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27 April 2021
Gang members sentenced for assaulting federal officersRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – The final Houston area man charged with the assault and robbery of undercover agents during a drug operation in early 2019 has been ordered to federal prison, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Morgan Kanu-Bradley, 20, Spring, pleaded guilty Nov. 18, 2019, as did Avery James, 22, and DeAnthony Doucet, 23, both of Baytown. They were each convicted on two counts of assaulting federal agents, three counts of robbery - including a conspiracy count - and one count of possession of a firearm during and in furtherance of a crime of violence. All are identified members of a gang in Baytown known as the “Gas Gang.”
Today, Chief U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal ordered Kanu-Bradley to serve a total of 144 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. Doucet and James were previously sentenced to respective terms of 130 and 120 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release.
The court heard that Kanu-Bradley was the most violent of the group and had a lack of remorse for his actions. The defense disagreed and asked for a lower sentence. Judge Rosenthal said she could not do that because of the extremely violent nature of the offense, noting that Kanu-Bradley had punched and beat the victim.
“The blatant disregard for human life that was shown when Kanu-Bradley beat and held an undercover Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) special agent at gunpoint while robbing him deserves nothing less than the maximum allowable sentence,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Fred Milanowski. “While our agent suffered severe injuries, the community is safer with this criminal off the street.”
On Feb. 17, 2019, undercover federal agents had arranged to purchase narcotics from Doucet at a hotel in Houston. There, Kanu-Bradley, James and Doucet held the agents at gunpoint and stole the money they had for the transaction as well as and one of their firearms and phone. The men also beat and stomped on one of agents while he was held at gunpoint.
Afterwards, Kanu-Bradley, James and Doucet all fled the scene. Other authorities on the scene pursued and arrested them.
One of the undercover officers received bruises and a laceration to his face which required stitches.
Kanu-Bradley, James and Doucet have been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
ATF conducted the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation with the assistance of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Texas Department of Public Safety and police departments in Baytown and Houston. 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. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found on the Department of Justice’s OCDETF webpage.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Richard Bennett and Jimmy Leo prosecuted the case.
Four People Admit Roles in Bank Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – Four individuals have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and related crimes, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced today.
Miguel Ortiz, 22, Victor Emilio Mejia Adames, 21, and Tiffany Diaz Fermin, 24, all of Paterson, pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. district Judge Kevin McNulty, to conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Brando Mancebo, 21, formerly of Paterson, pleaded guilty by videoconference before Judge McNulty to possession of stolen mail and conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Ortiz and Adames pleaded guilty today; Fermin and Mancebo pleaded guilty last week.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Ortiz, Adames, Fermin, Mancebo and others conspired to break into U.S. Postal Service collection boxes in Bergen, Hudson, and Morris counties and steal mail. They agreed to fraudulently deposit stolen checks into bank accounts associated with members of the conspiracy, even though they were not payees on the checks. Members of the conspiracy then withdrew funds from those accounts.
The conspiracy to commit bank fraud charges to which Ortiz, Adames, and Fermin pleaded guilty carries a maximum term of five years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain to the defendant or loss to the victim, whichever is greater. The possession of stolen mail charge to which Mancebo pleaded guilty carries a maximum term of five years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain to the defendant or loss to the victim, whichever is greater. The conspiracy to commit bank fraud charge to which Mancebo pleaded guilty carries a maximum term of 30 years in prison and a maximum fine of $1 million, or twice the gross profit to the defendant or loss the victim, whichever is greater.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited inspectors of U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Acting Inspector in Charge Rodney M. Hopkins in Newark, with the investigation leading to the guilty pleas.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Calle of the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force/Narcotics Unit in Newark.
Former White House Adviser Arrested for Stealing $218,000 from Charter Schools He FoundedRead the Press Release
Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and William F. Sweeney Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced today the unsealing of a complaint charging SETH ANDREW with wire fraud, money laundering, and making false statements to a financial institution, in connection with a scheme in which ANDREW stole $218,005 from a charter school network that he founded. ANDREW was arrested this morning in New York, New York, and will be presented today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Gabriel W. Gorenstein.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: “As alleged, Seth Andrew abused his position as a founder of a charter school network to steal from the very same schools he helped create. Andrew is not only alleged to have stolen the schools’ money but also to have used the stolen funds to obtain a savings on a mortgage for a multimillion-dollar Manhattan apartment. Thanks to the FBI’s diligent work, Andrew now faces federal charges for his alleged scheme.”
FBI Assistant Director William F. Sweeney Jr. said: “Locking into the lowest interest rate when applying for a loan is certainly the objective of every home buyer, but when you don’t have the necessary funds to put down, and you steal the money from your former employer to make up the difference, saving money in interest is likely to be the least of your concerns. We allege today that Andrew did just that, and since the employer he stole from was a charter school organization, the money he took belonged to an institution serving school-aged children. Today Andrew himself is learning one of life’s most basic lessons – what doesn’t belong to you is not yours for the taking.”
As alleged in the Complaint unsealed today[1]:
In 2005, SETH ANDREW helped create “School Network-1,” a series of public charter schools then based in New York City. In the Spring of 2013, ANDREW left School Network-1 and accepted a job in the United States Department of Education and, thereafter, as a senior adviser in the Office of Educational Technology at the White House. While employed at the Department of Education, and at the White House, ANDREW was paid by School Network-1. In November 2016, ANDREW left his role in the White House and, shortly thereafter, in January 2017, ANDREW officially severed his relationship with School Network-1.
School Network-1 comprises several charter schools throughout United States including several in New York City. Pursuant to an agreement with the New York State Board of Regents, School Network-1’s New York-based charter schools must maintain an “escrow account” that may be accessed only if the school dissolves. Three such escrow accounts, for three New York City-based School Network-1 schools, were opened by ANDREW and other School Network-1 employees at “Bank-1” in 2009, 2011, and 2013. As to each of those three accounts – Escrow Account-1, Escrow Account-2, and Escrow Account-3 – ANDREW was a signatory and had access to the funds in them. However, pursuant to the charter agreement, the funds in the Escrow Accounts were reserved in case the school dissolved, and the funds could not be moved by ANDREW, or anyone, without proper authorization.
After he severed his relationship with School Network-1, on March 28, 2019, ANDREW entered a Bank-1 branch in New York City and closed both Escrow Account-1 and Escrow Account-2. Bank-1 provided ANDREW a bank check in the amount of $71,881.23 made payable to “[School Network-1] Charter School” (“Check-1”) and a second bank check in the amount of $70,642.98 to “[School Network-1] Harlem Charter” (“Check-2”). Check-1 and Check-2 represented the funds that were in Escrow Account-1 and Escrow Account-2, respectively.
The same day that ANDREW closed Escrow Account-1 and Escrow Account-2, ANDREW entered a Manhattan branch of a different FDIC-insured bank (“Bank-2”) and opened a business bank account in the name of “[School Network-1] Charter School” (“Fraud Account‑1”). To open that account, ANDREW represented to a Bank-2 employee that he was a “Key Executive with Control of” School Network-1 Charter School, which was a lie. ANDREW then deposited Check-1 into the account but, that day, ANDREW did not deposit Check-2.
Five days later, on April 2, 2019, ANDREW used an ATM machine in Baltimore, Maryland, to deposit Check-2 into Fraud Account-1. It appears ANDREW waited to deposit Check-2 because it was made payable to “School Network-1 Harlem Charter” and not “School Network-1 Charter School.” Had he tried to deposit Check-2 when he opened Fraud Account-1 it would not have been honored by Bank-2.
At the time ANDREW deposited Check-1 and Check-2 into a Bank-2 bank account, ANDREW was contemplating obtaining a mortgage from Bank-2 to purchase a residential property. At that time, Bank-2 offered certain customers, as a promotion, more favorable mortgage interest rates if those customers maintained a certain amount of funds in Bank-2 accounts. Specifically, for every $250,000 on deposit, up to a total of $1 million, Bank-2 would lower that qualifying customer’s mortgage interest rate by 0.125%. Thus, in total, if a qualifying customer maintained $1 million or more of his/her funds in Bank-2 accounts that customer would receive a 0.5% interest rate deduction on a Bank-2 mortgage. But to take advantage of the interest rate deduction promotion, Bank-2 required that the funds a customer deposited be funds owned by the customer or, in some instances, a business the customer owned, controlled or was lawfully associated with. Bank-2 did not permit a customer to utilize money owned by someone else to gain the benefit of the interest rate deduction promotion.
By April 2019, because of the $142,524 ANDREW deposited in Bank-2, using the money he stole from two charter schools, ANDREW deposited a total of approximately $1,007,716 with Bank-2, and therefore became eligible to receive a 0.5% interest rate deduction – the largest deduction a customer could receive from Bank-2’s promotion. Without the $142,524 deposited stolen funds, ANDREW would have been eligible for only a 0.375% interest rate deduction. On August 21, 2019, ANDREW purchased a residential property located in New York, New York, for approximately $2,368,000. To effectuate that purchase, ANDREW, and his spouse, obtained a mortgage from Bank-2 in the amount of $1,776,000 with an interest rate of 2.5% – taking full advantage of the promotion Bank-2 offered.
On October 17, 2019, ANDREW closed out Escrow Account-3 and received a check (“Check-3”) made payable to “[School Network-1] Endurance” in the amount of $75,481.10.
On October 21, 2019, ANDREW deposited Check-3 into an account that he opened at a third bank (“Fraud Account-2”). Approximately one month later, ANDREW obtained a check from Bank-2 for $144,473.29, which constituted the funds stolen from Escrow Account-1 and Escrow Account-2, and ANDREW ultimately deposited those funds into Fraud Account-2. Five days later, ANDREW rolled the funds in Fraud Account-2 into a certificate of deposit. That certificate of deposit matured on May 20, 2020, which earned ANDREW $2,083.52 in interest. ANDREW then transferred the funds from the certificate of deposit – including the funds stolen from the Escrow Accounts – into a bank account held in the name of a particular civic organization that ANDREW currently controls, thereby concealing the money’s association with School Network-1, and depositing the stolen money into an account under ANDREW’s complete control.
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ANDREW, 42, is charged with one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, one count of money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and one count of making a false statement to a bank, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
Ms. Strauss praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant United States Attorney Ryan B. Finkel is in charge of the prosecution.
The charges in the Complaint are merely allegations, 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 the Complaint set forth herein, constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Former Supervisor at Fairfield Post Office Sentenced for Stealing Cash from MailRead the Press Release
Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JESSICA GILES, 38, of West Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny to two years of probation, the first three months of which Giles must spend in home confinement, for stealing cash from the mail while working for the U.S. Postal Service. Judge Chatigny also ordered Giles to pay a $2,400 fine.
Pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), the sentencing occurred via videoconference.
According to court documents and statements made in court, between October 2019 and May 2020, while she was employed as a supervisor at the U.S. Post Office in Fairfield, Giles used the flashlight feature on her phone to examine the content of various envelopes that had been placed in the mail. When she believed that an envelope contained U.S. currency, she opened the envelope, stole the cash that was found inside and, on multiple occasions, tore up and disposed of the envelope. Recorded surveillance video also revealed that Giles stuffed approximately 19 envelopes into her pants to remove them to a more private location for further examination.
On November 3, 2020, Giles pleaded guilty to theft of mail by a postal employee.
This investigation was conducted by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Konstantin Lantsman.
Individuals who believe they are a victim of mail theft may file a complaint by calling 888-USPS-OIG, or by visiting https://www.uspsoig.gov/form/file-online-complaint.
Former Northville Public Schools Assistant Superintendent Pleads Guilty to Obstructing a Federal InvestigationRead the Press Release
A former Assistant Superintendent of the Northville Public Schools (NPS) pleaded guilty to obstructing a federal investigation, Acting United States Attorney Saima S. Mohsin announced today.
Mohsin was joined in the announcement by Timothy Waters, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit, Michigan office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Deanna Barash, 46, of Auburn Hills, stands convicted of obstructing a federal grand jury investigation. The FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office were conducting the investigation after they learned that Barash, then the Assistant Superintendent of NPS, approved a contract for NPS to purchase educational materials from a third-party without disclosing to NPS that she had a financial relationship with this party. After Barash left NPS, school officials learned about the contract and made Barash aware that they were reporting her actions to authorities. Barash then deleted certain emails between herself and the third-party from her private email account. In an interview, Barash lied to federal investigators about her actions. She originally claimed that she deleted the email messages only as part of her regular routine, but later admitted she deleted the messages because she learned she was under investigation and was attempting to keep investigators from seeing them.
Acting United States Attorney Mohsin stated, “Safeguarding the integrity of our public schools’ expenditures is of the utmost importance. We will continue to work with school systems when there are concerns of corruption or fraud related to the disbursement of their funds. Today’s guilty plea underscores our office’s commitment to hold people accountable for interfering with these and other federal investigations.”
“Deanna Barash used her position as the assistant superintendent of Northville Public Schools for her own financial gain, and then attempted to avoid accountability by destroying evidence of her wrongdoing,” said Timothy Waters, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. “The FBI is committed to preserving the public’s confidence in government at every level and will hold accountable any public official who undermines that confidence.”
Barash faces a maximum sentence of ten years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for violating of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1503, obstructing a federal grand jury investigation. Her sentencing is scheduled for August 25, 2021 at 11am..
Mohsin thanked the Northville Public Schools for its cooperation in the matter.
The investigation of this case was conducted by the of the FBI and the United States Attorney’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Cares.
Former Minister of Industry and Member of Parliament of Barbados Sentenced for Laundering BribesRead the Press Release
A former Minister of Industry and elected member of Parliament of Barbados was sentenced today to two years in prison for his role in a scheme to launder bribe payments from a Barbadian insurance company through bank accounts in New York.
Donville Inniss, 55, a U.S. lawful permanent resident who resided in Tampa, Florida, and Barbados, was convicted by a federal jury of two counts of money laundering and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering on Jan. 16, 2020. According to the evidence presented at trial, in 2015 and 2016, Inniss took part in a scheme to launder into the United States approximately $36,000 in bribes that he had received from high-level executives of the Insurance Corporation of Barbados Limited (ICBL). In exchange for the bribes, Inniss leveraged his position as the Minister of Industry to enable ICBL to obtain two insurance contracts from the Barbados government to insure over $100 million worth of government property. To conceal the bribes, Inniss arranged to receive them through a U.S. bank account in the name of his friend’s dental company, which had an address in Elmont, New York.
“Donville Inniss engaged in a bribery and money laundering scheme to line his own pockets at the expense of the people of Barbados,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicholas L. McQuaid of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “International corruption undermines trust in governments, threatens our national security, and prevents the free market from functioning fairly for law-abiding people and companies. Today’s sentence sends a strong message that the Department is committed to prosecuting corrupt officials like Inniss who seek to use the U.S. financial system to hide their bribe payments.”
“In accepting bribes and laundering the payments through banks on Long Island, Inniss not only abused the public trust that was placed in him by the people of Barbados, he also stained the U.S. banking system with the proceeds of his corrupt scheme,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Mark J. Lesko of the Eastern District of New York. “The defendant’s sentence today reflects the seriousness of his crimes.”
In addition to the prison sentence, the court also ordered Inniss to pay $36,536.73 in forfeiture.
The FBI investigated the case.
Assistant Chief Gerald M. Moody Jr. of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sylvia Shweder and David Gopstein for the Eastern District of New York prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Claire Kedeshian is handling the forfeiture aspects of the case.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs also provided assistance in this matter. The department appreciates the cooperation provided by its law enforcement colleagues in Barbados during this investigation.
The Fraud Section is responsible for investigating and prosecuting all Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) matters. Additional information about the Justice Department’s FCPA enforcement efforts can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal/fraud/fcpa.
Former Member of Barbados Parliament Sentenced to 24 Months in Prison for Money Laundering SchemeRead the Press Release
Donville Inniss, a former member of Parliament in Barbados, was sentenced today in federal court in Brooklyn by United States District Court Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto to 24 months in prison for laundering bribe payments from a Barbados-based insurance company through banks on Long Island. The Court also ordered Inniss to pay $36,536.73 in forfeiture. Inniss was convicted in January 2020, following a one-week trial.
Mark J. Lesko, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Nicholas L. McQuaid, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and William F. Sweeney, Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the sentence.
“In accepting bribes and laundering the payments through banks on Long Island, Inniss not only abused the public trust that was placed in him by the people of Barbados, he also stained the U.S. banking system with the proceeds of his corrupt scheme,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Lesko. “The defendant’s sentence today reflects the seriousness of his crimes.”
“Donville Inniss engaged in a bribery and money laundering scheme to line his own pockets at the expense of the people of Barbados,” stated Acting Assistant Attorney General McQuaid. “International corruption undermines trust in governments, threatens our national security, and prevents the free market from functioning fairly for law-abiding people and companies. Today’s sentence sends a strong message that the Department is committed to prosecuting corrupt officials like Inniss who seek to use the U.S. financial system to hide their bribe payments.”
Between August 2015 and April 2016, Inniss accepted approximately $36,000 in bribes from high-level executives of Insurance Corporation of Barbados Limited (ICBL) and laundered that money through banks on Long Island. In exchange for the bribes, Inniss leveraged his position as the Minister of Industry, International Business, Commerce and Small Business Development of Barbados to enable ICBL to obtain two contracts from the Barbados government to insure over $100 million worth of government property. Inniss concealed the bribes by arranging to receive them through a Long Island bank account in the name of a friend’s dental company in Elmont, New York. ICBL executives transferred the funds to the dental company using an invoice falsely claiming that the payments were for consulting services. During the time of the charged conspiracy, Inniss was a legal permanent resident of the United States residing in Tampa, Florida and Barbados.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Business and Securities Fraud Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Sylvia Shweder and David Gopstein, and Assistant Chief Gerald M. Moody, Jr., of the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are in charge of the prosecution. Assistant United States Attorney Claire Kedeshian of the Office’s Asset Forfeiture Unit is handling forfeiture matters.
The Defendant:
DONVILLE INNISS
Age: 55
Tampa, Florida and BarbadosE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 18-134 (S-2) (KAM)
Former DRWC Bookkeeper Charged with Stealing $2.6 MillionRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – Acting United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Angela DiPietro-Sabatine, 57, of Pennsauken, NJ, was arrested and charged by Indictment with ten counts of wire fraud, one count of bank fraud, three counts of aggravated identity theft, and aiding and abetting, all stemming from her alleged theft of more than $2.6 million dollars from her former employer, the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation (DRWC). DRWC is non-profit, quasi-governmental entity whose mission is to design, develop, and manage the central Delaware River waterfront from Oregon to Allegheny Avenues for the benefit of Philadelphia residents.
According to the Indictment, when the defendant was employed at DRWC as the Accounting Administrator, her duties included managing the accounts payable and receivable, bank reconciliations, and general ledger work. The Indictment alleges that the defendant used the non-profit’s computerized accounting software, located in its offices in Philadelphia, to create false expense items for legitimate vendors of DRWC – invoicing services that were never rendered. DiPietro-Sabatine then generated DRWC checks for these false expense items, manipulated the computerized accounting software to change the payee on the check from the legitimate vendor to herself, and forged the signatures of DRWC’s authorized signatories, the President and Vice President, on these unauthorized checks made payable to herself. It is alleged that the defendant then spent the stolen proceeds on personal expenses, including gambling and luxury vacations. The Indictment alleges that this scheme occurred over the course of at least seven years, resulting in the theft of more than $2.6 million from DRWC.
“The alleged conduct in this case shows a pattern of deception and dishonesty that went on for the better part of a decade,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Williams. “Organizations must be able to rely on the honesty of employees who handle money, and this is especially important when the entity has a mission meant to benefit the public. As alleged, DiPietro-Sabatine went to great lengths to hide her criminal conduct from her employer; our Office thanks DRWC for coming forward and cooperating fully with the investigation so we can hold this defendant responsible for her actions.”
“The FBI is committed to tracking down those who abuse their positions of trust for personal gain,” said Michael J. Driscoll, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “Embezzlement from non-profits like DRWC erodes citizens' faith in their leaders, and bringing those engaging in economic crimes to justice will continue to be one of the FBI’s top criminal investigative priorities. Today’s indictment sends the message that the FBI will work tirelessly to protect non-profits and other government entities from fraud, waste and abuse.”
If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 230 years in prison, a six year mandatory minimum sentence, a $4,250,000 fine, and restitution of more than $2.6 million.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Katherine E. Driscoll.
An indictment, information, or criminal complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Former Boston Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Overtime FraudRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A former Boston Police Officer pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston in connection with committing over $20,000 in overtime fraud at the Boston Police Department’s (BPD) evidence warehouse.
Officer James Carnes (retired), 57, of Canton, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit theft concerning programs receiving federal funds and one count of embezzlement from an agency receiving federal funds. U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled sentencing for Sept. 10, 2021.
In September 2020, Carnes and eight other Boston Police Officers were arrested and charged for their roles in an overtime fraud scheme that is alleged to have collectively embezzled over $200,000 between May 2016 and February 2019.
Carnes admitted that between July 2016 and February 2019, he submitted false and fraudulent overtime slips for overtime hours that he did not work for two overtime shifts at the evidence warehouse. The first, called “purge” overtime, was a 4-8 p.m. weekday shift intended to dispose of old, unneeded evidence. The second shift, called “kiosk” overtime, involved driving to each police district in Boston one Saturday a month to collect old prescription drugs to be burned.
For the “purge” shift, Carnes admitted that while he had claimed to have worked from 4-8 p.m., he and, allegedly, the other members of his unit routinely left at 6 p.m., or earlier. For the kiosk shift, Carnes admitted that while he and other members submitted overtime slips claiming to have worked eight-and-one-half hours, he and, allegedly, other members of the unit only worked three to four hours of those shifts.
From 2016 through 2018, BPD received annual benefits from the U.S. Department of Transportation and U.S. Department of Justice in excess of $10,000, which were funded pursuant to numerous federal grants.
The charge of embezzlement from an agency receiving federal funds provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss. The charge of conspiracy provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Russell W. Cunningham, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General, Washington Field Office; and Boston Police Acting Commissioner Gregory Long made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Grady of Mendell’s Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Former Attorney for Municipalities in Puerto Rico Sentenced for BriberyRead the Press Release
A former attorney for three municipalities in Puerto Rico was sentenced today to 10 years in prison after he was convicted of four counts of bribery with respect to programs receiving federal funds.
Alejandro Carrasco, 64, of San Juan, was convicted by a federal jury of four counts of bribery with respect to programs receiving federal funds on Dec. 11, 2019. According to evidence introduced at trial, at various times between July 2009 and June 2012, Carrasco was an attorney providing legal services to the Puerto Rican Municipalities of Barceloneta, Rio Grande, and Juncos. During that time, he accepted bribes, disguised as legal fees, from a contractor in exchange for agreeing to assist the contractor in obtaining contracts with the three municipalities.
The evidence introduced at trial revealed that, in total, Carrasco accepted more than $180,000 in bribes in exchange for helping the contractor obtain more than approximately $2.3 million in municipal contracts. The evidence also revealed that Carrasco urged the contractor to bribe other public officials in the municipalities.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicholas L. McQuaid of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Special Agent in Charge Rafael Riviere of the FBI’s San Juan Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI’s San Juan Field Office investigated the case.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico indicted the case. Trial Attorneys James I. Pearce and Nicole R. Lockhart of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section prosecuted the case.
Final defendant pleads guilty in case involving 58 firearms stolen from sporting goods storeRead the Press Release
DAYTON – Three Dayton men have admitted in federal court that they conspired to steal 58 firearms from Target World in Sharonville in June 2018.
Lamont Hancock, 22, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Dayton yesterday afternoon. Miyauhn Vineyard, 21, pleaded guilty in January 2021 and Michael Sanford, 26, pleaded guilty in February 2021.
According to court documents, on June 17, 2018, the co-conspirators parked in an adjacent parking lot and cut off an exterior door lock to the store. The individuals then smashed display cases in the retail area of the store and stole 58 firearms.
Two days later, the ATF recovered 10 of the firearms through a third-party sale.
Each of the defendants pleaded guilty to conspiring to steal firearms from a federal firearms licensee, a crime punishable by up to five years in prison.
This case is being prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Roland Herndon, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) announced the plea entered into today before U.S. District Judge Michael J. Newman. Assistant United States Attorney Ryan A. Saunders and Deputy Criminal Chief Dominick S. Gerace are representing the United States in this case.
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FBI Electronics Technician Charged with Child Pornography CrimesRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – April 27, 2021 – An Antioch, Tennessee man employed by the FBI as an electronics technician was charged today with sexual exploitation of children and receipt of child pornography. Justin D. Carroll, 38, was arrested by FBI agents this morning when he arrived to work at the Nashville FBI office. He will appear before a U.S. Magistrate Judge later today.
The announcement was made by Acting U.S. Attorney Mary Jane Stewart for the Middle District of Tennessee and Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Douglas Korneski of the FBI Memphis Field Office.
“I commend the leadership of the FBI for their quick and decisive action in this matter,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Stewart. “Once the suspect was identified as an FBI support employee, agents took swift action to prevent the continued victimization of this child and others. We will continue to work vigorously with our FBI partners to hold this individual accountable.”
“Once the FBI became aware of the alleged crime, an investigation was immediately initiated and investigated with all expediency, which culminated in today’s arrest,” said SAC Korneski. “Anyone who commits a federal crime should know that the FBI will investigate to the fullest extent allowable by law, particularly when they are one of our employees.”
According to the criminal complaint, Carroll was identified as the user of an email address which was connected to the facilitation and exchange of sexually explicit images and videos between Carroll and a 14-year-old female in Rhode Island.
The investigation began in March when a package was received at the Nashville FBI Office and although addressed to the building address, no recipient was indicated on the label. The package had a return address that listed the name and Rhode Island address of an individual who was later identified as a 14-year-old female. The nature of the package prompted a response from FBI bomb technicians and once opened, the package contained a teddy bear and candies.
Further investigation determined that the 14-year-old female met Carroll in an online chat room in the summer of 2020 and their communications continued over multiple communication platforms and eventually transitioned to Google Hangout and email, including her school email account. Messages sent by Carroll consisted primarily of descriptions of intercourse and professions of love and included sexually explicit photos and videos exchanged between Carroll and the minor female. All communications sent from and received by Carroll were determined to have been sent from his personal devices. Carroll had previously provided the minor female with his mailing address, listing the Nashville FBI Office’s street address.
The investigation also identified other accounts with which Carroll engaged or attempted to engage in sexually explicit conversations with minors and the investigation remains active.
If convicted, Carroll faces a minimum of 15 years and up to 50 years in prison.
This investigation is being conducted by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carrie Daughtrey is prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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Essex County Man Admits Gun Possession and Drug Distribution ChargesRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – An Essex County, New Jersey, man today admitted illegally possessing a firearm and distributing methamphetamine, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Kevon Anderson, 25, of Newark, pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Katharine S. Hayden to a superseding information charging him with one count of gun possession by a convicted felon and one count of narcotics trafficking.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On Sept. 10, 2019, Anderson was arrested by Newark Police Department officers and found to be in possession of a .38 caliber Smith and Wesson Bodyguard handgun and seven rounds of .38 caliber ammunition. Anderson was also carrying 19 rounds of 9-millimeter ammunition, and he had several ecstasy (methamphetamine) pills intended for distribution. Anderson had been convicted of a felony in 2018 for resisting arrest.
The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. The narcotics trafficking charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 15, 2021.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited the officers of the Newark Police Department, under the direction of Public Safety Director Brian O’Hara, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sammi Malek of the Criminal Division in Newark.
Essex County Man Admits Drug Conspiracy and Distribution of Crack in Stephen Crane VillageRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – An Essex County, New Jersey, man today admitted distributing and conspiring with others to distribute more than 28 grams of cocaine base, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Nasir Williams, 24, of Newark, pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Court Judge John Michael Vazquez to an information charging him with one count each of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 28 grams or more of cocaine case and distribution of 28 grams or more of cocaine base.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Stephen Crane Village is a public housing complex in Newark, on the border with Belleville, New Jersey. From at least February 2019 through February 2020, law enforcement officers investigated individuals that controlled an open-air drug market that operated there.
Through numerous controlled purchases of narcotics, consensually recorded telephone calls and text messages, physical surveillance, and the analysis of telephone records, law enforcement officers determined that numerous individuals, including Williams, conspired to distribute and did actually distribute narcotics, including heroin, fentanyl, cocaine and cocaine base, in and around Stephen Crane Village. On Jan. 15, 2020, in Stephen Crane Village, Nasir Williams sold approximately 31 grams of cocaine base to an individual while under surveillance by law enforcement.
The conspiracy and distribution charges to which Williams pleaded guilty both carry a statutory mandatory minimum term of five years in prison, a maximum of 40 years in prison, and a maximum fine of $5 million. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 21, 2021.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited special agents and task force officers with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Craig B. Kailimai; the Belleville Police Department, under the direction of Chief Mark Minichini; special agents and task force officers of the DEA, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Susan A. Gibson in Newark; the Newark Police Department, under the direction of Public Safety Director Brian O’Hara; the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Acting Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II; and the Essex County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Armando B. Fontoura, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea. He also thanked the U.S. Marshals Service, the Nutley Police Department, the Bloomfield Police Department, the West Orange Police Department, the Verona Police Department, the Orange Police Department and the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance with this case.
This investigation was part of the Newark Violent Crime Initiative (VCI), where the U.S. Attorney’s Office has partnered with state, federal, county, and local law enforcement to investigate crime in Newark and the surrounding cities. This case is also conducted under the auspices of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tracey Agnew and Cassye Cole of the Organized Crime and Gangs Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division in Newark.
Dayton man sentenced to more than 6 years in prison for illegal gun possessionRead the Press Release
DAYTON – Jamichael Thompson, 28, of Dayton, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 78 months in prison for illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
According to court documents, on Aug. 5, 2019, FBI Task Force officers discovered two firearms in Thompson’s car during a probable cause search.
Thompson possessed an AR-15 with 29 rounds of ammunition and a stolen 9mm pistol.
Thompson has a previous federal conviction for illegally possessing a firearm as a felon. He was convicted of the same crime in December 2017.
The defendant pleaded guilty in this case in February 2021.
Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Chris Hoffman, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and Roland Herndon, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) announced the sentence imposed yesterday afternoon by U.S. District Judge Michael J. Newman. Assistant United States Attorney Elizabeth R. Rabe and Assistant Deputy Criminal Chief Laura I. Clemmens are representing the United States in this case.
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Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill indicted for federal civil rights violationsRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill has been indicted on federal civil rights charges for ordering his employees to use excessive force against four pretrial detainees at the Clayton County Jail in 2020. The indictment alleges that Hill, without any legal justification, ordered his employees to strap the detainees into a restraint chair and keep them there for hours in violation of their constitutional rights. The indictment further alleges that Hill deprived the detainees of their due process rights because such use of force was unreasonable, amounted to punishment, and caused the detainees physical pain and bodily injury.
“While the vast majority of our law enforcement officers perform their duties bravely, professionally, and with honor, those few who abuse their power must be held accountable,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Kurt R. Erskine. “Our constitution prohibits law enforcement officers from using unreasonable force. Without justification, Sheriff Hill allegedly ordered four detainees to be strapped into restraint chairs for hours. In so doing, he caused pain and injury to the detainees in his care. Sheriff Hill’s actions, as alleged by the Grand Jury, deprived the citizens he was sworn to protect of their civil rights. Such abuses of power not only harm the victims, they also erode the community’s trust in law enforcement.”
“Badges and guns don't come with the authority to ignore the Constitution. They come with the responsibility to protect it from anyone who would violate it, especially another public servant,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Christopher Macrae, FBI Atlanta. “Sheriff Hill is alleged to have abused his privileges and abandoned his responsibilities and the FBI is committed to restoring trust in law enforcement by holding him accountable.”
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Erskine, the indictment, and other information presented in court: The Clayton County Sheriff’s Office’s (CCSO’s) “Inmate Restraint Chair Policy,” which was approved by Hill, states that “a restraint chair may be used by security staff to provide safe containment of an inmate exhibiting violent or uncontrollable behavior and to prevent self-injury, injury to others or property damage when control techniques are not effective.” Consistent with the Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process Clause, the policy emphasizes that use of a restraint chair “will never be authorized as a form of punishment.”
Victim J.A.
On February 25, 2020, a victim identified as J.A. was accused of assaulting two women during a dispute at a Clayton County grocery store several weeks earlier. He was arrested by Forest Park (Georgia) Police Department officers and CCSO deputies without incident. At the time, J.A. was unarmed, was not under the influence of drugs, and offered no resistance. A short time later, J. A. was booked into the Clayton County jail as a pretrial detainee. During the booking process, J.A. was escorted by a group of deputies and correction officers to the fingerprinting area where Hill allegedly confronted J.A.
Hill asked J.A. what he had been doing in Clayton County on the day of the alleged assault. J.A. replied, “It’s a democracy, sir. It’s the United States.” Hill responded, “No, it’s not. Not in my county.” When J.A. asked whether he was entitled to a fair and speedy trial, Hill allegedly replied, “Roll that chair around here. You stay out of Clayton County, you understand me? You sound like a dummy.” When J.A. asked again whether he was entitled to a fair and speedy trial, Hill allegedly stated, “You entitled to sit in this chair, and you’re entitled to get the hell out of my county and don’t come back. That’s what you’re entitled to. You sound like a damn jackass. Don’t you ever put your hand on a woman like that again. You’re fortunate that wasn’t my mother or grandmama or you wouldn’t be standing there. Now, sit there and see if you can get some damn sense in your head.”
According to the indictment, during J.A.’s interaction with Hill, J.A. was surrounded by law enforcement personnel, was handcuffed most of the time, and never posed a threat to anyone. Despite those facts, J.A. was strapped into a restraint chair and left there for hours per Hill’s orders.
Victim C.H.
On April 26, 2020, C.H., who had just turned 17 years old, allegedly vandalized his family home during an argument with his mother. Shortly thereafter, a CCSO deputy apprehended C.H. near his home without incident and turned C.H. over to the custody of the Clayton County Police Department (CCPD). Clayton County records indicate C.H. was unarmed, was not under the influence of drugs, and offered no resistance.
According to the indictment, the deputy, a CCSO supervisor, then spoke with Hill on the phone, texted Hill a photograph of C.H. handcuffed and seated in a CCPD vehicle, and had the following text exchange with Hill:
Hill: How old is he?
Deputy: 17
Hill: Chair
A few hours later, early on April 27, 2020, C.H. was booked into the Clayton County jail as a pretrial detainee pending trial on charges stemming from the incident at his home. Although C.H. had been compliant with law enforcement during and after his arrest and never posed a threat to anyone, he was allegedly strapped into a restraint chair and left there for hours per Hill’s orders.
Victim J.H.
Also on the morning of April 27, 2020, J.H. was arrested by the Jonesboro Police Department following a domestic disturbance. At the police station after his arrest, J.H. fell out of a chair after allegedly pretending to pass out. J.H. was transported to a hospital for evaluation. While being treated at the hospital, J.H. refused treatment and left the building. When Jonesboro police officers re-apprehended J.H. outside his grandmother’s house that afternoon, J.H. did not cooperate or comply with officer’s commands and had to be carried down some steps and placed into a patrol vehicle. Clayton County records indicate that J.H. was unarmed, was not under the influence of drugs, and offered no resistance. In the patrol vehicle, J.H. again appeared to feign unconsciousness but offered no resistance.
Shortly thereafter, still during the afternoon of April 27, 2020, J.H. was booked into the Clayton County jail as a pretrial detainee pending trial on charges stemming from the domestic disturbance. Upon J.H.’s arrival at the jail, although J.H. was not combative and never posed a threat to anyone, J.H. was allegedly strapped into a restraint chair and left there for several hours per Hill’s order. During his time in the restraint chair, J.H. was not allowed to go to the restroom and urinated on the restraint chair due the length of his confinement.
According to the indictment, while C.H. and J.H. were both strapped in restraint chairs near each other, Hill allegedly confronted them. Referring to C.H., Hill allegedly said, “You know what he did yesterday? He went and destroyed his mother’s house yesterday. That’s what this asshole right here did.” Addressing both C.H. and J.H., Hill then allegedly stated, “Now, I’m going to tell you something. If I hear about you (C.H.) messing up your mama’s house again, if I hear about you (J.H.) fighting cops and faking and going to the Southern Regional and then walking out and pulling out the I.V., I’m a sit your ass in that chair for sixteen hours straight. Do you understand me? I need to hear from both of y’all that y’all not gonna show y’all’s ass in my county no more.”
Victim G.H.
In April 2020, G.H. and a CCSO deputy had a payment dispute over some landscaping work G.H. did for the deputy in Butts County, Georgia. The work and dispute were unrelated to the deputy’s employment with CCSO. After learning about the dispute, Hill allegedly called G.H. on April 23, 2020. During the call, Hill allegedly identified himself as the Clayton County Sheriff and asked G.H. why he was harassing his deputy. G.H. replied that Hill should tell his deputy to pay his bill and added, “you can go f--- yourself.” Unsure whether the caller had actually been the Clayton County Sheriff, G.H. used FaceTime to call back several times until Hill answered and removed a face mask he was wearing. After the FaceTime calls, Hill allegedly texted G.H., warning him not to call or text anymore. G.H. responded via text, “So this is Victor Hill correct[?” According to the indictment, Hill responded with a second text warning for G.H. not to call or text him anymore. Although G.H. did not call or text again, Hill allegedly instructed a CCSO deputy to swear out an arrest warrant against G.H. for harassing communications.
The next day, April 24, 2020, Hill allegedly texted G.H., “[T]his is Sheriff Victor Hill. We have a warrant for your arrest. Would you like to turn yourself in, or have my Deputies find you?” G.H. did not respond. The next morning, April 25, 2020, Hill again allegedly texted G.H., “My Deputies are actively looking for you. We have not and will not agree for you to turn yourself in when you want to. Turn yourself in today.” Meanwhile, Hill allegedly sent an armed fugitive squad to Butts County in an attempt to arrest G.H. on the misdemeanor arrest warrant.
After retaining a lawyer, G.H. turned himself in at the CCSO during the evening of April 27, 2020. Clayton County records indicate that G.H. was unarmed, was not under the influence of drugs, and offered no resistance. Shortly thereafter, G.H. was booked into the Clayton County jail as a pretrial detainee pending trial on the harassing communications charges. Surveillance footage from the jail shows G.H. interacting with jail personnel for more than half an hour, during which time he appeared cooperative and compliant before Hill arrived and confronted him. According to the indictment, immediately upon Hill’s arrival, although G.H. was surrounded by law enforcement personnel, remained compliant, and never posed a threat to anyone, G.H. was immediately strapped into a restraint chair and left there for several hours per Hill’s orders.
Victor Hill, 56, of Hampton, Georgia, was arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Russell G. Vineyard. Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brent Alan Gray and Bret R. Hobson are prosecuting the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Cincinnati political consultant charged with embezzling $1.4M from Congressional campaignRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – A political and media consultant has been charged federally with wire fraud and falsification of records related to the embezzlement of more than $1.4 million from a United States Congressional campaign.
A bill of information was filed today against James R. Schwartz II, 41, of Cincinnati. The United States also filed a plea document in this case today, which will be considered by the court at a future plea hearing.
According to court documents, from approximately 2011 through 2019, Schwartz worked as a consultant on behalf of a Congressional campaign through his companies Fountain Square Group LLC and Prime Media LLC. Schwartz also served as the de facto treasurer for the campaign.
The bill of information details that Schwartz embezzled funds from the Congressional campaign by writing checks to himself and his companies from the campaign that were for more money than he and his companies had actually earned. He allegedly concealed the embezzled funds by misrepresenting the amounts paid to him and his companies in reports to the Federal Election Commission. It is alleged that Schwartz fabricated bank statements and other documents in submissions to the Federal Election Commission in order to conceal his embezzling.
Committing wire fraud and falsifying records in a federal investigation are crimes punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Chris Hoffman, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Matthew C. Singer is representing the United States in this case.
A bill of information is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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Chinese National Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Laundering Drug Proceeds on Behalf of Traffickers in MexicoRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A federal judge in Chicago today sentenced a Chinese national to 14 years in prison for laundering illegal narcotics proceeds on behalf of drug traffickers in Mexico.
XIANBING GAN schemed in 2018 to have approximately $534,206 in narcotics proceeds picked up in Chicago and transferred to various bank accounts in China, with the money ultimately intended for drug traffickers in Mexico. Unbeknownst to Gan, a purported money courier who picked up the drug proceeds in Chicago was an undercover law enforcement agent.
Gan, 51, is a Chinese national who facilitated the money transfers while residing in Guadalajara, Mexico. U.S. authorities arrested him in November 2018 at Los Angeles International Airport during a layover on a flight from Hong Kong to Mexico. He has remained in U.S. custody since then.
A federal jury in Chicago last year convicted Gan on three counts of money laundering and one count of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Durkin imposed the sentence today after a hearing in federal court in Chicago.
The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Angie Salazar, Special Agent-in-Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Chicago; and Tamera Cantu, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division in Chicago.
“The defendant was part of a recent phenomenon in which a relatively small network of Chinese money brokers based in Mexico have come to dominate international money laundering markets,” Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sean J.B. Franzblau and Richard M. Rothblatt argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “Like defendant, many of these brokers are also engaged in legitimate business, and use that business as cover for and to further money laundering activity. It does not matter that defendant never personally distributed narcotics – drug distribution and money laundering are two-sides of the same malignant coin.”
Charleston Woman Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug ChargeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Charleston woman pleaded guilty today to a federal drug charge.
According to court documents, on November 24, 2020, Erica Ratliff, 36, met her drug source of supply at the Family Dollar store on Bigley Avenue and purchased three ounces of methamphetamine. After Ratliff left the parking lot of the Family Dollar store, law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop on her vehicle. The officers recovered the methamphetamine that Ratliff had just purchased as well as other controlled substances she had on her person. Ratliff admitted that she intended to distribute the methamphetamine.
Ratliff pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of methamphetamine and faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison when she is sentenced on July 21, 2021. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement. Assistant United States Attorney Monica D. Coleman is prosecuting the cases.
This case is part of a long-term investigation, dubbed the “Woo Boyz,” which resulted in federal charges against 15 individuals and was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Charleston Police Department, and the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service and the West Virginia State Police. The Appalachia High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (AHIDTA) provided critical support to the investigative agencies.
Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. presided over the hearing.
The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy. Today, OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations, and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:21-cr-00033.
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Cape Coral Man Sentenced to Ten Years in Prison for Distributing FentanylRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge John L. Badalamenti today sentenced Montonio Moore, aka “Trigga Slim” (40, Cape Coral), to 10 years in federal prison for distributing fentanyl. Moore was sentenced to an enhanced term of imprisonment because of his prior serious drug offense convictions. He had pleaded guilty on January 27, 2021.
According to court documents, Moore sold more than $5,000 in fentanyl to the Drug Enforcement Administration during two undercover transactions in June 2020.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Cape Coral Police Department, and the Fort Myers Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael V. Leeman.
Cameroonian Citizen Extradited from Romania to Face Covid-19-Related Fraud ChargesRead the Press Release
A citizen of Cameroon was extradited to the U.S. yesterday to face federal charges for his alleged involvement in a fraud scheme perpetrated against American consumers.
Desmond Fodje Bobga, 28, made his initial appearance in federal district court in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, today. He was extradited from Romania. Bobga is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, forging a seal of the U.S. Supreme Court, and aggravated identity theft.
According to the charges, from around June 2018 to around June 2020, Bobga knowingly conspired with others to offer puppies and other animals for sale on internet websites. He and others communicated by text message and email with potential victims to induce purchases. Following each purchase, Bobga and co-conspirators claimed that a transportation company would deliver the puppy or other animal and provided a false tracking number for the pet. Bobga and his co-conspirators, acting as the transportation company, then claimed the pet transport was delayed and that the victim needed to pay additional money for delivery of the pet.
Bobga and co-conspirators told some victims that they needed to pay more money for delivery because the pet had been exposed to the coronavirus. The perpetrators used false promises and bogus documents regarding shipping fees and coronavirus exposure to extract successive payments from victims. Among the fake documents were a “Refundable Crate and Vaccine Guarantee Document” that purported to have been issued by the “Supreme Court of the United States of America” and bore the seal of the Court, along with the signature of a Clerk of the Court. After Bobga and the co-conspirators received money directly and indirectly through wire communications from the victims, they never delivered the pets.
“The Department of Justice is committed to prosecuting fraud schemes that take advantage of American consumers, including schemes that seek to exploit the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton of the Justice Department's Civil Division. “We are grateful to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of Pennsylvania and to the FBI for their partnership on this matter, and we greatly appreciate the efforts of Romanian law enforcement.”
“From across the globe, Desmond Fodje Bobga and his co-conspirators callously exploited consumers who were seeking the companionship of a pet to alleviate the isolation and stress caused by the COVID pandemic,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman for the Western District of Pennsylvania. “Today he stands before the court in Pittsburgh to face justice.”
“Mr. Bobga created false websites to advertise puppies or other animals, communicated with customers in the U.S., obtained payment and then provided nothing in return,” said FBI Pittsburgh Acting Special Agent in Charge Carlton Peeples. “His extradition to Western Pennsylvania to face these accusations sends a message to others looking to exploit victims in the U.S. that the FBI will stop at nothing to find you and put a stop to these scams.”
The criminal charges detail the alleged dealings of Bobga and his co-conspirators with victims in Western Pennsylvania and elsewhere. For example:
- One victim, of New Brighton, Pennsylvania, was seeking to purchase a mini-dachshund for her mother in mid-March of 2020. Victim 1 was induced to lose $9,100 due to false claims that the puppy was being shipped, needed insurance, and was exposed to COVID-19;
- Another victim, of Fruitland, Iowa, was seeking to purchase a mini-dachshund for herself in mid-March of 2020. False claims induced Victim 2 to lose $1,840; and
- A couple in Dallas, Texas, who were seeking to purchase a dog and lost $1,800, were induced to make successive payments based on claims about transportation issues and other matters.
The criminal charges include a reference to a website, lovelyhappypuppy.com, to which Bobga allegedly directed numerous victims to view puppies that he fraudulently claimed to sell:
The wire fraud conspiracy and wire fraud charges provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. Forging of seal provides for a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Aggravated identity theft provides for a mandatory two years in prison. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ira M. Karoll of the Western District of Pennsylvania and Wei Xiang of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch.
The FBI Pittsburgh Field Office conducted the investigation leading to the charges in this case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance. Law enforcement authorities in Romania, including the Romanian National Police, Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and the Cluj Brigade for Combating Organized Crime, provided significant cooperation.
If you believe you are a victim in this case and would like to opt-in to receive notifications or if you have any questions about your rights, please contact the Victim Witness Coordinator at 412-894-7400 or through our website (https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdpa/webform/contact-victim-witness-coordinator).
For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch, visit its website at www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
California Man Charged with Trafficking More Than Four Kilos of FentanylRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A California man was charged in federal court today with transporting more than four kilograms of fentanyl from Los Angeles, California, to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, aboard a bus that stopped at a Kansas City, Missouri station.
Miguel Angel Duran, 28, was charged with one count of possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo.
Today’s federal criminal complaint alleges that Duran was in possession of fentanyl on Monday, April 26.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, a Kansas City, Mo., police detective working as a drug canine handler was conducting sniffs of the luggage on a bus that originated in Los Angeles and stopped at a Kansas City bus station. The canine alerted to the odor of illegal drugs in a pink suitcase and a grey suitcase. Both suitcases had tags on them that did not have a name placed on them. The destination on the tags both indicated they were traveling to Philadelphia. Both tags appeared to be written by the same person.
As passengers lined up to begin reboarding the bus, officers noticed Duran and an unidentified woman (who has not been charged) leave the terminal and walk toward a nearby taxi. Officers contacted them and asked whether they had any additional baggage. Duran indicated the same pink and grey suitcases, which officers searched.
A detective discovered a total of six bundles in the two suitcases, and Duran was placed under arrest. Four of the bundles contained a total of 4,693.07 grams of fentanyl. Tests on two of the bundles, which weighed a total of 2,159.97 grams, were inconclusive. Officers found a baggie in Duran’s pocket that contained 1.88 grams of cocaine.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Trey Alford. It was investigated by the DEA and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department in the Missouri Interdiction and Narcotics (MoWin) Task Force.
A complaint is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Butler, PA Man Indicted for Violating Federal Drug and Gun LawsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA - A resident of Butler, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of violating federal narcotic and firearm laws, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.
The three-count Indictment named Darnell Wynn, age 41, as the sole defendant.
According to the Indictment, on or about February 15, 2021, Wynn possessed with the intent to distribute 100 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of heroin, 10 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing detectable amounts of fluorofentanyl, fentanyl, and tramadol, as well as a quantity of a mixture and substance containing detectable amounts of heroin and fentanyl. The Indictment further charged Wynn with possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Finally, the Indictment charged Wynn with possession of a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon.
The law provides for a term of imprisonment of life imprisonment, a fine not to exceed $8,000,0000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Brendan J. McKenna is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Butler City Police Department conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Augusta Resident Sentenced to 210 Months in Prison for Abusing Columbus Minors He Met OnlineRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ga. – An Augusta, Georgia, man was sentenced to serve 210 months in federal prison today, after pleading guilty to coercion and enticement of two Columbus minors he befriended on the social media app Snapchat, said Peter D. Leary, the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia.
Todd Matthew Jones, 28, of Augusta, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Clay Land to serve 210 months on each count concurrent to be followed by ten years of supervised release . In addition, Jones will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison. Jones previously pleaded guilty to two counts of coercion and enticement of a minor. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Our office shares a relentless commitment with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to locate and apprehend all individuals who exploit and abuse children,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Peter Leary. “Thanks to the efforts of the Columbus Police Department and FBI, this child predator will no longer be able to abuse young people he targets online.”
"The families of the minor victims and the victims themselves in this case could never find justice in any sentence Jones could have received," said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “This case is another example of how easy it is for young people to become victims by using social media apps. We hope that others can learn from this case and we will continue to pursue any predators who commit such heinous crimes."
According to court documents, Jones met a 13-year-old middle school male, “John Doe,” on the social media app Snapchat. Jones proceeded to send the victim sexually explicit photos of himself and encouraged John Doe to do the same, which he did. Following a series of additional Snapchat conversations, the defendant traveled to Columbus to meet John Doe and sexually abused him. John Doe’s mother discovered the relationship and Jones was taken into custody on December 1, 2018. During the investigation, agents found a second victim, a 16-year-old female minor, “Jane Doe,” who said she met the defendant on Snapchat. Jane Doe told investigators she engaged in sexual activities with the defendant on five occasions. The female victim was encouraged to, and did, send sexually explicit photos of herself to the defendant. Investigators found sexually explicit videos of Jane Doe on the defendant’s cell phone as well as child pornography.
The case was investigated by the Columbus Police Department’s Special Victims Unit and the FBI.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Crawford Seals prosecuted the case for the Government.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Amherst Man Pleads Guilty to Trafficking Exotic African CatsRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, NY – An Amherst, NY man pleaded guilty today to violating the Lacey Act and the U.S. Animal Welfare Act based on his trafficking of African wild cats in interstate commerce.
According to court documents, Christopher Casacci, 38, of Amherst, was doing business as “ExoticCubs.com,” through which he advertised, imported, and sold exotic African cats. Between February and June of 2018, Casacci imported and sold dozens of caracals (Caracal caracal) and servals (Leptailurus serval), for $7,500 to $10,000 each. According to filings, Casacci claimed that he was a big cat rescue organization in an attempt to avoid prohibitions against possessing and selling wild animals. Casacci also falsified transport documents to hide the true species of the cats, instead calling the animals domestic crossbreeds, such as bengal cats or savannah cats.
Caracals, also known as the “desert lynx,” are wild cats native to Africa, and typically grow to approximately 45 pounds. Servals, also wild cats native to Africa, grow to approximately 40 pounds. All of the animals were sold while still kittens, and despite their size and wild nature, Casacci marketed them “house pets.” Both species are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and their commercial possession and sale is restricted under New York state law.
People and businesses dealing in animals are required to comply with humane care standards under the Animal Welfare Act. Casacci failed to do so and failed to secure the necessary license from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Casacci was charged with violating the Animal Welfare Act for selling animals without a license showing minimum compliance with humane treatment standards.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Jean E. Williams of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division and U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy Jr. for the Western District of New York made the announcement.
Casacci was previously indicted for his actions in January of 2020. The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Office of Law Enforcement, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Ryan Noel, and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Bureau of Environmental Crimes Investigation.
The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Patrick Duggan of the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron J. Mango.
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American Contractor Sentenced for Theft of Government Equipment on U.S. Military Base in AfghanistanRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An American military contractor was sentenced today to 51 months in prison for her role in a theft ring on a military installation in Kandahar, Afghanistan.
“This defendant exploited her position of trust as a security supervisor by facilitating the theft and movement of government equipment from a U.S. military base in Afghanistan into the hands of unknown and unvetted individuals,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “The defendant, along with her co-conspirators, helped orchestrate and execute the scheme to circumvent the military base’s security protocols for their own financial gain. We will continue to hold accountable those who compromise the safety of the courageous women and men protecting us overseas.”
According to court documents, Varita V. Quincy, 35, of Snellville, Georgia, admitted that, between April 2015 and July 2015, she and others conspired to steal property from the Kandahar military installation, including generators, a truck, and other items worth over $150,000. Larry Green, one of Quincy’s co-conspirators, negotiated the sale of the stolen property with a third-country national middleman, who in turn facilitated the sale of the items to unknown persons in Kandahar.
Quincy further admitted that, to effectuate the theft of the generators and other property, she used her position as a security badging and escort pass supervisor to create, or cause to be made, false official documents. The false documents facilitated both the entry of unknown and unvetted Afghan nationals and their vehicles onto the military installation and effectuated the removal of the stolen property from the installation. The falsified documents were used to deceive security officers and gate guards and compromised the security of U.S. military and civilian personnel on the military installation. Leading up to today’s hearing, Quincy engaged in additional fraudulent conduct by submitting altered documents to the Court in aid of sentencing.
Quincy pleaded guilty on Oct. 13, 2020 to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and commit theft of property of value to the United States, and one count of making false statements. As part of her sentencing today, Quincy also was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $179,708.
Green pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and commit theft of property of value to the United States; one count of theft of property of value to the United States; and one count of aiding and abetting the submission of false statements. Green was sentenced on Nov. 19, 2020 to 41 months in prison and ordered to pay $179,708 in restitution.
Acting U.S. Attorney Raj Parekh of the Eastern District of Virginia; Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicholas L. McQuaid of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; and Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) John F. Sopko made the announcement.
SIGAR investigated the case with help from the U.S. Army’s Criminal Investigation Command (CID) and the 939th Military Police Detachment of the Indiana Army National Guard.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Kosky of the Eastern District of Virginia, and Trial Attorneys Sasha N. Rutizer of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Rosaleen O’Gara of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section, are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 2:20-cr-55 and 2:20-cr-46.
American Contractor Sentenced for Theft of Government Equipment on U.S. Military Base in AfghanistanRead the Press Release
An American military contractor was sentenced today to 51 months in prison for her role in a theft ring on a military installation in Kandahar, Afghanistan.
Varita V. Quincy, 35, of Snellville, Georgia pleaded guilty on Oct. 13, 2020, to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and commit theft of property of value to the United States and one count of making false statements. According to court documents, Quincy admitted that, between April 2015 and July 2015, she and others conspired to and did steal property of value to the United States including generators, a truck, and other items worth over $150,000. Larry Green, one of her co-conspirators, negotiated the sale of the stolen property with a third-country national middleman, who in turn facilitated the sale of the items to unknown persons in Kandahar.
Quincy further admitted that, to effectuate the theft of the generators, she used her position as a security badging and escort pass supervisor to create or cause to be made false official documents. The false official documents facilitated both the entry of unknown and unvetted Afghan nationals and their vehicles on to the military installation and effectuated the removal of the stolen property from the installation. The falsified documents were used to deceive security officers and gate guards and compromised the security of U.S. military and civilian personnel on the military installation.
Green pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and commit theft of property of value to the United States; one count of theft of property of value to the United States; and one count of aiding and abetting the submission of false statements, and was sentenced on Nov. 19, 2020, to 41 months in prison and ordered to pay $179,708 in restitution.
Quincy also was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $179,708. Further, Quincy’s sentence reflected her fraudulent post-trial conduct of submitting altered documents to the court on her behalf in advance of sentencing.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicholas L. McQuaid of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Acting U.S. Attorney Raj Parekh of the Eastern District of Virginia; and Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) John F. Sopko made the announcement.
SIGAR investigated the case with help from Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID) and the 939th Military Police Detachment of the Indiana Army National Guard.
Trial Attorneys Sasha N. Rutizer of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section, Rosaleen O’Gara of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Kosky of the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.
26 April 2021
“Project Python” Mexican national convicted of meth smugglingRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A 47-year-old resident of Guanajuato, Mexico, has entered a guilty plea to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute meth, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
From August 2015 to March 2018, Jose Domingo Ibarra Martinez and other co-conspirators imported large quantities of meth through the ports of entry in Laredo to be distributed through the United States.
Ibarra admitted to smuggling over 150 vehicle batteries and other drug-laden items into the country during the course of the conspiracy. The investigation revealed the batteries originated from Michoacán, Mexico. Each was loaded with approximately 7.5 kilograms of meth.
During the plea. Ibarra admitted the organization as a whole imported more than 1,000 drug-laden items.
U.S. District Judge Diana Saldana accepted the plea and will set sentencing at a later date. At that time, Ibarra faces up to life in prison and a possible $10 million maximum fine. He has been and will remain in custody pending that hearing.
The Drug Enforcement Administration led the Organized Crime and Drug Task (OCDETF) operation known as Gelo Podre with the assistance of the Laredo Police Department and sheriff’s offices in Victoria and Williamson Counties. It is part of Project Python, a nationwide operation announced in March 2020. The operation targeted the Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación and has resulted in more than 600 arrests, 350 indictments and significant seizures of money and drugs across the United States.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony J. Evans is prosecuting the case.
Wyoming Man Sentenced to Prison for Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud and Identity TheftRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Rock Springs, Wyoming, man convicted of one count of Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud and two counts of Aggravated Identity Theft was sentenced on April 15, 2021, by Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Judge.
Gregory Harrison, age 49, was sentenced to 71 months in federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release on the Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud charge. Harrison was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release on both of the Aggravated Identity Theft charges. The custody sentences will be served consecutively to each other for a total of just under 8 years. Harrison was also ordered to pay $100 in special assessments to the Federal Crime Victims Fund for each charge. In addition, Harrison was ordered to pay $11,913.19 in restitution.
Harrison was indicted on January 22, 2020. The conviction stems from Harrison conspiring with others to fraudulently obtain cash, goods, and services through the use of aggravated identity theft and bank fraud. Harrison used identifying information pertaining to real individuals to create fraudulent checks. Harrison and his codefendants cashed fraudulent checks for cash, goods, and services in western South Dakota in 2018 and 2019.
This case was investigated by the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Poppen prosecuted the case.
Harrison was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Whitehall Man Pleads Guilty to Unlawfully Possessing Firearms and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Shane Smith, age 24, of Whitehall, New York, pled guilty today to unlawfully possessing two short-barrel rifles, and to unlawfully possessing hundreds of rounds of ammunition as a felon.
The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Antoinette T. Bacon; Thomas F. Relford, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); and John B. DeVito, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).
Smith was convicted in 2016 of unlawfully possessing a machine gun, a federal offense.
Smith was released from prison on April 11, 2018, and began serving a 3-year term of supervised release. On December 15, 2020, United States Probation Officers searched his Whitehall residence. In pleading guilty, Smith admitted that the search uncovered two rifles whose barrels were each less than 16 inches in length, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino is scheduled to sentence Smith on August 27, 2021. For the firearms conviction, Smith faces up to 10 years in prison; a fine of up to $10,000; and up to 3 years of supervised release. For the unlawful possession of ammunition conviction, Smith faces up to 10 years in prison; a fine of up to $250,000; and up to 3 years of supervised release. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
This case was investigated by the United States Probation Office, FBI, and ATF, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Belliss.
United States Reaches $950,000 Settlement Arising Out of the 2016 “Old Fire” in Stanislaus National ForestRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Mariposa County resident John “Jack” Welch has agreed to pay $950,000 to settle a claim by the United States against him for damages resulting from a 2016 wildfire that burned nearly 100 acres of National Forest land, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced today.
According to the settlement, federal investigators concluded that Welch ignited the fire, known as the “Old Fire,” on Sept. 13, 2016, while using an excessively worn chainsaw on his property in a high fire hazard area located off Old Yosemite Road in Mariposa County. It was a windy day and the fire spread quickly, burning approximately 100 acres, including 95 acres of land within the Stanislaus National Forest.
The USDA Forest Service spent nearly $1.3 million to extinguish the Old Fire, including the use of substantial air assets to prevent the fire’s spread to neighboring properties and the surrounding National Forest lands.
“Over the past several years, the people of the Eastern District have endured more than their fair share of wildfires.” said Acting U.S. Attorney Talbert. “This Office has been, and continues to be, focused on holding those individuals and corporations who negligently start these fires accountable. We will continue to pursue individuals and corporations, large and small, to recover the fire suppression costs and environmental damages caused by their negligent acts.”
“Our region is thankful that this settlement was reached between all parties to help restore damage to the landscape in Stanislaus National Forest,” said Regional Forester Randy Moore, USDA Forest Service Region 5. “Furthermore, these recovered costs help fund continued firefighting resources to help keep our forest communities safe.”
The settlement is not an admission of any negligence, wrongful conduct or liability.
Since 2012, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California has secured settlements in more than 30 different cases involving wildfire damage to federal lands, with total settlements valued at more than $300 million.
The investigation was conducted with the U.S. Forest Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey D. Wilson handled the case.
Union County Man Indicted for Tax Evasion and Failing to File Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Union County, New Jersey, man made his initial court appearance today on charges of tax evasion and failing to file tax returns, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig and Acting Assistant Attorney General David A. Hubbert of the Justice Department’s Tax Division announced.
Jonathan Dean Michael, 52, of Springfield, New Jersey, was indicted by a federal grand jury on March 29, 2021, on one count of tax evasion, from 2014 through 2018, and five counts of failing to file tax returns during the same period. He appeared by videoconference before U.S. Magistrate Judge Andre M. Espinosa. He will be arraigned before U.S. District Judge John Michael Vazquez at a date to be determined.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Michael was employed as a mechanic by a port-operating company in New Jersey. From 2014 through 2018, Michael’s gross income from all sources was over $1.6 million, including over $1.4 million that was paid to him by the port-operating company. In February 2014, Michael submitted a Form W-4, “Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate,” to his employer in which he falsely claimed to be completely exempt from federal income tax withholding. In November 2016, after the IRS instructed the port-operating company to begin withholding income taxes from Michael, Michael wrote the company and claimed that his false W-4 was correct. Despite earning gross income in each year in excess of the threshold that would require him to file individual income tax returns, Michael failed to file such tax returns with the IRS for the years 2014 through 2018.
The maximum penalty for the count of tax evasion is five years of imprisonment; the maximum penalty for failure to file tax returns is one year per count.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig and Acting Assistant Attorney General Hubbert credited special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael Montanez in Newark, with the investigation leading to the charges.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Feldman Nikic of the Cybercrime Unit in Newark and by Trial Attorney Michael C. Vasiliadis of the Tax Division in Washington, D.C.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Two Men Charged with Laundering Money from Multiple Internet Romance ScamsRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO – Kinston Osagie appeared today in United States District Court to face a federal indictment charging him and Roland Ighiwiyisi, also known as Roland Osagie, with conspiring to commit money laundering and charging him alone in four additional counts of laundering money from women duped in online romance scams, announced Acting United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds and United States Secret Service Special Agent in Charge James E. Anderson, Jr.
Osagie, 53, based in Los Angeles, and Ighiwiyisi, 40, based in Nigeria, are alleged in the indictment to have conspired to launder proceeds obtained from victims of wire fraud. According to the indictment, Osagie opened at least 18 different U.S. bank accounts between January 2015 and August 2020 which received approximately $6 million in cash, check, and wire deposits. Of that amount, the indictment alleges $3 million dollars is traceable primarily to victims of romance fraud.
The indictment describes romance scams as online schemes that target susceptible individuals looking for romantic partners on dating and social websites such as Tinder and Match.com. Scam artists create profiles using intriguing names, photos, personas, and locations to draw their online victims into romantic relationships. Victims become convinced they are engaged in true romance – though the fake romantic partners offer myriad excuses why they cannot meet face to face – and eventually the victims are persuaded to send money or gifts to their fake partners, which is appropriated by the scam artists.
Osagie and Ighiwiyisi are both charged in one count of the indictment with conspiracy to commit money laundering from March 2019 to April 2020, a time period in which Osagie transferred fraud victims’ money to accounts owned or controlled by Ighiwiyisi. Osagie is also charged in the indictment with four additional counts of specific acts of laundering money from romance scam victims. Of these four counts, three charge Osagie with laundering a total of $267,000 obtained from one woman who sent money to help a fake male persona named “Merry Mattias” she had met through Match.com. The fourth count charges Osagie with laundering $20,300 sent by another woman to a different fake persona she met through the online platform Words with Friends.
According to the indictment, Ighiwiyisi is owner and director of a company incorporated in Nigeria, banks at a Nigeria-incorporated bank, and is living or has resided in Nigeria. Osagie and Ighiwiyisi, according to the indictment, discussed their common mother who lived in Nigeria.
Kinston Osagie and Roland Ighiwiyisi, aka Roland Osagie, are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1956(h). Kinston Osagie is charged additionally with four counts of money laundering in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1957. Each count carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000, as well as three years of supervised release once imprisonment ends. Any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Osagie was arraigned on the indictment’s charges today before United States Magistrate Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley in United District Court in San Francisco today. Osagie was released on a $100,000 bond. His next appearance is scheduled for July 23, 2021, at 11 a.m., before the Honorable Susan Illston, U.S. District Court Judge.
Mohit Gourisaria is the Assistant U.S. Attorney who is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Nalini Rae Viavant, Mimi Lam, and Marina Ponomarchuk. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the United States Secret Service.
St. Francis Man Indicted on Assault ChargesRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Dennis Holmes announced that a St. Francis, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Assault With a Dangerous Weapon.
Koty Arcoren, age 29, was indicted on April 13, 2021. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on April 23, 2021, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 10 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, 3 years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that on March 7, 2021, in St. Francis, Arcoren assaulted an individual with a knife with intent to do bodily harm.
The charge is merely an accusation and Arcoren is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson is prosecuting the case.
Arcoren was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
St. Francis Man Indicted for Domestic Assault by an Habitual Offender and Child AbuseRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Dennis Holmes announced that a St. Francis, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Domestic Assault by an Habitual Offender and Child Abuse.
Jeremy Iron, a/k/a Jeremy Red Tomahawk, age 36, was indicted on March 9, 2021. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on April 23, 2021, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 10 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, 3 years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that on September 9, 2020, and October 27, 2020, in Todd County, South Dakota, Iron unlawfully committed a domestic assault and, at the time of the domestic assault, Iron had at least two prior convictions for offenses that would have been, if subject to federal jurisdiction, an assault against a spouse, intimate partner, or a child of or in the care of Iron. The Indictment further alleges that at the same time and place, Iron did abuse, expose, torture, torment, and cruelly punish two different children who had not attained the age of eighteen.
The charges are merely accusations and Iron is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson is prosecuting the case.
Iron was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
South Yarmouth Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl and Heroin OffensesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A South Yarmouth man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to fentanyl and heroin offenses.
Dustin Monick, 23, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and 100 grams or more of heroin and one count of possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled sentencing for Sept. 8, 2021. Monick was charged by criminal complaint in August 2020.
In December 2019, Monick was stopped by police in Yarmouth for multiple traffic violations. After speaking briefly with police, Monick fled the scene in his vehicle, but was stopped shortly thereafter. Police observed a backpack in Monick’s vehicle during the stop, which was later found along the road and contained over 600 grams of heroin and fentanyl. During his arrest, two keys were found on Monick’s person. One key opened a storage locker used by Monick and the other opened a safe, which contained over two kilos of fentanyl and $100,068 cash.
The charging statute provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison, a least four years and up to life of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 million. The government is also seeking forfeiture of the cash found in the storage locker. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; and Yarmouth Police Chief Frank Frederickson made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nadine Pellegrini of Mendell’s Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.
South Philadelphia Drug Trafficking Ringleader Sentenced to Nearly 20 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – Acting United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Basil Bey, 31, of Philadelphia, PA, was sentenced to 19.5 years in prison, and six years of supervised release by United States District Judge Gerald A. McHugh for conspiring to distribute heroin and crack cocaine, and distributing heroin and crack cocaine, including near a playground.
Bey’s sentence comes after a jury returned guilty verdicts in December 2017 against Bey and three of his co-conspirators, all from Philadelphia, who have already been sentenced for their roles in the conspiracy: Reginald White, 34, was sentenced to 17.5 years, Tyrik Upchurch, 33, was sentenced to 18 years and seven months; and Amin Wadley, 29, was sentenced to 15.5 years. Six other defendants, also all from Philadelphia, previously pleaded guilty and were sentenced by Judge McHugh for their roles in the conspiracy: Sidney Cornish, 31; Dassan Cornish, 29; Jerome Lyles, 36; Rhasul Lucas, 32; Jihad Thorne, 24; and Quaadir Crawford, 32.
As presented at trial, from at least April 2015 through December 2016, Bey was the leader of a narcotics trafficking organization that sold heroin (including fentanyl-laced heroin) and crack cocaine nearly 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to buyers in South Philadelphia. The group, which included White, Upchurch, Wadley, Sidney and Dassan Cornish, Lyles, Lucas, Thorne, and Crawford as members, sold and delivered narcotics in shifts in order to serve customers day and night. Bey, Upchurch, and Wadley also maintained residences around Philadelphia in order to store and package the narcotics for distribution. Due to the dedicated efforts of law enforcement in this case, approximately thirty-five controlled purchases of heroin and/or crack were made from this drug group—all captured on video. Law enforcement also lawfully obtained a wiretap that captured some of the group’s cell phone activity.
“Drug trafficking is an insidious activity that destroys and demoralizes neighborhoods,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Williams. “Basil Bey was an expert at it, a career criminal committed to living a life of crime, and now he will pay the price by spending decades in prison. This is the just punishment that awaits drug dealers facing federal charges.”
“The FBI is committed to keeping communities safe from predators like Basil Bey and the members of his drug trafficking organization,” said Michael J. Driscoll, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “Bey’s actions and that of his co-conspirators are particularly heinous given that they trafficked in dangerous narcotics made even more lethal as they were laced with fentanyl. Today’s sentence sends the message to drug organizations and gang members that if you traffick in illegal drugs, we, along with our law enforcement partners, will hunt you down and bring you to justice.”
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Philadelphia Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jason Bologna and Kevin Jayne.
Shannon Kepler Found Guilty of Using a Firearm in the Commission of Second Degree Murder and of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
After six hours of deliberation, a federal jury found Shannon Kepler guilty of murdering 19-year-old Jeremey Lake and for firing at Lake’s younger brother on August 5, 2014. At the time of the murder, Kepler was a 24-year veteran of the Tulsa Police Department.
Shannon Kepler, 60, was taken into custody by U.S. Marshals moments after the verdict. He will be sentenced on Aug. 11, 2021.
“Today, Shannon Kepler was found guilty of using and discharging a firearm in the second degree murder of Jeremey Lake and for assaulting Lake’s brother with a firearm in Indian Country after his previous state conviction was dismissed as a result of the U.S. Supreme Court’s McGirt decision. I am thankful for today’s verdict, and the jury is to be commended for their service,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “I’m extremely proud of the FBI and Tulsa Police Department as well as Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ross Lenhardt and Sean Taylor for their tireless preparation and successful prosecution of Mr. Kepler in federal court.”
Jury selection occurred on Monday, April 19, before U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell, followed by opening statements and testimony starting April 20. In his opening, Assistant U.S. Attorney Ross Lenhardt set the scene. Shannon Kepler and his wife were having a difficult time with their adopted daughter, Lisa. The behavior continued, and the Keplers eventually dropped her off at a homeless shelter shortly after she turned 18. Kepler provided her with no clothing—other than what she was wearing, no money, no cell phone, and no credit cards.
Days after dropping her off, Kepler logged into Lisa’s Facebook page and saw she was suddenly “in a relationship” with Jeremey Lake. Kepler’s attorney stated that Kepler was “alarmed” with what he saw on Lake’s Facebook page, and, while still at work, Kepler requested a records clerk to run a search on Lake’s history. Kepler learned that Lake was the victim of child abuse at a very young age and was previously charged as a juvenile after pushing a social services worker. Those charges did not result in a conviction.
Kepler then copied down Lake’s last known address—202 North Maybelle Avenue—on the printed arrest and booking sheet involving Lake. Later, Kepler changed clothes, waited until dark, retrieved his .357 magnum revolver, and drove his wife’s dark SUV to the home where Lake was staying. Kepler testified that he knew the revolver would not leave shell casings at the scene. Kepler arrived at approximately 9 pm and saw his daughter and Lake walking together. He tried to talk to his daughter, but she rebuffed him and started walking toward the home. As Lake stood in the street, Kepler pulled his revolver and shot Jeremey Lake twice, quickly causing his death. Kepler then turned and fired at least three more rounds in the direction of the witnesses—Lake’s friend Josh Mills, Lake’s 13-year-old brother Michael Hamilton, and Kepler’s own daughter, Lisa. Hamilton was sitting on the home’s front porch at the time and was slightly injured during the shooting. Kepler then fled the scene, testifying that he knew his fellow Tulsa police officers would be hunting for him, his vehicle, and his weapon. He abandoned the SUV at a former Motel 6 just off the Broken Arrow Expressway and eventually turned himself in. Approximately 14 hours after the shooting, his former attorney brought the still-loaded murder weapon into the Tulsa Police Station in a zip lock bag.
When testifying, Kepler claimed that, although no gun was ever found at the scene, he shot Lake in self-defense after Lake “got the jump on him,” pulling a shiny, semi-automatic pistol from his pants pocket. While Kepler’s attorney argued that a gun found in the Tulsa Police Department several days later “could” have been taken from the scene, expert and forensic evidence proved that the two incidents were unrelated.
The prosecution proved that Kepler had not only heard about the unrelated gun, but that he had also been provided with police reports and photographs of it before ever testifying.
In his closing statement, Lenhardt reviewed the charges and critical evidence that supported a finding of guilty on each count. The prosecution asked the jury to conclude that although Kepler alleged that he went to 202 North Maybelle to confront his daughter, he actually went there to confront Lake. The evidence proved that once there, Kepler shot Lake twice, and then began shooting at the witnesses that were present.
Kepler appealed his October 2017 state manslaughter conviction on grounds that his case should have been tried in federal court based on the McGirt v. Oklahoma U.S. Supreme Court ruling since he was a citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and the shooting took place on the nation’s Reservation.
The FBI and Tulsa Police Department joined forces to lead the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ross E. Lenhardt and Sean J. Taylor are prosecuting the case. Mr. Lenhardt is a prosecutor from the Western District of Pennsylvania, and Mr. Taylor is a prosecutor from the Eastern District of Texas. Both volunteered to assist prosecution efforts here in the Northern District of Oklahoma due to increased jurisdictional responsibilities regarding crimes involving Native American victims or defendants and that occur within the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and Cherokee Nation Reservations.
Riverside Man Arrested on Federal Charge of ‘Animal Crushing’ After Allegedly Slitting His Dog’s Throat and Posting Video on SnapchatRead the Press Release
RIVERSIDE, California – Authorities this morning arrested a Riverside man on a federal charge alleging that he slit the throat of his young dog, produced a short video of the dying puppy, and posted the video on his Snapchat account.
Angel Ramos-Corrales, 19, was arrested without incident this morning by the FBI and the Riverside Police Department. Ramos-Corrales is expected to make his initial appearance this afternoon in United States District Court in Riverside.
Ramos-Corrales was named in a federal criminal complaint filed Friday that charges him with animal crushing, a federal crime of purposely subjecting certain types of animals to serious bodily injury not related to hunting or other lawful activity. The animal crushing statute carries a sentence of up to seven years in federal prison.
According to the affidavit in support of the complaint, the Riverside Police Department received a complaint on February 13 soon after Ramos-Corrales allegedly posted a video on Snapchat depicting the small brown dog with a large laceration on its neck. On the video, a person believed to be Ramos-Corrales makes a series of statements, including “I’m cold-hearted,” and then callously kicks the still-alive dog, which he had named Canelo, the complaint alleges.
Riverside Police officers went to Ramos-Corrales’ residence, where they found him with fresh blood stains on his clothes, as well as freshly cut wounds on his hand, according to the affidavit. Inside his house, officers found the severely injured dog lying on a bed and observed blood spatters in both the bedroom and bathroom.
During the investigation, the police officers located a roommate who said he locked himself in his bedroom after observing blood spatter and the dog wrapped in a rug while Ramos-Corrales was in his room yelling, the affidavit states.
Animal control officers responded to the residence on February 13 and removed the barely alive dog, according to the affidavit, which notes a veterinarian had to euthanize the animal after determining Canelo also had fractured bones in his head and chest.
During interviews with FBI agents in early March that are outlined in the affidavit, Ramos-Corrales said he purchased Canelo as a small puppy from a Craigslist posting several months earlier, and he claimed not to recall the details of what he had done to the dog.
This matter is being investigated by the FBI, which received substantial assistance from the Riverside Police Department. The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office received the initial referral from the Riverside Police Department, and, after reviewing the matter and conferring with the United States Attorney’s Office, a decision was made that federal prosecutors would file the case.
Assistant United States Attorney Julius J. Nam of the Riverside Branch Office is prosecuting this case.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Registered Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography ChargeRead 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 Charles Augrom, III, 35, of Bath, NY, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography following a prior child pornography conviction before U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford. The charge carries a minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum of 20 years, a $250,000 fine and a lifetime period of supervised release.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle P. Rossi, who is handling the case, stated that in July 2020, an undercover law enforcement officer was investigating individuals who use peer to peer file sharing applications to share child pornography over the internet. During the undercover session, the officer downloaded numerous pictures and videos of child pornography that traced back to an IP address belonging to the defendant. Some of the images and videos included children younger than 12 years old engaged in sexual conduct with adults, as well as depictions of violence. On December 10, 2020, investigators executed a search warrant at Augrom’s William Street residence and seized electronic items that were later found to contain more than 600 images depicting child pornography. The defendant is a Level III register sex offender on the New York State Sex Offender Registry, following two prior New York State child pornography convictions.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Corning Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Stephen Belongia.
Sentencing is scheduled for Jul 21, 2021, before Judge Wolford.
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Puerto Rico resident admits to drug chargeRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Jean Carlos Rivera Aponte, of San Juan, Puerto Rico, has admitted to a drug charge, Acting U.S. Attorney Randolph J. Bernard announced.
Aponte, 30, pleaded guilty today to one count of “Aiding and Abetting Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine Hydrochloride.” Aponte admitted to having more than 61 grams of cocaine hydrochloride in March 2019 in Jefferson County.
Aponte faces up to 20 years of incarceration and a fine of up to $1,000,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Eastern Panhandle Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, and the Ranson Police Department investigated.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided.
New Jersey Man Indicted for Tax Evasion and Not Filing Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury in Newark, New Jersey, returned an indictment on April 1, 2021, charging a Springfield man with tax evasion and willful failure to file individual income tax returns.
According to the indictment, Jonathan Michael was a mechanic employed by a company engaged in managing the operations of a port in New Jersey. From 2014 through 2018, Michael allegedly earned over $1.6 million in income from all sources, including the port-operating company. In February 2014, as alleged in the indictment, Michael submitted an IRS Form W-4, “Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate,” to the port-operating company that falsely claimed he was exempt from federal income tax withholding. The indictment further alleges that Michael willfully did not file federal individual income tax returns for 2014 through 2018, despite having a legal obligation to do so.
Michael is charged with one count of tax evasion and five counts of willful failure to file tax returns. The defendant made his initial court appearance today before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison for the tax evasion and one year in prison for each failure to file count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig for the District of New Jersey made the announcement.
The IRS-Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Michael C. Vasiliadis of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew F. Nikic of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Monongalia County man admits to his role in a drug trafficking operationRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Andrew Benson, of Morgantown, West Virginia, has admitted to his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy, Acting U.S. Attorney Randolph J. Bernard announced.
Benson, 34, pled guilty today to one count of “Conspiracy to Distribute Heroin and Cocaine Base.” Benson admitted to working with others to distribute the drugs from March 2018 to September 2020 in Monongalia County and elsewhere.
Benson faces up to 20 years of incarceration and a fine of up to $1,000,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda E. Wesley is prosecuting the cases on behalf of the government. The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Mon Metro Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, and the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office investigated.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.
Related press release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndwv/pr/seventeen-people-charged-heroin-and-crack-cocaine-distribution-operation
Monmouth County Man Sentenced to 57 Months in Prison for Unlawfully Possessing MachinegunRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – A Monmouth County, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 57 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm and unlawfully possessing a machinegun, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Davon Harley, 30, of Neptune City, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Peter G. Sheridan to an indictment charging him with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of unlawful possession of a machinegun. Judge Sheridan imposed the sentence today in Trenton federal court.
According to documents filed today and statements made in court:
In February 2020, a Neptune City Police officer confronted Harley, a previously convicted felon, who was arguing with others in the yard of an apartment complex. Harley fled through the apartment complex into neighboring properties and discarded a handgun that, upon inspection, had been altered to fire exclusively in fully automatic mode. The weapon had a magazine capable of holding 31 rounds of ammunition. Law enforcement officers, assisted by the Neptune Township and Asbury Park police departments, located Harley and the machinegun and magazine that Harley had discarded. The magazine contained 22 rounds of ammunition.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Sheridan sentenced Harley to three years of supervised release.
This case is 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; enhances coordination of federal, state, local and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensured that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. For more information about Project Guardian, please see https://www.justice.gov/projectguardian.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Newark Division, Trenton Field Office, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Craig B. Kailimai; officers of the Neptune City Police Department, under the direction of Police Director Matthew Quagliato; officers of the Neptune Township Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police James M. Hunt, Jr.; officers of the Asbury Park Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police David Kelso; officers of the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Shaun Golden; and detectives of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.
The government is represented by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Matthews of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division in Trenton.
Mission Man Indicted on Carjacking, Robbery, and Assault ChargesRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Dennis Holmes announced that a Mission, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Carjacking, Robbery, Assault With a Dangerous Weapon, and Assaulting, Resisting and Impeding a Federal Officer.
Eurico Da Silva-Roubideaux, a/k/a Eurico Roubideaux, age 20, was indicted on March 9, 2021. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on April 23, 2021, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 20 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, 3 years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that on February 7, 2021, in Todd County, South Dakota, Da Silva-Roubideaux assaulted an individual with a hammer with intent to do bodily harm and stole the individual’s vehicle. The Indictment further alleges that on February 8, 2021, Da Silva-Roubideaux did forcibly assault, oppose, impede, intimidate, and interfere with law enforcement officers who were employed by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services, and that such conduct involved the use of a vehicle operated by Da Silva-Roubideaux.
The charges are merely accusations and Da Silva-Roubideaux is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson is prosecuting the case.
Da Silva-Roubideaux was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
Member of Violent Robbery Crew Sentenced to More Than 18 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A man has been sentenced to more than 18 years in federal prison for participating in a violent robbery crew that targeted cell phone stores in the Chicago area and downstate.
ANTONIO EDWARDS and two co-defendants engaged in a conspiracy to rob a series of cell phone stores in 2017. The crew conducted takeover-style robberies in which two or three robbers would enter a store and order employees to the back of the store at gunpoint. The robbers then loaded phones into bags and fled the store. Edwards personally participated in three of the heists – in Chicago, Waukegan, and Bradley – and he brandished a gun during the Waukegan and Bradley robberies.
Edwards, 26, of Chicago, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and robbery charges, and a jury convicted him after a trial on charges of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. U.S. District Judge Elaine E. Bucklo on Friday imposed a prison sentence of 18 years and eight months.
The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. Valuable assistance was provided by police departments in Chicago, Waukegan, Bradley, Mount Prospect, North Aurora, Skokie, and Homewood. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aaron R. Bond and Kristen Totten.
Two other members of the robbery crew – ANDREW MCHANEY, 29, of Chicago, and JAMES BATES, 60, of Chicago – previously pleaded guilty and were sentenced to federal prison terms of more than 14 years and more than eight years, respectively.
Married Couple Indicted for Underreporting over $1.1 Million in Taxable IncomeRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – A married couple made their initial appearances in federal court on Wednesday for their alleged roles — in connection with a sleep study fraud scheme — to evade payment of taxes on more than $1.1 million in income, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Christopher Chiou for the District of Nevada and Acting Assistant Special Agent in Charge Carissa Messick for IRS Criminal Investigation.
According to court documents, Oganes Berberyan, 63, and Valentina Zemlyak, 63, both of Las Vegas, allegedly attempted to evade paying taxes owed to the IRS for tax years 2014 through 2016. From November 2014 to December 2015, co-defendant Armen Magzanyan (a/k/a “Arman Magzanyan” and “Arman Magz,” 43) operated GR8SLEEP.com, d/b/a Las Vegas Sleep Lab, which claimed to conduct monitored sleep studies. As part of a fraudulent scheme, Las Vegas Sleep Lab billed a health insurance company more than $5 million, claiming to have performed hundreds of sleep studies. But it did not actually provide any of those services.
The fraudulent scheme caused the health insurance company to pay more than $1.8 million to Las Vegas Sleep Lab. Berberyan, Zemlyak, and Magzanyan used the proceeds of their scheme to pay for various personal expenses, including private school tuition, luxury vehicles, and real property purchase and mortgage payments:
Berberyan and Zemlyak evaded paying federal income taxes owing and due on income from this scheme, as well as from other sources. They did so in part by having bank accounts in business names pay their personal expenses directly, including approximately $1.14 million in payments towards the purchase of real property and mortgage payments. In each of tax years 2014 through 2016, Berberyan and Zemylak had a joint taxable income greater than the amount they reported to the IRS.
Magzanyan has been charged with three counts of mail fraud, three counts of health care fraud, nine counts of monetary transactions in criminally deprived property, and two counts of attempted evasion of tax assessment.
Berberyan and Zemlyak made their initial appearances on April 21, each charged with three counts of attempted evasion of tax assessment. A jury trial has been scheduled before U.S. District Court Judge Jennifer A. Dorsey on June 22, 2021. Magzanyan is considered a fugitive and a warrant remains outstanding for his arrest. Anyone with information as to Magzanyan's whereabouts is asked to please contact your local law enforcement office, the IRS Criminal Investigation by calling (702) 868-5093, or the FBI by calling 1-800-CALLFBI (225-5324) or at TIPS.FBI.GOV.
If convicted: (a) Berberyan and Zemlyak each face a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, $750,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, and up to three years of supervised release; and (b) Magzanyan faces a maximum sentence of 190 years in prison, a fine of $4.25 million or twice the gross gain or loss, and up to three years of supervised release.
An indictment is merely an allegation and every defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case is being investigated by the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, and the Nevada Attorney General’s Office.
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Man from Mescalero sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for threating federal officials in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Thaddeus Ponce, 58, of Mescalero, New Mexico, an enrolled member of the Mescalero Apache Tribe, was sentenced in federal court on April 15 to 18 months in prison for influencing federal officials by threat.
Ponce pleaded guilty to this offense on Feb. 5, 2021. According to the plea agreement, Ponce admitted to calling the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ (BIA) emergency dispatch multiple times from Aug. 10, 2019, to Oct. 7, 2019, in Otero County, New Mexico. Ponce threatened to kill federal dispatch operators and their families during numerous recorded calls. The BIA dispatch center is located on the Mescalero Reservation.
Upon his release from prison, Ponce will be subject to three years of supervised released.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron O. Jordan is prosecuting the case.
Man Placed Skimmers on ATMs and Used the Stolen Info to Steal Cash from Victims' AccountsRead the Press Release
Erie, Pa. - An individual believed to have entered the United States illegally in March 2018 pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of access device fraud and aggravated identity theft, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.
Janos Vaczi, 50, pleaded guilty to four counts before United States District Judge Susan Paradise Baxter.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that from March 2018 to June 22, 2019, Vaczi and his co-conspirators installed ATM skimming equipment on numerous ATM machines throughout Northwest Pennsylvania. The skimming equipment unlawfully captured the bank account and personal identity information of numerous individuals. Vaczi and his cohorts then placed the unlawfully captured information on to other cards which they then used at various ATM machines to unlawfully obtain thousands of dollars in victim funds.
During the investigation, the FBI searched a storage locker that Vaczi had rented in the Pittsburgh area. Inside the storage locker the FBI discovered hundreds of cards that contained stolen bank account information which enabled Vaczi and his co-conspirators to use the cards at various ATM machines to steal funds from the victims’ bank accounts. Vaczi’s storage locker also contained $10,000, ATM skimming equipment and numerous fake passports and international driver’s licenses bearing Vaczi’s picture but with different names.
Shortly before the FBI apprehended Vaczi, he attempted to bury hundreds of cards containing stolen identity information near a grocery store in the Pittsburgh area. Agents noticed that the ground had been disturbed in the area where Vaczi had been standing and discovered the cards shortly thereafter.
Judge Baxter scheduled sentencing for August 25, 2021. The law provides for a total sentence of 11 years in prison, a fine of $1,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Christian A. Trabold is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Vaczi.
Madison Man Sentenced to 72 Months for Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Keefer Goodman, 29, Madison, Wisconsin, was sentenced on Friday, April 23, by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 72 months in federal prison for possessing with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. This prison term will be followed by 4 years of supervised release.
In the early morning of July 21, 2020, law enforcement officers were dispatched to a two-vehicle crash in Madison. EMS personnel believed the driver, Goodman, had overdosed. Officers found a loaded Ruger 9mm handgun on the front passenger seat. Goodman was revived after the administration of Narcan, and he admitted to drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana prior to the car accident and said he did heroin earlier that night. Officers searched Goodman’s car and found 269.3 grams of methamphetamine, 7.3 grams of cocaine, 35.6 grams of marijuana, a pouch of baggies, a scale, and two switchblade knives. They also found $1,820 in Goodman’s pocket. He was previously convicted of a felony and was prohibited from possessing a firearm. Goodman was on active state extended supervision for a drug conviction at the time of the accident.
In imposing the sentence, Judge Conley highlighted the dangerous combination of impaired driving with possessing a large quantity of drugs and a loaded gun.
The charge against Goodman was the result of an investigation conducted by the Madison Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The prosecution of the case was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Anderson.