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15 March 2021
Sapulpa Man Admits to Sexually Abusing a ChildRead the Press Release
A Sapulpa man pleaded guilty today in federal court for sexually abusing a 7-year-old child, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson
Casey Brandon Peterson, 35, pleaded guilty to abusive sexual contact with a child under 12 years of age.
In a written plea agreement, Casey Peterson stated that one time, between June 2019 and October 2019, he knowingly engaged in sexual contact with the child. Peterson admitted that he pulled down the victim’s pants and underwear and made sexual contact with the child. He then told the victim not to tell anyone.
Authorities were alerted in February 2020 when the victim saw the defendant again for the first time in several months, started crying and disclosed to a parent the acts that Peterson committed.
Chief U.S. District Judge John E. Dowdell set sentencing for June 14, 2021.
The FBI and Sapulpa Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gina S. Gilmore is prosecuting the case.
Rodney Carroll Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison Following Conviction for Distribution of Cocaine BaseRead the Press Release
The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that on March
15, 2021, United States District Judge Christina Reiss sentenced Rodney Carroll to 30 months in prison plus 7 years of supervised release following his guilty plea to distribution of cocaine base.Carroll was arrested in connection with the January 14, 2020 search of 77 Business Route
4 in Rutland, Vermont and was charged with two counts of cocaine base distribution. According to court documents, Carroll, a 41-year-old Philadelphia, Pennsylvania resident, travelled to
Rutland three times in the November 2019 to January 2020 timeframe to sell cocaine base.Carroll was apprehended as part of a multi-agency law enforcement effort that focused on drug trafficking in the Rutland area in early 2020. See https://www.justice.gov/usao-vt/pr/27- individuals-charged-or-arrested-part-joint-law-enforcement-effort. The Vermont Drug Task
Force, the Rutland City Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation provided investigative assistance in the case against Carroll. The coordinated law enforcement effort focusing on Rutland, Vermont was conducted as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement
Task Force (OCDETF) Program. OCDETF is a joint federal, state, and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking and is the nation’s primary tool for disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations, targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations, and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to disrupt or dismantle the targeted criminal organization and seize their assets.The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest. Rodney Carroll was represented by Steven L. Barth, Esq.
Rapper scammer sentenced to prison for faking association with musical group in conspiracy to cheat hotels, studios, limo servicesRead the Press Release
AUGUSTA, GA: A Florida man has been sentenced to seven years in federal prison after admitting his participation in a scheme to steal hospitality services by claiming to be part of a famed rap group.
Aaron Barnes-Burpo, 29, of Crestview, Fla., was sentenced to 84 months in prison by U.S. District Court Judge Dudley H. Bowen after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, said David H. Estes, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. Barnes also was ordered to pay nearly $300,000 to 19 businesses defrauded in the scheme, and must serve three years of supervised release after completion of his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Barnes-Burpo’s co-defendant, Walker Washington, 52, of Augusta, awaits sentencing in the case after also pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud.
“For several weeks, these men defrauded multiple businesses by posing as famous musical artists and their retinue,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Estes. “Thanks to an alert hotel clerk, their phony hit parade came to an abrupt halt.”
In court documents and testimony, Barnes-Burpo and Washington admitted that they falsely portrayed themselves as affiliated with the Roc Nation production company and the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan as early as September 2019, and used those fictitious representations along with fraudulent and stolen credit cards to rent luxury limousines and defraud hotels, caterers and production studios of thousands of dollars in goods and services in multiple cities, primarily in the Southeast.
The scam unraveled Nov. 21, 2019, when staff at the Fairfield Inn and Suites in Augusta became suspicious and alerted the FBI and the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office.
“Hopefully, some of the businesses that were defrauded by this scam will be able to recoup some of their losses as a result of this sentence,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “This is what happens when you seek a fleeting moment of fame at the expense of others. Neither law enforcement nor the community will tolerate it.”
The case is being investigated by the FBI and other state and local authorities, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia G. Rhodes.
Property developer sentenced to prison for fraudRead the Press Release
GAINESVILLE, Ga. - Louis Beria has been sentenced to prison for defrauding a company and its elderly owner. The defendant was previously an advisor and property manager of an apartment complex owned by the victim.
“The victim trusted Beria to manage his property but was betrayed when the defendant diverted over $1.6 million for his own benefit,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Kurt R. Erskine. “With elder fraud unfortunately on the rise, it remains a priority for our office.”
“Beria stole the hard-earned money of an investor who trusted him to manage his properties,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “No matter how clever the investment scam is, the FBI will find and hold accountable anyone who preys on unsuspecting investors.”
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Erskine, the charges and other information presented in court: The victim was an elderly, German investor, who began purchasing properties in Northern Georgia several years ago. Louis Beria met the victim and became an advisor and property manager for the victim.
Among other tasks, the victim hired Beria to manage an apartment complex he owned in Atlanta. While managing that apartment complex, Beria himself owned a separate apartment complex in Atlanta. Beria hired a company to do construction work on the complex he owned but used money from the victim’s apartment complex to pay for it. Ultimately, Beria stole $1,621,979 and lied to the victim about how he used this money.
Louis Beria, 64, of Milton, Georgia, was sentenced to four years, three months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1,621,979. Beria was convicted on these charges on November 4, 2020, after he pleaded guilty.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Huber, Deputy Chief of the Complex Frauds Section, prosecuted the case.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is part of the Department of Justice Transnational Elder Fraud Strike Force. The Strike Force focuses on investigating and prosecuting defendants associated with foreign-based fraud schemes that disproportionately affect American seniors. These include romance scams, phone scams, mass-mailing fraud schemes, and tech-support fraud schemes. For further information on these scams, see https://www.justice.gov/elderjustice/senior-scam-alert.
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.
Pittsburgh Woman Sentenced to 2½ Years for Mid-Level Role in DS44 Gang’s Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 30 months’ imprisonment and three years’ supervised release on her conviction of conspiring to distribute fentanyl and other drugs, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.
United States District Judge William S. Stickman, IV imposed the sentence on Danasia McNeal, age 23, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
According to information presented to the court, in 2017, the Greater Pittsburgh Safe Streets Task Force initiated 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 the large-scale narcotics and firearms investigation, in February of 2019, the United States received authorization to intercept several the subjects’ wire communications, which continued through June of 2019.
Intercepted communications as well as recorded jail calls and visits revealed that McNeal had agreed to operate her boyfriend, codefendant James Givner’s drug trafficking business while he was incarcerated at the Allegheny County jail. McNeal distributed drugs with the assistance of Christopher Highsmith, a high-level participant in the charged drug-trafficking activity. McNeal ultimately accepted responsibility for the distribution of 65 grams of heroin and fentanyl in the Pittsburgh area as a condition of the plea. She is one of 40 individuals charged in the case.
Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Stickman stated that a 30-month term of imprisonment reflected McNeal’s mid-level role in the conspiracy as well as her lack of criminal history, her earlier employment, and the close and supportive relationship she had with her family.
Assistant United States Attorneys Carolyn J. Bloch and Brendan McKenna 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.
Parmelee Man Indicted for Failure to Register as a Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Dennis Holmes announced that a Parmelee, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender.
William Henry Horse Looking, age 39, was indicted on March 9, 2021. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on March 12, 2021, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 10 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, five years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
Horse Looking was convicted of Abusive Sexual Contact in April 2009. As a result of this conviction, he is required to register as a sex offender. It is alleged that between September 10, 2020, and March 12, 2021, Horse Looking, a person required to register under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, and a sex offender by reason of conviction under Federal Law, failed to properly register as a sex offender and update his registration.
The charge is merely an accusation and Horse Looking is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Elmore is prosecuting the case.
Horse Looking was released on bond pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
Palm Desert Man Pleads Guilty to Firebombing Republican ClubRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A Palm Desert man pleaded guilty today to a federal arson charge and admitted that he used a Molotov cocktail in an attempt to destroy the East Valley Republican Women Federated (EVRWF) office in La Quinta.
Carlos Espriu, 23, who has been in custody since his arrest in this case last fall, pleaded guilty this afternoon to one count of attempted arson of a building.
During the early morning hours of May 31, 2020, Espriu broke the front windows of the EVRWF headquarters and repeatedly tossed through the windows a lighted Molotov cocktail made of three bottles he had taped together.
In his plea agreement, Espriu agreed to pay at least $5,426 in restitution to compensate the victim for the damage caused by the firebombing.
Espriu pleaded guilty during a hearing on Zoom before United States District Judge Percy Anderson, who scheduled a sentencing hearing for May 24.
The attempted arson charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison and statutory maximum sentence of 20 years.
The investigation in this matter was conducted by the FBI’s Inland Empire Joint Terrorism Task Force.
This matter is being prosecuted by Sara Milstein of the Violent and Organized Crime Section.
Owner of Chicago-Area Mexican Restaurant Franchises Pleads Guilty to Underreporting $2.5 Million in Corporate TaxesRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — The owner of five Chicago-area Pepe’s Mexican Restaurant franchises pleaded guilty in federal court today to filing false corporate tax returns that underreported approximately $2.5 million in gross receipts and sales.
JUAN C. HURTADO, 45, of Joliet, pleaded guilty to one count of making a false statement in a tax return. The conviction is punishable by up to three years in federal prison. U.S. District John F. Kness set sentencing for June 7, 2021, at 2:30 p.m.
Hurtado owned Pepe’s franchises in Chicago, Tinley Park, Hickory Hills, Matteson, and Chicago Heights. Hurtado admitted in a plea agreement that from 2016 to 2018 he caused the filing of eleven materially false corporate tax returns with the IRS, as well as materially false sales and income tax returns with the State of Illinois, that underreported the gross receipts and sales of his restaurants by a combined total of approximately $2.5 million. Hurtado further admitted that he created false sales reports and gave them to his accountants, knowing the reports would be used as a basis for underreporting the receipts and sales.
The guilty plea was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Tamera D. Cantu, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division in Chicago. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick D. Young.
Orange Park Man Charged After Mailing Multiple Machinegun Conversion DevicesRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Karin Hoppmann announces the return of an indictment charging Kristopher Justinboyer Ervin (41, Orange Park) with possession of an unregistered machinegun conversion device. If convicted, Ervin faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison.
According to court documents, in January 2021, an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives received information that Ervin may be selling devices referred to as “auto-sears” on a website called AutoKeyCards.com. Auto-sears are also sometimes referred to as “lightning links.” An auto-sear is a combination of parts designed and intended for converting a weapon to shoot automatically more than one shot, without manual reloading, with a single trigger pull, and is therefore a machinegun under federal law. All machineguns are required to be registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.
Agents with ATF and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service purchased multiple items from AutoKeyCards.com consisting of metal cards etched with a design for an auto-sear. The agents paid for the metal cards etched with a design for an auto-sear using postal money orders, which Ervin then deposited into his account at a local credit union. An ATF expert analyzed one of the devices that had been purchased undercover and was able to convert an AR-15 style firearm into a machinegun by cutting out the etching for an auto-sear using a commonly available tool and then inserting the auto-sear into the firearm.
On February 22, 2021, agents surveilled Ervin as he delivered 22 packages to a post office in Orange Park. A Postal Inspector obtained warrants to search the 22 packages and found that each of them contained a metal card etched with an auto-sear design. A Postal Inspector was able to see that Ervin had created labels for more than 1,200 mailings that appeared to contain auto-sear devices.
On March 2, 2021, Ervin was arrested in Columbia County, Florida. Search warrants were executed on Ervin’s vehicle and residence, resulting in the recovery of $3,700 in cash, approximately 1,552 auto-sear devices, machinery that was used to manufacture the auto-sear devices, other firearms, computers, and packaging materials consistent with those Ervin had used to mail packages containing auto-sears. Ervin’s websites have been seized by ATF.
An indictment is merely a charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, and the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Laura Cofer Taylor.
This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence and enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes. For more information on Project Guardian visit www.justice.gov/projectguardian.
Operators of dietary supplement company intend to plead guilty to failure to register a food manufacturing facility and refusal of an FDA inspectionRead the Press Release
The operators of a dietary supplement manufacturing company in Monroeville and Canton, Ohio, intend to plead guilty in federal court to a Bill of Information filed on Monday, March 15, charging them with failure to register a food manufacturing facility and refusal of a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspection.
Shaun Cotterill, age 54, of Monroeville, was charged with three counts of failure to allow an FDA inspection; one count of introduction of adulterated food and one count of failure to register a food manufacturing facility.
Michael Sanor, age 61, of North Canton, was charged with one count of introduction of adulterated food and one count of failure to register a food manufacturing facility.
Cotterill and Sanor were members, trustees and operators of Genesis Herb LLC, a dietary manufacturer and distributor located in Monroeville and Canton.
“As alleged in the charges, those who purposely subvert the regulatory functions of the FDA by obstructing inspections are potentially endangering the lives of their customers and the general public,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Bridget M. Brennan. “The Department of Justice and our partner agencies will continue to protect the health of the public by ensuring critical regulatory functions, such as this, continue unabated.”
“Federal law requires that dietary supplement manufacturers follow good manufacturing practice to ensure, among other things, that their products contain the labeled ingredients and are not contaminated with harmful or undesirable substances. FDA inspection of these facilities is critical to determining adherence to these regulations and manufacturers who refuse FDA oversight put the public at risk,” said Special Agent in Charge Mark S. McCormack, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations Metro Washington Field Office. “We will continue to monitor, investigate and bring to justice dietary supplement firms that ignore these important safety requirements.”
Court documents state that both Cotterill and Sanor were members, trustees and operators of Genesis Herb Company, LLC, a dietary manufacturer and distributor located in Monroeville and Canton. Cotterill and Sanor also operated Genesis Herb Private Membership Association, a private membership organization with trustees located in the Northern District of Ohio that distributed dietary supplements to its members.
On September 22, 2016, December 13, 2017 and April 18, 2018, investigators with the FDA obtained a Warrant for Administrative Inspection for the Genesis Herb Company manufacturing facility site in Monroeville and Canton. As alleged in the charges, on each occasion, investigators attempted to conduct an inspection at the Monroeville facility and were denied access by Shaun Cotterill.
According to the Bill of Information, Cotterill initially allowed the inspection of storage areas and out-buildings that contained items such as boxes, packaging materials, shipping labels, invoices and more. However, Cotterill allegedly refused to provide access to the areas where the dietary supplements were manufactured and stored on each occasion.
Additionally, Cotterill allegedly refused to provide access to manufacturing records required to be kept regulation governing the operation of Genesis Herb. The Bill of Information states that during each instance, Cotterill was told by an investigator that these refusals would constitute a refusal of inspection. It is alleged that Cotterill claimed he understood, and the inspections were terminated.
According to the Bill of Information and details presented in court proceedings, from September of 2016 through June of 2020, Cotterill and Sanor intend to plead guilty to introducing into interstate commerce dietary supplements manufactured, processed, packed, and held in a factory, warehouse, or establishment that did not meet required manufacturing practices.
In addition, Cotterill and Sanor allegedly failed to renew a registration for Genesis Herb Company as a food manufacturing facility and never registered Genesis Herb Private Membership Association with the FDA as a food facility.
This case was investigated by the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Freeman.
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Operation False Haven: Convicted Child Molester Sentenced for Passport Fraud, Civilly Denaturalized and Judicially Ordered Removed from the United StatesRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina announced that today in federal court, Saul David Aquino, age 44, a naturalized citizen of the United States, born in Argentina, residing in Franklin County, was sentenced by United States District Judge Louise W. Flanagan to five years of probation and ordered to pay a $3,000 fine following a guilty plea to passport fraud. Moreover, Aquino was civilly denaturalized as a United States citizen and ordered judicially removed from the United States.
According to an affidavit for a federal search warrant executed on March 4, 2020, Aquino was born in Argentina in 1976, and on August 4, 2003, he was granted permanent resident status in the United States.
On May 28, 2009, in Franklin County, North Carolina, Aquino completed, and submitted, an Application for Naturalization (Form N-400) to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The Form N-400 contained a series of questions related to good moral character. Question 15 asked: “Have you ever committed a crime or offense for which you were not arrested?” Aquino answered “No” and signed the Form N-400 under penalty of perjury.
On August 26, 2009, Aquino was granted United States citizenship and was issued a naturalization certificate.
On June 8, 2015, in the Superior Court of North Carolina in Franklin County, Aquino was convicted of two counts of indecent liberties with a child, in violation of North Carolina General Statute § 14-202.1. Aquino was sentenced to a combined term of imprisonment of between 26 and 32 months and mandated to register as a sex offender. The offense date listed on the judgment was January 1, 2007, before he applied for naturalization.
Additionally, the affidavit stated that on August 26, 2009, in Franklin County, Aquino signed and submitted an application for a U.S. passport to the United States Department of State. As proof of citizenship and eligibility, AQUINO presented his fraudulently obtained naturalization certificate.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. Agents with ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations and Homeland Security Investigations, assigned to the Document Benefit Fraud Task Force, investigated the case as part of Operation False Haven. Operation False Haven is an ongoing initiative in conjunction with the Department of Justice’s Office of Immigration Litigation, designed to identify and prosecute child molesters and other egregious felons who fraudulently obtained U.S. citizenship.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:20-cr-00041-FL, Case No. 5:20-cv-00277-FL, and Case No. 5:20-mj-01224-JG-1.
Norwalk Man Pleads Guilty to Tax Evasion OffenseRead the Press Release
Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Ramsey E. Covington, Acting Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in New England, announced that MICHAEL C. MONROE, 48, of Norwalk, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill to one count of tax evasion.
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, Monroe operates a construction business known as Monroe Construction. From 2008 through 2013, Monroe owed substantial unpaid income taxes and penalties to the IRS. In 2014, the IRS levied the business bank account used by Monroe as the operating account for his construction company. Monroe subsequently closed his business bank account and, between approximately November 2014 and November 2017, evaded payment to the IRS of his preexisting tax obligations by using a check cashing service to cash approximately $1.5 million in customer checks paid to his business. For the 2014 and 2015 tax years, Monroe failed to report to the IRS a total of more than $700,000 that his business generated in gross revenues. In addition to evading payment to the IRS of more than $107,000, he understated the federal income taxes he owed in 2014 and 2015 by approximately $34,000.
Monroe has agreed to pay total back taxes of $141,041.17, plus interest and penalties.
Judge Underhill scheduled sentencing for June 15, 2021, at which time Monroe faces a maximum term of imprisonment of five years. Monroe is released pending sentencing.
This investigation is being conducted by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher W. Schmeisser.
Norcross cousins sentenced for operating meth lab near an elementary schoolRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Zury Brito-Arroyo, Bonifacio Brito-Maldonado, and Roberto Arroyo-Garcia have been sentenced to federal prison for manufacturing and distributing methamphetamine in a home where a minor child resided and within 1,000 feet of a school. The three men, all of whom had illegally entered the United States from Mexico, utilized a family home in Norcross less than 200 feet from an elementary school to operate a methamphetamine laboratory.
“These men ran a lab churning out volatile and toxic chemicals to produce concentrated methamphetamine,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Kurt R. Erskine. “In doing so, they were exposing not only members of their own family, including children, an expectant mother, and a grandmother, to serious harm, but also innocent neighbors and school children who were completely unaware of the danger.”
“Methamphetamine production can have devasting consequences that go beyond those associated with taking the drug. One such consequence is the toxic vapor and deadly chemicals produced when it is being made. These chemicals pose extreme danger to anyone in the vicinity. The innocent children in the school next door and even the other family members in the household were placed in danger due to the defendants’ recklessness,” said Special Agent in Charge Katrina W. Berger, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in Georgia and Alabama. “This is a growing threat and HSI and its law enforcement partners are working to identify, arrest, and prosecute those involved in producing and selling this poison.”
“Those who manufacture methamphetamine, because of its toxicity and volatility, pose a grave danger to everyone,” said the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division Robert J. Murphy. “Given that this operational ‘meth’ lab was near a school, the outcome could have been devastating to the school children, staff and to the community at-large. Because of spirited law enforcement cooperation between DEA and its counterparts, these defendants will receive well-deserved time in prison.”
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Erskine, the charges and other information presented in court: In August 2017, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents investigating a local methamphetamine distributor tracked him to a house in a residential neighborhood they believed was used as part of the drug manufacturing and distribution operation.
As agents were watching the house, Georgia State Patrol, working in conjunction with HSI, stopped defendant Zury Brito-Arroyo as he was driving away from the house. Inside his car, they found $10,000 cash wrapped in green cellophane and a 9mm pistol. Brito-Arroyo’s five-year-old child and wife were also in the car. Agents then searched the stash house and found defendants Roberto Arroyo-Garcia and Bonifacio Brito-Maldonado actively operating a methamphetamine laboratory in a shed in the backyard. Chemical fumes coming from the operation were so strong that one of the men began vomiting. Agents detained the two, but Arroyo-Garcia resisted arrest and fled. He was ultimately found hiding nearby and was arrested. Agents later searched Brito-Arroyo’s cell phone pursuant to a federal search warrant and discovered an app that monitored security cameras mounted at the house.
Agents seized over 10.7 kilograms of finished crystal methamphetamine from the shed and inside the house, some of which was over 90% pure, plus additional methamphetamine in liquid form that had not been fully processed into solid form for distribution. They also seized an additional 9mm pistol, $8,500 cash, and other methamphetamine trafficking paraphernalia including respirators, rubber gloves, and digital scales.
The DEA Clandestine Laboratory Enforcement Team responded to the scene to remove the dangerous chemicals. Agents also found children’s clothes inside the house, and later confirmed that a ten-year-old child, who was related to the defendants, lived there.
With assistance from the Sandy Springs Police Department, agents also searched another residence used by Brito-Arroyo, where they discovered a plastic bin with methamphetamine residue, another 9mm pistol, an electronic money counter, and four bundles of cash totaling $41,000 wrapped in green cellophane.
- Roberto Arroyo-Garcia, 39, of Guerrero, Mexico, who was previously deported on two separate occasions following prior drug convictions, was sentenced today to 22 years in prison to be followed by ten years of supervised release. Arroyo-Garcia was convicted on these charges on October 23, 2019, after he pleaded guilty.
- Zury Brito-Arroyo, 28, of Guerrero, Mexico, was sentenced on February 25, 2020, to 21 years in prison to be followed by ten years of supervised release. Brito-Arroyo was convicted on these charges on October 17, 2019, after he pleaded guilty.
- Bonifacio Brito-Maldonado, 24, of Michoacan, Mexico, was sentenced on October 19, 2020, to 19 years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release. Brito-Maldonado was convicted on these charges on October 17, 2019, after he pleaded guilty.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Georgia State Patrol, and the Sandy Springs Police Department are investigating this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Garrett L. Bradford, Deputy Chief of the Public Integrity and Special Matters Section, and Ryan M. Christian prosecuted the case.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.gov.This prosecution was brought as a part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Co-located Strike Forces Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations against a continuum of priority targets and their affiliate illicit financial networks. These prosecutor-led co-located Strike Forces capitalize on the synergy created through the long-term relationships that can be forged by agents, analysts, and prosecutors who remain together over time, and they epitomize the model that has proven most effective in combating organized crime. The specific mission of the Atlanta Strike Force is to disrupt, dismantle, and prosecute the highest-level members of international drug cartels and transnational criminal organizations that have operations in metro Atlanta and throughout the United States.
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.
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.- Roberto Arroyo-Garcia, 39, of Guerrero, Mexico, who was previously deported on two separate occasions following prior drug convictions, was sentenced today to 22 years in prison to be followed by ten years of supervised release. Arroyo-Garcia was convicted on these charges on October 23, 2019, after he pleaded guilty.
Navajo man charged with murder in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Jameson Begaye, 41, of Shiprock, New Mexico, and an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, made an initial appearance on March 12 in federal court, charged with murder committed in Indian Country. Begaye will remain in custody pending a detention hearing scheduled for March 16.
According to a criminal complaint, on March 7, Begaye allegedly shot and killed a victim, identified in court records as John Doe, following an altercation at a residence near Shiprock on the Navajo Nation. On March 8, investigators located Begaye, who was arrested after a law enforcement pursuit. During the pursuit, Begaye allegedly threw a handgun from his vehicle. Investigators later retrieved the handgun and found a rifle and unspent rounds of ammunition inside the vehicle.
A complaint is only an allegation. A defendant is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Begaye faces up to life in prison.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Department of Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elisa Dimas is prosecuting the case.
Monongalia County man sentenced for drug chargeRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Kyle Alexander Martin, of Morgantown, West Virginia, was sentenced to 50 months of incarceration for a drug charge, Acting United States Attorney Randolph J. Bernard announced.
Martin, 33, pled guilty to one count of “Possession with Intent to Distribute Heroin” in November 2020. Martin admitted to having heroin in November 2019 in Monongalia County.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda E. Wesley prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Mon Metro Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.
Senior U.S. District Judge Irene M. Keeley presided.
Mission Man Indicted for Failure to Register as a Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Dennis Holmes announced that a Mission, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender.
Moses Left Hand Bull, age 29, was indicted on October 14, 2020. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on March 12, 2021, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 10 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, five years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
Left Hand Bull was convicted of Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor in August 2009. As a result of this conviction, he is required to register as a sex offender. It is alleged that between June 8, 2020, and October 14, 2020, Left Hand Bull, a person required to register under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, and a sex offender by reason of conviction under Federal Law, failed to properly register as a sex offender and update his registration.
The charge is merely an accusation and Left Hand Bull is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson is prosecuting the case.
Left Hand Bull was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
Mexican National with Prior Felonies Pleads Guilty to Illegally Reentering the CountryRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: A Mexican national with an immigration history of prior removals and felony convictions pleaded guilty today in federal court to illegally reentering the U.S., Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.
According to court records, on October 2, 2020, Galdino Velasco-Santiago, aka Galdino Chavez-Santiago, 40, was arrested on state criminal charges after a car he was operating went off the road in Augusta and was damaged. He had been removed from the U.S. to Mexico four times previously. Immigration authorities determined that he had also been prosecuted in federal courts in Arizona, Florida, and California for prior illegal reentry felony offenses.
Velasco-Santiago faces up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.
U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement and the Augusta Police Department investigated the case.
Martinsburg man admits to role in drug trafficking operationRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Stephon Robert Christian, of Martinsburg West Virginia, has admitted to his role in a drug distribution operation, Acting United States Attorney Randolph J. Bernard announced.
Christian, 26, pled guilty to one count of “Possession with Intent to Distribute Eutylone.” Christian admitted to having Eutylone in April 2020 in Berkeley County.Christian faces up to 20 years of incarceration and a fine of up to $1,000,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The FBI; the Department of Homeland Security Investigations; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the U.S. Marshals Service; the West Virginia State Police; the Eastern Panhandle Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; and the West Virginia Air National Guard investigated.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided.
Find the related case here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndwv/pr/west-virginia-and-virginia-residents-indicted-drug-trafficking-operation-berkeley-and
Marana Man Sentenced to 12 Years for Assaulting Federal Agent, Weapons CrimesRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Chris Paul Snow, 68, of Marana, Arizona, was sentenced Friday by U.S. District Court Judge Jennifer G. Zipps to 144 months in prison for assault of a federal officer with a deadly weapon, unlawful possession of a destructive device, possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon, and use of a firearm during a crime of violence.
On August 3, 2018, law enforcement responded to a 911 call reporting a shooting incident at Snow’s residence in Marana. While investigating the incident, officers found several rounds of ammunition, loaded firearm magazines, and a live grenade in Snow’s bedroom. Snow, a convicted felon, was indicted in federal court for unlawfully possessing the grenade and ammunition, and the court issued a warrant for his arrest.
On September 13, 2018, federal agents attempted to serve the arrest warrant at Snow’s residence. While agents were inside his residence, Snow pointed a firearm at one of the agents and refused to obey commands to drop the firearm. Agents were eventually able to disarm Snow and place him under arrest. Snow was subsequently indicted for these additional crimes. On October 16, 2020, Snow was convicted of all five charges against him following a trial.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, with assistance from the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant United States Attorney Angela W. Woolridge, District of Arizona, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR18-1796-TUC-JGZ
RELEASE NUMBER: 2021-013_Snow# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Manchester Man Sentenced to 24 Months for Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
CONCORD - Alex Stoltman, 23, of Manchester, was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison for bank robbery, Acting United States Attorney John J. Farley announced today.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on September 2, 2020, Stoltman entered a Citizens Bank branch in Manchester and handed a note to the bank teller that read, in part, “This is a robbery. Keep your hands where I can see them. Do not look at anyone. Do not think about hitting the alarm, I will blow your brains out. Give me all the money you can reach.” The victim bank teller gave Stoltman all of the money in the teller’s cash drawer.
Stoltman was arrested two days after the robbery.
Stoltman previously pleaded guilty on November 9, 2020. He was ordered to pay $2,767 in restitution to the bank.
“Bank robberies are violent crimes that endanger bank employees and members of the public,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Farley. “Although no one was physically injured in this crime, the defendant’s threatening actions may have an enduring impact on his victims. To protect the public and seek justice for victims, we work collaboratively with the FBI, the Manchester Police Department, and all our law enforcement partners to identify and prosecute those who commit violent crimes in the Granite State.”
“Shortly after he put innocent bystanders in fear for their lives by threatening an armed bank robbery, Alex Stoltman told an acquaintance that he was going to continue robbing banks until he got caught. But thanks to the quick work of law enforcement, his crime spree was brought to an end,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “The collaborative effort to address violent crimes is just one example of how the FBI and our partners at the Manchester Police Department are working together to make our communities safer.”
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Manchester Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Krasinski.
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Man Sentenced in Deaths of Three Smuggled Chinese MigrantsRead the Press Release
Assistant U. S. Attorney Michael G. Wheat (619) 546-8437
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – March 15, 2021
SAN DIEGO – Neil Edwin Valera, a U.S. citizen who resided in Tijuana, was sentenced in federal court today to five years in prison in connection with the deaths of three Chinese migrants, including a mother and her 15-year-old son, who were found in the trunk of Valera’s BMW two days after he crossed into the United States through the San Ysidro Port of Entry in the same car.
Valera, a truck driver from El Paso, Texas, pleaded guilty in February 2020 to Encouraging Aliens to Enter Resulting in Death and Bringing in Aliens without Presentation for Financial Gain.
At the sentencing hearing today, U.S. District Judge Anthony Battaglia said: “There’s an inherent danger with putting people in the trunks and compartments of cars. It’s not just a fairy tale that people will get hurt or die - it really does happen.”
On August 11, 2019, at 4:54 p.m., San Diego police received an emergency 911 call from a person reporting a foul odor and blood dripping from a suspicious vehicle with Texas license plates parked near the 2100 block of Jaime Avenue in San Diego.
San Diego police officers discovered a 1999 silver BMW with a Texas license plate. The officers lifted the trunk and found what initially appeared to be two deceased Asian females. Homicide detectives found an additional victim, an Asian male, pressed up against the rear wall of the trunk. A witness said the car was first noticed two days earlier and no one was seen coming or going.
Video recordings show the same car crossing into the United States from Mexico on August 9, 2019, at the San Ysidro port of entry at 3:14 p.m. According to the complaint, the driver was Valera, the registered owner of the vehicle. Valera used his Sentri card to enter into the U.S. After that day, Valera only crossed into the United States on foot, through pedestrian lanes at the San Ysidro Port of Entry.
“This smuggler showed a reckless disregard for the lives of his customers,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman. “This office will aggressively seek justice for victims who no longer have a voice.” Grossman thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Wheat and officials from the San Diego Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations for their excellent work on this case.
DEFENDANT Case Number 3:19-cr-03865-AJB
Neil Edwin Valera Age: 52 Tijuana
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Encouraging Aliens to Enter Resulting in Death – Title 8, U.S.C., Section 1324(a)(1)(A)(vi) and (B)(iv)
Maximum penalty: Life in prison or death and $250,000 fine
Bringing in Aliens without Presentation for Financial Gain – Title 8, U.S.C., Section 1324(a)(2)(B)(ii)
Maximum penalty: Mandatory minimum three years, up to 15 years in prison
AGENCY
San Diego Police Department
Homeland Security Investigations
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations
Local Landscaping Company Owner Charged with Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
BOSTON – The owner of a local landscaping company was charged today with tax evasion in connection with a scheme to underreport income on his business and personal tax returns.
Kevin Newman, 70, of Auburndale, the owner of Kevin Newman Landscape and Tree Inc., has agreed to plead guilty to one count of tax evasion. A plea hearing has not yet been scheduled.
As alleged in the charging document, for tax years 2015 through 2019, Newman underreported income and inflated expenses on his personal tax returns, and those his company filed, resulting in a tax loss of more than $384,000.
The charge of tax evasion provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell and Ramsey E. Covington, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Miron Bloom of Mendell’s Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Las Vegas Felon Sentenced to Prison for Selling Oxycodone Pills and Possessing Two Loaded FirearmsRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – A convicted felon was sentenced last Monday (March 8, 2021) to eight years and six months in federal prison for unlawfully selling over 1,000 pills of Oxycodone — a Schedule II controlled substance — and unlawfully possessing two loaded firearms, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Christopher Chiou for the District of Nevada.
Kary Watson, 50, of Las Vegas, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and one count of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a prohibited person. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Jennifer A. Dorsey sentenced Watson to three years of supervised release.
According to court documents and admissions made in court by Watson, between August 2016 and April 2017, he and co-conspirators agreed to obtain Oxycodone pills and resell them. Watson received and sold more than 1,155 Oxycodone 30 mg pills during the conspiracy. In addition, he possessed a loaded Sig Sauer Model 556 .223 caliber rifle and a loaded H&K P2000 semi-automatic handgun. He has prior drug felony convictions that prohibit him from possessing a firearm.
Co-defendants Earnest Rogers, Jason West, Marcus Jones, Leslie Brass, Artavious Wright, Murray Newton, Jamal William, and Richard Roberts, have all pleaded guilty and been sentenced. Co-defendant Damien Norris was convicted by a federal jury and was sentenced. A federal jury trial for the final co-defendant, John Phillips, is scheduled for June 8, 2021.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Oxycodone — a semi-synthetic opioid — has a high potential for abuse that can lead to severe psychological and physical dependence and can result in fatal overdoses.
If you have a tip or information about illegal sales or distribution of prescription opioids, including Fentanyl, Oxycodone, and Hydrocodone, please call the DEA at 1-877-RX-Abuse (792-2873). For information about the harmful effects of illicit drug use, visit www.JustThinkTwice.com for teens and www.GetSmartAboutDrugs.com for parents, educators, and caregivers.
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Judge sentences St. Louis County fentanyl dealer for distribution causing deathRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – United States District Judge Henry E. Autrey sentenced Travis Broeker to 23 years in prison today. On September 17, 2020, at the conclusion of a four-day jury trial, the 36-year-old Clayton, Missouri resident was found guilty of distribution of fentanyl resulting in death and conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.
The evidence at trial established on February 28, 2018, Broeker met the victim on a parking lot of a convenience store and sold him six fentanyl capsules. The victim returned to his residence in the 2800 block of Telegraph, ingested fentanyl and overdosed. The victim’s roommate called 911 at 7:27 p.m. The victim was successfully treated with NARCAN and released from the hospital late in the evening of February 28. While the victim was in the hospital, his roommate confiscated what he believed to be the victim’s remaining fentanyl and his cell phone for the victim’s safety. Unfortunately, the victim’s roommate was unaware that the victim had concealed some of the remaining fentanyl in a hollowed-out rubber ball.
The victim returned home around midnight where he and his roommate spoke before the roommate went to sleep. During the early morning hours of March 1, the victim’s roommate found him unresponsive, in a fetal position. The same paramedics who treated the victim the previous night responded a second time and determined he was “beyond help.” The victim was pronounced dead at 6:08 a.m. on March 1.
St. Louis County Police investigators obtained the victim’s remaining fentanyl and cell phone from his roommate. The police used an undercover detective purporting to be the victim’s friend to contact Broeker, who agreed to distribute additional fentanyl to the victim and the undercover detective. Broeker enlisted co-defendant Pamela Barton to deliver 20 capsules of fentanyl to the undercover detective. Barton unwittingly contacted the police to make the fentanyl delivery and was arrested. Investigators later arrested Broeker, who admitted distributing fentanyl to the victim.
On January 15, 2020, Judge Autrey sentenced Barton to 60 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.
The St. Louis County Police Department investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Nauman Wadalawala is handling the case.
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Georgia Man Sentenced for Conspiring to Commit Marriage FraudRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina announced that today in federal court, Tojiddin Ghaibulloyev Rahimov, age 47, a naturalized citizen of the United States, born in Tajikistan, residing in Columbus, Georgia, was sentenced by United States District Judge Louise W. Flanagan to 8 months imprisonment following a guilty plea to conspiracy to commit marriage fraud.
The indictment alleges that Melissa Godshall and Robert Kennerley, who were romantically involved, were panhandling for money on the side of the road in Granville County, North Carolina. Rahimov approached them and asked Godshall if she would be willing to marry a foreign-born national for money. Rahimov introduced Godshall to Levan Lomtatidze, a citizen of the former Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic. Thereafter, Godshall agreed to engage in the marriage to Lomtatidze in exchange for $12,000, housing, and a vehicle.
Lomtatidze and Godshall got married in Granville County, North Carolina. The marriage ceremony was witnessed by Kennerley and another individual. Thereafter, Lomtatidze transferred $1,000 to Rahimov’s bank account.
Lomtatidze, Godshall and Kennerley entered into a rental agreement for a house located in Raleigh, North Carolina. The rent was paid for by Lomtatidze as part of the payment for the sham marriage. Thereafter, Godshall and Lomtatidze submitted fraudulent applications to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) requesting Lomtatidze’s adjustment of status as a lawful permanent resident in the United States (commonly known as a “green card”). Rahimov prepared Lomtatidze and Godshall for their interview with USCIS.
At the interview, both Godshall and Lomtatidze attested under oath they were married in good faith. As a result of the interview, USCIS approved the request and Lomtatidze was granted conditional resident status in the United States. Later, Lomtatidze and Godshall submitted to USCIS another application attesting they were still married in good faith and requesting Lomtatidze’s removal of conditions on his resident status. A fraudulent letter supporting Lomtatidze’s removal of conditions attesting to the legitimacy of the marriage was submitted by Godshall’s mother, Marilyn Godshall.
Godshall, Lomtatidze, and Kennerley were all charged and sentenced for conspiracy to commit marriage fraud via separate indictments in Case No. 5:19-cr-00106-FL. Moreover, Marilyn Godshall was also charged and convicted for aiding and abetting in Case No. 7:19-mj-01053-FL.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. Agents with Homeland Security Investigations, assigned to the Document Benefit Fraud Task Force, investigated the case.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:19-cr-00180-FL.
Former correctional employee admits to sexual contact with inmateRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Heather D. Obrad, a correctional employee at Federal Corrections Institution Hazelton, has admitted to having inappropriate contact with an inmate, Acting United States Attorney Randolph J. Bernard announced.
Obrad, of Granville, West Virginia, pleaded guilty today to one count of “Abusive Sexual Contact.” Obrad, 27, a secretary at FCI Hazelton, admitted to having sexual contact with an inmate at the facility from August to October 2020.
Obrad is facing up to two years of incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher L. Bauer is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Office of Inspector General investigated.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.
Former Old Dominion University Student Sentenced for Swatting ConspiracyRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Vienna man was sentenced today to 33 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy that involved multiple swatting attacks targeting journalists, a Virginia university, a historic Virginia church, an Islamic Center in Arlington, Texas, and a former U.S. Cabinet member.“Swatting attacks are serious crimes that disrupt the operations of local emergency agencies, take first responders away from real emergencies, and place victims, community members, and law enforcement officers in grave danger,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “EDVA will continue to bring to justice those who threaten public safety with these menacing hoaxes, especially when those threats are motivated by racial or religious animus, which are intolerable and have no place in our society.”
According to court documents, John William Kirby Kelley, 20, conspired with John Cameron Denton, a former leader of the Atomwaffen Division in Texas, and others to conduct “swatting” calls. Swatting is a harassment tactic that involves deceiving emergency dispatchers into believing that a person or persons are in imminent danger of death or bodily harm, thus causing the dispatchers to send police and emergency services to an unwitting third party’s address.
“Swatting is not only harassment, but these calls also waste resources and put innocent people and first responders in danger,” said James A. Dawson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners take all threats seriously and investigate instances of swatting. Law enforcement and first responders put their lives at risk every day, and swatting instances which increase that risk will not be tolerated.”
Kelley managed the online chatroom where conspirators chose targets and regularly coordinated the swatting calls. Many of the conspirators held white supremacist views and targeted individuals because they were motivated by racial animus. Kelley communicated with these white supremacists and used racial epithets.
Kelley is a former student at Old Dominion University. In early November 2018, he asked conspirators to swat Old Dominion University, which conspirators ultimately did on November 29 and December 4, 2018. In response to the bomb threat on November 29, 2018, university officials issued a shelter-in-place order and law enforcement officers were forced to search and clear every building on campus.
During the conspiracy, members placed at least 134 swatting calls to jurisdictions across the country. In addition to the swatting calls against Old Dominion University, conspirators conducted two additional swatting calls in the Eastern District of Virginia, including a call to the Alfred Street Baptist Church in November 2018, and to a former U.S. Cabinet member living in northern Virginia in January 2019.
During today’s sentencing, the Court applied both a hate crime and an official victim enhancement after finding that Kelley participated in a conspiracy that, in part, targeted individuals because of their race or status as government officials.
Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and James A. Dawson, Special Agent in Charge, Criminal Division, FBI Washington Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Carina A. Cuellar prosecuted the case. FBI’s Memphis Field Office provided significant assistance investigating this case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:20-cr-82.
Former FCI Gilmer inmate sentenced for assaulting corrections officerRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Elijah Jeremiah Smith, a former inmate at Federal Corrections Institution Gilmer, was sentenced today to 71 months of incarceration for assaulting a correctional officer, Acting United States Attorney Randolph J. Bernard announced.
Smith, 24, pleaded guilty today to one count of “Assault of a Correctional Officer Resulting in Bodily Injury.” Smith admitted to assaulting an officer and causing bodily injury while in custody in September 2019 in Gilmer County. Smith punched the officer, lacerating his lip, knocking out a tooth, and injuring his shoulder.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon S. Flower prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Prisons investigated.
Senior U.S. District Judge Irene M. Keeley presided.
Foreign Nationals Sentenced for Manufacturing Counterfeit Identification DocumentsRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Lucas Lara Portillo, 39, a foreign national residing in Fresno, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd to 15 months in prison for conspiring to produce false identification documents, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
On Dec. 15, 2020, Judge Drozd sentenced Portillo’s co-conspirator, Isaias Herrera-Ortiz, 30, to 15 months in prison for the same offense.
According to court documents, between February 2018 and November 2019, Portillo and Herrera-Ortiz produced, possessed, transferred, and sold false identification documents. These documents included counterfeit lawful permanent resident or LPR cards and fraudulent Social Security number or SSN cards. Portillo and Herrera-Ortiz sold these documents on at least four separate occasions for an average price of $130 per set. In total, the pair was responsible for manufacturing between 25 and 99 sets of fraudulent documents.
This case was the product of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura D. Withers prosecuted the case.
Florida Man Sentenced to Probation for Federal Program TheftRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that on March 12, 2021, Eliseo Sierra, age 43, of Stuart, Florida, was sentenced to five years of probation, by U.S. District Court Judge Jennifer P. Wilson, for federal program theft. Judge Wilson also ordered Sierra to pay $61,337.09 in restitution.
According to Acting United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, in 2014, while employed as an operations manager at Lincoln Charter School, in York, Pennsylvania, Sierra embezzled over $78,000 from the school. He previously repaid the school approximately $16,000. At the time of Sierra’s crime, the school received grants funded by the U.S. Department of Education.
In imposing the probationary sentence, Judge Wilson highlighted Sierra’s medical conditions and the pandemic as a reason for the non-custodial sentence. She also pointed to the age of Sierra’s conduct.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carlo D. Marchioli prosecuted the case.
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Fayetteville Man Sentenced to 10 Years’ After Firing Gun During Gas Station RobberyRead the Press Release
NEW BERN, N.C. – Kareem Jaquian Dennings, 21, of Fayetteville was sentenced today to 120 months in prison for possessing and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.
According to the investigation, on October 9, 2017, a little after 4 p.m., a man robbed the Fast Trip gas station on Yadkin road in Fayetteville. He walked behind the counter, and as he approached the clerk at the cash register, he pointed the gun at her and racked the slide. He demanded the money, and in the process of transferring the money into a book bag he carried, fired one shot downward past the clerk’s legs. In total he took $220.
The surveillance video showed the suspect to be a 5’6” to 5’9” African American male with a thin build. He wore his jacket hood up and a red bandana over his nose. Surveillance video showed that the suspect had handled the store’s door frame and responding Fayetteville PD officers were able to obtain a latent fingerprint. They also recovered a spent .38 caliber shell casing under the store counter.
Law enforcement ran the fingerprints through the State Automated Fingerprint Identification System (SAFIS), which reported a match to Dennings. A review of Dennings’ Facebook account showed that he matched the robber’s physical description. The account also included several photos in which he appeared to be wearing the same jacket and a similar red bandana to the robber.
When arrested, Dennings was wearing this same bandana. He denied having been to the Fast Trip gas station, but when confronted with the fingerprint evidence, he claimed that he had been drinking that day and may have forgotten visiting the store. After the interview, Dennings was observed in the interview room digging with his hands into his shorts that he wore under his pants. Officers searched him again and found a .38 caliber bullet in one of the pockets, consistent with the shell casing found at the Fast Trip.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The Fayetteville Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jake D. Pugh prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:18-cr-00107-FL.
FCI Gilmer inmate admits to indecent exposureRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Darius McNeal, an inmate at Federal Corrections Institution Gilmer, has admitted to indecent exposure, Acting United States Attorney Randolph J. Bernard announced.
McNeal, 20, pleaded guilty today to three counts of “Indecent Exposure.” McNeal admitted to exposing himself and committing sexual acts in front of another person on three separate occasions in November 2019m December 2019, and June 2020 in Gilmer County.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher L. Bauer is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Prisons investigated.
U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
Dutchess County Man Sentenced for Mailing White Powder to Federal Offices Throughout New YorkRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Jason Pantone, age 36, of Hyde Park, New York, was sentenced today to time served (more than two years in jail) for conveying false information and hoax letters.
The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Antoinette T. Bacon and Thomas F. Relford, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Acting U.S. Attorney Antoinette T. Bacon stated: “With these hoax letters, Jason Pantone intended to terrify federal employees throughout Upstate and Central New York. Today’s sentence justly punishes Pantone for causing emotional distress to some letter recipients, and for consuming the valuable time and resources of our first responders. I commend our law enforcement partners for quickly arresting Pantone shortly after his crimes began.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Thomas Relford stated: “Mr. Pantone's actions caused widespread panic and fear for employees who simply showed up to work that day, and he spent two years in jail as a result. The public should know the FBI will work diligently with our law enforcement partners to actively investigate and pursue prosecution of any individual who poses a threat to the safety of our citizens.”
Pantone was arrested on February 27, 2019, and had been in custody since that time. As part of his guilty plea, Pantone admitted that in February 2019, he mailed several envelopes addressed to Social Security Administration Offices in Plattsburgh, Binghamton and Utica. Additional letters were addressed to United States District Court offices in Syracuse, Binghamton, Albany, and Plattsburgh. All of the envelopes contained a typed note that read “ANTHRAX.” Some of the letters included a smiley face with “X” in the place of the eyes, meant to indicate death.
Pantone’s actions caused several locations to be evacuated and hazardous material teams to be deployed, to assess and clear the buildings. All samples of the white powder were tested and yielded negative results for anthrax or other hazardous material.
United States District Judge Mae D’Agostino also imposed a 3-year term of supervised release.
This case was investigated by the FBI, the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Federal Protective Service, the New York State Police, the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Department, the New York State Department of Health, and the Department of Homeland Security. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy Anderson.
Domestic Terrorist Sentenced for Attempting to Set Fire to Raleigh Police Department VehicleRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – A Raleigh man was sentenced to 30 months imprisonment today for attempting to set fire to a marked police vehicle in Raleigh after a demonstration over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Jabari Devon Davis, of Raleigh, was arrested by special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) on June 4, 2020 and was charged with one count of attempting to damage or destroy by fire a vehicle owned or possessed by an institution receiving federal financial assistance.
According to court documents, on May 31, 2020, at approximately 12:31 a.m. a fire was discovered coming from the fuel filler area of a police vehicle owned by the Raleigh Police Department (RPD), that was parked at the Raleigh Police Southeast District Station (RPSDS) in Raleigh. The fire was discovered and extinguished by an RPD Captain who was driving through the parking lot prior to the fire departments arrival. The fire caused approximately $5,000 in damage to the police vehicle. Investigators seized a charred sock located within the fuel filler of the damaged vehicle, a bottle with the odor of gasoline was located on the sidewalk, behind the damaged vehicle, and another charred sock located between the vehicle and the sidewalk.
On June 2, 2020, investigators were notified that a fingerprint was lifted from the seized bottle recovered at the scene and determined the fingerprint belonged to Davis.
On June 3, 2020, Davis was interviewed at his residence where he admitted to being the subject who intentionally set the police vehicle at the Southeast District on fire. DAVIS stated that after leaving the protest, he and his friend traveled to the RPSDS, where he retrieved the bottle of gasoline and poured a small amount of gasoline on a sock and put another sock in to the mouth of the bottle. DAVIS placed the gasoline-soaked sock in the fuel filler of the police vehicle and set it on fire. As DAVIS ran back towards his friend’s vehicle, he set the bottle with the sock on fire and threw it toward several parked police vehicles. However, when he threw it, the burning sock fell out, catching the grass and straw on fire.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The Raleigh Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel W. Smith prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:20-CR-00433-D.
Couple Sentenced for Child Exploitation OffensesRead the Press Release
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – A Limestone County couple has been sentenced on child exploitation charges, announced United States Attorney Prim F. Escalona and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Katrina W. Berger.
United States District Judge R. David Proctor today sentenced Bethany Leigh Siniard, 37, of Elkmont to 235 months in prison followed by 60 months of supervised release. Gregory Wade Anderson, 49, of Athens, was sentenced on January 25th to 240 months in prison to be followed by 240 months of supervised release. In August 2019, Siniard pleaded guilty and in November 2019, Anderson pleaded guilty to two counts of production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.
“These sentences send a message that exploiting vulnerable children will result in federal incarceration,” U.S. Attorney Escalona said. “The collaborative work of our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners exemplifies our commitment to investigate and prosecute those engaged in exploitation of innocent children.”
"Today's sentencing should send a strong and clear message that the exploitation of children will not be tolerated,” said Special Agent in Charge Katrina W. Berger, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in Georgia and Alabama. “HSI remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners to investigate these crimes, hold the perpetrators accountable and to ensure justice for our nation's most vulnerable population."
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case, along with the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney R. Leann White prosecuted the case.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Conspirators Who Brought More Than $600,000 and Handguns to Purchase Cocaine from Undercover Agents Sentenced to 15 YearsRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Carlos E. Mendoza has sentenced Jacob Luis Bonilla-Rivera (27, Kissimmee) and Juan Omar Rodriguez, Jr. (21, Auburndale) to 15 years in federal prison, respectively, for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of that conspiracy. The court also ordered Bonilla-Rivera and Rodriguez to forfeit $639,325 in currency, two firearms, and a vehicle used in the commission of the offenses. Bonilla-Rivera Rodriguez had pleaded guilty in December 2020.
According to court documents, starting on September 11, 2020, Bonilla-Rivera engaged in a series of phone calls with individuals he believed to be cocaine dealers but who were, in fact, undercover agents working on behalf of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). These discussions culminated in an agreement for Bonilla-Rivera to purchase 20 kilograms of cocaine in Orlando. On September 16, 2020, HSI agents met with Bonilla-Rivera and Rodriguez, where the conspirators showed HSI agents $600,000 in cash that they had brought to the deal in a hidden compartment in one of their vehicles. After showing the agents the cash, Bonilla-Rivera and Rodriguez proceeded to a location where HSI agents had arranged to show them the cocaine to be purchased. After inspecting the cocaine, Bonilla-Rivera and Rodriguez returned to their car to retrieve the cash from the hidden compartment and were arrested. Upon searching both vehicles, HSI agents found that both Bonilla-Rivera and Rodriguez had possessed loaded firearms inside vehicles they had driven to the meeting, along with a total of $639,325 cash.
“This joint investigation into a transnational criminal organization illustrates how important our partnerships are in combating illegal drugs,” said HSI Orlando Assistant Special Agent in Charge David J. Pezzutti. “The sentencing and seizures associated with this case have made our community safer.”
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from Seminole County Sherriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dana E. Hill.
Colorado Man Sentenced to 15 ½ years for Meth Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Denver, Colorado, man who pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance was sentenced on March 2, 2021, by U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey L. Viken.
James Renwick, age 59, was sentenced to 15 ½ years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
From approximately September 2019 to December 2019, Renwick brought methamphetamine to South Dakota from Colorado. Renwick then dispersed the methamphetamine to others for use or additional distribution.
This case was investigated by the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team (UNET), Drug Enforcement Agency, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. UNET is comprised of law enforcement from the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Rapid City Police Department, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, and the South Dakota National Guard.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn N. Rich prosecuted the case.
Renwick was immediately returned to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Cocoa Man Sentenced to More Than Six Years in Federal Prison for Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute FentanylRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – United States District Judge Carlos E. Mendoza has sentenced Jerimiah Swanson (22, Cocoa) to six years and eight months in federal prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl. Swanson was found guilty by a federal jury on December 10, 2020. He had been indicted on March 18, 2020.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, starting no later than November 2019, and continuing through February 2020, a confidential informant working for the Drug Enforcement Administration made six recorded purchases totaling over 150 grams of fentanyl outside Swanson’s home in Cocoa, Florida. Law enforcement also conducted a search of Swanson’s home in February 2020 and found baggies, digital scales covered with fentanyl and cocaine, and firearms in Swanson’s bedroom.
Swanson’s co-defendant previously pleaded guilty to his role in the conspiracy. He was sentenced to eight years in federal prison on December 16, 2020.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Florida Highway Patrol and the Titusville Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Shawn P. Napier and E. Jackson Boggs Jr.
Chelsea Man Sentenced for Being a Felon in Possession of FirearmRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Chelsea man was sentenced today for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Semaj Leary, 26, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper to four years in prison and three years of supervised release after pleading guilty in November 2020 to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Leary was indicted in December 2019.
On Aug. 15, 2019, Leary was found in possession of a 9mm Glock semi-automatic pistol, seven rounds of R-P 9mm caliber ammunition, four rounds of WIN 9mm caliber ammunition, two rounds of VPT 9mm caliber ammunition, one round of WCC 9mm caliber ammunition, one round of Tulammo 9mm caliber ammunition and an extra magazine. Leary was previously convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm and other crimes punishable by more than a year in jail, and therefore was prohibited from possessing firearms.
Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Kelly D. Brady, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; Suffolk County District Attorney Rachel Rollins; and Boston Police Acting Commissioner Gregory Long made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mackenzie A. Queenin of Mendell’s Criminal Division prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Career Criminal Convicted in Connection with Fort Myers Night Club ShootingRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, FL – A federal jury has found Jonathan Anthony Reid (31, Gibsonton) guilty of possessing a firearm and ammunition as a previously convicted felon, in connection with the shooting of two men outside a Fort Myers night club in January 2020. Under the Armed Career Criminal Act, Reid faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years, and up to life, in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 14, 2021.
Reid was indicted on June 3, 2020.
According to evidence presented at trial, in the early morning hours of January 29, 2020, Reid shot two men who were standing in front of the entrance of a night club on Cleveland Avenue in Fort Myers, before fleeing the scene in a silver sedan with a stolen license plate. Reid made efforts to conceal his identity during the shooting by wearing a hooded sweatshirt, gloves, and a ski mask, but he later crashed and abandoned his getaway car while fleeing from the shooting scene. In his wrecked getaway car, law enforcement found a Glock .45 caliber handgun, nine rounds of .45 caliber ammunition, a camouflage ski mask, a hooded sweatshirt, and blue latex gloves. DNA analysis later revealed that Reid’s DNA profile matched DNA extracted from the ski mask, the sweatshirt, a ripped latex glove, and the firearm that was recovered from the vehicle. Three cell phones were also found in the car, all of which were later connected to Reid.
This case was investigated by United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Fort Myers Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Simon R. Eth and Shannon Laurie.
This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence and enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes. For more information on Project Guardian visit www.justice.gov/projectguardian.
Camp counselor admits to child pornography chargeRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – David Jonathan Weston, of Westminster, Maryland, has admitted to a child pornography charge, Acting United States Attorney Randolph J. Bernard announced.
Weston, 41, pleaded guilty today to one count of “Attempted Solicitation of Child Pornography.” Weston, who had served as a camp counselor at Camp Tohiglo in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania around the time of the crime, admitted to persuading a 15-year-old female to send inappropriate pictures and videos to his smart phone. From July 2020 to September 2020, Weston exchanged nearly 1,000 messages via Snapchat, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram with the minor, who lives in Berkeley County.
Weston is facing at least five and up to 20 years of incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly D. Crockett is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The FBI investigated with assistance from Carroll County Sheriff’s Office.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided.
Bronx Gang Member Pleads Guilty to 2018 Shooting in the Nelson PlaygroundRead the Press Release
Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that MARVIN GAMONEDA, a/k/a “June,” pled guilty today in Manhattan federal court in connection with a shooting in the Nelson Playground on June 7, 2018, in furtherance of the Woodycrime criminal enterprise. U.S. District Judge John G. Koeltl accepted the defendant’s guilty plea.
U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: “Today, Marvin Gamoneda admitted his responsibility for a brazen shooting in the middle of the afternoon in a playground in the Bronx. During the shooting, two individuals, including a child, were hit. We continue our daily work with our law enforcement partners to keep our communities safe and to vigorously investigate acts of gang violence.”
As alleged in the Indictment and statements made in open court:
Woodycrime was a criminal enterprise involved in committing numerous acts of violence, including attempted murders and assaults, as well as drug dealing in the Bronx. Members and associates of Woodycrime engaged in violence to retaliate against rival gangs, to preserve and expand the gang’s territory, and to protect the gang’s narcotics business. Members and associates of Woodycrime enriched themselves by selling drugs, such as crack cocaine, marijuana, oxycodone, and MDMA or “ecstasy.” On June 7, 2018, GAMONEDA and others shot at a rival gang member in the vicinity of the Nelson Playground in the Bronx, during which two victims, including a 13-year-old child, were injured.
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GAMONEDA, 34, of the Bronx, New York, pled guilty to attempted murder and assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and using and carrying a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, which carries a maximum sentence of life and a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison. GAMONEDA will be sentenced before Judge Koeltl on July 30, 2021, at 10:00 a.m.
The statutory maximum penalties are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for information purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant would be determined by Judge Koeltl.
Ms. Strauss praised the outstanding investigative work of the NYPD and the FBI.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Andrew K. Chan, Jacob R. Fiddelman, and James Ligtenberg are in charge of the prosecution.
Brevard County Man Sentenced to 80 Years in Federal Prison for Producing and Possessing Images and Videos Depicting the Sexual Exploitation of ChildrenRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – United States District Judge Wendy W. Berger has sentenced Ronald Brouillard (72, Titusville) to 80 years in federal prison for production and possession of images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children. Brouillard was also ordered to serve a 10-year term of supervised release and register as a sex offender if he is ever released from federal prison.
Brouillard had pleaded guilty on October 6, 2020.
According to evidence presented at sentencing, Brouillard sexually abused two children, ages 2 and 8, that he had access to. Brouillard produced videos of the sexual assault of the younger child on two separate occasions using his cellphone. As a result, the Court found that Brouillard had engaged in a pattern of sexual abuse involving these children. In addition, Brouillard possessed 19 videos and more than 1,500 images that depicted the sexual abuse of children between the ages of 2 and 12.
“This is another example of the exemplary work being done by the special agents and prosecutors working this difficult and disturbing violation,” said Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Tampa Division Michael McPherson. “We applaud the 80-year sentence handed down in this case that will ensure this predator can never prey on the young and innocent again.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn P. Napier.
This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Baton Rouge Resident Sentenced to 87 Months Imprisonment for Conspiring to Distribute Heroin While Incarcerated at the Orleans Parish Justice CenterRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that BRANDON SANDERS, age 30, a resident of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was sentenced on March 9, 2021 to 87 months in prison, (4) four years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment by U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan for conspiring to distribute heroin while incarcerated in the Orleans Parish Justice Center in New Orleans for firearm and drug distribution charges.
On December 8, 2020, SANDERS plead guilty to a one count charge of conspiring to distribute 100 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of heroin in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B), and 846. According to court documents, SANDERS, while incarcerated in the Orleans Parish Justice Center on other charges, directed an associate to purchase heroin for resale from Arthur Johnson, aged 42, a resident of New Orleans. SANDERS, Arthur Johnson, and other codefendants were charged in 2018 with conspiring to distribute heroin in the New Orleans and Baton Rouge areas.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the FBI’s New Orleans Gang Task Force in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney David Howard Sinkman is in charge of the prosecution.
Atlantic City Fugitive Arrested for EscapeRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – An Atlantic City, New Jersey, man appeared today following his arrest on charges of escaping from federal custody, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Patrick Giblin, 56, of Atlantic City, New Jersey, is charged by complaint with escape from the custody of the Attorney General. Giblin made his initial appearance by videoconference today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ann Marie Donio.
According to the complaint and court documents:
On July 23, 2020, Giblin escaped from the custody of the Attorney General while traveling from a federal prison in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, to a residential living facility in Newark, where he had been directed to serve the remainder of a federal prison sentence. At the time Giblin was serving a 2017 sentence for traveling interstate and using an interstate facility to promote unlawful activity in connection with a scheme to defraud multiple women. Giblin’s 2017 sentence followed an earlier sentence of 115 months’ imprisonment for a 2007 wire fraud conviction for a similar fraud scheme. Members of the U.S. Marshals Service located and arrested Giblin in Atlantic City on March 10, 2021.
Giblin faces up to five years in prison if convicted of the escape charge.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited members of the U.S. Marshals Service, District of New Jersey, under the direction of U.S. Marshal Juan Mattos Jr., with the investigation leading to the arrest and charges.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gabriel J. Vidoni of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division in Camden.
The charge and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Aroostook County Woman Sentenced on Federal Drug ChargeRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: A Caribou woman was sentenced today in federal court for conspiring to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.
U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Angela Doody, 46, to five years in prison and three years of supervised release. Doody pleaded guilty in February 2021.
According to court records, between January 2017 and August 2018, a drug trafficking organization distributed large quantities of methamphetamine in northern Maine. The organization obtained the drugs from sources in Colorado and Arizona. Doody aided the organization by distributing methamphetamine and collecting proceeds from the sale of methamphetamine.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency investigated the case.
Arizona Man Sentenced for Multimillion-Dollar Nationwide Investment Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – An Arizona man was sentenced today to 16 years in prison for his participation in a nationwide investment fraud conspiracy that cost victims over $23 million in total losses.
“This defendant made millions of dollars by deceiving innocent investors and perpetuating a scheme that defrauded vulnerable victims out of their hard-earned retirement funds,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Today’s sentence sends a strong message that anyone in the financial services industry who lies, manipulates, and steals their way to success acts at their own peril and risks substantial jail time if they do not operate their practices truthfully and with integrity.”
According to court documents, Kent Maerki, 78, of Scottsdale, the founder of Dental Support Plus Franchise, LLC, and Janus Spectrum, LLC, made a multitude of misrepresentations about those businesses in materials used to solicit investments, including during appearances on radio shows and in a presentation about investments in wireless spectrum he called “Money From Thin Air.”
As part of this scheme, Maerki and his conspirators controlled numerous entities that sold purported “franchises” and “private equity” opportunities through salesmen across the country. Through these salesmen, the defendants targeted individuals at or near retirement and made numerous material misrepresentations and omissions to sell them illiquid, highly speculative investment vehicles. Maerki, who had been barred by a federal court in 1984 from selling securities, continued to sell the investments without disclosing that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the Virginia State Corporation Commission, and the Arizona State Corporation Commission were investigating the conspirators for fraud.
Many of the victims targeted in this scheme were elderly. Unsuspecting investors cashed out 401(k) retirement plans and other retirement accounts to invest in companies founded by Maerki, without knowledge that significant portions of their money were being transferred to other companies controlled by members of the conspiracy. As a result, some individual investors—including investors who were blind, disabled, or otherwise unable to return to work—lost hundreds of thousands of dollars from their retirement savings. The total amount of victim losses from this scheme exceeded $23 million, and over $4 million of those fraudulently obtained funds went to Maerki.
Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; Kelly R. Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Washington, D.C. Field Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI); and Peter R. Rendina, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melissa E. O’Boyle, Elizabeth M. Yusi, and Andrew Bosse prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:19-cr-47.
Apex Serial Fraudster Sent Back to Federal Prison for Investment Scam Involving Impersonation of Mayor, Professor, and Government AgencyRead the Press Release
NEW BERN, N.C. – An Apex man was sentenced today to 75 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $909,763.28 in restitution owed to dozens of victims on charges of Wire Fraud and Aiding and Abetting and Aggravated Identity Theft.
Acting United States Attorney G. Norman Acker, III stated, “This was a case involving a serial con artist who, in the course of evading the repayment of restitution to victims of his prior federal offense, engaged in a new, and more extensive fraud scheme, harming others. I am pleased that the court saw fit to return the defendant to prison to protect the public from the ongoing economic threat he continues to pose to trusting citizens.”
The case showed that defendant Charles Gilbert Murphy was subject to collection efforts by the United States Government arising from a prior federal conviction for Wire Fraud in June of 1999 in this same district. To avoid his payment obligations Murphy used his family members to open bank accounts for him in the name of various companies he controlled, referred to in the Indictment as the “Murphy Entities.” These entities were Toxic Solutions LLC (“Toxic Solutions”), Biological Marine Remediation LLC (“Bio-Remediation”), Bio Marine Remediation LLC (“Bio-Marine”), Bio Separation Systems, LLC (“Bio-Separation”), On-Site Solutions LLC (“On-Site Solutions”), and On-Site Technologies LLC (“On-Site Technologies”).
Murphy used the Murphy Entities to obtain money from individuals and entities under false and fraudulent pretenses. Murphy represented that the Murphy Entities performed environmental cleanup activities, such as water remediation. Murphy purported to offer to various entrepreneurial victims the opportunity to purchase exclusive rights to perform environmental cleanup services in a given geographic area. Murphy also purported to sell the equipment necessary to perform the cleanup services. In furtherance of the scheme, Murphy frequently presented false documents to the entrepreneurs to make it appear that funds had been allocated for services to be performed in the geographic area where the victims had purchased the exclusive rights. In reality, the documents justifying the exclusive rights purchase were falsified, and Murphy took the money without providing all of the equipment purchased.
In furtherance of the scheme, Murphy utilized the identities of others to make it appear that his companies were good investments by creating false documents and correspondence in the names of the victims. Among others, Murphy impersonated a professor, a mayor, and a representative of the Environmental Protection Agency.
Murphy defrauded dozens of victims in this case. Many of the victims lost down payments they paid to Murphy, trusting that he would deliver on his promises. Unfortunately, others lost their life savings. At sentencing the Government sought and obtained an order of restitution on behalf of these victims, totaling $909,763.28.
The investigation of this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, and the North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Securities Division. Assistant United States Attorney William M. Gilmore represents the United States.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:19-cr-432-fl .
13 March 2021
Seven Additional Defendants Charged in Long-Running Drug and Money Laundering InvestigationRead the Press Release
DENVER – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announced the arrest of seven additional defendants in an on-going investigation involving the distribution of methamphetamine and heroin on the Western Slope. The following defendants were arrested and made their initial appearance in federal court in Denver and Grand Junction this week:
- Daniel Gastelo-Ochoa, 32 of Denver
- Carlos Quijano-Ruiz, 52 of Montrose
- Rafael Jaramillo-Hernandez, 32 of Montrose
- Catyria Gisela Lopez-Gomez, 41 of Fort Collins
- Margarita Jaquelin Cruz-Gomez, 35 of Montrose
- Dalilah Suarez-Lopez, 23 of Fort Collins, and
- Carlos Aurelio Beltran-Gonzalez, 32 of Montrose
These indiiduals were charged in a superseding indictment, which brought allegations against these defendants in addition to thirteen others previously charged in December of 2019.
According to the superseding indictment, from January 1, 2019, through December 18, 2019, Daniel Gastelo-Ochoa, Carlos Quijano-Ruiz, Rafael Jaramillo-Hernandez, Catyria Gisela Lopez-Gomez, as well as the thirteen previously charged defendants, conspired with each other to distribute methamphetamine and heroin. If convicted, each defendant faces a minimum of 10 years, and up to life in federal prison.
In addition to the drug conspiracy charge, Carlos Quijano-Ruiz, Rafael Jaramillo-Hernandez, Catyria Gisela Lopez-Gomez, as well as Margarita Jaquelin Cruz-Gomez, Dalilah Suarez-Lopez, Carlos Aurelio Beltran-Gonzalez, and other persons, conspired with each other to conduct and attempt to conduct financial transactions involving the proceeds of illegal drug distribution. Further, these financial transactions were designed in whole or in part to conceal and disguise the nature, location, source, ownership, and control of the proceeds. If convicted, each defendant faces not more than 20 years in federal prison.
The allegations in the superseding indictment are allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
This investigation was conducted by the Denver Division of the DEA, the Montrose County Sheriff’s Office, and the Montrose Police Department, as well as representatives from the 7th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Zachary Phillips is handling this prosecution.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Case number: 19-cr-00535 CMA-GPG
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12 March 2021
West Boylston Man Indicted on Illegal Ammunition Possession and Drug OffensesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A West Boylston man was indicted yesterday in federal court in Worcester in connection with illegal possession of ammunition and cocaine.
Augustus “Bobo” Kormah, 30, was indicted on one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition and one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Kormah is currently in state custody and will make an initial appearance in federal court in Worcester at a later date.
As alleged in the indictment, on Sept. 11, 2021, police officers arrested Kormah following a suspected drug transaction. During a search of Kormah’s apartment, law enforcement seized approximately 26 grams of cocaine; 50 rounds of .40-caliber ammunition containing the headstamp “Speer 40 S&W”; 50 rounds of .45-caliber ammunition containing the headstamp “HOTSHOT .45 AUTO”; and 30 rounds of 9mm Luger ammunition. Kormah is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition due to prior convictions punishable by more than one year in prison.
Because the defendant was previously convicted of at least three prior serious drug offenses, he qualifies as armed career criminal and faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 for the possession of ammunition charge. The charge of possession with intent to distribute provides for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, up to six years of supervised release and a fine of up to $2 million. Sentences imposed by a federal district court judge are based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Kelly D. Brady, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Worcester Police Chief Steven Sargent made the announcement. The case is being prosecuted by Mendell’s Worcester Branch Office.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN is part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.