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Wednesday 24 February 2021
Scranton Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that David Bomboy, age 61, of Scranton, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on February 23, 2021, by U.S. District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani, to five years’ imprisonment for his role in a Lackawanna County-based methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy.
According to Acting United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, Bomboy previously pled guilty and admitted to participating in a conspiracy to distribute between 350 and 500 grams of methamphetamine in the Scranton area between February and April 2019
The investigation was conducted by the Scranton Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. O’Hara prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
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Pittsburgh Man Sentenced for Role in Distribution of DS44 Gang’s DrugsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA -- A resident of Pittsburgh, PA, has been sentenced in federal court to 12 months and one day of imprisonment followed by 3 years of supervised released on his conviction of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a quantity of fentanyl and heroin, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
United States District Judge William S. Stickman IV imposed the sentence on Jonathan Laur, age 37.
According to information presented to the court, Laur was a part of an investigation targeting the Darccide/Smash 44 or DS44 neighborhood gang and its drug trafficking activity, in and around the South Side area of Pittsburgh. As part of this large-scale narcotics and firearms investigation, from approximately February of 2019 through June of 2019, the United States received authorization to intercept communications on 9 telephones as part of the investigation.
Intercepted communications revealed that Jonathan Laur was involved in the distribution of heroin and fentanyl, including serving as a runner for co-conspirator Willie Miller.
Assistant United States Attorneys Brendan J. McKenna and Carolyn J. Bloch prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation led the multi-agency investigation of this case, which also included the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, Allegheny County Adult Probation, Allegheny County Police Department, Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office Bureau of Narcotics, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, and the Wilkinsburg Police Department. Other assisting agencies include the Green Tree Police Department, New York City Police Department, Mount Oliver Police Department, Pennsylvania State Police, Yonkers Police Department, United States Marshals Fugitive Task Force, and the United States Postal Inspection Service.
This prosecution is a result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles high-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten communities throughout the United States. OCDETF uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Pennsylvania man sentenced for role in a drug distribution operationRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Albert Lee Brooks, of New Castle, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 33 months of incarceration for his role in a drug trafficking operation, U.S. Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Brooks, also known as “B,” pled guilty to one count of “Distribution of Cocaine Base within 1000 feet of a Protected Location” in May 2020. Brooks, age 49, admitted to selling “crack” cocaine near Luau Manor in Ohio County in March 2019.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Shawn M. Adkins prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Ohio Valley Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.
U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey presided.
Original indictment press release here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndwv/pr/13-indicted-drug-distribution-operation-ohio-county
Parma Heights man charged with selling fentanyl that led to fatal overdoseRead the Press Release
A Parma Heights man has been charged in federal court for selling fentanyl to a Middleburgh Heights man that resulted in a fatal overdose. Marcus L. Sanders, age 23, of Parma Heights, was charged in a superseding five-count indictment with distribution of fentanyl, with a sentencing enhancement alleging the sale resulted in death; possession with intent to distribute fentanyl; possession with intent to distribute heroin fentanyl, N-butyl Pentylone, and cocaine and two counts of possession with intent to distribute marijuana.
According to the affidavit in support of the criminal complaint, on May 3rd, 2020, Middleburg Heights Police responded to a call for a suspected overdose at a residence. Upon arrival, the male overdose victim was treated with Narcan and transported to the hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Law enforcement searched the victim’s phone and reviewed a series of text messages between the victim and a reoccurring number, later alleged to be the defendant. After reviewing the messages, law enforcement determined that on May 2nd and May 3rd, the victim and the defendant allegedly arranged a drug transaction for narcotics.
On May 18th, law enforcement investigators sent a message to the defendant from the victim’s phone, arranging for the purported purchase of narcotics. Investigators conducted surveillance of the defendant’s residence and observed as he traveled to the victim’s home to complete the transaction. Upon arrival at the victim’s address, the defendant was arrested and searched. The defendant allegedly had in his possession fentanyl, heroin, N-butyl Pentylone, cocaine and marijuana.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense, and the characteristics of the violation.
In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum, and in most cases, it will be less than the maximum.
The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by the Middleburg Heights Police Department and the DEA. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James P. Lewis.
Operation X-Nation: New York Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – United States Attorney Mike Stuart announced that Keith Blakely, also known as “Bumpy,” 42, of New York, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute oxycodone, oxymorphone, and hydromorphone. Blakely was charged as a result of a long-term, multi-state investigation known as Operation X-Nation.
“Blakely had oxycodone, oxymorphone, hydromorphone, guns and cash,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “He’s the latest of a number of prescription pill dealers held accountable as a result of Operation X-Nation.”
Blakely admitted that between August 2017 and August 31, 2019, he participated in a drug trafficking organization that was operating in and around Princeton. He admitted that he had telephone conversations intercepted by law enforcement officers. During many of these conversations, he was discussing the distribution of controlled substances with other members of the drug trafficking operation, including the pricing and quantities of substances to be distributed. Blakely also admitted to making several drug distributions to informants that he now knows were cooperating with law enforcement officers. Lastly, he admitted that officers conducted a search on August 30, 2019 of the apartment he was living in near Bluefield. During the search officers found large quantities of oxymorphone, oxycodone, and hydromorphone pills that Blakely intended to distribute, along with three firearms, and approximately $69,962 in cash. As part of his plea agreement, he admitted that the cash was proceeds from his drug trafficking activity and further agreed to forfeit the cash and the firearms to the United States.
Blakely faces up to twenty years in federal prison and a fine of up to $1 million when he is sentenced on June 1, 2021. After serving a term of imprisonment, Blakely will serve at least three years of supervised release.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Southern Regional Drug and Violent Crime Task Force, which is composed of officers from the West Virginia State Police, the Mercer County Sheriff’s Department, the Princeton Police Department, and the Bluefield Police Department conducted the investigation.
Assistant United States Attorney Timothy D. Boggess is in charge of the prosecution. The plea hearing was held before Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber.
This case was brought under 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. 1:19-cr-00307.
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North Versailles Felon, 18, Charged with Illegally Possessing AmmunitionRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA One resident of North Versailles, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge of violating federal firearms laws, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
The one-count Indictment named Deonte Hollis, 18, as the sole defendant.
According to Indictment, on or about February 6, 2021, Deonte Hollis, a convicted felon, possessed rounds of 9mm Luger ammunition. Federal law prohibits a convicted felon from possessing a firearm or ammunition.
At each count, the law provides for a maximum total sentence of not more than 10 years in prison, a fine of not more than $250,000.00 or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Barbara K. Doolittle is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosive and the Duquesne Police Department conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case. The case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods. Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Nicholasville Compounding Pharmacy and Its Owner Sentenced for Unlawful Distribution of Prescription Drugs Unlawful Distribution of Prescription DrugsRead the Press Release
FRANKFORT, Ky. – A compounding pharmacy based in Nicholasville, and its owner, were sentenced in federal court on Wednesday, by U.S. District Judge Gregory F. Van Tatenhove, for unlawful distribution of compounded prescription drugs. Tailor Made Compounding (TMC) was sentenced to three years probation and forfeited $1,788,906.82. The owner, Jeremy Delk, was sentenced to three years probation, including four months home incarceration, 100 hours of community service, a $20,000 fine, and a prohibition from participating in a business involving the distribution of prescription drugs.
Delk was sentenced on his guilty plea to one count of unlawfully engaging in wholesale distribution of a prescription drug, without licensing TMC as a wholesale distributor with the Kentucky Board of Pharmacy. According to his plea agreement, from October 23, 2018 through May 14, 2020, TMC sent 112 vials of Methylcobalamin, a prescription form of vitamin B12, to a licensed physician who operated an anti-aging/wellness clinic in the Greater Los Angeles area. Rather than sending individualized, patient-specific prescriptions to TMC, as is required by law, this physician made bulk orders of Methylcobalamin without issuing prescriptions or providing accurate patient names. Delk, as owner and chief executive officer of TMC, knowingly caused TMC to fill and ship bulk, wholesale distributions of Methylcobalamin to the physician, knowing that TMC had never applied for permission from the Kentucky Board of Pharmacy to act as a wholesale distributor of prescription drugs. When authorities from the FDA and the Kentucky Board of Pharmacy inspected TMC, between August 20 and October 24, 2018, Delk took steps to hide records of TMC’s wholesale distributions of Methylcobalamin, as well as other records.
TMC was sentenced on its guilty plea to one count of distributing unapproved new drugs throughout the United States, from October 25, 2018 through April 1, 2020. Specifically, TMC pleaded guilty to unlawful distribution of selective androgen receptor modulators (“SARMS”) and other substances that the FDA had not approved for distribution in the United States. SARMS are synthetic chemicals designed to mimic the effects of testosterone and other anabolic steroids. Products containing SARMS were often marketed and sold for body-building purposes. According to the plea agreement, TMC also unlawfully distributed other unapproved new drugs, including BPC 157, Cerebrolysin, CJC 1295, DSIP, Epitalon, GW 501516, Ipamorelin, LGD-4033, LL-37, Melanotan II, MK 677, PEG-MGF, Selank, and Semax. In connection with the plea, TMC agreed to forfeit $1,788,906.82, representing its 2019 sales for these products.
Tailor Made and Delk pleaded guilty in October 2020.
Carlton S. Shier, IV., Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Mark S. McCormack, Special Agent in Charge, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations, Metro Washington Field Office; and James Robert Brown, Jr., Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation jointly announced the sentences.
The investigation was conducted by the FDA and the FBI. The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kate K. Smith.
Newark Man in Possession of Machine Guns Sentenced to 31 Months in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, Del. – A Newark man was sentenced by the Honorable Colm F. Connolly, U.S. District Judge, today to 31 months in federal prison for possessing machinegun conversion devices.
According to court documents, law enforcement searched the residence of Nathan Matthews, 42, in August 2019. In an unlocked safe, they found a homemade 9 mm handgun, ammunition, and two machinegun conversion devices. A machinegun conversion device, or fully-automatic conversion device, sometimes referred to as a “Glock switch,” alters a firearm so that pulling the trigger once causes multiple bullets to fire. It is classified as a machinegun under the National Firearms Act and Gun Control Act.
By pleading guilty in federal court, Mr. Matthews also resolved charges against him in Harford County, Maryland. In May 2018, Mr. Matthews was arrested in Maryland for possession of a different homemade pistol, a different machinegun conversion device, and ammunition.
David C. Weiss, U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware stated, “Illegal firearms put our communities at risk. For those individuals who choose to circumvent firearm manufacturing regulations to create homemade handguns, be forewarned that my office will work tirelessly with our federal and local law enforcement partners to hold you accountable for your illegal conduct.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ruth Mandelbaum led the prosecution of this case. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the New Castle County Police Department.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the District of Delaware or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:19-cr-00135.
Nashua Man Pleads Guilty to Cocaine TraffickingRead the Press Release
CONCORD - Manuel Perkins, 28, of Nashua, pleaded guilty in federal court to possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced today.
According to court documents and statements made in court, between June 4, 2019 and July 11, 2019, at the direction of agents, a cooperating individual arranged three purchases of approximately eight ounces of cocaine from Perkins.
On July 30, 2019, agents arrested Perkins on a warrant while he was driving to meet the cooperator for a prearranged sale of approximately eight ounces of cocaine. A search incident to arrest revealed $1,331 on his person. Law enforcement officers later searched Perkins’ vehicle pursuant to a search warrant and found over 221 grams of cocaine inside a backpack.
Perkins is scheduled to be sentenced on June 1, 2021.
“Cocaine is an illegal drug that seriously endangers the health of those who use it,” said U.S. Attorney Murray. “The distribution of this drug detracts from the wellbeing of all of our citizen by undermining public safety. We are working with New Hampshire State Police, Homeland Security Investigations and all of the law enforcement agencies operating in New Hampshire to stop the sale of cocaine and other dangerous drugs.”
“One of HSI’s highest priorities remains disrupting drug traffickers who continue to pump deadly narcotics into our communities. Today’s guilty plea of Mr. Perkins underscores the importance of law enforcement partners working together in the fight against narcotics traffickers,” said William S. Walker, acting Special Agent In Charge, Homeland Investigations, Boston. “HSI, along with our New Hampshire law enforcement partners, remains steadfast in our commitment to aggressively investigate traffickers and their networks who peddle cocaine and other dangerous drugs throughout New England.”
This matter was investigated by the Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the New Hampshire State Police. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joachim H. Barth.
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Multi-Kilogram Fentanyl Trafficker SentencedRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An Arlington man was sentenced today to 151 months in prison for participating in a conspiracy to distribute over seven kilograms of fentanyl.
According to court documents, Cornelius Frazier, 32, and others would press illicit pills containing fentanyl, among other substances, to resemble prescription pills such as Oxycodone, for illegal distribution and financial gain.
“As this case demonstrates, fentanyl is not only extremely dangerous because of its potency, but also because it may be hidden in counterfeit prescription pills,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “We are grateful to the numerous law enforcement agencies that worked with our Office on this investigation and prevented kilograms of fentanyl from poisoning our communities and harming our loved ones. Their tireless efforts are saving lives.”
A June 1, 2020 court-authorized search of Frazier’s residence resulted in the seizure of a blender containing approximately one kilogram of a mixture and substance containing fentanyl. Law enforcement also seized paraphernalia associated with prescription drug trafficking, including a hydraulic jack, two dust collectors with a large amount of residue, an inductor motor, various cutting agents, and pill presses with several insets containing markings consistent with those found on controlled prescription painkillers such as Oxycodone. In addition, law enforcement seized approximately $34,828 in U.S. currency and a loaded AK-47 with thirty bullets in the magazine. Additional ammunition for this semi-automatic weapon and other firearms was also found in the residence.
Additionally, a June 1, 2020 court-authorized search of one of Frazier’s vehicles resulted in the seizure of two brick-like packages weighing over 1.6 kilograms, which tested positive for the presence of fentanyl. The vehicle also contained 5,307 pills, which tested positive for fentanyl and weighed approximately 4.4 kilograms. In another vehicle owned by Frazier, two machines used to create kilogram packages of controlled substances were seized pursuant to a search warrant.
Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Mark R. Herring, Attorney General of Virginia; Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division; Mary Gavin, Chief of Falls Church Police; Acting Chief Andy Penn, Arlington County Chief of Police; Michael L. Brown, Alexandria Chief of Police; and David Huchler, Chief of Police, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police Department, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Rossie D. Alston, Jr.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Bibeane Metsch and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel Roberts prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:20-cr-207.
Moss Point Mayor and Wife Plead Guilty to Federal Fraud ChargesRead the Press Release
Gulfport, Miss. – Moss Point Mayor Mario King, 33, and his wife, Natasha R. King, 32, of Moss Point, Mississippi, pled guilty today before U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden to conspiracy to commit wire fraud relating to the Mayor’s Gala held in 2019, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Darren LaMarca, Mississippi State Auditor Shad White, and Special Agent in Charge Michelle A. Sutphin of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Mario King and Natasha R. King began soliciting funds in late 2018 for a Gala to be held on March 23, 2019, in Moss Point. The written solicitation stated that the “gala honors and supports organizations that are making a difference for the mental health community. Proceeds support the efforts of mental health in the City of Moss Point with a focus on the Moss Point School District, converting spaces into a therapeutic and innovative learning environment.”
On March 4, 2019, Mario King and Natasha R. King appeared together on WLOX television and described the event, stating that funds from the Gala were to be used to create safe spaces for mental health counseling in the Moss Point School District.
It was the understanding of those contributing to the Gala, either in the form of tickets purchased or contributions, that the proceeds from the Gala would go to the Moss Point School District. Some of the funds were used to pay for the cost of the Gala, but the remaining proceeds did not go to the Moss Point School District. Instead, the defendants used the proceeds for personal purchases, including the down payment on the purchase of a vehicle, cash withdrawals and the payment of credit card debts involving charges to complete the purchase of a personal pet.
As part of the plea agreement, Mayor King will immediately resign his position as Mayor of Moss Point. The plea agreement with Natasha King includes a recommended sentence of probation. The Defendants are scheduled to be sentenced on May 26, 2021 and face up to five years on the conspiracy charge and a maximum fine of $250,000.
The case was investigated by the Mississippi State Auditor’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John Meynardie.
Morris County Pharmacy Employee Charged with $1.9 Million Kickback and Bribery SchemeRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A pharmacy employee was charged for conspiring to offer and pay bribes and kickbacks in exchange for having prescriptions steered to the Morris County, New Jersey, pharmacy where he worked, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced today.
Srinivasa Raju, 49, of Haskell, New Jersey, was arrested today and charged by complaint with conspiring to violate the Anti-Kickback Statute. He had his initial appearance by videoconference before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael A. Hammer and was released on $250,000 unsecured bond.
Magdalena Jimenez, 56, of Newark, New Jersey, was previously charged with a parallel bribery and kickback scheme involving the same pharmacy. Those charges remain pending.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Raju had various responsibilities at the Morris County pharmacy, including coordinating prescription deliveries and soliciting business. From at least January 2019, Raju worked with other pharmacy personnel to pay kickbacks and bribes to a doctor’s employee in exchange for receiving numerous prescriptions from that doctor’s Jersey City office.
Raju first paid the kickbacks and bribes using gift cards, but soon switched to cash and checks. He typically handed the kickbacks and bribes to coworkers inside the pharmacy and directed them to deliver the payments to the doctor’s employee. To conceal the true nature of some of the illicit payments, Raju had approximately $8,000 worth of checks made out to the employee’s relative, under the guise of paying for IT services. In truth, Raju never met or communicated with the relative, and no actual services were performed.
In November 2020, Raju was recorded inside the pharmacy directing an employee to deliver a kickback and bribe of “200 bucks for Thanksgiving.” Raju asked, “What do you think, I should give $300? What do you think?” Raju then counted out more cash, which he put in a sealed envelope to have hand delivered. In December 2020, he had a $250 cash kickback and bribe, which was stashed inside a Christmas card, hand delivered to the doctor’s employee, inside the doctor’s office.
The conspiracy charge is punishable by a maximum of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss derived from the offense, whichever is greater.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge George M. Crouch Jr. in Newark, and Special Agents with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, under the direction of Supervisory Special Agent Thomas Mahoney, with the investigation leading to the charges.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua L. Haber of the Health Care Fraud Unit.
The charges and allegations in the complaints against Raju and Jimenez are merely accusations, and they are both presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Merrillville Man Sentenced to 71 Months ImprisonmentRead the Press Release
HAMMOND- Darrell Loving, 32, of Merrillville, Indiana, was sentenced by Judge James T. Moody to 71 months in prison following his guilty plea to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and heroin, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Bell.
According to documents in the case, on December 11, 2019, at approximately midnight, Loving fled from an attempted traffic stop conducted by Indiana State Police on U.S. Highway 30 in Hobart, Indiana. Loving dragged an Indiana State Trooper approximately ten feet with his vehicle, resulting in the trooper suffering abrasions. Loving then fled westbound on U.S. Highway 30 in Merrillville past Interstate 65, speeding at 100 miles per hour and coming within inches or feet of hitting occupied police vehicles stopped at an unrelated accident scene. Loving sped through multiple red lights before pulling into a parking lot and fleeing on foot while tossing a bag containing cocaine and heroin. Loving has prior felony convictions for distribution of cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
During the sentencing hearing, the government asked for an enhanced sentence due to Loving’s conduct which posed a substantial risk of death or bodily injury to more than one person.
This case was the result of the investigative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Gang Response Investigative Team, Indiana State Police, and Hobart and Merrillville Police Departments. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Nozick.
Mason County Man Sentenced to 135 Months for Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
COVINGTON, Ky. - A Maysville, Kentucky man, Harry Elza Gilbert, 60, was sentenced to 135 months in federal prison on Tuesday, by U.S. District Chief Judge Danny C. Reeves, for possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
According to his plea agreement, between August and December 2019, Gilbert possessed approximately 125 grams of methamphetamine that was seized by local law enforcement in both Mason and Lewis Counties. Gilbert admitted that intended to distribute the drugs.
Gilbert pled guilty in July 2020.
Under federal law, Gilbert must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence and will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for five years, after his release from prison.
Carlton S. Shier, IV, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; James Robert Brown, Jr., Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office; Johnny W. Bivens, Lewis County Sheriff and Jared Muse, Chief of the Maysville Police Department, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office, and the Maysville Police Department. The United States was represented in the case by Assistant U.S. Attorney Wade Napier.
Madison Man Charged with Illegally Possessing FirearmRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Scott C. Blader, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced the unsealing of an indictment that charges Brandon Rankin, 26, Madison, Wisconsin, with being a felon in possession of a firearm. The indictment was returned on February 10 by a federal grand jury sitting in Madison.
The indictment alleges that Rankin possessed a 9mm handgun on February 2, 2021.
Rankin was arrested yesterday in Madison by the U.S. Marshals Service and Madison Police Department, pursuant to a federal arrest warrant. He is being held at the Dane County Jail. A time has not been set for his initial appearance in U.S. District Court.
If convicted, Rankin faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. The charge against him is the result of an investigation by the Madison Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey Stephan is handling the prosecution.
You are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Madison Felon Sentenced to 2 Years for Illegal Gun PossessionRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. - Scott C. Blader, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Corvalis Stewart, 33, Madison, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by U.S. Chief District Judge James D. Peterson to 2 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of firearm. This prison term will be followed by 3 years of supervised release. Stewart pleaded guilty to this charge on November 12, 2020.
On August 20, 2020, Dane County Sheriff’s deputies conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle being driven by Stewart in Madison. During the stop, marijuana was located in the vehicle. While the passenger was being detained, Stewart threw a loaded Smith & Wesson .40 caliber pistol out of the driver’s side window of the vehicle. A witness who saw Stewart throw the gun from the car notified law enforcement and deputies located the gun, which had a loaded magazine and a round in the chamber.
Stewart was prohibited from possessing a firearm based on multiple prior felony convictions. At the time of his arrest, Stewart was on state supervision for a previous conviction of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Stewart’s criminal history dates back to 2005 and includes two prior convictions for being a felon in possession of a firearm, including a case where he shot a man in the leg. He also has a prior conviction for 2nd degree recklessly endangering safety for pointing a gun at two individuals and threatening to “blast them.”
This case has been brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the U.S. Justice Department’s program to reduce violent crime. The PSN approach involves collaboration by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, prosecutors and communities to prevent and deter gun violence.
The charge against Stewart was the result of an investigation conducted by the Dane County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The prosecution of the case has been handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rita M. Rumbelow and Steven P. Anderson.
Madison County Man Sentenced to Six Months for Burglarizing Post OfficeRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Jeremy Cook, age 24, of Eaton, New York, was sentenced today to serve six months in prison for burglarizing a U.S. Post Office, announced Acting United States Attorney Antoinette T. Bacon, Joseph Cronin, Postal Inspector in Charge of the Boston Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and New York State Police Superintendent Keith Corlett.
As part of his earlier guilty plea, Cook admitted that on or about August 12, 2019, he broke into the U.S. Post Office in Eaton, with the intent to steal money. While inside the Post Office, Cook unsuccessfully attempted to break into a safe and then fled without taking any money.
Senior United States District Judge Frederick J. Scullin Jr. also imposed a three-year term of supervised release, to begin after Cook’s release from prison.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the New York State Police, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Sutcliffe.
Lincoln Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Conspiracy ChargeRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: A Lincoln man pleaded guilty today in federal court to conspiring to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.
According to court records, between approximately May 2018 and July 2018, Brandon Tolman, 32, was part of a drug distribution operation based out of Florida and operating in northern Maine. A co-conspirator obtained large quantities of methamphetamine from Florida and had it transported to Maine. Tolman sold the drug in the Lincoln area while other members of the conspiracy sold it in Bangor, Howland and Houlton.
Tolman faces up to 20 years in prison, a $1 million fine and at least three years of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency investigated the case.
Lexington Man Sentenced to 36 Years in Prison for Sex Trafficking Multiple VictimsRead the Press Release
Prince Bixler, 41, of Lexington, Kentucky, was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Robert E. Wier to 36 years in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release and ordered to pay $333,100 in restitution to three sex trafficking victims.
In September 2020, a federal jury convicted Bixler of 15 federal felonies related to his extensive and violent sex and drug trafficking operation that forced young, drug-addicted women to prostitute and sell crack cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamines throughout the Lexington area. Specifically, the jury convicted Bixler of three counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, two counts of tampering with a witness, victim or an informant, one count of operating an unlawful prostitution business enterprise, six counts of distributing controlled substances including crack cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine, and three counts of being a felon in possession with a firearm.
“Prince Bixler cruelly used violence to create a climate of fear to coerce his victims, while at the same time he increased their dependence on him by exploiting and furthering their serious drug addictions,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Pam Karlan. “Human trafficking shatters the lives of those it impacts, leaving lasting physical and mental scars. There can be no place in our society for this conduct and I hope that today’s sentence brings some measure of justice to the victims while it also prevents Prince Bixler from harming others in the future.”
“Prince Bixler preyed on vulnerable women, to operate a prostitution enterprise and sell illegal drugs in our community,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Carlton S. Shier IV for the Eastern District of Kentucky. “His conduct caused enduring physical and emotional damage to these women, and further spread the devastation of highly addictive and dangerous drugs. We will continue to do our part in identifying, prosecuting, and punishing those who engage in human trafficking. The despicable conduct in this case justifies those efforts, and certainly warrants the punishment the Court has imposed.”
“Mr. Bixler was simply a predator in our community. This sentencing is a success in the fight against those who exploit the vulnerable and illustrates our dedication to bring these criminals to justice,” said Special Agent in Charge James “Robert” Brown Jr., FBI Louisville Field Office. “We are also grateful to our law enforcement partners, especially the ATF, the Lexington Police Department, the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, and the Eastern District of Kentucky’s U.S. Attorney’s Office for their unwavering efforts not only in this investigation, but in our continued fight to disrupt and dismantle human trafficking networks throughout the region.”
“Prince Bixler exploited women with physical violence and drugs while peddling illicit and deadly narcotics throughout the Lexington community,” said Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Special Agent in Charge R. Shawn Morrow of the Louisville Field Division. “Frequently these felons use firearms to further their violent, criminal activities. ATF is committed to investigating and arresting these felons and finding justice for their known and unknown victims.”
Evidence presented at trial, including the testimony of three victims, established that defendant Prince Bixler compelled three victims into prostitution between 2013 and March 2018 by physically assaulting them and others to create a climate of fear and intimidation. He exploited their dependence on crack cocaine or heroin, using it to worsen their addictions and to keep them around him. The defendant also sold crack cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine throughout the Lexington area to numerous customers. When the Lexington Police Department executed a search warrant at the defendant’s residence in March 2018, they recovered numerous firearms. The defendant, a convicted felon, was prohibited from possessing these and other firearms.
As the investigation into the defendant’s illegal conduct continued throughout 2018 into 2019, he became aware that multiple potential witnesses were subpoenaed to testify before a federal grand jury in Lexington. The defendant threatened one witness with physical violence in an attempt to dissuade her from testifying truthfully before the grand jury. The defendant also repeatedly called and harassed another witness on the eve of her scheduled grand jury appearance in an attempt to prevent her from testifying truthfully before the grand jury.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Pam Karlan for the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division; Acting U.S. Attorney Carlton S. Shier IV for the Eastern District of Kentucky; James Robert Brown Jr., Special Agent in Charge, FBI Louisville Field Office; R. Shawn Marrow, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, Louisville Field Division; and Chief Lawrence Weathers, Lexington Police Department, jointly announced the sentence. This case was investigated by the Lexington FBI office, the Lexington ATF office, and the Lexington Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Hydee Hawkins for the Eastern District of Kentucky and Special Litigation Counsel Matthew Grady for the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.
Lexington Man Sentenced to 36 Years in Prison for Sex Trafficking Multiple VictimsRead the Press Release
LEXINGTON—Prince Bixler, 41, of Lexington, Kentucky, was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Robert E. Wier to 36 years in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release and ordered to pay $333,100 in restitution to three sex trafficking victims.
In September 2020, a federal jury convicted Bixler of 15 federal felonies related to his extensive and violent sex and drug trafficking operation that forced young, drug-addicted women to prostitute and sell crack cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamines throughout the Lexington area. Specifically, the jury convicted Bixler of three counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, two counts of tampering with a witness, victim or an informant, one count of operating an unlawful prostitution business enterprise, six counts of distributing controlled substances including crack cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine, and three counts of being a felon in possession with a firearm.
“Prince Bixler cruelly used violence to create a climate of fear to coerce his victims, while at the same time he increased their dependence on him by exploiting and furthering their serious drug addictions,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Pam Karlan. “Human trafficking shatters the lives of those it impacts, leaving lasting physical and mental scars. There can be no place in our society for this conduct and I hope that today’s sentence brings some measure of justice to the victims while it also prevents Prince Bixler from harming others in the future.”
“Prince Bixler preyed on vulnerable women, to operate a prostitution enterprise and sell illegal drugs in our community,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Shier. “His conduct caused enduring physical and emotional damage to these women, and further spread the devastation of highly addictive and dangerous drugs. We will continue to do our part in identifying, prosecuting, and punishing those who engage in human trafficking. The despicable conduct in this case justifies those efforts, and certainly warrants the punishment the Court has imposed.”
“Mr. Bixler was simply a predator in our community. This sentencing is a success in the fight against those who exploit the vulnerable and illustrates our dedication to bring these criminals to justice,” said Special Agent in Charge James “Robert” Brown, Jr., FBI Louisville. “We are also grateful to our law enforcement partners, especially the ATF, the Lexington Police Department, Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, and the Eastern District of Kentucky’s U.S. Attorney’s Office, for their unwavering efforts not only in this investigation, but in our continued fight to disrupt and dismantle human trafficking networks throughout the region.”
“Prince Bixler exploited women with physical violence and drugs while peddling illicit, and deadly narcotics throughout the Lexington community,” stated ATF Special Agent in Charge R. Shawn Morrow of the Louisville Field Division. “Frequently these felons use firearms to further their violent, criminal activities. ATF is committed to investigating and arresting these felons and finding justice for their known and unknown victims.”
Evidence presented at trial, including the testimony of three victims, established that defendant Prince Bixler compelled three victims into prostitution between 2013 and March 2018 by physically assaulting them and others to create a climate of fear and intimidation. He exploited their dependence on crack cocaine or heroin, using it to worsen their addictions and to keep them around him. The defendant also sold crack cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine throughout the Lexington area to numerous customers. When the Lexington Police Department executed a search warrant at the defendant’s residence in March 2018, they recovered numerous firearms. The defendant, a convicted felon, was prohibited from possessing these and other firearms.
As the investigation into the defendant’s illegal conduct continued throughout 2018 into 2019, he became aware that multiple potential witnesses were subpoenaed to testify before a federal grand jury in Lexington. The defendant threatened one witness with physical violence in an attempt to dissuade her from testifying truthfully before the grand jury. The defendant also repeatedly called and harassed another witness on the eve of her scheduled grand jury appearance in an attempt to prevent her from testifying truthfully before the grand jury.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Pam Karlan for the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division; Acting U.S. Attorney Carlton S. Shier, IV for the Eastern District of Kentucky; James Robert Brown, Jr., Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office; R. Shawn Marrow, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, Louisville Field Division; and Chief Lawrence Weathers, Lexington Police Department, jointly announced the sentence. This case was investigated by the Lexington FBI office, the Lexington ATF office, and the Lexington Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Hydee Hawkins for the Eastern District of Kentucky and Special Litigation Counsel Matthew Grady for the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.
Keene Man Sentenced to 41 Months for Extortion and Threat OffensesRead the Press Release
CONCORD – Christopher C. Cantwell, 40, of Keene, was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison after being convicted of extortion and threat charges by a federal jury in September, United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced today.
During four days of trial testimony, the jury was presented with evidence that Cantwell maintained an active online presence, including operating a website and an internet call-in program. Evidence at trial showed that Cantwell believed that members of an online group called the “Bowl Patrol” had been harassing him online. Cantwell contacted the victim in this case seeking to obtain identifying information about the leader of the Bowl Patrol, an individual who used the name “Vic Mackey.”
When the victim did not disclose the information Cantwell sought, on June 16, 2019, Cantwell sent an electronic message through the Telegram messaging application, stating, “So if you don’t want me to come and f*ck your wife in front of your kids, then you should make yourself scarce[.] Give me Vic, it’s your only out.”
Between June 15, 2019, and June 17, 2019, Cantwell also sent a series of messages to the victim in which he threatened to injure the victim’s reputation by posting identifying information about the victim online (commonly referred to as “doxing”) and reporting the victim to child protection authorities if he did not receive information about “Vic Mackey.” Evidence presented at trial showed that Cantwell did “dox” the victim on June 17, 2019, by posting identifying information and photographs related to the victim and the victim’s family online. Cantwell also called child protection authorities in Missouri and made a report about the victim.
Cantwell was convicted of one count of transmitting extortionate communications and one count of threatening to injure property or reputation. The jury found Cantwell not guilty of cyberstalking. Cantwell has been in custody since his arrest on January 23, 2020.
“Threats to commit violence have no place in our society” said U.S. Attorney Murray. “Using the internet to convey threats and extortionate messages can have a serious harmful impact on victims and violates federal law. I commend the FBI and our other law enforcement partners who did an excellent job in investigating this case. They successfully completed a difficult multi-state investigation ensuring that Mr. Cantwell was held responsible for his actions.”
“The First Amendment does not protect those who choose to engage in criminal activity based on hateful beliefs, but a jury of Christopher Cantwell’s peers found he did exactly that, and with today’s sentence he has now been held accountable for his violent threats,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “My thanks to our Joint Terrorism Task Force in New Hampshire for their efforts in protecting all citizens from harm.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the New Hampshire State Police, Keene Police Department, and the Manchester Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John S. Davis and Anna Krasinski.
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KC Woman Indicted for Two Armed Bank Robberies Following High-Speed Police ChaseRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Missouri, woman who led police officers on a high-speed chase down Grand Avenue was indicted by a federal grand jury today for two armed bank robberies.
Sarah Theresa Watkins, 41, was charged in a two-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo. Today’s indictment replaces a federal criminal complaint that was filed against Watkins on Feb. 5, 2021.
Today’s indictment charges Watkins with the armed robbery of Central Bank in Claycomo, Mo., on Feb. 1, 2021, and the armed robbery of Capitol Federal Savings in Liberty, Mo., on Feb. 2, 2021.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaints, Watkins entered Central Bank at 11:24 a.m. on Feb. 1, 2021, and approached a teller window. Watkins handed the teller a note that stated "HAND OVER ALL THE MONEY AND I WON'T SHOOT." She allegedly pulled a gun out of her purse and pointed it at the teller. When the teller pulled the money out of the drawers and placed it on the counter, the affidavit says, Watkins took the money and ran out of the bank. The bank reported a loss of $1,819.
Surveillance video footage from an exterior ATM of the bank captured video footage of a white Hyundai, four-door sedan. This vehicle appears to be the same vehicle that was involved in a bank robbery that occurred the next day, on Feb. 2, 2021.
According to the affidavit, Watkins entered Capitol Federal Savings in Liberty at 3:30 p.m. on Feb. 2, 2021. Watkins took a note out of her bag and placed it on the counter, the affidavit says. The note stated: "HAND ME ALL THE MONEY OR I WILL SHOOT." While the teller was reading the note, Watkins allegedly stated: "All of it, hurry up, all of it!" The teller began opening her cash drawer, the affidavit says, when she heard the noise of a heavy object hitting the counter. The teller saw that Watkins had a black semi-automatic handgun in her hand, resting on the counter and pointed at the teller. When the teller took money out of the drawer and placed
it on the counter, Watkins allegedly took the money, put it in her bag, and left through the main door of the lobby. The bank reported a loss of $971.Surveillance video cameras captured footage of the white Hyundai four-door sedan (and license plate number) allegedly driven by Watkins when she arrived at the bank, and when she left the bank.
Law enforcement officers located the vehicle on Feb. 4, 2021. Kansas City police officers attempted to initiate a traffic stop in the area of 27th Street and Brooklyn Avenue. Watkins, however, drove around the officers in an attempt to flee. A vehicle pursuit ensued, during which officers attempted to immobilize Watkins’ vehicle on three occasions, but she continued to drive around the officers and flee. The pursuit continued at high rates of speed, up to 70 miles per hour while going northbound on Grand Avenue. During the pursuit, traffic was congested at different points along Grand Avenue. The pursuit ended when Watkins lost control of the vehicle in the area E. 21st Street and Walnut Street. Watkins attempted to flee on foot, but was apprehended by police officers. As she exited the vehicle, the affidavit says, Watkins reached into her waistband, then pointed at officers with her index finger extended forward, and her thumb extended upward, possibly attempting to imitate a handgun.
The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Trey Alford. It was investigated by the FBI and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.
KC Man Pleads Guilty to Meth Trafficking, Illegal Firearm Following High-Speed Police ChaseRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Missouri, man has pleaded guilty in federal court to illegally possessing methamphetamine and a firearm.
Michael Allen Dicks, Jr., 31, pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips on Tuesday, Feb. 23, to one count of possessing methamphetamine to distribute and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.
According to his plea agreement, a Platte County, Mo., sheriff’s deputy attempted to conduct a traffic stop of a Nissan Altima driven by Dicks on March 16, 2020, after Dicks failed to stop at a red light at the intersection of N.W. Cookingham and N. Ambassador in Kansas City, Mo. Dicks failed to stop, and during the ensuing vehicle pursuit the Altima reached speeds of 130 miles per hour. Dicks also drove the wrong way on 152 Highway in an attempt to elude law enforcement. During the pursuit, the Altima crashed in the area of N.W. 92nd Terrace and N.W. Old Tiffany Springs Parkway. Due to his injuries from the crash, Dicks was taken to a local hospital by ambulance.
Inside Dick’s vehicle, deputies found a loaded Sig Sauer 9mm semi-automatic handgun and four bags that contained a total of 462.7 grams (more than one pound) of pure methamphetamine.
Under federal statutes, Dicks is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bradley K. Kavanaugh. It was investigated by the DEA and the Platte County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.
Justice Department files lawsuit against Creve Coeur pharmacist for Controlled Substances Act violationsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – In a complaint filed February 23, 2021, by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri, the government alleges Elizabeth Dembo unlawfully dispensed controlled substances to patients during her time as the pharmacist-in-charge of Olive Street Pharmacy, LLC. The retail pharmacy is located in the 10000 block of Old Olive Street Road, in Creve Coeur, Missouri. Dembo repeatedly filled prescriptions while disregarding ample warning signs of diversion, or “red flags,” indicating the prescriptions were not legitimate.
The complaint accuses Dembo of routinely filling prescriptions for Subsys, an oral fentanyl spray, which is subject to heightened FDA restrictions and indicated only for opioid-tolerant patients experiencing breakthrough pain due to cancer. The complaint states Dembo dispensed high dosages of Subsys to patients despite knowing they did not qualify for the drug. The complaint also states the vast majority of the Subsys Dembo dispensed was prescribed by Philip Dean, a Warrenton, Missouri neurologist who pleaded guilty to illegally distributing prescription opioids in 2018, including to women with whom he had lived and with whom he had had personal relationships. The complaint alleges Dembo knew Dean was having intimate relationships with at least one of the women for whom he was prescribing controlled substances, but nonetheless continued to dispense Dean’s controlled substance prescriptions to her and others.
Other red flags described in the complaint include clear instances of tampering with written prescriptions; dangerous combinations of drugs commonly sought after for recreational purposes; and amounts of opioids that exceeded CDC guidance by as much as 17.5 times the recommended maximum daily dosage. Despite these warning signs, the complaint alleges, Dembo continuously dispensed prescriptions she knew or should have known had no medical purpose.
The complaint states this unlawful conduct resulted in numerous violations of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), and—when the prescriptions were submitted to Medicaid or Medicare for reimbursement—violations of the False Claims Act (FCA). The United States seeks civil penalties under the CSA, as well as treble damages and penalties under the FCA.
If Dembo is found liable for violating the CSA, she could face civil penalties of up to $67,627 for each unlawful prescription filled. If she is found liable for violating the FCA, she could face treble damages for fraudulent prescriptions billed to Medicaid and Medicare, as well as penalties from $11,665 and up to $23,331 per fraudulent prescription.
“As we continue to battle a national health emergency involving opioid abuse, we rely heavily upon pharmacists to do their part in ensuring prescriptions for controlled substances are filled and dispensed for legitimate medical purposes,” said Inez Davis, Diversion Program Manager of the Drug Enforcement Administration St. Louis Division. “Now more than ever, due diligence on the part of the entire medical community is needed to ensure prescription opioid medications are prescribed and dispensed appropriately. Pharmacists can be considered a last line of defense in preventing the diversion of prescription drugs.”
“When a pharmacist fails in their responsibility to follow the requirements of the Controlled Substance Act, they compromise public trust and may cause great harm to our citizens and communities,” said Curt L. Muller, Special Agent in Charge for the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “We will continue working with our local, state, and federal partners to hold accountable individuals that put the public at risk.”
The claims made in the complaint are allegations the United States must prove if the case proceeds to trial.
The Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services, Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Missouri Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Amy Sestric is handling the case.
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Jacksonville Man Sentenced to More Than Eight Years in Federal Prison for Distributing Child Sexual Abuse Images Using the Kik Social Media AppRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Earl Frederic Owens (33, Jacksonville) to eight years and nine months in federal prison for distributing child sex abuse images using the Kik social media application. Owens was also ordered to serve a 10-year term of supervised release, register as a sex offender, and pay $3,000 in restitution to a child victim. Owens has been in custody since his arrest on November 19, 2019.
Owens had pleaded guilty on November 17, 2020.
According to evidence and court documents, the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Cyber Crimes Center received a report from Kik, a social messaging app, that several different user accounts had uploaded images depicting the sexual exploitation of children using the Kik app. Further investigation revealed that these materials were distributed online from an apartment in Jacksonville, where Owens lived.
On November 19, 2019, HSI agents executed a search warrant at Owens’s apartment. During an interview with agents, Owens admitted that he uses the Kik app to chat with strangers about his “urges,” he has an interest in “pedophilia,” and that he traded child sex abuse materials with others online using the Kik app. A forensic examination of Owens’s computer devices revealed that Owens had collected at least 2,149 images and 23 videos depicting young children being sexually abused. Online chat conversations were recovered from Owens’s smart phone showing that he had offered to pay an individual for nude pictures of underage girls. Several stories authored by Owens were recovered in which he had described, in graphic detail, the sexual assault and molestation of young children.
“The exploitation of innocent children has no place in our communities and we will vigorously pursue prosecution of anyone involved in the production, distribution, or possession of child pornography to the fullest extent of the law,” said HSI Jacksonville Assistant Special Agent in Charge K. Jim Phillips. “This case highlights how important the law enforcement partnerships between HSI Jacksonville, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, and the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office are in order to protect our children.”
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, and the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Iowa City Woman Sentenced to Prison for Methamphetamine ChargesRead the Press Release
DAVENPORT, Iowa — On Monday, February 22, 2021, United States District Court Chief Judge John A. Jarvey sentenced Stefani Amber Goodwin, age 38, of Iowa City, to 96 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of actual methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of actual methamphetamine announced Acting United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal. Following her prison term, Goodwin was ordered to serve five years of supervised release, as well as pay $100 to the Crime Victims’ Fund.
The investigation of Goodwin and her co-defendant, Shaun Michael Farrington, began in late-September 2019 when they were observed driving a vehicle that was identified as being involved in a different methamphetamine trafficking investigation. GPS records showed the vehicle traveling to various locations throughout Southeast Iowa, making numerous stops at known drug trafficking locations. On October 2, 2019, the decision was made to stop the vehicle as officers believed it was beginning another drug run, and Farrington was driving with a suspended license. A positive K-9 alert prompted a search of their vehicle resulting in the uncovering of approximately 350 grams of ice methamphetamine. Goodwin admitted to conspiring with Farrington to sell significant quantities of actual methamphetamine throughout Southeast Iowa.
This matter was investigated by the Henry County Sheriff’s Office and the case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.
Indictment Charges R.I. Businessman with Smuggling Vehicles from the United States to LebanonRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Rhode Island man who owns and operates, among other businesses, an auto sales and salvage company was arraigned today in U.S. District Court in Providence on charges he allegedly filed false export information with the United States Department of Commerce and smuggled nineteen vehicles from the United States to Lebanon.
It is alleged in an indictment unsealed today that in February and March 2016, Carlo Fakhri, 50, of Fall River, MA, a naturalized United States citizen born in Lebanon, smuggled fifteen pick-up trucks, a passenger vehicle, two Suburbans, and a Range Rover to Lebanon without supplying complete and correct information to the Commerce Department as required by law, including the correct name, address, identification number, and contact information for the purchaser and receiver of each vehicle.
It is alleged in the indictment that Fakhri failed to follow Foreign Trade Regulations that mandate that all persons engaged in the export of commodities file accurate information with the United States government regarding the exports via the government’s Automated Export System (AES). Foreign Trade Regulations, authorized by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, strengthen the U.S government’s ability to prevent the export of certain items, including motor vehicles, to unauthorized destinations and/or end users. The AES aids in targeting and identifying suspicious or illegal shipments prior to exportation.
Carlo Fakhri, who operates, among other businesses, D’Agostinos Auto Sales and Salvage, Inc., in North Providence, R.I., was arraigned today on charges of submission of false export information and smuggling, announced United States Attorney Aaron L. Weisman, Homeland Security Investigations Acting Special Agent in Charge William S. Walker, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division Joseph R. Bonavolonta, and Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Commerce Office of Export Enforcement Boston Field Office William Higgins.
A federal indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
If convicted as charged in the indictment, Carlo Fakhri faces statutory penalties of up to 15 years in federal prison, 3 years supervised release, and a fine of up to $360,000.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul F. Daly, Jr.
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Hogansburg Man Arrested for SmugglingRead the Press Release
PLATTSBURGH, NEW YORK – Kyle Thompson, age 28, of Hogansburg, New York, was arrested on February 17 and charged by criminal complaint with alien smuggling in connection with a failed smuggling event.
The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Antoinette T. Bacon and Robert N. Garcia, Chief Patrol Agent, United States Border Patrol, Swanton Sector.
The criminal complaint alleges that Thompson was arrested while transporting two illegal aliens who had illegally crossed into the United States via the St. Lawrence River near Hogansburg. The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Police attempted to stop Thompson’s vehicle as he fled with the occupants in his vehicle. Thompson drove his vehicle into a snowbank and was ultimately apprehended. There were no injuries to Thompson or the occupants. Border Patrol Agents from the Massena Border Patrol Station detained Thompson and the two occupants.
The charges in the complaint are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Thompson appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Gary L. Favro on February 18 and was ordered detained.
If convicted, Thompson faces up to 5 years in prison. The two occupants of the vehicle are citizens of Romania and illegally present in the United States. Both were arrested by Border Patrol and are being prosecuted for illegal entry, a misdemeanor.
This case is being investigated by United States Border Patrol and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Stitt.
Health Care Executive Sentenced to More Than 3 Years for Defrauding the IRSRead the Press Release
A health care executive was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison and ordered to pay more than $3.4 million in restitution for defrauding the IRS, announced Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Prerak Shah.
Donald O’Connor Ramsey, 72, pleaded guilty to failure to pay over withholding and FICA taxes in February 2020. Mr. Ramsey was sentenced yesterday afternoon before U.S. District Judge Sam A. Lindsay.
“Individuals and businesses that willfully fail to pay their tax obligations harm all Americans,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Shah. “The Department of Justice is committed to aggressively prosecuting those individuals who seek to circumvent U.S. tax laws.”
“I’m proud of our agent’s hard work in this investigation. This defendant ‘knowingly and willingly’ took money from his employees and failed to remit these payroll taxes to the government” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Mark Pearson, Dallas Field Office. “Mr. Ramsey’s punishment reflects the consequence of not paying taxes in a truthful and timely manner and the importance of the continued partnership between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas and the IRS Criminal Investigation in the pursuit of these criminals.”
According to court documents, Mr. Ramsey, owner and chief financial officer of Community Care Medical (CCM) and Medical Case Management & Social Services (MCM), failed to pay employment taxes to the IRS from 2013 to 2018.
Mr. Ramsey directed CCM and MCM to withhold taxes from its employee’s paychecks, including income, Medicare, and Social Security taxes.
Both companies were required to make deposits of the payroll taxes to the IRS on a periodic basis. In addition, CCM and MCM were required to file an Employer’s Quarterly Federal Income Tax Return (From 941) which includes the total amount of wages and other compensation subject to withholding, the total amount of income tax withheld, the total amount of Social Security and Medicare taxes due, and the total tax deposits.
From 2013 to 2018, Mr. Ramsey failed to regularly file quarterly returns with the IRS, while continuing to withhold his employees’ salaries.
Mr. Ramsey conduct resulted in a tax loss of approximately $1.9 million to the IRS.
IRS Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Bunch prosecuted the case.
Hartford Man Admits Sexually Assaulting Young Girl, Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that RONALD DANIEL, 51, of Hartford, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley to one count of production of child pornography stemming from his sexual assault of a young girl.
Pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), the court proceeding occurred via videoconference.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on at least two occasions in 2018, Daniel sexually abused a prepubescent female and took cellphone photos of his sexual abuse. He also distributed some of these images, as well as other images and videos of child pornography, through the Kik mobile application. Daniel’s Kik username was “letsgogetluv.”
Daniel has been detained since his arrest on related state charges on June 10, 2019.
Judge Dooley scheduled sentencing for May 24, 2021, at which time Daniel faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 15 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 30 years.
This matter has been investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Connecticut State Police and the Vernon Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nancy V. Gifford.
This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.
Harrisburg Man Sentenced to Two Years of Probation for Failing to Pay Employment TaxesRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Darasomalee Thach, age 36, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on February 23, 2021, to two years of probation, by Chief U.S. District Court Judge John E. Jones III, for conspiring to defraud the United States by failing to pay employment taxes. Thach was ordered to pay $360,897.86 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service.
According to Acting United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, Thach previously admitted that while he co-owned and operated a temporary staffing company in Harrisburg, he failed to withhold and pay over employment taxes in order to maximize his personal profit. The unlawful conduct occurred from 2011 through 2015.
The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carlo D. Marchioli and former Assistant U.S. Attorney James T. Clancy prosecuted the case.
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Guatemalan Man Pleads Guilty to Unlawful Reentry by an Alien Removed After Conviction of a FelonyRead the Press Release
Gulfport, Miss. – Gerber Estif Pineda-Sierra, 34, an illegal alien from Guatemala, pled guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola, Jr., to unlawful reentry by an alien deported or removed after conviction of a felony, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Darren LaMarca, and Michael J. Harrison, Acting Chief Patrol Agent of the Border Patrol’s New Orleans Sector.
Pineda-Sierra will be sentenced by Judge Guirola on May 11, 2021, at 1:30 p.m. and faces a potential maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment, in addition to 3 years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. He also faces Department of Homeland Security (DHS) proceedings regarding removal from the United States following the completion of any prison sentence.
On November 11, 2020, Gerber Estif Pineda-Sierra was arrested by U.S. Borter Patrol agents after an investigation determined that he had been previously removed from the U.S. and was residing in the Gulfport area. Record checks documented that in 2018, Pineda-Sierra had been physically removed from the U.S. after being ordered removed by a U.S. Immigration Judge. He later reentered the U.S. and was convicted in the Northern District of Florida in 2019, for the felony offense of illegal reentry into the U.S. of a previously deported alien. He was again removed from the U.S. in October 2019. In January 2020, he was arrested by the Border Patrol, and was returned to Guatemala in February 2020.
Acting U.S. Attorney LaMarca praised the investigative work of the U.S. Border Patrol and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Assistant United States Attorney Stan Harris is the prosecutor for the case.
Georgia couple sentenced for importing and distributing male enhancement products and counterfeit goods from China as well as naturalization fraudRead the Press Release
ROME, Ga. - Irfanali Momin and Shiba I. Momin a/k/a Saguftabanu Momin, husband and wife, have been sentenced to prison for naturalization fraud and conspiring to illegally import and distribute misbranded drug products from China and traffic counterfeit goods. The Momins have also been criminally denaturalized as result of their convictions for naturalization fraud.
“The defendants built their business and earned their citizenship through fraud,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Kurt R. Erskine. “And, by illegally importing and distributing products containing drugs that can only be obtained in the United States with a prescription written by a licensed medical professional, the Momins put profit over public safety.”
“This announcement demonstrates that those who subvert the regulatory functions of the FDA by distributing misbranded drugs containing undeclared prescription drug ingredients and counterfeit tobacco products will be held accountable for their actions,” said Special Agent in Charge Justin C. Fielder, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations Miami Field Office. “We will continue to bring to justice those who place American consumers at risk by selling these illegal and potentially dangerous products.”
“The Momins lived a life of lies in this country from their fraudulent citizenship to their business of selling illegal products to customers whose health was threatened by the use of those products,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Now they will pay for their deception in prison time and loss of their citizenship. The FBI is committed to working with our federal partners to protect our citizens against anyone who would choose to do them harm.”
“The Momins will now face the consequences of their lies and schemes to illegally gain citizenship and import and sell misbranded pharmaceuticals. Their actions not only placed unsuspecting purchasers at risk, they also threatened the integrity of the US immigration system,” said Special Agent in Charge Katrina W. Berger, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in Georgia and Alabama. “Homeland Security Investigations and its law enforcement partners will aggressively pursue those that seek to profit from these fraudulent and dangerous activities.”According to Acting U.S. Attorney Erskine, the charges and other information presented in court: Between August 2014 and November 2018, the Momins ordered and sold male enhancement products from China marketed under various names. These products contained sildenafil, the active pharmaceutical ingredient in Viagra, and/or tadalafil, the active pharmaceutical ingredient in Cialis. Both Viagra and Cialis can be obtained in the U.S. only with a prescription from a doctor.
The Momins had in fact received more than a dozen notices from the FDA advising them to not sell these products. The FDA has also warned consumers for more than half-a-decade to not purchase or use such “all natural” sexual products because they could have serious side effects, especially in men who are taking nitrates and suffer from diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or heart disease.
In order to evade import restrictions, the Momins’ China-based suppliers mislabeled the boxes containing the illegal pills to make it appear that the boxes contained items that can be legally imported into the U.S., such as beauty products, health products, and health supplies. The Momins admitted to selling between $550,000 and $1.5 million in illegal drug products over the course of the conspiracy. They also sold various counterfeit goods from their warehouse in Dalton, Georgia, including counterfeit designer watches, headphones, e-cigarette devices, and tobacco rolling papers.
Earlier, in October 2013, the Momins both applied to become naturalized U.S. citizens. On his application form, Irfanali Momin falsely stated that he had never been married before and did not disclose that he had in fact been married to two women at the same time. During an interview with USCIS in June 2014, Irfanali Momin made the same false declarations. Based upon his false statements, Irfanali Momin became a naturalized U.S. citizen on August 16, 2014. On her application form, Shiba I. Momin a/k/a Saguftabanu Momin, falsely stated that she did not go by any other names when in fact she knew that her actual name was Shiba I. Momin, but she was only passing as Saguftabanu Momin. The investigation had revealed that Shiba I. Momin had originally obtained a Georgia’s driver’s license in her real name only to later obtain a fraudulent license in the name Saguftabanu Momin—the name she used to apply for and fraudulently receive U.S. citizenship on August 1, 2014. If USCIS had been aware of these facts, it would have denied her citizenship
On February 12, 2021, Irfanali Momin, 48, and Shiba I. Momin a/k/a Saguftabanu Momin, 42, both of Dahlonega, Georgia, were each sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steve C. Jones to one year, six months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay a special assessment of $200. They were both convicted on September 23, 2020 after pleading guilty to a criminal information. On February 23, 2021, Judge Jones issued orders revoking their U.S. citizenship.
This case was investigated by the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex R. Sistla prosecuted 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.
Franklin County Man Sentenced to Five Years’ Imprisonment for Receiving and Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Craig Killmeyer, age 56, of Greencastle, Pennsylvania, was sentenced yesterday to five years’ imprisonment to be followed by ten years of supervised release, by Chief U.S District Court Judge John E. Jones III, for receiving and distributing child pornography.
According to Acting United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, Killmeyer previously admitted to receiving and distributing images of child pornography between December 2017 and December 2018. Killmeyer used Kik Messenger to send and receive the images.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carlo D. Marchioli and former Assistant U.S. Attorney James T. Clancy prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
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Four Southwest Mississippi Men Sentenced for Violating Federal Wildlife LawsRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – Kenneth R. Britt, Jr., 51, of Wesson, Tony Grant Smith, 26, of Wesson, Barney Leon Bairfield, III, 28, of Brookhaven, and Dustin Corey Treadway, 28, of Brookhaven, were sentenced today by U.S. District Judge David Bramlette for violating federal wildlife laws.
Britt, Smith, and Bairfield were sentenced for conspiring in 2018 to kill in excess of the legal limit of Kansas wild turkeys while unlicensed and transporting the wild turkeys across state lines to Mississippi. In addition, Treadway was sentenced for aiding and abetting similar federal violations in 2017, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Darren LaMarca, Assistant Director Edward Grace of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and Colonel Steve Adcock of the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP).
The defendants’ unlawful activities took place in Kansas and Nebraska. In 2018, Britt, Smith and Bairfield killed over 25 wild turkeys without the required hunting licenses and over the limit of two per person per season, in violation of Kansas law. They returned to Mississippi with trophy spurs and beards of the illegally-killed turkeys. Treadway killed wild turkeys in Kansas in 2017 without a proper license and over the limit. He also returned to Mississippi with the trophy spurs and beards. Under the federal Lacey Act, it is unlawful for any person to transport across state lines any wildlife taken in violation of state law.
Judge Bramlette sentenced Britt to 5 years of probation under the supervision of the United States Probation Service, a fine of $25,000, and a worldwide prohibition from hunting of any type for 5 years; Smith to 4 years of probation under the supervision of the United States Probation Service, a fine of $15,000, and a worldwide prohibition from hunting of any type for 4 years; Bairfield to 2 years of probation under the supervision of the United States Probation Service, a fine of $3,000, and a worldwide prohibition from hunting of any type for 2 years; and, Treadway to 2 years of probation under the supervision of the United States Probation Service, a fine of $5,000, and a worldwide prohibition from hunting of any type for 2 years. The prohibition of hunting also prohibits accompanying anyone in hunting or being present at a hunting camp during any hunting season. A violation of the hunting prohibition or any other term of probation will subject each to a term of imprisonment by Judge Bramlette.
“The Department of Justice is committed to enforcing the Lacey Act and other federal laws to protect our wildlife resources,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Darren LaMarca. “This office will continue to work closely with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks to enforce the Lacey Act. It is my hope that this prosecution sends a strong message that the wanton, indiscriminate killing of the American Wild Turkey, or any animal for that matter, will be met with debilitating and just consequences.”
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement Assistant Director Ed Grace stated, “The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement is committed to conduct criminal investigations with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks in an effort to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats. The Office of Law Enforcement takes violations of the Lacey Act seriously. The yearlong investigation involving the four defendants responsible for the unlawful harvest and subsequent transportation in interstate commerce of 26 wild turkeys from Kansas and Nebraska is no exception. We will continue to work closely with our state partners to conduct these important joint investigations.”
MDWFP Colonel Steve Adcock stated, “The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks, will continue to work diligently, to find and prosecute those persons who steal from our valuable natural resources. The primary mission of the MDWFP Law Enforcement Bureau is to detect and hold accountable those persons who jeopardize our rich hunting heritage by committing lawless acts such as these.”
This case was investigated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement and the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. It is being prosecuted by Acting United States Attorney Darren J. LaMarca.
Former VA Hospice Nurse Sentenced for Diverting and Tampering with Morphine Meant for Dying VeteransRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Tewksbury woman was sentenced today for diverting morphine while she was employed as a nurse in the hospice unit at the Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center campus in Bedford.
Kathleen Noftle, 55, was sentenced to 40 months in prison and three years of supervised release. In October 2020, Noftle pleaded guilty to one count of tampering with a consumer product and one count of obtaining a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, deception and subterfuge.
On Jan. 13, 14 and 15, 2017, Noftle used her position as a nurse to obtain doses of morphine that were meant to be given to the veterans under her care in the hospice unit. Noftle admitted that she mixed water from the sink with a portion of the liquid morphine doses, and then administered the diluted medication to patients orally. Noftle then ingested a diluted amount of the remaining drug.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Christopher Algieri, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Field Office made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney William B. Brady of Lelling’s Health Care Fraud Unit prosecuted the case.
Former SCANA CEO Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire FraudRead the Press Release
Columbia, South Carolina --- United States Attorney Peter M. McCoy, Jr. announced today that Kevin B. Marsh, former SCANA Corporation (SCANA) Chief Executive Officer and former Chairman of its Board of Directors, pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. With the guilty plea, Marsh admits that he intentionally defrauded ratepayers, while he oversaw and managed the company’s operations – including the construction of two reactors at the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station – so that SCANA could obtain and retain rate increases imposed on SCANA’s customers and qualify for up to $2.2 billion in tax credits.
Today’s plea follows a previous guilty plea by Stephen A. Byrne, former Executive Vice President of SCANA and former Chief Operating Officer of South Carolina Electric & Gas Company (SCE&G), to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, as well as a previously announced agreement with Dominion Energy that will, over time, provide at least four billion dollars of South Carolina ratepayer relief. It also follows a previously announced settlement by SCANA and SCE&G on a Securities and Exchange Commission lawsuit charging them with defrauding investors by making false and misleading statements about the nuclear plant expansion that was ultimately abandoned.
Today’s plea is the result of an exhaustive and multi-year joint investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, South Carolina Attorney General’s Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED).
“Every day, this office protects South Carolinians from criminals of all types,” said U.S. Attorney McCoy. “Our office will always seek justice for those victimized by individuals or entities that misuse positions of trust and responsibility. Today’s plea shows that no one, not even a Fortune 500 CEO, is above the law. Of course, our efforts in this case would not be possible without the support of our federal and state law enforcement partners.”
“Today’s plea is another step in bringing to justice those individuals responsible for this vast and audacious fraud that impacted so many people throughout South Carolina and beyond,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Susan Ferensic. “The FBI’s work is not done, however. We will see this case through while we continue to fulfill our mission to investigate and hold accountable those who seek to commit mass fraud and theft.”
This case arises out of the failed nuclear project at the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station in Jenkinsville, South Carolina. In 2008, SCANA and its subsidiary SCE&G announced their intention to build two new nuclear units with their minority partner, the South Carolina Public Service Authority, a state-owned public power and water utility commonly known as Santee Cooper.
As evidence presented to the court showed, beginning in November 2011, Marsh was the highest-ranking official within SCANA and, as such, oversaw and managed the company’s operations, including the construction of the two nuclear reactors.
From its inception, substantial delays and cost overruns plagued the project. No later than late 2016, Marsh knew that efforts by the company’s builder, Westinghouse, to improve the pace and productivity of the project were woefully inadequate. Marsh learned that at least one unit under construction was in grave jeopardy of not being completed and producing power by December 31, 2020, then the critically important deadline for SCANA to secure federal nuclear production tax credits valued up to $2.2 billion.
With this specific knowledge, using both wires and mail, Marsh conspired with others to defraud customers with misleading statements and omissions. This includes concealing the truthful status of the failing mega-project and making false and materially misleading statements in late 2016 to the South Carolina Public Service Commission (PSC), the Office of Regulatory Staff (ORS), the financial community and the general public.
For example, following a December 27, 2016, press release by Toshiba announcing a potential multi-billion dollar writedown related to Westinghouse’s nuclear construction business, Marsh and others received a confidential telephone briefing from senior Westinghouse officials, who indicated Westinghouse’s costs to complete the new units would be significantly higher than expected. Also on December 27, 2016, Marsh received a separate briefing from a senior Toshiba official indicating that Toshiba could not absorb the financial hit suggested by new estimates from Westinghouse’s subcontractor of the work remaining on the project. These briefings led Marsh to believe there existed a heightened risk of further construction delays. Yet, on December 29, 2016, when the ORS requested detailed information from SCANA regarding the construction schedule for both units, Marsh and his coconspirators fraudulently withheld the information provided by Westinghouse and Toshiba.
In the plea agreement, Marsh agrees to cooperate fully with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. He also agrees to testify fully and truthfully before any grand juries until the investigation and prosecution in the criminal acts that occurred in relation to the failed V.C. Summer Nuclear plant expansion are complete. Additionally, in the plea agreement, prosecutors and Marsh recommended a five million dollar forfeiture.
On the federal charge, Marsh faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and supervised release of up to 3 years.
United States District Judge Mary G. Lewis accepted the guilty plea and will sentence Marsh after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the United States Probation Office.
Assistant United States Attorneys Jim May, Brook Andrews, Winston Holliday, and Emily Limehouse are prosecuting the case in federal court, along with Special Assistant United States Attorney John O’Halloran.
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us_attorney_mccoy_prepared_remarks.pdfFormer Pilot Charged Again for Internet StalkingRead the Press Release
In San Antonio today, a federal grand jury returned an indictment against 66-year-old Mark Joseph Uhlenbrock of Chesterfield, Missouri, for internet stalking yet again, announced U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff and FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs.
On September 28, 2016, Uhlenbrock was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to an internet stalking charge. Uhlenbrock admitted that from January 2006 to August 2015, he caused substantial emotional distress by posting nude photographs of his victim on the internet without the victim’s consent and despite three Bexar County civil district court lawsuits.
After completing his prison term, court records reflect that in April 2019 a federal judge sentenced Uhlenbrock to six months imprisonment for violating the terms of his supervised release.
Today’s indictment charges Uhlenbrock with one count of internet stalking the same victim again. The indictment alleges that from May 2020 to September 2020, Uhlenbrock used the internet to cause substantial emotional distress to a person. The conduct in this indictment occurred while Uhlenbrock was still on supervised release for his first conviction of internet stalking.
Uhlenbrock has remained in federal custody since his arrest in Missouri on December 10, 2020, for allegedly violating conditions of his supervised release.
The FBI in San Antonio investigated this case with assistance from the FBI in St. Louis. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Wannarka is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
An indictment is merely a charge and should not be considered as evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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Former Member of New Bedford Latin Kings Sentenced for Drug Conspiracy ChargesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A former member of the New Bedford Chapter of the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation (“Latin Kings”) was sentenced today on drug conspiracy charges.
Ines Lugo, a/k/a “Queen China,” 42, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Rya W. Zobel to time served (approximately 47 days in prison) and three years of supervised release. The government recommended a sentence of 18 months incarceration. In November 2020, Lugo pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine base.
Lugo admitted that she conspired with other Latin Kings members and leaders to possess cocaine base (also known as “crack cocaine”) with the intent to distribute it. Specifically, in August 2019, she conspired with others to obtain cocaine base from members of the Latin Kings in New Bedford for resale. On Aug. 24, 2019, Lugo was captured on video delivering cocaine base to another Latin Kings member in a trap house.
The Latin Kings are a violent criminal enterprise comprised of thousands of members across the United States. The Latin Kings adhere to a national manifesto, employ an internal judiciary and use a sophisticated system of communication to maintain the hierarchy of the organization. As alleged in court documents, the gang uses drug distribution to generate revenue, and engages in violence against witnesses and rival gangs to further its influence and to protect its turf.
In December 2019, a federal grand jury returned an indictment alleging racketeering conspiracy, drug conspiracy and firearms charges against 62 leaders, members and associates of the Latin Kings. Ines Lugo is the 16th defendant to be sentenced in the case.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Commissioner Carol Mici of the Massachusetts Department of Correction; and New Bedford Police Chief Joseph C. Cordeiro made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was also provided by the FBI North Shore Gang Task Force and the Bristol County and Suffolk County District Attorney’s Offices. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Philip A. Mallard and Lauren Graber of Lelling’s Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Former Massachusetts State Representative Pleads Guilty to Embezzling Campaign Funds, Bank Fraud and Tax FraudRead the Press Release
BOSTON – Former Massachusetts State Representative David M. Nangle pleaded guilty today to illegally using campaign funds to pay for his personal expenses, defrauding a bank to obtain loans to purchase his home and repay his personal debts, and collecting income that he failed to report to the IRS.
Nangle, 60, of Lowell, pleaded guilty to 10 counts of wire fraud, four counts of bank fraud, four counts of making false statements to a bank and five counts of filing false tax returns. U.S. Senior District Court Judge Rya W. Zobel scheduled sentencing for June 24, 2021. Nangle was arrested and charged in February 2020.
“Elected representatives are expected to work for the benefit of their constituents, not to line their own pockets,” said United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling. “Mr. Nangle violated his obligations to the public by siphoning campaign dollars to cover the cost of his personal lifestyle, violating both federal law and the trust placed in him by voters. This office will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute public corruption in the Commonwealth’s government institutions.”
“David Nangle brokered his powerful position as a Massachusetts state lawmaker to put his own personal, financial, and political interests above the people he was elected to serve, depriving them of the right to honest government,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “Corrupt public officials undermine the integrity of our government and inflict lasting damage. Rooting them out is among the most complex and significant work the FBI does for the American people.”
“Elected officials are chosen to serve the people, not themselves,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Ramsey E. Covington of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Division. “Misusing campaign funds, underreporting income and claiming fraudulent tax deductions on income tax returns are all egregious betrayals of the public’s trust. Corruption of this nature is far too common, and I hope that today’s guilty plea sends a clear message of IRS-CI’s commitment to holding those who commit these dishonorable acts accountable.”
From 1999 to 2020, Nangle was the elected member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives for the 17th Middlesex District. Nangle, who previously served as a House Ethics Committee Chairman, used his campaign committee’s debit card to make personal purchases, including thousands of dollars in gift cards for his personal use, among other things.
During the period of the charged offenses, Nangle was heavily in debt and gambled extensively at area casinos and online, and then used thousands of dollars in campaign funds to pay for various personal expenses such as dues at a local golf club, rental cars to travel to casinos, flowers for his girlfriend, gas, hotels, and restaurants. Nangle knew that using campaign funds for personal use was prohibited and subject to oversight by an independent state agency and concealed his theft by filing false reports that disguised the personal nature of the spending.
In addition, from at least 2015 to 2018, Nangle devised a scheme to fraudulently obtain loans from a bank in order to finance the purchase of his home, fund his gambling activities and repay his personal debts. Nangle did so by making false statements on multiple loan applications, misstating his income and understating his debt.
Separately, Nangle filed false tax returns for tax years 2014 to 2018 by reporting fictitious business deductions for purported “consulting” work that he did for a Billerica company. Nangle also double dipped on deductible expenses arising from his work as a state legislator, fraudulently claiming thousands of dollars in false deductions for alleged charitable donations and misleading his tax preparer. Further, Nangle concealed the income he received through goods and services from business owners and other sources. This included $7,000 in kitchen and bathroom work done in Nangle’s home and $7,000 in check payments from a contractor; gambling income from a Connecticut casino; and thousands of dollars that he stole from his campaign account.
The charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charges of bank fraud and making false statements to a bank each provide for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of $1 million. The charge of filing false tax returns provides for a sentence of up to three years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of $100,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Dustin Chao, Chief of Lelling’s Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kunal Pasricha are prosecuting the case.
Former Hershey Man Sentenced to 11 Years’ Imprisonment for Numerous Fraud OffensesRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Michael Jay Jackson, age 61, formerly of Hershey, Pennsylvania, was sentenced yesterday to eleven years’ imprisonment and three years’ supervised release, by U.S. District Judge Sylvia H. Rambo, on bankruptcy fraud, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and money laundering charges. Jackson was also ordered to pay $1,567,275 in restitution. Jackson was previously sentenced in March 2019. In May 2020, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit vacated that sentence and remanded for resentencing.
According to Acting United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, Jackson pled guilty in November 2017 to an indictment charging him with twelve counts of wire fraud, five counts of bankruptcy fraud, nine counts of false bankruptcy declarations, and two counts of aggravated identity theft. Jackson defrauded his creditors, the Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, and his wife by filing seven Chapter 13 and Chapter 11 bankruptcy petitions, five of which were under Jackson’s name, and two of which were under his wife’s name without her knowledge or consent. The petitions contained false information regarding Jackson’s income, assets, and employment, and were filed in order to postpone multiple Sheriff’s sales of his Hershey residence. Jackson filed the last two petitions under his wife’s name after the Bankruptcy Court barred Jackson from filing any further petitions for two years in May 2015.
Jackson also pled guilty in March 2018, to a two-count criminal information charging him with wire fraud and money laundering. Jackson perpetrated a loan-fraud scheme involving a bogus business venture between 2007 and 2017 that defrauded 22 victims out of approximately $1.7 million. Jackson registered a corporation by the name of INTEX Building Materials Group, Inc. (INTEX BMG) with the Pennsylvania Department of State in 2007, listing himself as the sole shareholder and Chief Executive Officer of the company. Jackson defrauded his victims by convincing them he had the backing of Brookstone Partners, a New York City capital investment company, to lend him millions of dollars to acquire companies that manufactured building products. Jackson induced his victims into giving him loans to pay for his personal expenses, including his children’s college tuition, while the victims awaited consummation of the deal with Brookstone. Jackson promised his victims huge returns on what were supposed to be short-term loans. Jackson also provided copies of what he claimed to be e-mails from Brookstone principals that falsely represented the INTEX BMG deal was real.
In reality, INTEX BMG was a “paper” company that did not hold any significant assets, did not have any paid employees, and never generated any income. Jackson provided his victims a variety of explanations as to why INTEX BMG did not go “live” in order to lull them into not taking action against him. Jackson would repeatedly blame the protracted delays upon the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), various state regulators, and the Canadian government. Many of the victims of Jackson’s loan-fraud scheme were from central Pennsylvania.
The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carlo D. Marchioli and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Douglas Daniel prosecuted the case.
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Former Grass Seed Company Manager Charged in Scheme to Defraud Simplot and Its CustomersRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams announced today that Christopher Claypool, 52, of Spokane, Washington, the former general manager of the Jacklin Seed Company, a producer and marketer of grass seed and turfgrass based in Liberty Lake, Washington, has been charged by criminal information with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering as part of multiple schemes to defraud Jacklin’s former owner, the J.R. Simplot Company, and its customers.
As general manager of Jacklin, Claypool oversaw the company’s product sales to domestic and foreign distributors. Jacklin contracted with independent growers in Oregon for the production of proprietary grass seed varieties and fulfilled orders from a distribution facility in Albany, Oregon. Differences in grass seed yield rates resulted in the over-delivery of some varieties and underproduction of others.
At some point between 2013 and 2015, Claypool and other Jacklin employees realized that growers’ preference for higher-yield grasses was creating substantial shortages of lower-yield varieties Jacklin had contracted to deliver to its customers. Claypool and a colleague who oversaw product fulfillment at the company’s Albany distribution facility recognized that these shortages would either cause Jacklin to fail to deliver on its existing contracts or require Jacklin to pay a premium to growers to acquire necessary inventory, substantially eroding company profits. Claypool and his colleague anticipated that either result would negatively affect their careers.
From January 2015 and continuing until at least the summer of 2019, Claypool and his colleague directed Jacklin employees, at the Albany facility and elsewhere, to fulfill customer orders with different varieties of grass seed than the customers had ordered, to conceal such substitutions from the customers, and to invoice the customers as though no substitutions had taken place. Claypool and his colleague referred to this scheme as “getting creative.”
To conceal the unauthorized substitutions, Claypool and his colleague directed Jacklin employees to package the substitute seed varieties with false and misleading labels. They also directed employees to invoice the customers under the original terms of their contracts, notwithstanding the unauthorized substitutions. As a result of this scheme, Jacklin invoiced customers for more than $1.1 million of grass seed the company never delivered.
In addition to the undisclosed seed substitutions, Claypool engaged in several other fraudulent schemes while serving as Jacklin’s general manager. In one scheme, he directed an accomplice to create a limited-liability corporation (LLC) to pose as an independent grass seed broker. Claypool and a colleague conspired to route a portion of Jacklin’s overseas sales through a competing grass-seed seller based in Jefferson, Oregon. The company would, in turn, add its own mark-up to the sales and kick back outsized commissions to Claypool through his accomplice’s LLC. From December 2018 through August 2019, Claypool generated more than $369,000 in fraudulent commissions.
In a third scheme, Claypool conspired with the owner of an independent travel agency in Spokane to inflate the purported costs of Claypool’s international business travel. Claypool traveled overseas extensively for business and had authority to approve his own travel expenses. In lieu of using Simplot’s contract travel agency, Claypool booked his flights through the independent travel agent. The agent booked economy and other lower-cost fares for Claypool, but created fake first-class bookings on the most expensive comparable itineraries in order to generate inflated invoices that he transmitted to Simplot, through Claypool, for payment. In total, the agent overbilled more than $500,000 for international airfare, the majority of which Claypool ultimately received in kickbacks from the agent.
In the most lucrative fraud scheme, Claypool directed Simplot’s payment of more than twelve million dollars in “rebates” and “commissions” to entities that were posing as foreign sales partners but were, in fact, fronts for Claypool’s coconspirators in embezzling those funds. The coconspirators then transmitted part of their ill-gotten gains from accounts in Hong Kong to real estate investments in Hawaii under Claypool’s control. Years later, Claypool sold the real estate and wired the proceeds to investment accounts in Spokane as part of an elaborate money laundering operation.
Claypool faces a maximum sentence of 70 years in prison, fines of more than $15 million, and 5 years’ supervised release. His arraignment has not yet been scheduled.
This case is being investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by Ryan W. Bounds, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
A criminal information is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Former Cargill Employee Is Indicted for Extensive Bribery and Kickback SchemeRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A federal grand jury sitting in Charlotte has indicted Michael A. Kennedy, 55, of Charlotte, on conspiracy and honest services wire fraud charges, for his role in an extensive bribery and kickback scheme that defrauded his employer, Cargill, announced Andrew Murray, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Robert R. Wells, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division and Tommy D. Coke, Inspector in Charge of the Atlanta Divsion of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which oversees Charlotte, join U.S. Attorney Murray in making today's announcement.
According to allegations in the indictment, Kennedy was a senior employee within Cargill’s division of strategic sourcing. Choung “Shawn” Nguyen was a procurement manager within the same division and reported to Kennedy. Brian Ewert was co-owner and primary sales representative of WDS, Inc., also known as Women’s Distribution Services, Inc. (WDS), a South Carolina-based company that provided non-raw materials and services to Cargill and its affiliates.
According to allegations in the indictment and information contained in filed court documents in related cases, from 2009 to 2016, Kennedy conspired with Ewert, Nguyen, and others to carry out a fraudulent bribery and kickback scheme. The indictment alleges that, during the course of the scheme, Ewert provided Kennedy and Nguyen and other Cargill employees with more than a $1 million in cash, gifts, and vacations, in exchange for them, among other things, putting the interests of WDS, and other companies Ewert controlled, ahead of Cargill’s, including by helping to conceal the fact that WDS was overcharging Cargill. For example, the indictment alleges that, as part of the conspiracy, Ewert provided Kennedy and his family with lavish trips that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, including trips to the Caribbean on Ewert’s private jet and luxury yacht rentals to entertain Kennedy and his family. Ewert also paid for Kennedy and his family to go to Disney World and took them on ski trips. The indictment alleges that Kennedy and others concealed from Cargill the fact that they had received from Ewert the illicit bribes and kickbacks, in breach of their fiduciary duties to Cargill.
As alleged in the indictment, in early 2016, after others within Cargill began questioning the relationship between WDS and Cargill, Kennedy, Ewert, and others took numerous steps to conceal from Cargill significant overcharging of Cargill by WDS. Cargill eventually discovered the scheme and terminated its relationship with WDS and Ewert and fired Kennedy and Nguyen.
Kennedy had his initial appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Gwynne E. Birzer in the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas where Kennedy was arrested. The charges in the indictment each carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The charges in the indictment are allegations. The defendant is innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt in a court of law.
In November 2019, Ewert, Nguyen and Jennifer Maier, the co-owner and Chief Executive Officer of WDS, were sentenced to 60, 41, and 24 months in prison, respectively, for defrauding Cargill.
The FBI and USPIS investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel Ryan and Graham Billings, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte, are in charge of the prosecution.
Former COO of Publicly Traded Biopharmaceutical Company Sentenced for Accounting FraudRead the Press Release
Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that WILLIAM TAYLOR, the former chief operating officer of MiMedx Group, Inc. (“MiMedx”), a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company, was sentenced today in Manhattan federal court to one year in prison for orchestrating a multimillion-dollar scheme to fraudulently inflate MiMedx’s revenue. TAYLOR and co-defendant Parker H. Petit were found guilty on November 19, 2020, following a four-week jury trial before U.S. District Court Judge Jed S. Rakoff, who imposed today’s sentence. Judge Rakoff sentenced Petit to one year in prison in a separate proceeding yesterday.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Strauss said: “William Taylor and his co-defendant used secret agreements and corrupt financial inducements to materially misstate quarterly and annual sales revenue of MiMedx. They deceived the SEC, auditors, and the investing public. Now Taylor, like Parker Petit yesterday, has been sentenced to prison for his crimes.”
According to the allegations contained in the Indictment and the evidence presented at trial:
MiMedx was headquartered in Marietta, Georgia, and its securities traded under the symbol “MDXG” on the NASDAQ. MiMedx sold regenerative biologic products, such as skin grafts and amniotic fluid, both directly to end users, such as public and private hospitals, and to various stocking distributors, which, in turn, resold the product to end users.
One of the most critical financial metrics disclosed in MiMedx’s public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), and touted in MiMedx’s accompanying press releases, was MiMedx’s quarterly and annual sales revenue. Under Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and SEC guidance, a company like MiMedx that engages in the sale of products through a distributor may recognize revenue upon transfer of the product to a distributor if certain requirements are satisfied, including that delivery has occurred or services have been rendered, the seller’s price to the buyer is fixed or determinable, and collectability of payment is reasonably assured. TAYLOR and Petit, MiMedx’s former chief executive officer, repeatedly demonstrated and touted their understanding of these rules governing revenue recognition. They also publicly identified revenue as the principal metric reflecting MiMedx’s growth, and touted MiMedx’s consistent record of quarter-over-quarter revenue growth and meeting or exceeding revenue guidance in 17 consecutive quarters, from 2011 through year-end 2015. By 2015, however, it became increasingly difficult for MiMedx to reach its revenue guidance due to decreased demand from certain distributors and the increasingly aggressive revenue targets that MiMedx had publicly announced.
Confronted with the difficulties faced by MiMedx in meeting its quarterly and annual revenue guidance by legitimate means, TAYLOR and Petit orchestrated a fraudulent scheme to falsely recognize revenue upon the shipment of MiMedx product to four stocking distributors, CPM, SLR, Stability Biologics (“Stability”), and First Medical, in the second through fourth quarters of 2015. TAYLOR and Petit caused MiMedx to report fraudulently inflated revenue figures to the investing public in order to ensure that the reported figures fell within MiMedx’s publicly announced revenue guidance, and to fraudulently convey to the investing public that MiMedx was accomplishing consistent growth quarter after quarter, as TAYLOR and Petit had falsely touted to the investing public. The fraudulent scheme involved the following central features:
- As to CPM, in the second quarter of 2015, TAYLOR and Petit caused MiMedx fraudulently to recognize $1.4 million in revenue by (1) making a $200,000 sham “consulting” payment to CPM’s owner to bribe CPM to buy MiMedx product and (2) secretly agreeing to send CPM approximately $1.1 million of product it did not want and did not intend to sell, while promising that CPM could return the product to MiMedx and swap it for different product in a subsequent quarter. TAYLOR and Petit entered into the sham “consulting” agreement to conceal that the payment was a bribe to purchase product, and CPM’s owner performed no consulting work for the payment. Neither TAYLOR nor Petit disclosed to MiMedx’s outside auditors the “consulting” payment or product swap.
- As to SLR, in the third quarter of 2015, TAYLOR and Petit caused MiMedx fraudulently to recognize $4.6 million in revenue by booking the revenue despite understanding that SLR would not make a timely payment for the product, and certainly would not do so within contractual terms. To hide from MiMedx’s auditors that the collectability of payment from SLR was questionable, during the fourth quarter 2015, Petit arranged for his adult children to use a shell company to loan money to SLR (money that came from a trust fund established by Petit for their benefit), with the understanding that the loan proceeds would be used in substantial part to pay down SLR’s debt to MiMedx.
- As to Stability, in the third and fourth quarters of 2015, TAYLOR and Petit caused MiMedx improperly to recognize $2.6 million of revenue, where they (1) failed to agree with Stability on the essential terms of the deal, including when payment was due; (2) reached a secret understanding that Stability could swap or return unwanted product in subsequent quarters; and (3) understood that Stability could not pay for the product in a timely fashion. In fact, TAYLOR later signed a sham distribution agreement to hide the fact that the original sale had been made without agreement on the essential terms.
- As to First Medical, in the fourth quarter of 2015, TAYLOR caused MiMedx improperly to recognize $2.2 million in revenue by making an undisclosed promise to First Medical that it could return any product that it could not sell and that MiMedx would not leave First Medical with any losses. To carry out the scheme, TAYLOR sent two emails four seconds apart to First Medical. The first was a “cover story” that purported to require payment within a fixed period, as required by MiMedx’s accountants. TAYLOR forwarded the first email to MiMedx’s accounting department. The second email, sent only four seconds after the first, memorialized the true terms of the deal, which involved an agreement to defer payment and take back product if it could not be sold. TAYLOR hid the second email from MiMedx’s internal accountants and outside auditors. TAYLOR also arranged for a false audit “confirmation,” which falsely represented that First Medical was required to pay within a fixed period and omitted the true terms of the deal, to be provided to MiMedx’s outside auditors.
TAYLOR and Petit’s fraudulent manipulation of MiMedx’s revenue caused MiMedx to report materially inflated revenue in the second, third, and fourth quarters of 2015, and for the full year 2015. In its 2015 10-K, MiMedx reported annual revenue that was fraudulently inflated by approximately $8.2 million. Absent this fraudulent inflation of revenue, MiMedx would have missed both (1) its quarterly revenue guidance in the third and fourth quarters of 2015 and annual revenue guidance for 2015 and (2) analyst revenue consensus for the second through fourth quarters of 2015 and the full year 2015. As a result of the fraud, shareholders sustained losses of approximately $35 million.
* * *
In addition to his prison term, TAYLOR, 52, of Marietta, Georgia, was ordered to pay a fine of $250,000.
Ms. Strauss praised the investigative work of the United States Postal Inspection Service and thanked the SEC, which brought a separate civil action.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Edward A. Imperatore, Scott A. Hartman, and Daniel M. Tracer are in charge of the prosecution.
Florida Man Pleads Guilty for His Role in Credit/Debit Card SchemeRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr., announced today that Giosdeivy Duarte Torresilla, 31, of Miami, Florida, pleaded guilty before Chief U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr. to conspiracy to commit bank fraud. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison, and a fine of $1,000,000.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Bonanno, who is handling the case, stated that in January 2017, the defendant traveled with four co-conspirators from Miami, Florida, to Hamburg, NY. Torresilla then provided his co-conspirators with numerous counterfeit access devices, which consisted of gift cards that the defendant had re-encoded with account numbers for actual credit card or debit card accounts at multiple financial institutions, including banks and credit unions. Torresilla obtained the account numbers unlawfully by “skimming” them from payment terminals at gas station pumps. The co-conspirators used 129 different counterfeit access devices to purchase gift cards at various Walmart stores in Erie, Niagara, and Orleans Counties. After purchasing the legitimate Walmart gift cards, the co-conspirators sent the gift card numbers to a co-conspirator in Miami, Florida. The gift cards were worth $120,689.02.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the United States Secret Service, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Acting Thomas A. Braun.
Sentencing is scheduled for May 6, 2021, at 3:30 p.m. before Judge Geraci.
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Final Member of Methamphetamine Trafficking Organization Sentenced to 14 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va. – James Sebastian, a member of a conspiracy that trafficked methamphetamine from the West coast into Southwest Virginia, was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court in Abingdon to 168 months in prison, Acting United States Attorney Daniel P. Bubar announced.
“Methamphetamine distribution continues to threaten public safety throughout Southwest Virginia,” Acting U.S. Attorney Bubar stated today. “Today’s significant sentence ought to send a message of our commitment to dismantling drug trafficking organizations responsible for dealing this deadly narcotic and sending their members to federal prison.”
Sebastian, 48, previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and one count of distribution of methamphetamine.
According to court documents, Sebastian was part of a large-scale methamphetamine organization. In early 2017, Operation California Dreaming began investigating the trafficking of methamphetamine between California, Southwest Virginia, and Northeast Tennessee. As a result of that investigation, 28 individuals, located in California, Georgia, Virginia, and Tennessee, were charged as being members of a drug trafficking organization responsible for the distribution of large quantities of methamphetamine. Charges levied against these individuals included both drug and firearms offenses.
Sebastian was the final member of the conspiracy to be sentenced:
- Sean Phillip Maidlow – 300 months imprisonment, conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
- Jair Medina Gutierrez - Fugitive
- Lacey Cheri Weir – 300 months imprisonment, conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
- Andrea Nichole Stickel - 210 months imprisonment, conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
- James Nicholas Howington – 168 months imprisonment, conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
- James Robert Johnson – 151 months imprisonment, conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
- Stephen A. Graham – 84 months imprisonment, conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
- Christopher Lee Smiley – 64 months imprisonment, conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
- Joshua Todd Chapman – 168 months imprisonment, conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
- Saleemah Lashawn Roberson – 108 months imprisonment, conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
- Donald Zachary Snyder – 270 months imprisonment, conspiracy to distribute 500 Grams or more of methamphetamine, distribute methamphetamine, and possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.
- Larry Levi Bennett – 235 months imprisonment, conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
- Terry Melvin Dalton – 120 months imprisonment, conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and distribute methamphetamine.
- Heather Ashley Davis – 120 months imprisonment, conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
- Brianna Nicole Woodby – 60 months imprisonment, conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
- Donald Shane Hawthorne – 144 months imprisonment, conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
- Gary Lee McFarlane – 135 months imprisonment, conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and distribute methamphetamine
- Elizabeth Pauline Eaton – 168 months imprisonment, conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
- Matthew Todd Mullins – 188 months imprisonment, conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, distribute methamphetamine, and manufacture counterfeit United States currency.
- Anthony Chadwick Harless -108 months imprisonment, conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
- Kimberly Ann Drake – 210 months imprisonment, conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
- Brandon Heath Whitt – 108 months imprisonment, conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
- Melissa Darlene Barrett – 168 months imprisonment, conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and distribute methamphetamine.
- Susan Nicole Payne – 87 months imprisonment, conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and distribute methamphetamine
- Bradley Scott Williams – 204 months imprisonment, conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
- Devon Scott Coleman – 211 months imprisonment, conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, possess 50 grams or more of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, and possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.
The investigation of the case was conducted the Abingdon Police Department, Virginia State Police, Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Bristol, Tennessee Police Department, Bristol, Virginia Police Department, the Sullivan County, Tennessee Second Judicial Drug Task Force, Sullivan County Sheriff’s Department, Commerce, Georgia Police Department, New Jersey State Police, United States Postal Inspection Service, United States Marshals Service, United States Secret Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The Washington County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, Bristol, Virginia Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, and the Sullivan County, District Attorney’s Office have assisted in the investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Zachary T. Lee and Cagle Juhan prosecuted the case for the United States.
Final Defendant Sentenced in $7 Billion Investment Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
The former chief of Antigua’s Financial Services Regulatory Commission (FSRC) was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for his role in connection with a $7 billion Ponzi scheme involving the Stanford International Bank (SIB).
Leroy King, 74, of Dickerson Bay, Antigua, pleaded guilty on Jan. 30, 2020, to one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice and one count of obstruction of justice for his role in obstructing the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigation into SIB. He was extradited to the United States in November 2019. King is a dual citizen of the United States and Antigua. Beginning in approximately 2002, he served as the administrator and CEO of the FSRC, an agency of the Antiguan government. As part of his duties, he was responsible for Antigua’s regulatory oversight of Stanford International Bank Limited’s (SIBL) investment portfolio, including the review of SIBL financial reports and responses to requests by foreign regulators, including the SEC, for information and documents about SIBL’s operations.
In or about 2005, the SEC began investigating R. Allen Stanford and Stanford Financial Group (SFG) and made official inquiries with the FSRC regarding the value and content of SIBL’s purported investments.
King admitted that Stanford’s cash payments to King totaled approximately $520,963.87 over the course of the conspiracy. Stanford also provided King tickets to both Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston (2004) and Super Bowl XL in Detroit (2006). In addition, Stanford provided King with repeated flights on private jets Stanford or SFG entities owned. King later denied the SEC’s request for help, and he wrote that the FSRC “had no authority to act in the manner requested and would itself be in breach of law if it were to accede to your request.” In reality, the FSRC did have this authority and failed to exercise it because of the payments and other benefits Stanford gave to King.
A federal jury found Stanford guilty in June 2012 for his role in orchestrating a 20-year investment fraud scheme in which he misappropriated $7 billion from SIB to finance his personal businesses. He is serving a 110-year prison sentence. Five others were also convicted for their roles in the scheme and received sentences ranging from 3 to 20 years in federal prison.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicholas L. McQuaid of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick of the Southern District of Texas made the announcement.
The Houston Field Offices of the FBI, IRS-CI, and U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Brittain Shaw of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney John Pearson of the Southern District of Texas prosecuted the case.
The Justice Department extends its gratitude to the government of Antigua for its cooperation and assistance.
Felon sentenced to prison for firearms crime after shooting incident at Billings motelRead the Press Release
BILLINGS – A man who admitted illegally possessing a shotgun after a shooting incident at a Billings motel was sentenced today to 30 months in prison and three years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Leif Johnson said.
Roderick Lee Little Bear, 39, of Billings, pleaded guilty on Sept. 3, 2020 to prohibited person in possession of a firearm.
U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.
In court documents filed in the case, the prosecution said that Little Bear was convicted of a state felony in 2016 and was revoked in 2018.
On Oct. 17, 2017, Billings Police officers were dispatched to the Lazy KT Motel in Billings for a report that someone had shot a hole in the ceiling above a room with a shotgun. During the investigation, officers observed a suspect gray pickup return to the motel. Officers observed the driver exit the vehicle and a male, later identified as Little Bear, in the passenger seat. As officers approached the vehicle, they heard the sound of a shotgun being racked.
Little Bear looked at both officers and both officers observed Little Bear with a shotgun. One of the officers advised he saw Little Bear raise the shotgun and appear to take a step outside the vehicle. Little Bear was commanded to drop his weapon. Little Bear swung the shotgun in the direction of the officers and pointed the shotgun at them. The officers both fired shots at Little Bear. Officers directed Little Bear to show his hands and eventually Little Bear complied.
A shotgun was located on the ground next to the pickup. Little Bear was transported to a Billings hospital for treatment of his injuries. Little Bear refused to provide a statement to detectives regarding the shooting. Interviews with motel residents revealed the shooting was likely a result of a feud between rival gangs.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Patten prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
This case is part of Project Guardian, a Department of Justice initiative launched in the fall of 2019 to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Through Project Guardian, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Montana is working to enhance coordination of its federal, state, tribal and local law enforcement partners in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes. In addition, Project Guardian supports information sharing and taking action when individuals are denied a firearm purchase by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System for mental health reasons or because they are a prohibited person.
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Federal officer charged with helping undocumented nanny into the countryRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A 40-year-old Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer is set to appear in federal court on charges of conspiring to transport an illegal alien and making false statements, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.
Laredo resident Rhonda Lee Walker is set to appear for a detention hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christopher Dos Santos today at 1:30 p.m.
The criminal complaint alleges that on Jan. 2, 2021, Walker used her official position to assist a foreign national into the country. According to the charges, Walker improperly used another officer’s computer login information to help the Mexican woman to enter the United States through the Laredo Port of Entry. The woman allegedly had no legal status to reside or work in the United States. However, Walker intended for the woman to illegally enter the country and work for her as a housekeeper and nanny, according to the complaint. The charges also allege she had sent money to the woman in Mexico to facilitate her arrival.
Walker also allegedly lied to authorities. The complaint alleges she falsely claimed the woman was her aunt and denied ever sending her money.
Walker faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted of the conspiracy or knowingly transporting undocumented aliens. The penalty for knowingly making a materially false statement is a maximum five-year-term of imprisonment.
CBP - Office of Professional Responsibility is conducting the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Francisco J. Rodriguez is prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
Federal Grand Jury Indictments Announced for FebruaryRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Trent Shores today announced the results of the February Federal Grand Jury B.
The following individuals have been charged with violations of United States law in indictments returned by the Grand Jury. The return of an indictment is a method of informing a defendant of alleged violations of federal law, which must be proven in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt to overcome a defendant’s presumption of innocence.
Carlos Banegas. Felon in Possession of Ammunition. Banegas, 30, is charged with being a felon in possession of 57 rounds of .22 caliber ammunition. The U.S. Marshals Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are the investigative agencies.
Jermaine Dante Barnes. Felon in Possession of Firearms and Ammunition. Barnes, 22, of Tulsa, is charged with being a felon in possession of a .22 caliber rifle and various kinds of ammunition. Barnes is a 11-time convicted felon. The Tulsa Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are the investigative agencies.
Jared Nathan Black. Assault with Intent to Commit Murder in Indian Country. Black, 45, of Jenks, is charged with assault with intent to commit murder after he allegedly pointed a firearm at the victim’s head and pulled the trigger. The FBI and the Jenks Police Department are the investigative agencies.
Nathan James Blaine. Sexual Exploitation of a Child by a Parent or Guardian. Blaine, 52, of Grove, allegedly permitted a minor in his care to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purposes of producing visual depictions of that conduct to share with others. The Grove Police Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations are the investigative agencies.
Jose Carbajal-Solis. Unlawful Reentry of Removed Alien.
Solis, 27, was allegedly found to be in the United States illegally after being deported in November of 2016. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement Removal Operations is the investigative agency.
Hugo Alfonso Castillo-Olguin. Unlawful Reentry of Removed Alien.
Olguin, 36, was allegedly found to be in the United States illegally after being deported in March 2013. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency.
Stuart H. Clark. Failure to Register as a Sex Offender.
Clark, 30, of Tulsa, is charged after allegedly failing to register as a sex offender after multiple child pornography convictions in 2014. The U.S. Marshals Service is the investigative agency.
Leslie Kenneth Copeland. Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. Copeland, 44, of Tulsa, is charged with failure to register as a sex offender. The U.S. Marshals Service, Tulsa Police Department and Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office are the investigative agencies.
Nicholas James Dardenne. Assault Resulting in Substantial Bodily Injury to an Intimate Partner and Dating Partner in Indian Country; Assault of an Intimate Partner or Dating Partner by Strangling and Attempting to Strangle in Indian Country. Dardenne, 43, of Tulsa, is charged with assault after allegedly strangling his girlfriend and striking her with his fists. The FBI and Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office are the investigative agencies.
Melissa Lynn Davis. Child Abuse in Indian Country; Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury in Indian Country; Assault resulting in Substantial Bodily Injury to an Individual who has not Attained the Age of 16 Years in Indian Country. Davis, 28, of Jenks, allegedly maliciously harmed the health, safety, and welfare of a minor child by assaulting her and causing serious bodily injury. The FBI and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies.
Tywan Carnelius Erby. Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition. Erby, 47, of Tulsa, is charged with being a felon in possession of a 9x19mm semi-automatic pistol and ammunition. Erby is a five-time convicted felon. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies.
Michael Lee Figgeroa. Distribution and Receipt of Child Pornography; Possession of Child Pornography. Figgeroa, 42, of Hominy, is alleged to have knowingly possessed, distributed and received with intent to view child pornography. The Tulsa Police Department is the investigative agency.
Omar Heriberto Garcia-Luna. Unlawful Reentry of Removed Alien. Luna, 20, of Tulsa, was allegedly found to be in the United States illegally after being deported in April 2020. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency.
Bradley Don Goodin. Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor Under 12 in Indian Country; Abusive Sexual Contact With a Child Under 12 in Indian Country; Abusive Sexual Contact of a Child in Indian Country; Possession of a Firearm While Subject to a Domestic Violence Protective Order (second superseding indictment). Goodin, 46, of Sapulpa, is charged with three counts of engaging in sexual acts with two Native American children under the age of 12, occurring in 2019. He is further charged with abusive sexual contact of one of those victims in 2019 and as well as sexual abusive contact with a different child between the ages of 12 and 16, allegedly taking place from the Fall of 2008 to the Spring of 2009. Goodin is also charged with being in possession of 21 firearms while subject to a domestic violence protective order. The Sapulpa Police Department, Creek County Sheriff’s Office and FBI are the investigative agencies.
Lee Owen Hallford. Assault with a Dangerous Weapon, with Intent to do Bodily Harm in Indian Country. Hallford, 29, of Tulsa, is being charged after he allegedly assaulted the victim with a knife. The FBI and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies.
Pedro Herrera-Angeles. Unlawful Reentry of Removed Alien. Herrera-Angeles, 41, was allegedly found to be in the United States illegally after being deported in February 2019. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency.
Michael Charles Hicks Jr. Robbery in Indian Country; Theft in Indian Country (second superseding). Hicks, 50, allegedly stole a 2015 Cadillac Escalade, by force and violence, from the victim. The FBI, Tulsa Police Department, Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office, and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol are the investigative agencies.
Jeffrey Arch Jones. Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Child in Indian Country; Abusive Sexual Contact of a Child in Indian Country. Jones, 31, currently residing in the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, allegedly engaged in sex acts with a minor under 12 years of age from Sept. 29, 2015 to Sept 28, 2016. He is also charged with abusive sexual contact of a second child under the age of 12 from Sept. 29, 2015, to Sept. 30, 2016. The Broken Arrow Police Department and FBI are the investigative agencies.
Timothy Eugene Jordan. Arson. Jordan, 50, is charged with setting a fire at a residential apartment building at 6565 South Newport Avenue in Tulsa. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Tulsa Fire Inspector are the investigative agencies.
Derek L. Lovell. Attempted Kidnapping in Indian Country; Assault with Intent to Commit a Felony in Indian Country. Lovell, 36, of Tulsa, is charged with attempting to kidnap a female victim on Jan. 28, 2021. The Tulsa Police Department and FBI are the investigative agencies.
Roberto Montel Madden; Cheetara Denise Venable. Felon in Possession of Firearm and Ammunition; Felon in Possession of Ammunition (3 counts). Madden, 47, of Tulsa, is charged with being a felon in possession of a Beretta .40 S&W caliber pistol and ammunition and with being a felon in possession of 17 rounds of .40 S&W caliber ammunition discovered on Nov. 26, 2020. He is also charged with being a felon in possession of a Taurus 9mm caliber semi-automatic pistol, six rounds of 9mm Luger caliber ammunition, and one round of 9 mm caliber ammunition as aided by Venable and discovered on Jan. 18, 2021. Venable, 34, of Tulsa, is charged with being a felon in possession of a Taurus 9mm caliber semi-automatic pistol, six rounds of 9mm Luger caliber ammunition, and 1 round of 9 mm caliber ammunition as aided by Madden. The Tulsa Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are the investigative agencies.
James Ted McCarty. Using a Vehicle to Facilitate the Intentional Discharge of a Firearm in Indian Country; Using, Carrying, Brandishing, and Discharging a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence; Felon in Possession of Firearm. McCarty, 45, of Sand Springs, is alleged to have conducted a drive by shooting at the victim’s residence on Feb. 3, 2021. McCarty is further charged with being a felon in possession of a Taurus PT111 G2 9mm pistol. The Sand Springs Police Department and FBI are the investigative agencies.
Jesse Thomas Moore. Lewd Acts With a Child Under 16 in Indian Country; Burglary in the First Degree in Indian Country; Attempted Sexual Abuse by Threat in Indian Country. Moore, 18, of Tulsa, is alleged to have broken into a female victim’s home on May 6, 2020. He is further alleged to have ejaculated on a minor under the age of 16 on May 6, 2020. According to the indictment, Moore also broke into a different individual’s home with intent to commit a crime by forcibly entering the outer door of the house on Nov. 8, 2020, He also allegedly attempted to engage in a sexual act with a female victim and demanded she “get the f**k up and don’t say anything or I’ll f**king kill you on Dec. 13, 2020. You can find the initial Complaint press release here.
Issac Eli Pigeon. Robbery in Indian Country. Pigeon, 18, of Tulsa, used force and violence in a robbery. The Tulsa Police Department and FBI are the investigative agencies.
Brian Christopher Pradmore. Assault of a Spouse by Strangling, Suffocating, and Attempting to Strangle and Suffocate in Indian Country. Pradmore, 31, of Mannaford, assaulted and strangled a female victim on Sept. 24, 2020. The Mannaford Police Department and FBI are the investigative agencies.
Zachary Thomas Price. Receipt of Firearm by a Person Under Indictment for a Felony. Between Oct. 6, 2020 through Jan. 22, 2021, Price, 21, of Tulsa, allegedly received and was in possession of a Smith & Wesson .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol while under indictment for the felony crime of stalking in Indian Country. The Broken Arrow and Tulsa Police Departments are the investigative agencies.
Anthony Raul Proctor. Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition (count 1); Assault with a Dangerous Weapon in Indian Country (counts 2, 4); Using and Carrying a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence (counts 3, 5, 7, 9); Assault with Intent to Commit Murder in Indian Country (counts 6, 8) (superseding). Proctor, 32, of Bristow, is charged with being a felon in possession of a Smith & Wesson .40 caliber pistol and 14 rounds of ammunition, which was discovered on Oct. 1, 2020. Proctor is a 5-time convicted felon. In this superseding indictment, he also is charged with assaulting an individual by discharging a round into the victim’s vehicle on May 6, 2020. Proctor is also charged with assaulting a different victim, using a firearm, feet and hands to strike the victim on Aug. 7, 2020. Finally, Proctor is charged with two counts of assault with intent to commit murder when he fired multiple rounds into a home occupied by two people on Sept. 15, 2020, and in a separate incident when he fired his gun at a different individual, striking the victim with one round on Sept. 27, 2020. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Marshals Service, Muskogee Creek Nation Lighthorse Police Department, and Bristow Police Department are the investigative agencies.
Charles Nathaniel Scott. Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition; Possession of Methamphetamine With Intent to Distribute; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. Scott, 30, of Tulsa, is charged with being a felon in possession of a Beretta Pico .380 caliber pistol and ammunition. He is further charged with possessing with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and with possessing a firearm to further his drug trafficking crime. The Tulsa Police Department and Drug Enforcement Administration are the investigative agencies.
Jordan Connor Searle. Assault With a Dangerous Weapon in Indian Country. Searle, 23, residence unknown, is charged with assaulting a male victim by stabbing him with a knife. The Tulsa Police Department and FBI are the investigative agencies.
Francisco Serna-Hernandez. Unlawful Reentry of Removed Alien. Serna-Hernandez, 22, of Tulsa is charged with reentry of a removed alien, having returned to the United States unlawfully after being deported March 24, 2018, at Del Rio, Texas, International Bridge. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency.
Joshua Marquis Shobe. Felon in Possession of Firearms and Ammunition. Shobe, 22, of Coffeyville, Kansas, is charged with being a felon in possession of a Taurus .45 caliber pistol, a Taurus 9 mm pistol, and 23 rounds of ammunition. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are the investigative agencies.
Roderick Demense Brooks and Tavian Caleb Steward. Attempted Robbery in Indian Country; Carrying, Using, and Brandishing a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence; Obstructing, Delaying, and Affecting Interstate Commerce by Robbery; Carjacking; Robbery in Indian Country. According to the indictment, Brooks, 18, of Tulsa, is alleged to have used violence and brandished a handgun when he threatened a female victim and stole her money on Dec. 29, 2020. He is further accused of robbing a Broken Arrow refreshment shop and threatening a store employee with a firearm that same night. On Dec. 30, 2020, both Brooks and Steward, 18, of Tulsa, allegedly aided and abetted one another when they committed a carjacking. The two men threatened the owner using a firearm when they stole a 2019 Toyota Rav-4 from the owner. Finally, Steward threatened an employee using a firearm when he robbed a Tulsa sandwich shop on Jan. 7, 2021. The FBI and Broken Arrow and Tulsa Police Departments are the investigative agencies.
Ryan Blake Still. Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. Still is charged with failing to register as a sex offender. The U.S. Marshals Service is the investigative agency.
Charles Wesley Tillery, Jr. Assault of an Intimate and Dating Partner by Strangling and Suffocating in Indian Country. Tillery Jr., 35 of Inola, is charged with strangling an intimate partner on Jan. 3, 2021. The Rogers County Sheriff’s Office and FBI are the investigative agencies.
Daniel Angelo Torres. Possession of Methamphetamine With Intent to Distribute; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime; Maintaining a Drug Involved Premises. Torres, 27, of Tulsa, is charged with possessing with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. He is further charged with possessing a firearm in furtherance of his drug trafficking crime and with maintaining a drug involved premises at 1020 N St Louis Avenue in Tulsa. The Drug Enforcement Administration and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies.
Andrew Dillon Vann. Felon in Possession of Firearm and Ammunition. Vann is charged with being a felon in possession of a Taurus 9 mm caliber handgun. The Tulsa Police Department and Drug Enforcement Administration are the investigative agencies.
Juan Vasquesz-Alvarez. Possession of Methamphetamine With Intent to Distribute; Possession of Firearms in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. Vasquez-Alvarez, 28, of Tulsa, is charged with possessing with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. He is further charged with possessing a firearm in furtherance of his drug trafficking crime. The Tulsa Police Department and Drug Enforcement Administration are the investigative agencies.
Taylor Vaught-Crysler; Zachary Wayne Crew. Obstructing, Delaying, and Affecting Commerce by Robbery; Robbery in Indian Country; Carrying, Using, and Brandishing a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence; Conspiracy to Obstruct, Delay, and Affect Commerce by Robbery. Vaught-Crysler, 18, and Crew, 19, both of Tulsa, allegedly aided and abetted each other on Jan. 15, 2021, when they robbed two Tulsa QuikTrip stores located at. 1022 S. Utica Avenue and 3606 S. Peoria Avenue. The Tulsa Police Department and FBI are the investigative agencies.
Israel Vidales-Martinez. Unlawful Reentry of Removed Alien. Vidales-Martinez, 33, of Tulsa is charged with reentry of a removed alien, having returned to the United States unlawfully after being deported Nov. 19, 2010, at Del Rio, Texas, International Bridge. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency.
Blake Clifton Williamson. Possession of an Unregistered Rifle Having a Barrel of Less Than 16 Inches in Length; Tampering With a Witness, Victim, and Informant by Intimidation, Threats, Corrupt Persuasion, and Misleading Conduct; Kidnapping in Indian Country Possession of an Unregistered Silencer (superseding). Williamson was previously charged with knowingly possessing a rifle having a barrel length of less than 16 inches, that is, an Anderson Manufacturing multi-caliber short-barreled rifle, not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. According to the superseding indictment, Williamson also allegedly threatened and intimidated a witness in order to prevent her testimony in official court proceedings and to prevent the her from speaking to federal law enforcement officers. Between Oct. 24 and 26, 2020, Williamson kidnapped the same witness. Finally, the defendant possessed a silencer that was not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. The Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are the investigative agencies.