas Station RobberyRead the Press Release
NEW BERN, N.C. – Kareem Jaquian Dennings, 21, of Fayetteville was sentenced today to 120 months in prison for possessing and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.
According to the investigation, on October 9, 2017, a little after 4 p.m., a man robbed the Fast Trip gas station on Yadkin road in Fayetteville. He walked behind the counter, and as he approached the clerk at the cash register, he pointed the gun at her and racked the slide. He demanded the money, and in the process of transferring the money into a book bag he carried, fired one shot downward past the clerk’s legs. In total he took $220.
The surveillance video showed the suspect to be a 5’6” to 5’9” African American male with a thin build. He wore his jacket hood up and a red bandana over his nose. Surveillance video showed that the suspect had handled the store’s door frame and responding Fayetteville PD officers were able to obtain a latent fingerprint. They also recovered a spent .38 caliber shell casing under the store counter.
Law enforcement ran the fingerprints through the State Automated Fingerprint Identification System (SAFIS), which reported a match to Dennings. A review of Dennings’ Facebook account showed that he matched the robber’s physical description. The account also included several photos in which he appeared to be wearing the same jacket and a similar red bandana to the robber.
When arrested, Dennings was wearing this same bandana. He denied having been to the Fast Trip gas station, but when confronted with the fingerprint evidence, he claimed that he had been drinking that day and may have forgotten visiting the store. After the interview, Dennings was observed in the interview room digging with his hands into his shorts that he wore under his pants. Officers searched him again and found a .38 caliber bullet in one of the pockets, consistent with the shell casing found at the Fast Trip.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The Fayetteville Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jake D. Pugh prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:18-cr-00107-FL.
FCI Gilmer inmate admits to indecent exposureRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Darius McNeal, an inmate at Federal Corrections Institution Gilmer, has admitted to indecent exposure, Acting United States Attorney Randolph J. Bernard announced.
McNeal, 20, pleaded guilty today to three counts of “Indecent Exposure.” McNeal admitted to exposing himself and committing sexual acts in front of another person on three separate occasions in November 2019m December 2019, and June 2020 in Gilmer County.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher L. Bauer is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Prisons investigated.
U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
Dutchess County Man Sentenced for Mailing White Powder to Federal Offices Throughout New YorkRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Jason Pantone, age 36, of Hyde Park, New York, was sentenced today to time served (more than two years in jail) for conveying false information and hoax letters.
The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Antoinette T. Bacon and Thomas F. Relford, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Acting U.S. Attorney Antoinette T. Bacon stated: “With these hoax letters, Jason Pantone intended to terrify federal employees throughout Upstate and Central New York. Today’s sentence justly punishes Pantone for causing emotional distress to some letter recipients, and for consuming the valuable time and resources of our first responders. I commend our law enforcement partners for quickly arresting Pantone shortly after his crimes began.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Thomas Relford stated: “Mr. Pantone's actions caused widespread panic and fear for employees who simply showed up to work that day, and he spent two years in jail as a result. The public should know the FBI will work diligently with our law enforcement partners to actively investigate and pursue prosecution of any individual who poses a threat to the safety of our citizens.”
Pantone was arrested on February 27, 2019, and had been in custody since that time. As part of his guilty plea, Pantone admitted that in February 2019, he mailed several envelopes addressed to Social Security Administration Offices in Plattsburgh, Binghamton and Utica. Additional letters were addressed to United States District Court offices in Syracuse, Binghamton, Albany, and Plattsburgh. All of the envelopes contained a typed note that read “ANTHRAX.” Some of the letters included a smiley face with “X” in the place of the eyes, meant to indicate death.
Pantone’s actions caused several locations to be evacuated and hazardous material teams to be deployed, to assess and clear the buildings. All samples of the white powder were tested and yielded negative results for anthrax or other hazardous material.
United States District Judge Mae D’Agostino also imposed a 3-year term of supervised release.
This case was investigated by the FBI, the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Federal Protective Service, the New York State Police, the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Department, the New York State Department of Health, and the Department of Homeland Security. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy Anderson.
Domestic Terrorist Sentenced for Attempting to Set Fire to Raleigh Police Department VehicleRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – A Raleigh man was sentenced to 30 months imprisonment today for attempting to set fire to a marked police vehicle in Raleigh after a demonstration over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Jabari Devon Davis, of Raleigh, was arrested by special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) on June 4, 2020 and was charged with one count of attempting to damage or destroy by fire a vehicle owned or possessed by an institution receiving federal financial assistance.
According to court documents, on May 31, 2020, at approximately 12:31 a.m. a fire was discovered coming from the fuel filler area of a police vehicle owned by the Raleigh Police Department (RPD), that was parked at the Raleigh Police Southeast District Station (RPSDS) in Raleigh. The fire was discovered and extinguished by an RPD Captain who was driving through the parking lot prior to the fire departments arrival. The fire caused approximately $5,000 in damage to the police vehicle. Investigators seized a charred sock located within the fuel filler of the damaged vehicle, a bottle with the odor of gasoline was located on the sidewalk, behind the damaged vehicle, and another charred sock located between the vehicle and the sidewalk.
On June 2, 2020, investigators were notified that a fingerprint was lifted from the seized bottle recovered at the scene and determined the fingerprint belonged to Davis.
On June 3, 2020, Davis was interviewed at his residence where he admitted to being the subject who intentionally set the police vehicle at the Southeast District on fire. DAVIS stated that after leaving the protest, he and his friend traveled to the RPSDS, where he retrieved the bottle of gasoline and poured a small amount of gasoline on a sock and put another sock in to the mouth of the bottle. DAVIS placed the gasoline-soaked sock in the fuel filler of the police vehicle and set it on fire. As DAVIS ran back towards his friend’s vehicle, he set the bottle with the sock on fire and threw it toward several parked police vehicles. However, when he threw it, the burning sock fell out, catching the grass and straw on fire.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The Raleigh Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel W. Smith prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:20-CR-00433-D.
Couple Sentenced for Child Exploitation OffensesRead the Press Release
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – A Limestone County couple has been sentenced on child exploitation charges, announced United States Attorney Prim F. Escalona and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Katrina W. Berger.
United States District Judge R. David Proctor today sentenced Bethany Leigh Siniard, 37, of Elkmont to 235 months in prison followed by 60 months of supervised release. Gregory Wade Anderson, 49, of Athens, was sentenced on January 25th to 240 months in prison to be followed by 240 months of supervised release. In August 2019, Siniard pleaded guilty and in November 2019, Anderson pleaded guilty to two counts of production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.
“These sentences send a message that exploiting vulnerable children will result in federal incarceration,” U.S. Attorney Escalona said. “The collaborative work of our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners exemplifies our commitment to investigate and prosecute those engaged in exploitation of innocent children.”
"Today's sentencing should send a strong and clear message that the exploitation of children will not be tolerated,” said Special Agent in Charge Katrina W. Berger, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in Georgia and Alabama. “HSI remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners to investigate these crimes, hold the perpetrators accountable and to ensure justice for our nation's most vulnerable population."
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case, along with the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney R. Leann White prosecuted the case.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Conspirators Who Brought More Than $600,000 and Handguns to Purchase Cocaine from Undercover Agents Sentenced to 15 YearsRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Carlos E. Mendoza has sentenced Jacob Luis Bonilla-Rivera (27, Kissimmee) and Juan Omar Rodriguez, Jr. (21, Auburndale) to 15 years in federal prison, respectively, for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of that conspiracy. The court also ordered Bonilla-Rivera and Rodriguez to forfeit $639,325 in currency, two firearms, and a vehicle used in the commission of the offenses. Bonilla-Rivera Rodriguez had pleaded guilty in December 2020.
According to court documents, starting on September 11, 2020, Bonilla-Rivera engaged in a series of phone calls with individuals he believed to be cocaine dealers but who were, in fact, undercover agents working on behalf of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). These discussions culminated in an agreement for Bonilla-Rivera to purchase 20 kilograms of cocaine in Orlando. On September 16, 2020, HSI agents met with Bonilla-Rivera and Rodriguez, where the conspirators showed HSI agents $600,000 in cash that they had brought to the deal in a hidden compartment in one of their vehicles. After showing the agents the cash, Bonilla-Rivera and Rodriguez proceeded to a location where HSI agents had arranged to show them the cocaine to be purchased. After inspecting the cocaine, Bonilla-Rivera and Rodriguez returned to their car to retrieve the cash from the hidden compartment and were arrested. Upon searching both vehicles, HSI agents found that both Bonilla-Rivera and Rodriguez had possessed loaded firearms inside vehicles they had driven to the meeting, along with a total of $639,325 cash.
“This joint investigation into a transnational criminal organization illustrates how important our partnerships are in combating illegal drugs,” said HSI Orlando Assistant Special Agent in Charge David J. Pezzutti. “The sentencing and seizures associated with this case have made our community safer.”
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from Seminole County Sherriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dana E. Hill.
Colorado Man Sentenced to 15 ½ years for Meth Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Denver, Colorado, man who pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance was sentenced on March 2, 2021, by U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey L. Viken.
James Renwick, age 59, was sentenced to 15 ½ years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
From approximately September 2019 to December 2019, Renwick brought methamphetamine to South Dakota from Colorado. Renwick then dispersed the methamphetamine to others for use or additional distribution.
This case was investigated by the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team (UNET), Drug Enforcement Agency, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. UNET is comprised of law enforcement from the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Rapid City Police Department, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, and the South Dakota National Guard.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn N. Rich prosecuted the case.
Renwick was immediately returned to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Cocoa Man Sentenced to More Than Six Years in Federal Prison for Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute FentanylRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – United States District Judge Carlos E. Mendoza has sentenced Jerimiah Swanson (22, Cocoa) to six years and eight months in federal prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl. Swanson was found guilty by a federal jury on December 10, 2020. He had been indicted on March 18, 2020.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, starting no later than November 2019, and continuing through February 2020, a confidential informant working for the Drug Enforcement Administration made six recorded purchases totaling over 150 grams of fentanyl outside Swanson’s home in Cocoa, Florida. Law enforcement also conducted a search of Swanson’s home in February 2020 and found baggies, digital scales covered with fentanyl and cocaine, and firearms in Swanson’s bedroom.
Swanson’s co-defendant previously pleaded guilty to his role in the conspiracy. He was sentenced to eight years in federal prison on December 16, 2020.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Florida Highway Patrol and the Titusville Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Shawn P. Napier and E. Jackson Boggs Jr.
Chelsea Man Sentenced for Being a Felon in Possession of FirearmRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Chelsea man was sentenced today for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Semaj Leary, 26, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper to four years in prison and three years of supervised release after pleading guilty in November 2020 to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Leary was indicted in December 2019.
On Aug. 15, 2019, Leary was found in possession of a 9mm Glock semi-automatic pistol, seven rounds of R-P 9mm caliber ammunition, four rounds of WIN 9mm caliber ammunition, two rounds of VPT 9mm caliber ammunition, one round of WCC 9mm caliber ammunition, one round of Tulammo 9mm caliber ammunition and an extra magazine. Leary was previously convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm and other crimes punishable by more than a year in jail, and therefore was prohibited from possessing firearms.
Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Kelly D. Brady, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; Suffolk County District Attorney Rachel Rollins; and Boston Police Acting Commissioner Gregory Long made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mackenzie A. Queenin of Mendell’s Criminal Division prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Career Criminal Convicted in Connection with Fort Myers Night Club ShootingRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, FL – A federal jury has found Jonathan Anthony Reid (31, Gibsonton) guilty of possessing a firearm and ammunition as a previously convicted felon, in connection with the shooting of two men outside a Fort Myers night club in January 2020. Under the Armed Career Criminal Act, Reid faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years, and up to life, in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 14, 2021.
Reid was indicted on June 3, 2020.
According to evidence presented at trial, in the early morning hours of January 29, 2020, Reid shot two men who were standing in front of the entrance of a night club on Cleveland Avenue in Fort Myers, before fleeing the scene in a silver sedan with a stolen license plate. Reid made efforts to conceal his identity during the shooting by wearing a hooded sweatshirt, gloves, and a ski mask, but he later crashed and abandoned his getaway car while fleeing from the shooting scene. In his wrecked getaway car, law enforcement found a Glock .45 caliber handgun, nine rounds of .45 caliber ammunition, a camouflage ski mask, a hooded sweatshirt, and blue latex gloves. DNA analysis later revealed that Reid’s DNA profile matched DNA extracted from the ski mask, the sweatshirt, a ripped latex glove, and the firearm that was recovered from the vehicle. Three cell phones were also found in the car, all of which were later connected to Reid.
This case was investigated by United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Fort Myers Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Simon R. Eth and Shannon Laurie.
This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence and enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes. For more information on Project Guardian visit www.justice.gov/projectguardian.
Camp counselor admits to child pornography chargeRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – David Jonathan Weston, of Westminster, Maryland, has admitted to a child pornography charge, Acting United States Attorney Randolph J. Bernard announced.
Weston, 41, pleaded guilty today to one count of “Attempted Solicitation of Child Pornography.” Weston, who had served as a camp counselor at Camp Tohiglo in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania around the time of the crime, admitted to persuading a 15-year-old female to send inappropriate pictures and videos to his smart phone. From July 2020 to September 2020, Weston exchanged nearly 1,000 messages via Snapchat, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram with the minor, who lives in Berkeley County.
Weston is facing at least five and up to 20 years of incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly D. Crockett is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The FBI investigated with assistance from Carroll County Sheriff’s Office.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided.
Bronx Gang Member Pleads Guilty to 2018 Shooting in the Nelson PlaygroundRead the Press Release
Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that MARVIN GAMONEDA, a/k/a “June,” pled guilty today in Manhattan federal court in connection with a shooting in the Nelson Playground on June 7, 2018, in furtherance of the Woodycrime criminal enterprise. U.S. District Judge John G. Koeltl accepted the defendant’s guilty plea.
U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: “Today, Marvin Gamoneda admitted his responsibility for a brazen shooting in the middle of the afternoon in a playground in the Bronx. During the shooting, two individuals, including a child, were hit. We continue our daily work with our law enforcement partners to keep our communities safe and to vigorously investigate acts of gang violence.”
As alleged in the Indictment and statements made in open court:
Woodycrime was a criminal enterprise involved in committing numerous acts of violence, including attempted murders and assaults, as well as drug dealing in the Bronx. Members and associates of Woodycrime engaged in violence to retaliate against rival gangs, to preserve and expand the gang’s territory, and to protect the gang’s narcotics business. Members and associates of Woodycrime enriched themselves by selling drugs, such as crack cocaine, marijuana, oxycodone, and MDMA or “ecstasy.” On June 7, 2018, GAMONEDA and others shot at a rival gang member in the vicinity of the Nelson Playground in the Bronx, during which two victims, including a 13-year-old child, were injured.
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GAMONEDA, 34, of the Bronx, New York, pled guilty to attempted murder and assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and using and carrying a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, which carries a maximum sentence of life and a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison. GAMONEDA will be sentenced before Judge Koeltl on July 30, 2021, at 10:00 a.m.
The statutory maximum penalties are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for information purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant would be determined by Judge Koeltl.
Ms. Strauss praised the outstanding investigative work of the NYPD and the FBI.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Andrew K. Chan, Jacob R. Fiddelman, and James Ligtenberg are in charge of the prosecution.
Brevard County Man Sentenced to 80 Years in Federal Prison for Producing and Possessing Images and Videos Depicting the Sexual Exploitation of ChildrenRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – United States District Judge Wendy W. Berger has sentenced Ronald Brouillard (72, Titusville) to 80 years in federal prison for production and possession of images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children. Brouillard was also ordered to serve a 10-year term of supervised release and register as a sex offender if he is ever released from federal prison.
Brouillard had pleaded guilty on October 6, 2020.
According to evidence presented at sentencing, Brouillard sexually abused two children, ages 2 and 8, that he had access to. Brouillard produced videos of the sexual assault of the younger child on two separate occasions using his cellphone. As a result, the Court found that Brouillard had engaged in a pattern of sexual abuse involving these children. In addition, Brouillard possessed 19 videos and more than 1,500 images that depicted the sexual abuse of children between the ages of 2 and 12.
“This is another example of the exemplary work being done by the special agents and prosecutors working this difficult and disturbing violation,” said Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Tampa Division Michael McPherson. “We applaud the 80-year sentence handed down in this case that will ensure this predator can never prey on the young and innocent again.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn P. Napier.
This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Baton Rouge Resident Sentenced to 87 Months Imprisonment for Conspiring to Distribute Heroin While Incarcerated at the Orleans Parish Justice CenterRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that BRANDON SANDERS, age 30, a resident of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was sentenced on March 9, 2021 to 87 months in prison, (4) four years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment by U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan for conspiring to distribute heroin while incarcerated in the Orleans Parish Justice Center in New Orleans for firearm and drug distribution charges.
On December 8, 2020, SANDERS plead guilty to a one count charge of conspiring to distribute 100 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of heroin in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B), and 846. According to court documents, SANDERS, while incarcerated in the Orleans Parish Justice Center on other charges, directed an associate to purchase heroin for resale from Arthur Johnson, aged 42, a resident of New Orleans. SANDERS, Arthur Johnson, and other codefendants were charged in 2018 with conspiring to distribute heroin in the New Orleans and Baton Rouge areas.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the FBI’s New Orleans Gang Task Force in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney David Howard Sinkman is in charge of the prosecution.
Atlantic City Fugitive Arrested for EscapeRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – An Atlantic City, New Jersey, man appeared today following his arrest on charges of escaping from federal custody, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Patrick Giblin, 56, of Atlantic City, New Jersey, is charged by complaint with escape from the custody of the Attorney General. Giblin made his initial appearance by videoconference today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ann Marie Donio.
According to the complaint and court documents:
On July 23, 2020, Giblin escaped from the custody of the Attorney General while traveling from a federal prison in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, to a residential living facility in Newark, where he had been directed to serve the remainder of a federal prison sentence. At the time Giblin was serving a 2017 sentence for traveling interstate and using an interstate facility to promote unlawful activity in connection with a scheme to defraud multiple women. Giblin’s 2017 sentence followed an earlier sentence of 115 months’ imprisonment for a 2007 wire fraud conviction for a similar fraud scheme. Members of the U.S. Marshals Service located and arrested Giblin in Atlantic City on March 10, 2021.
Giblin faces up to five years in prison if convicted of the escape charge.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited members of the U.S. Marshals Service, District of New Jersey, under the direction of U.S. Marshal Juan Mattos Jr., with the investigation leading to the arrest and charges.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gabriel J. Vidoni of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division in Camden.
The charge and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Aroostook County Woman Sentenced on Federal Drug ChargeRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: A Caribou woman was sentenced today in federal court for conspiring to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.
U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Angela Doody, 46, to five years in prison and three years of supervised release. Doody pleaded guilty in February 2021.
According to court records, between January 2017 and August 2018, a drug trafficking organization distributed large quantities of methamphetamine in northern Maine. The organization obtained the drugs from sources in Colorado and Arizona. Doody aided the organization by distributing methamphetamine and collecting proceeds from the sale of methamphetamine.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency investigated the case.
Arizona Man Sentenced for Multimillion-Dollar Nationwide Investment Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – An Arizona man was sentenced today to 16 years in prison for his participation in a nationwide investment fraud conspiracy that cost victims over $23 million in total losses.
“This defendant made millions of dollars by deceiving innocent investors and perpetuating a scheme that defrauded vulnerable victims out of their hard-earned retirement funds,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Today’s sentence sends a strong message that anyone in the financial services industry who lies, manipulates, and steals their way to success acts at their own peril and risks substantial jail time if they do not operate their practices truthfully and with integrity.”
According to court documents, Kent Maerki, 78, of Scottsdale, the founder of Dental Support Plus Franchise, LLC, and Janus Spectrum, LLC, made a multitude of misrepresentations about those businesses in materials used to solicit investments, including during appearances on radio shows and in a presentation about investments in wireless spectrum he called “Money From Thin Air.”
As part of this scheme, Maerki and his conspirators controlled numerous entities that sold purported “franchises” and “private equity” opportunities through salesmen across the country. Through these salesmen, the defendants targeted individuals at or near retirement and made numerous material misrepresentations and omissions to sell them illiquid, highly speculative investment vehicles. Maerki, who had been barred by a federal court in 1984 from selling securities, continued to sell the investments without disclosing that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the Virginia State Corporation Commission, and the Arizona State Corporation Commission were investigating the conspirators for fraud.
Many of the victims targeted in this scheme were elderly. Unsuspecting investors cashed out 401(k) retirement plans and other retirement accounts to invest in companies founded by Maerki, without knowledge that significant portions of their money were being transferred to other companies controlled by members of the conspiracy. As a result, some individual investors—including investors who were blind, disabled, or otherwise unable to return to work—lost hundreds of thousands of dollars from their retirement savings. The total amount of victim losses from this scheme exceeded $23 million, and over $4 million of those fraudulently obtained funds went to Maerki.
Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; Kelly R. Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Washington, D.C. Field Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI); and Peter R. Rendina, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melissa E. O’Boyle, Elizabeth M. Yusi, and Andrew Bosse prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:19-cr-47.
Apex Serial Fraudster Sent Back to Federal Prison for Investment Scam Involving Impersonation of Mayor, Professor, and Government AgencyRead the Press Release
NEW BERN, N.C. – An Apex man was sentenced today to 75 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $909,763.28 in restitution owed to dozens of victims on charges of Wire Fraud and Aiding and Abetting and Aggravated Identity Theft.
Acting United States Attorney G. Norman Acker, III stated, “This was a case involving a serial con artist who, in the course of evading the repayment of restitution to victims of his prior federal offense, engaged in a new, and more extensive fraud scheme, harming others. I am pleased that the court saw fit to return the defendant to prison to protect the public from the ongoing economic threat he continues to pose to trusting citizens.”
The case showed that defendant Charles Gilbert Murphy was subject to collection efforts by the United States Government arising from a prior federal conviction for Wire Fraud in June of 1999 in this same district. To avoid his payment obligations Murphy used his family members to open bank accounts for him in the name of various companies he controlled, referred to in the Indictment as the “Murphy Entities.” These entities were Toxic Solutions LLC (“Toxic Solutions”), Biological Marine Remediation LLC (“Bio-Remediation”), Bio Marine Remediation LLC (“Bio-Marine”), Bio Separation Systems, LLC (“Bio-Separation”), On-Site Solutions LLC (“On-Site Solutions”), and On-Site Technologies LLC (“On-Site Technologies”).
Murphy used the Murphy Entities to obtain money from individuals and entities under false and fraudulent pretenses. Murphy represented that the Murphy Entities performed environmental cleanup activities, such as water remediation. Murphy purported to offer to various entrepreneurial victims the opportunity to purchase exclusive rights to perform environmental cleanup services in a given geographic area. Murphy also purported to sell the equipment necessary to perform the cleanup services. In furtherance of the scheme, Murphy frequently presented false documents to the entrepreneurs to make it appear that funds had been allocated for services to be performed in the geographic area where the victims had purchased the exclusive rights. In reality, the documents justifying the exclusive rights purchase were falsified, and Murphy took the money without providing all of the equipment purchased.
In furtherance of the scheme, Murphy utilized the identities of others to make it appear that his companies were good investments by creating false documents and correspondence in the names of the victims. Among others, Murphy impersonated a professor, a mayor, and a representative of the Environmental Protection Agency.
Murphy defrauded dozens of victims in this case. Many of the victims lost down payments they paid to Murphy, trusting that he would deliver on his promises. Unfortunately, others lost their life savings. At sentencing the Government sought and obtained an order of restitution on behalf of these victims, totaling $909,763.28.
The investigation of this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, and the North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Securities Division. Assistant United States Attorney William M. Gilmore represents the United States.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:19-cr-432-fl .
Saturday 13 March 2021
Seven Additional Defendants Charged in Long-Running Drug and Money Laundering InvestigationRead the Press Release
DENVER – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announced the arrest of seven additional defendants in an on-going investigation involving the distribution of methamphetamine and heroin on the Western Slope. The following defendants were arrested and made their initial appearance in federal court in Denver and Grand Junction this week:
- Daniel Gastelo-Ochoa, 32 of Denver
- Carlos Quijano-Ruiz, 52 of Montrose
- Rafael Jaramillo-Hernandez, 32 of Montrose
- Catyria Gisela Lopez-Gomez, 41 of Fort Collins
- Margarita Jaquelin Cruz-Gomez, 35 of Montrose
- Dalilah Suarez-Lopez, 23 of Fort Collins, and
- Carlos Aurelio Beltran-Gonzalez, 32 of Montrose
These indiiduals were charged in a superseding indictment, which brought allegations against these defendants in addition to thirteen others previously charged in December of 2019.
According to the superseding indictment, from January 1, 2019, through December 18, 2019, Daniel Gastelo-Ochoa, Carlos Quijano-Ruiz, Rafael Jaramillo-Hernandez, Catyria Gisela Lopez-Gomez, as well as the thirteen previously charged defendants, conspired with each other to distribute methamphetamine and heroin. If convicted, each defendant faces a minimum of 10 years, and up to life in federal prison.
In addition to the drug conspiracy charge, Carlos Quijano-Ruiz, Rafael Jaramillo-Hernandez, Catyria Gisela Lopez-Gomez, as well as Margarita Jaquelin Cruz-Gomez, Dalilah Suarez-Lopez, Carlos Aurelio Beltran-Gonzalez, and other persons, conspired with each other to conduct and attempt to conduct financial transactions involving the proceeds of illegal drug distribution. Further, these financial transactions were designed in whole or in part to conceal and disguise the nature, location, source, ownership, and control of the proceeds. If convicted, each defendant faces not more than 20 years in federal prison.
The allegations in the superseding indictment are allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
This investigation was conducted by the Denver Division of the DEA, the Montrose County Sheriff’s Office, and the Montrose Police Department, as well as representatives from the 7th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Zachary Phillips is handling this prosecution.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Case number: 19-cr-00535 CMA-GPG
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Friday 12 March 2021
West Boylston Man Indicted on Illegal Ammunition Possession and Drug OffensesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A West Boylston man was indicted yesterday in federal court in Worcester in connection with illegal possession of ammunition and cocaine.
Augustus “Bobo” Kormah, 30, was indicted on one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition and one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Kormah is currently in state custody and will make an initial appearance in federal court in Worcester at a later date.
As alleged in the indictment, on Sept. 11, 2021, police officers arrested Kormah following a suspected drug transaction. During a search of Kormah’s apartment, law enforcement seized approximately 26 grams of cocaine; 50 rounds of .40-caliber ammunition containing the headstamp “Speer 40 S&W”; 50 rounds of .45-caliber ammunition containing the headstamp “HOTSHOT .45 AUTO”; and 30 rounds of 9mm Luger ammunition. Kormah is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition due to prior convictions punishable by more than one year in prison.
Because the defendant was previously convicted of at least three prior serious drug offenses, he qualifies as armed career criminal and faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 for the possession of ammunition charge. The charge of possession with intent to distribute provides for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, up to six years of supervised release and a fine of up to $2 million. Sentences imposed by a federal district court judge are based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Kelly D. Brady, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Worcester Police Chief Steven Sargent made the announcement. The case is being prosecuted by Mendell’s Worcester Branch Office.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN is part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
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.
Toledo man charged with using ‘Black Lives Matter of Greater Atlanta’ Facebook page to defraud donorsRead the Press Release
Acting U.S. Attorney Bridget M. Brennan announced today that a federal grand jury sitting in Cleveland returned a four-count indictment charging Sir Maejor Page, a.k.a. Tyree Conyers-Page, age 32, of Toledo, Ohio, with three counts of money laundering and one count of wire fraud. It is alleged that the defendant created a 501(c)(3) Facebook page entitled “Black Lives Matter of Greater Atlanta” and later used it to defraud donors out of more than $450,000 after BLMGA’s tax-exempt status as a charity with the IRS was revoked.
“These allegations involve fraudulent misrepresentations that the donations received would support Black Lives Matter (Atlanta, Georgia) when, as stated in the indictment, those funds were actually used by the defendant for personal expenses he incurred in Toledo and elsewhere,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Bridget M. Brennan. “It is our sincere hope that these charges help raise awareness about online scams and efforts by some to exploit the name and purpose of non-profit organizations for personal gain.”
"Page is accused of using unprecedented tensions and uncertainty due to widespread civil unrest and a global pandemic to fill his own bank account," said FBI Special Agent in Charge Eric B. Smith. "Page allegedly purchased homes, traveled, and spent other people's money to buy luxury items for himself, all on the backs of hardworking people believing they were donating to a worthy cause. The FBI will continue efforts to root out fraudsters who victimize our fellow citizens for personal gain."
The indictment states that from in or around May 2020 to on or about September 25, 2020, the defendant allegedly devised a scheme to defraud donors by falsely representing that donations to his 501(c)(3), Black Lives Matter of Greater Atlanta, would be used to combat racial and social injustices when in truth, the organization was no longer an established charity and the defendant was using the donations for his personal benefit.
According to the indictment, on or about February 18, 2016, the defendant created the Facebook page entitled Black Lives Matter of Greater Atlanta (“BLMGA”). In March of 2016, the defendant registered BLACK LIVES MATTER OF GREATER ATLANTA INC.” as a 501(c)(3) domestic non-profit corporation with the Georgia Secretary of State Corporation’s Division and assumed the role of President and CEO. Based on the information that the defendant provided, Facebook recognized BLMGA as a valid non-profit organization and allowed users to make donations directly to BLMGA through Facebook.
On or about May 15, 2019, BLMGA’s tax-exempt status as a charity with the IRS was revoked due to failure to submit IRS Form 990 for three consecutive years. On or about August 26, 2019, the Georgia Secretary of State Corporations Division administratively dissolved BLMGA’s non-profit corporation for failure to file necessary paperwork.
It is alleged that the defendant failed to notify Facebook of these revocations or ask that Facebook stop displaying BLMGA as a non-profit organization. As a result, BMLGA’s Facebook page continued to be displayed as a non-profit organization with a donation button through the end of September 2020, and Facebook continued to collect and disperse the purported charity donations on a bi-monthly basis.
To create the false pretense and representation that BLMGA was a legitimate social justice organization, the defendant routinely made posts on BLMGA’s public Facebook page about social and racial issues, including those occurring in Georgia. In addition to falsely representing BLMGA as a legitimate non-profit organization, the defendant is accused of using the BLMGA Facebook handle to privately communicate with other Facebook users and falsely represented that the donations would be used to “fight for George Floyd” and the “movement.” As a result, over one hundred people donated to BLMGA through its Facebook page
It is alleged that the defendant used a substantial portion of the funds donated to BLMGA to buy personal items, including entertainment, hotel rooms, clothing and firearms. The defendant is accused of using the largest sum of funds to purchase a property and the adjoining vacant lot on Glenwood Avenue and Maplewood Avenue in Toledo, Ohio. This property was to be used as a personal residence for the defendant, the indictment states. The defendant allegedly attempted to conceal the purchase of the property by titling it to “Hi Frequency Ohio” and requesting that the seller’s realtor enter into a nondisclosure agreement. This prevented the seller from disclosing that the defendant was the true buyer and that he used BLMGA funds to make the purchase.
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 Division of the FBI – Toledo Resident Agency and the Toledo Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael Freeman.
Tennessee Woman Sentenced to Nine Years in Federal Prison for Sex Trafficking of a MinorRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – Tyra Latrice Clark, 22, of Clarksville, Tennessee, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Kristi H. Johnson to serve a total of 108 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for sex trafficking of a minor, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Michelle A. Sutphin, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Mississippi.
Beginning on January 1, 2018, and continuing through January 5, 2018, Clark and co-defendant Courtney Tremel Louie were actively involved with the sex trafficking of a minor they had transported from Tennessee to Jackson. The minor was forced to perform commercial sex acts with men for money at various hotels. Clark and Louie placed ads on Internet websites for the commercial sex. The Jackson Police Department rescued the minor on January 5, 2018, from a locked apartment on Bailey Avenue in Jackson.
The defendants were indicted on March 7, 2018 and both pled guilty before Judge Jordan on August 17, 2018. Louie was sentenced on June 21, 2019, to serve a total of 141 months for his involvement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Jackson Police Department and the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office jointly investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Glenda R. Haynes prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Superseding federal indictment implicates Augusta woman in child exploitation investigationRead the Press Release
AUGUSTA, GA: An Augusta woman has been charged with sex trafficking in a newly unsealed federal indictment that files additional charges against the man to whom she was married at the time of the alleged offenses.
The superseding federal indictment unsealed this week charges Amanda Gunn, 34, of Augusta, with Sex Trafficking Conspiracy and Obstruction of a Child Sex Trafficking Investigation, said David H. Estes, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. The conspiracy charge carries a penalty upon conviction of a minimum of 15 years in prison, up to life in prison, and there is no parole in the federal system.
U.S. Magistrate Court Judge Brian K. Epps ordered Gunn to remain in jail pending further proceedings after a lengthy detention hearing Thursday.
“This investigation is an exemplary demonstration of the relentless pursuit of our law enforcement partners in their work to protect vulnerable children,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Estes. “The FBI continues to find disturbing new information as the threads of this complex case unwind.”
Gunn’s then-husband, Michael Gunn, 36, of Evans, initially was indicted by a U.S. District Court Grand Jury one year ago, in March 2020, on four counts of Production of Child Pornography and one count of Possession of Child Pornography. The superseding indictment additionally charges Michael Gunn with Sex Trafficking Conspiracy; Sex Trafficking of a Child; Coercion and Enticement of a Child to Engage in Sexual Activity; and Obstruction of a Child Sex Trafficking Investigation. He remains in custody pending further court proceedings.
According to court documents and testimony, an FBI investigation in another state led agents to Michael Gunn as a source of child pornography, resulting in the discovery of child pornography on electronic devices in his home.
In a related case, Jonathan Eugene Grantham, 45, of Graniteville, S.C., is named in a four-count federal indictment charging him with Sex Trafficking of a Minor; Coercion and Enticement of a Minor to Engage in Sexual Activity; Travel with Intent to Engage in Illicit Sexual Conduct; and Transportation with Intent to Engage in Criminal Sexual Activity. FBI agents initiated the investigation of Grantham with information derived from the Gunn investigation.
“As our investigation of this case unfolded it became more and more disturbing as charges are now filed against both a husband and wife,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “We must protect our children by identifying and apprehending accused predators who take advantage of their innocence to commit such atrocious acts.”
Criminal indictments contain only charges; defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case is being investigated under the Department of Justice Project Safe Childhood by the FBI and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tania M. Groover and Project Safe Childhood Coordinator Tara M. Lyons.
Strongsville man accused of filing false tax returnsRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury sitting in Cleveland has handed down an indictment charging Richard Gould, 65, of Strongsville, with two counts of making and subscribing false tax returns.
“Knowingly underreporting taxable income, or otherwise submitting a false tax return, is a criminal tax violation,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Bridget M. Brennan. “As people prepare or review their tax returns this year, let this be a reminder that intentional violations of tax laws will be investigated by the IRS and prosecuted by our Office.”
“With filing season in full swing, it is important to file accurate and timely tax returns,” said Bryant Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office. “Investigating those who willfully and intentionally file false tax returns is a top priority for IRS CI.”
According to the indictment, for the calendar years of 2014 and 2015, the defendant is accused of filing a joint United States Individual Income Tax Return (Form 1040) with his spouse and knowingly underreporting total income for both years. Specifically, the defendant is accused of stating that his occupation was “unemployed” when he knew, in fact, that he was gainfully employed.
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 a 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 Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian McDonough.
Statement of Acting U.S. Attorney Gorman on Anti-Asian hate crimes and bias actsRead the Press Release
Seattle –Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman and FBI Special Agent in Charge Donald M. Voiret today highlighted the federal role in countering hate crimes and bias acts—especially those targeting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
“Currently federal prosecutors and the FBI are reviewing two cases involving assaults on our Asian-American neighbors that have been charged by the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa Gorman. “These crimes, and other acts of hate and bias, have no place in our community. I urge members of our community to report hate-based crimes to either local or federal law enforcement and to contact our office’s civil rights line with information about discrimination in areas like housing, employment, education, or public accommodations.”
The FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office review information about potential hate crimes from members in the community and also provide assistance to local, state, and tribal law enforcement with investigations of hate crimes. Office personnel have been reaching out to community groups to explain the federal role and encourage reports to local and/or federal law enforcement.
“The FBI is tasked with enforcing criminal civil rights in the U.S. and may initiate hate crime investigations when credible allegations exist of a federal statue violation,” said Donald M. Voiret, FBI Special Agent in Charge of the Seattle Field Office. “Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, we want to emphasize that a criminal act against Asians, because of their ethnicity or national origin, is a hate crime. The FBI will use all authority under federal law to investigate and bring the offenders to justice.”
The most recent statistics on hate crimes are available here 2019 Hate Crime Statistics from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report.
Additional resources regarding hate crimes and bias incidents are here:
https://civilrights.justice.gov/#your-rights
https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/civil-rights/hate-crimes#FBI-Resources
For information about contacting the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western
District of Washington visit: www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/civil-rightsThe FBI’s Washington office can be reached at 206-622-0460, or submit a tip online at: https://tips.fbi.gov/.
Sky Global Executive and Associate Indicted for Providing Encrypted Communication Devices to Help International Drug Traffickers Avoid Law EnforcementRead the Press Release
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Meghan E. Heesch (619) 546-9442 and Joshua C. Mellor (619) 546-9733
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – March 12, 2021
SAN DIEGO – A federal grand jury today returned an indictment against the Chief Executive Officer and an associate of the Canada-based firm Sky Global on charges that they knowingly and intentionally participated in a criminal enterprise that facilitated the transnational importation and distribution of narcotics through the sale and service of encrypted communications devices.
Jean-Francois Eap, Sky Global’s Chief Executive Officer, and Thomas Herdman, a former high-level distributor of Sky Global devices, are charged with a conspiracy to violate the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). Warrants were issued for their arrests today.
According to the indictment, Sky Global’s devices are specifically designed to prevent law enforcement from actively monitoring the communications between members of transnational criminal organizations involved in drug trafficking and money laundering. As part of its services, Sky Global guarantees that messages stored on its devices can and will be remotely deleted by the company if the device is seized by law enforcement or otherwise compromised.
The indictment alleges that Sky Global installs sophisticated encryption software in iPhone, Google Pixel, Blackberry, and Nokia handsets. Sky Global device users communicate with each other in a closed network, and Sky Global routes these communications through encrypted servers located in Canada and France.
There are at least 70,000 Sky Global devices in use worldwide, including in the United States. The indictment alleges that for more than a decade, Sky Global has generated hundreds of millions of dollars in profit by facilitating the criminal activity of transnational criminal organizations and protecting these organizations from law enforcement.
According to the indictment, Sky Global’s purpose was to create, maintain, and control a method of secure communication to facilitate the importation, exportation, and distribution of heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine into Australia, Asia, Europe, and North America, including the United States and Canada; to launder the proceeds of such drug trafficking conduct; and to obstruct investigations of drug trafficking and money laundering organizations by creating, maintaining, and controlling a system whereby Sky Global would remotely delete evidence of such activities.
The indictment alleges that Sky Global employees used digital currencies, including Bitcoin, to facilitate illegal transactions on the firm’s website, to protect its customers’ anonymity, and to facilitate the laundering of the customers’ ill-gotten gains. According to the indictment, Sky Global employees also set up and maintained shell companies to hide the proceeds generated by selling its encryption services and devices.
In 2018, the principals of another communications encryption company, Phantom Secure, were indicted in the Southern District of California for their roles in providing encrypted devices to criminal groups. Phantom Secure’s chief executive, Vincent Ramos, pleaded guilty and admitted that he and his co-conspirators facilitated the distribution of narcotics around the world by supplying encrypted communications devices designed to thwart law enforcement.
As alleged in today’s indictment, Sky Global instituted an “ask nothing/do nothing” approach toward its clients shortly after the takedown of Phantom Secure. This policy allowed for Sky Global to claim plausible deniability from the activities of their clients that they knew or had reason to know participated in illegal activities, including international drug trafficking.
“The indictment alleges that Sky Global generated hundreds of millions of dollars providing a service that allowed criminal networks around the world to hide their international drug trafficking activity from law enforcement,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman. “Companies who do this are perpetuating the deadliest drug epidemic in our nation’s history. This groundbreaking investigation should send a serious message to companies who think they can aid criminals in their unlawful activities. I want to thank the prosecutors on this case, Meghan Heesch and Joshua Mellor, as well as our federal law enforcement partners at the FBI, DEA, IRS and the U.S. Marshals Service, for their excellent work on this case.”
“The indictment of Sky Global’s CEO and main distributor is another major strike against transnational crime,” said Suzanne Turner, FBI Special Agent in Charge of the San Diego Field Office. “Eap and Herdman allegedly provided a service designed to allow criminals to evade law enforcement to traffic drugs and commit acts of violent crime without detection. Similar to our 2018 investigation of encrypted service provider Phantom Secure, the San Diego FBI targeted this Canadian company who also exploited encryption to go dark on law enforcement around the globe. With these highly impactful cases, we have shown that the FBI focuses on investigating international criminal organizations from the top so we can shut down entire illicit operations—and the associated technological infrastructure. Today, the FBI has removed what we allege to be another illicit secret communications network used by criminals in the US, Canada, and worldwide.” SAC Turner added, “I want to thank our partners at the Department of Justice, as well as our Canadian law enforcement partners, for their incredible work on this case.”
“DEA maintains an evolving global reach and combined with strong foreign law enforcement partnerships, is committed to searching out the most significant organized criminal groups facilitating sophisticated narcotics trafficking networks,” said DEA Los Angeles Field Division Special Agent in Charge Bill Bodner. “The joint effort to pursue these individuals who hide behind encrypted communication platforms shows that even the use of advanced technology will not enable suspects to conceal their criminal activities from law enforcement.”
“This case is another example of IRS-CI working closely with our international partners to follow the money and bring significant criminal activity to light,” said Special Agent in Charge Ryan Korner of the IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Los Angeles Field Office. “The indictment alleges that Sky Global’s network facilitated international crime across the world, but just as criminals know no borders, neither does federal law enforcement. The combined efforts of the Joint Chiefs of Global Tax Enforcement (J5) ensure that these types of illicit behavior are identified, tracked, and ultimately prosecuted on a global-scale.”
The international operation to seize Sky Global’s infrastructure involved cooperation and efforts by law enforcement authorities in the United States and Canada. In addition, on March 10, 2021, Europol announced that judicial and law enforcement authorities in Belgium, France and the Netherlands had wiretapped Sky Global’s servers and monitored hundreds of millions of messages by Sky Global’s users. The European investigation resulted in hundreds of arrests, the seizure of thousands of kilograms of cocaine and methamphetamine, hundreds of firearms, and millions of Euros.
“With technological advancement comes increased levels of criminal sophistication, but also new tools for police to combat crime,” says Assistant Commissioner Dwayne McDonald, BC RCMP Criminal Operations Officer for Federal, Investigative Services and Organized Crime. “The RCMP will continue to adopt new technologies and strategies to keep our communities safe. Collaboration with our international policing partners, such as in this case with the FBI and DEA, has become an integral part in the ever-evolving fight against organized crime.”
This case is the result of ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a partnership that brings together the combined expertise and unique abilities of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, dismantle and prosecute high-level members of drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations and enterprises.
DEFENDANTS 21-CR-822GPC
Jean-Francois Eap Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada aka “888888”
Thomas Herdman Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Count 1: Racketeering Conspiracy, in violation of Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1962(d). Maximum Penalty: Life in prison
Count 2: Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 846, and Title 18, United States Code, Section 2. Maximum Penalty: Life in prison
AGENCIES
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Drug Enforcement Administration
Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations
United States Marshals Service
Department of Justice, Office of International Affairs
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
International Assistance Group, Canadian Department of Justice
Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force
*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Singapore Resident Charged in Manhattan Federal Court with Fraudulent Pre-IPO Stock SchemeRead the Press Release
Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Peter C. Fitzhugh, Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”), Philip R. Bartlett, Inspector-in-Charge of the New York Field Division of the United States Postal Inspection Service (“USPIS”), Dermot Shea, Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), and Joseph Fucito, New York City Sheriff, announced today the unsealing of a criminal Complaint charging SHAMOON RAFIQ, a/k/a “Shamoon Omer Rafiq,” a/k/a “Omar Rafiq,” a/k/a “Omer Rafiq,” a resident of Singapore, with securities fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft for engaging in a scheme in which RAFIQ solicited millions of dollars through his use of false representations offering to sell purported investments in shares of stock in privately held companies that have not yet conducted an initial public offering (“pre-IPO stock”) that he did not actually own, his false impersonation of senior officials of a reputable family office investment firm, and other acts of deception.
U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: “As alleged, Shamoon Rafiq exploited investors’ fear of missing out on the potential gains to be earned from investing in companies before they go public, and solicited millions of dollars from investors through brazen lies and deception. Rafiq allegedly elicited millions under the false pretense that he would sell shares of pre-IPO stocks which – unbeknownst to his investors – he did not even own and therefore could not sell. Furthermore, Rafiq allegedly sent faked emails impersonating senior officials of a reputable family office investment firm that supposedly backed his claims. I sincerely thank our law enforcement partners for their assistance in charging Rafiq for alleged predatory acts of deceit on his victims.”
HSI Special Agent-in-Charge Peter C. Fitzhugh said: “A fraudster with a felony conviction for wire fraud, Rafiq allegedly attempted to fleece investors out of their hard-earned cash by creating the illusion of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to invest victims’ funds into pre-IPO stocks such as Airbnb shares. In reality, no such opportunity existed and Rafiq' was simply trying to walk off with millions of dollars from Singapore. HSI’s El Dorado Task Force and our partners will continue to work tirelessly to identify, investigate, arrest and prosecute individuals, like Rafiq, who allegedly peddled too good to be true financial opportunities within the U.S. financial markets. Investors should be reminded that unbelievable investment prospects are sometimes just that.”
USPIS Inspector-in-Charge Phillip R, Bartlett said: “Mr. Rafiq’s alleged scheme is all based on the alleged perfect opportunity for ‘stock’ in a well-known company. The opportunity to own prominent holdings would be a boon to any investor, but in this case there was no stock, just a made up investment scheme to enrich an alleged serial fraudster. Through the collaboration of law enforcement, both domestically and globally, Mr. Rafiq will once again answer for his crimes to defraud investors. A reminder that no one eludes justice forever.”
NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said: “As alleged in this complaint, Shamoon Rafiq preyed on the hopes of innocent victims in elaborate financial swindles. But the joint work of our NYPD investigators and law enforcement partners put an end to these alleged crimes and I commend the United States Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York for bringing this important case.”
If you believe you are a victim of a fraudulent pre-IPO stock scheme perpetrated by SHAMOON RAFIQ or have information about the crimes charged in the Complaint, please call the United States Attorney’s Office at 866-874-8900.
According to the allegations in the Complaint unsealed today in Manhattan federal court:[1]
SHAMOON RAFIQ, a/k/a “Shamoon Omer Rafiq,” a/k/a “Omar Rafiq,” a/k/a “Omer Rafiq,” was born in the Netherlands in 1973 and presently resides in Singapore. RAFIQ was convicted in 2004 in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York for carrying out a wire fraud scheme in which he purported to sell pre-IPO stock in a privately held company that had not yet conducted its initial public offering when, in fact, RAFIQ did not own or have access to such stock. After serving a 41-month federal prison sentence for that crime, RAFIQ was deported from the United States and eventually relocated to Singapore.
Since at least July 2020, RAFIQ has been engaging in a new scheme from Singapore to defraud victims into paying him millions of dollars for alleged investment interests in various pre-IPO stocks that he does not actually own or control.
In connection with his new fraud scheme, RAFIQ has fraudulently impersonated two senior officials (“Victim-1” and “Victim-2”) of a prominent family office investment firm (“FamCap”) that manages and invests assets of members of a prominent billionaire family (the “Family”). In July 2020, RAFIQ caused the creation of a fake FamCap website (the “Fake FamCap Website”) that has automatically routed users to the official FamCap website, and the creation of fake FamCap email addresses for Victim-1 and Victim-2 that closely resemble, but are slightly different from, their official FamCap email addresses (the “Fake FamCap Email Addresses”). The Fake FamCap Website and Fake FamCap Email Addresses for Victim-1 and Victim-2 were created without their or FamCap’s consent. The Fake FamCap Email Addresses also included the names of Victim-1 and Victim-2 without their authorization.
In July 2020, RAFIQ began soliciting millions of dollars from investment firms in New York and elsewhere based on false claims that in exchange for their funds, he would sell them investment interests in a purported special purpose investment vehicle called “[Fam] Capital Technology Fund, LLC” that was supposedly managed by FamCap and allegedly owned pre-IPO stock in Airbnb, Inc., among other companies. For example, as part of this fraudulent scheme, RAFIQ deceived an investment firm based in New York, New York (the “New York Firm”), and one of the firm’s foreign institutional clients (the “Client”) into making agreements under which the Client wired about $9 million in mid-August 2020 into an escrow account in New York for anticipated release to a bank account in Singapore to pay RAFIQ for his purported sale of investment interests in the LLC.
In soliciting this $9 million investment, RAFIQ made a variety of false representations, including the following:
- RAFIQ falsely claimed that the LLC was managed by FamCap. In fact, the LLC never existed.
- RAFIQ falsely claimed that the LLC owned pre-IPO shares of Airbnb. In fact, the LLC did not own and could not have owned such stock because the LLC never existed.
- RAFIQ falsely claimed that Victim-1 and Victim-2 had approved of his sale of his alleged interests in the LLC. In fact, Victim-1 and Victim-2 do not know RAFIQ and have confirmed that FamCap was never involved in or approved of any such transaction.
During and to further the goals of this fraudulent scheme, RAFIQ also caused the creation and transmission of emails from the Fake FamCap Email Addresses and fake contracts and deal documents purporting to have been signed by Victim-1 or Victim-2 on behalf of FamCap that neither of them approved. For example, in August 2020, during the course of email communications with the New York Firm and Client concerning RAFIQ’s alleged sale to them of his purported interests in an alleged FamCap-managed LLC that supposedly held Airbnb shares, RAFIQ copied into the email chain the Fake FamCap Email Addresses to create the false impression that FamCap was involved in and approved of the alleged transaction.
In a separate parallel enforcement action, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) has filed civil charges against RAFIQ.
* * *
RAFIQ, 47, is a resident of Singapore and a citizen of the Netherlands. RAFIQ has been charged in a three-count Complaint with one count of securities fraud, which carries a maximum potential sentence of 20 years in prison; one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum potential sentence of 20 years in prison; and one count of aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory prison sentence of two years that must be imposed to run consecutively to any other terms of imprisonment. In addition to potential prison sentences, each of these charges also carries potential financial penalties. The maximum potential prison sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
RAFIQ remains at large. The United States looks forward to working with our foreign partners to bring RAFIQ to justice.
Ms. Strauss praised the investigative work of HSI, USPIS, the NYPD and the New York City Sheriff’s Office, and she also thanked the SEC, which conducted a separate parallel investigation, for its assistance.
This case is being handled by this Office’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Samson Enzer is in charge of the prosecution.
The allegations contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the description of that charging document set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Sex Offender Who Fled with Girlfriend to Mexico Sentenced for Violating Sex Offender LawsRead the Press Release
Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that LESTER B. JOY, 40, formerly of Waterbury, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to 48 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for failing to register as a sex offender.
The Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (“SORNA”) provides a comprehensive set of minimum standards for sex offender registration and notification in the United States and seeks to strengthen the nationwide network of sex offender registration and notification programs. In part, SORNA requires registered sex offenders to register and keep their registration current in each jurisdiction in which they reside, work, or go to school.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on October 25, 2002, Joy was convicted in the State of New Jersey of sexual assault in the second degree, endangering the welfare of a child in the third degree and theft in the third degree. For these offenses, he was sentenced to three years of imprisonment, lifetime community supervision and was subject to lifetime registration as a sex offender. On January 4, 2006, Joy was convicted in Suffolk County, New York, of three counts of rape in the third degree, two counts of criminal sexual acts in the third degree and two counts of disseminating indecent material to a minor. For these offenses, he was sentenced to a period of 42 to 84 months of incarceration and lifetime probation.
On November 30, 2013, Joy was released from the Morris County, New Jersey jail following service of a sentence for violation of his lifetime term of community supervision in New Jersey. However, he did not register as a sex offender in either New Jersey or New York, and moved to Connecticut. He failed to notify New Jersey, New York and Connecticut officials of his move to Connecticut, as required. On February 23, 2015, Joy pleaded guilty in the District of Connecticut to failing to register as a sex offender. On May 18, 2015, he was sentenced in Hartford federal court to 27 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for that offense.
In January 2017, after he was released from federal prison, Joy failed to report to parole in New Jersey and failed to seek permission to change his address or advise New Jersey of his new address Connecticut. He also failed to comply with treatment requirements of his federal supervised release. In April 2017, Joy was sentenced to an additional seven months of federal imprisonment for violating the conditions of his supervised release. He was released from federal custody in August 2017.
On February 17, 2019, Joy’s girlfriend, who did not have physical or legal custody of her three minor children, participated in a Department of Children and Families’ supervised visit with the children at a restaurant in Waterbury. During the visit, Joy’s girlfriend was given permission to take the children to the restroom. Instead, Joy’s girlfriend took her children out the back door of the restaurant into a waiting vehicle determined to have been used by Joy in the past.
On March 7, 2019, Joy, his girlfriend and her three children were located by Mexican law enforcement authorities in Mazatlán, Mexico, and Joy and his girlfriend were arrested. Joy had failed to provide information to the Connecticut Sex Offender Registry, as required by SORNA, about his travel to Mexico.
Joy has been detained since his arrest. On October 29, 2020, Joy pleaded guilty in Waterbury Superior Court to three counts of risk of injury, and was sentenced to three years of incarceration followed by seven years of special parole.
On November 3, 2020, he pleaded guilty in federal court to failing to register as a sex offender.
Judge Underhill ordered Joy’s 48-month federal sentence to run concurrently with his state sentence.
This matter was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Waterbury Police Department, with the assistance of Mexican law enforcement authorities. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Deborah R. Slater and Nancy V. Gifford.
Rochester Music Teacher Pleads Guilty to 74 Charges, Including 61 Counts of Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Philip M. Close, 43, of Rochester, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Charles A. Siragusa to a 74-count indictment, including 61 counts of production of child pornography and 13 counts of possession of material containing child pornography involving prepubescent minors. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison, a maximum 2,090 years in prison, and a $18,500,000 fine.
“The defendant occupied a position of trust with respect to his students,” stated U.S. Attorney Kennedy. “His perverse violation of that trust, together with our duty to protect our children, warrant the defendant being held fully accountable for all that he did, and full accountability is precisely what today’s plea ensures.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan K. McGuire, who is handling the case, stated that from 2016 to 2019, the defendant owned the Close School of Music on West Ridge Road in the Town of Parma and provided private music lessons to children of all ages. During that time, Close hid spy cameras throughout the school and secretly recorded the students, parents, and other teachers. Some of these cameras captured videos of the defendant inappropriately touching his students and himself during lessons. Close also placed two spy cameras in the school’s only bathroom: one under the toilet and one hidden in a watercooler facing the toilet. The defendant intentionally positioned these cameras to record the naked genitals of young girls when they stood up from the toilet. Prior to opening the Close School of Music in 2016, the defendant worked at a different music school. Between 2012 and 2016, he also placed a spy camera in the bathroom of that school and intentionally recorded the naked genitals of young girls when they went to the bathroom.
Between 2012 and 2019, Close produced hundreds of videos of child pornography involving 61 identified minor victims. The youngest victim was four years old. While executing search warrants at the Close School of Music, investigators also discovered 13 devices that contained other images and videos of child pornography.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Child Exploitation Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Stephen Belongia; the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Todd Baxter; and the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office, under the direction of District Attorney Sandra Doorley.
Sentencing is scheduled for August 16, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. before Judge Siragusa.
# # # #
Providence Man Admits to Trafficking More Than A Kilo of CocaineRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Providence man arrested shortly after law enforcement watched him take possession of a package that contained more than a kilogram of cocaine shipped from Puerto Rico pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Providence to possessing more than 500 grams of cocaine with the intent to distribute.
According to court documents, Modesto Batista, 30, was sitting inside a vehicle parked near a Providence residence when a U.S. Postal Service Inspection agent made a controlled delivery of the package to the front porch of that residence. Law enforcement had become aware that the package contained a significant quantity of cocaine.
According to court documents, as Homeland Security Investigations agents, U.S. Postal Inspection Service agents, and detectives assigned to the Rhode Island High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force watched, Batista quickly removed the package from the porch and transported it to his Providence residence.
Moments after Batista went inside his residence, agents knocked on the door and announced their presence, after which they forcibly entered the residence. Batista was found standing at the foot of the stairs leading to the upstairs portion of the house. The package containing more than 1,400 grams of cocaine was found at Batista’s feet.
From inside Batista’s bedroom agents seized, among other items, a 9mm semiautomatic handgun and a magazine for the firearm loaded with fourteen rounds of live ammunition. Various items used in the delivery of cocaine were also found inside the residence.
Appearing on Thursday before U.S District Court Chief Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., Batista, who has been detained since his arrest on December 10, 2020, pleaded guilty to possession of over 500 grams of cocaine with the intent to distribute, announced Acting United States Attorney Richard B. Myrus, Joseph W. Cronin, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division, and Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police Colonel James M. Manni.
Batista is scheduled to be sentenced on June 3, 2021.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney William J. Ferland.
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Previously Convicted Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland- Christopher Russell Fox, age 42, of Brooklyn, Maryland, pleaded guilty on March 9, 2021 to distribution of child pornography. Fox is a registered sex offender, previously convicted of a third-degree sex offense in 2016, in Howard County Circuit Court.
The guilty plea was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Jonathan F. Lenzner and Special Agent in Charge Jennifer C. Boone of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.
According to his guilty plea, between March and May of 2018, a technology company sent numerous CyberTip Reports regarding child pornography incidents occurring on its video conference platform. Files submitted with the reports depicted prepubescent males engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
As detailed in his plea agreement, investigation revealed that Fox repeatedly used a video conferencing platform to pose as a minor male, in order to communicate with other users. Fox routinely sought out minor males on the video conferencing platform, engaged them in sexual conversation, asked them to trade sexually explicit images and videos, and asked them to stream live images. While he was on probation for his 2016 sex offense conviction, Fox used three separate accounts on the video conferencing platform in order to trade images and videos of minor males engaged in sex acts on at least eleven occasions between December 10, 2017 and May 19, 2018. For example, on March 24, 2018, Fox posed as an 8th grade male and engaged in sexually explicit conversation with a user who stated he was in the 10th grade. During the conversation Fox sent the user a video of three prepubescent males engaging in sexual acts.
On May 10, 2019, investigators executed a federal search warrant at Fox’s residence and seized digital items including Fox’s computer and a mini thumb drive. A forensic review of those items revealed that Fox possessed over 158 images of child pornography on the digital devices. These images, along with the videos Fox traded online, demonstrate that Fox distributed, received, and possessed over 600 images of child pornography.
As part of his plea agreement, Fox must register as a sex offender in the place where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
Fox faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 40 years in prison for distribution of child pornography. U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett has scheduled sentencing for June 10, 2021 at 11 a.m.
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 Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the "Resources" tab on the left of the page.
Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner commended the FBI for its work in the investigation. Mr. Lenzner thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine L. Duey and Matthew Maddox, who are prosecuting the federal case.
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Ohio man sentenced for role in drug distribution operationRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Cory Davonta Smith, Jr., of Barberton, Ohio, was sentenced today to 57 months of incarceration for his role in a drug distribution operation, Acting United States Attorney Randolph J. Bernard announced.
Smith, also known as “C.J.,” age 27, pled guilty to one count of “Aiding and Abetting Possession with Intent to Distribute 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine” in July 2020. Smith admitted to working with others to distribute 50 grams or more of crystal methamphetamine, also known as “ice,” in November 2018 in Gilmer County.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon S. Flower prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Mountain Lakes Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force investigated.
Senior U.S. District Judge Irene M. Keeley presided.
North Carolina Man Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison for Possessing Gun and Drugs in New HavenRead the Press Release
Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that JIMMIE WILLIAMSON, also known as “James Land,” 38, of Durham, North Carolina, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to 48 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for drug and firearm offenses.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on February 22, 2019, New Haven Police responded to a report of a suspected gunshot in the vicinity of Winchester Avenue and encountered Williamson behaving erratically outside of a residence. A search of a vehicle that was parked in the driveway of the residence revealed a loaded Glock 9mm pistol, 69 pills containing methamphetamine, and a quantity of packaged marijuana. Williamson was arrested on that date.
Forensic analysis of the firearm revealed the presence of Williamson’s DNA.
Williamson’s criminal history includes felony convictions in North Carolina state court for drug and firearm offenses, and a 2005 federal conviction in the Middle District of North Carolina for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Williamson has been detained since his arrest. On February 24, 2020, he pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
This matter was investigated by the New Haven Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret M. Donovan.
This prosecution has been brought through Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone.
New York Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking ChargeRead the Press Release
CONCORD - Lorenzo Vasquez, 29, of New York, pleaded guilty in federal court to aiding and abetting the possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute, Acting United States Attorney John J. Farley announced today.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on February 25, 2020, a New Hampshire state trooper pulled over a vehicle operated by Vasquez for traffic violations. Vasquez stated he did not have a license and the vehicle was a rental in his sister’s name. The trooper learned through further investigation that Vasquez had a suspended license and a warrant out of Pennsylvania. A drug detection dog later indicated that there were drugs in the vehicle. After obtaining a search warrant, officers located over 202 grams of cocaine base, over 90 grams of heroin, and a digital scale within the vehicle.
Vasquez is scheduled to be sentenced on June 18, 2021.
“Criminals who travel to New Hampshire to sell drugs should understand that their illegal conduct will not be tolerated,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Farley. “The hard work of the New Hampshire State Police prevented this cocaine base and heroin from being distributed in the Granite State. As this case shows, we are working closely with our law enforcement partners to stop the flow of illegal drugs into New Hampshire and to put drug dealers out of business.”
This matter was investigated by the New Hampshire State Police Mobile Enforcement Team. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joachim H. Barth.
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NDTX Round up: March 5-11Read the Press Release
SENTENCING – LEONEL GENARO YANEZ
On March 5, Leonel Yanez, 47, was sentenced to 135 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute a methamphetamine. Yanez, an illegal immigrant from Morelia, Mexico, met an individual in Mesquite, Texas where he purchased car audio speakers which he knew contained 20 kilograms of methamphetamine. Yanez planned to distribute the narcotics to an individual who was taking the speakers to Florida. This DEA conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachael Jones prosecuted the case.
SENTENCING – JOSE ALBERTO HINOJOSA
On March 10, Jose Alberto Hinojosa, 28, was sentenced to 40 months in federal prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. In February 2019, Hinojosa was stopped by a Perry County, Mississippi sheriff’s deputy. During a roadside investigation, Hinojosa admitted to law enforcement that he had been smoking methamphetamine. A further search of his vehicle revealed approximately $29,000 in currency. Hinojosa gave a statement to law enforcement that he had picked up five kilograms of methamphetamine from a friend in Dallas to transport to Tampa, Florida. While in Tampa, he received further instructions regarding the delivery of the methamphetamine. The DEA conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Myria Boehm prosecuted the case.
GUILTY PLEA – TANIA DELAROSA
On March 11, Tania Delarosa, 42, plead guilty to bank robbery. On March 27, 2020, Delarosa entered a Bank of America in Dallas. She presented a note to the bank teller and stated she had a gun. The note contained a threat that Delarosa would go to the teller’s house and kill her family. Immediately, the teller notified other bank employees, who in turn contacted law enforcement. Delarosa subsequently fled the bank without any cash. Delarosa was identified based on the surveillance footage and arrested after she boarded a nearby bus. She now faces up to 20 years in federal prison for her crimes. The FBI and the Dallas Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebekah Ricketts is prosecuting the case.
SENTENCING – CORNELIUS WALKER
On March 11, Cornelius Walker, 34, was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for four counts of interference with commerce by robbery, and two counts of brandishing and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. On January 9, 2018, Walker entered a Dallas convenience armed with a firearm. He discharged a firearm in the direction of the convenience store employee causing the clerk to flee. Walker jumped over the counter and took the register tray. On January 10, Walker entered another Dallas convenience store wearing a white mask and black hoodie. Armed with a firearm, he jumped over the counter demanding cash from the convenience store employee. Fearing for his life, the employee opened the register giving Walker cash. On January 11, Walker robbed a convenience store in Richardson. While demanding cash from the store clerk, Walker shot the employee twice in the chest before fleeing. A few days later, Walker entered a Carrollton restaurant wearing a grey hoodie, grey socks on his hands, and a grey mask. He pointed a firearm at the restaurant’s general manager. Walker put the gun to another employees back while demanding cash from the restaurant. In sum from the four robberies, Walker stole $387.24. The FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shane Read prosecuted the case.
Miami Man Charged with Multiple Bank RobberiesRead the Press Release
Miami, Florida – Federal prosecutors have charged 43-year-old Christopher C. Pinkston of Miami with robbing two banks in South Florida last month.
According to allegations in the criminal complaint affidavit, at about 1:30 p.m. on February 11, 2020, Pinkston entered the Chase Bank located at 13745 S.W. 152nd Street in Miami, approached a teller window, and handed the teller a note saying: "I need 30,000 Dollars or everybodys [sic] Dead." The victim teller gave Pinkston $1,000 in cash, after which Pinkston exited the bank, leaving the demand note behind, says the affidavit.
The complaint charges Pinkston with robbing a second bank at about 1:30 p.m. on February 19, 2020. On that day, according to the affidavit, Pinkston entered the City National Bank located at 13780 S.W. 88th St. in Miami, approached a teller window, and handed the teller a note saying: "Goodmorning this is a robbery Handover $30,000 you have less than one min no ink bombs or trackers Thank you [sic]." The victim teller handed Pinkston $5,100 in cash, after which Pinkston exited the bank, leaving the demand note behind, according to the affidavit.
Following an investigation, law enforcement arrested Pinkston on March 11, 2021. He will make his initial appearance today at 1:30 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge John J. O’Sullivan, who sits in Miami.
U.S. Attorney Ariana Fajardo Orshan of the Southern District of Florida and FBI Miami Special Agent in Charge George L. Piro made the announcement.
FBI Miami investigated this case, with cooperation and assistance from Miami Dade Police Department and City of Miami Police Department, Special Investigations Section. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph Egozi is prosecuting this case.
Each bank robbery charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years.
A criminal complaint is merely an accusation containing allegations. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until found guilty in a court of law.
You may find a copy of this press release on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls.
You may find related court documents and information on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 21-mj-20462.
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Miami Man Charged with Multiple Bank RobberiesRead the Press Release
Miami, Florida – Federal prosecutors have charged 43-year-old Christopher C. Pinkston of Miami with robbing two banks in South Florida last month.
According to allegations in the criminal complaint affidavit, at about 1:30 p.m. on February 11, 2020, Pinkston entered the Chase Bank located at 13745 S.W. 152nd Street in Miami, approached a teller window, and handed the teller a note saying: "I need 30,000 Dollars or everybodys [sic] Dead." The victim teller gave Pinkston $1,000 in cash, after which Pinkston exited the bank, leaving the demand note behind, says the affidavit.
The complaint charges Pinkston with robbing a second bank at about 1:30 p.m. on February 19, 2020. On that day, according to the affidavit, Pinkston entered the City National Bank located at 13780 S.W. 88th St. in Miami, approached a teller window, and handed the teller a note saying: "Goodmorning this is a robbery Handover $30,000 you have less than one min no ink bombs or trackers Thank you [sic]." The victim teller handed Pinkston $5,100 in cash, after which Pinkston exited the bank, leaving the demand note behind, according to the affidavit.
Following an investigation, law enforcement arrested Pinkston on March 11, 2021. He will make his initial appearance today at 1:30 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge John J. O’Sullivan, who sits in Miami.
U.S. Attorney Ariana Fajardo Orshan of the Southern District of Florida and FBI Miami Special Agent in Charge George L. Piro made the announcement.
FBI Miami investigated this case, with cooperation and assistance from Miami Dade Police Department and City of Miami Police Department, Special Investigations Section. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph Egozi is prosecuting this case.
Each bank robbery charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years.
A criminal complaint is merely an accusation containing allegations. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until found guilty in a court of law.
You may find a copy of this press release on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls.
You may find related court documents and information on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 21-mj-20462.
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Mescalero man sentenced to two years in prison for assaultRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Edmond Andrew Yahnahki Shanta, 23, of Mescalero, New Mexico, and an enrolled member of the Mescalero Apache Tribe, was sentenced on March 3 in federal court to two years and four months in prison for assault resulting in serious bodily injury in Indian Country. Shanta pleaded guilty to the crime on June 4, 2020.
According to his plea agreement, Shanta assaulted the victim on July 13, 2019, in Otero County, New Mexico, on the Mescalero Apache Reservation. Shanta struck the victim in the face with a rock causing a deep cut and several fractures. After being airlifted to a Level 1 Trauma Center in El Paso, Texas, the victim needed surgery and four days of medical care for injuries sustained in the assault.
Upon his release from prison, Shanta will be subject to two years of supervised release.
The FBI investigated this case with assistance from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Assistant U.S Attorney Aaron O. Jordan is prosecuting the case.