Latest Records
Newest first across public DOJ and U.S. Attorney press releases.
2 March 2021
Indiana Felon Indicted on Gun ChargeRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A resident of Edinburgh, Indiana, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on a charge of violating federal firearms laws, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.
The one-count Indictment named Abdullah Woods, age 29, as the sole defendant.
According to the Indictment, on December 7, 2020, Woods was found to be in the possession of a firearm and ammunition. Woods is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition due to a prior conviction.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not more than 10 years in prison, a fine of not more than $250,000.00, a term of supervised release of 3 years, or a combination thereof. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Robert C. Schupansky is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Houston man gets lengthy sentence for 2019 carjacking and robberyRead the Press Release
HOUSTON - A 24-year-old Houston resident has been ordered to federal prison for 24 years, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Jonathan Soto pleaded guilty Dec. 2, 2020, to aiding and abetting carjacking and two counts of discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
Today, U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks Jr. ordered him to serve 48 months for the carjacking. He was further sentenced to 120 months on each of the firearms charges to be served consecutively to each other and the underlying offense. The total 288 months will be automatically followed by five years of supervised release.
On Feb. 7, 2019, Soto and others approached a vehicle on the 7500 block of Corporate Drive in Houston and asked if the passengers were in a gang. He ordered them to get out of the car, but they refused. They were subsequently pulled from the vehicle and forced to lay on the ground, face-down. Soto punched one of them in the face. Another victim was able to run away as shots were fired in his direction.
Less than an hour later, Soto acted as a look-out driver during the armed robbery of the Old Irish Pub on the 2300 block of Kirkwood. The robber said “you think this is a joke?” and fired his gun into the ceiling. He then ordered a victim to give him money from the register and safe.
Soto admitted to being the look-out driver for this robbery as well as taking part in the carjacking.
Law enforcement was able to use National Integrated Ballistic Information Network to link shell casings from the carjacking and the robbery,
Soto has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Houston Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jill Stotts is prosecuting the case.
Hazleton Man Sentenced to 51 Months’ Imprisonment for Heroin and Fentanyl TraffickingRead the Press Release
SCRANTON- The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that on February 24, 2021, Miguel Dotel, age 43, of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 51 months’ imprisonment followed by a four-year term of supervised release by United States District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion for drug trafficking offenses.
According to Acting United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, from approximately March 2018 through July 2019, Dotel conspired with others to distribute approximately 200 grams of heroin (which is equivalent to approximately 2,000 individual doses) and 250 grams of fentanyl.
The matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and its state and local partners, including the Pennsylvania State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffery St John prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
This case was also brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Heroin Initiative targets heroin traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit heroin related offenses.
# # #
Hartford Man Sentenced to 66 Months in Prison for Dealing Fentanyl While on Federal Supervised ReleaseRead the Press Release
Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that YACOV OCASIO, also known as “C-Low,” 24, of Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to 66 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for distributing fentanyl while on federal supervised release.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in December 2019, the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force and Hartford Police Department learned that Ocasio was selling fentanyl in Hartford. Since May 2019, Ocasio has been on federal supervised release following a conviction for possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, heroin/fentanyl. In that case, Ocasio distributed heroin/fentanyl that caused the overdose death of a 28-year-old Middletown man in August 2016. In August 28, 2017, Ocasio was sentenced in Hartford federal court to 30 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release for that offense.
Between December 2019 and March 2020, investigators conducted seven controlled purchases of fentanyl from Ocasio.
On April 15, 2020, Ocasio was arrested at a hotel in Hartford where he was staying. Occasion possessed 160 bags of fentanyl at the time of his arrest.
Ocasio has been detained since his arrest. On November 5, 2020, he pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, fentanyl.
The FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force includes members of the Hartford Police Department, East Hartford Police Department, New Britain Police Department, West Hartford Police Department, Connecticut State Police and Connecticut Department of Correction.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian P. Leaming.
Harrison County woman indicted on firearms chargeRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Harlie Christian Shaw, of Clarksburg, West Virginia, was indicted today on a firearms charge, Acting United States Attorney Randolph J. Bernard announced.
Shaw, 30, was indicted on one count of “Unlawful Possession of a Firearm.” Shaw, a person prohibited from having a firearm because of a prior conviction, is accused of having a .22 caliber revolver in June 2020 in Harrison County.
Shaw is facing up to 10 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 Sarah E. Wagner is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office investigated.
An indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Harrison County man indicted on firearms chargeRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Mark Allen Craig, II, of Lumberport, West Virginia, was indicted today on a firearms charge, Acting United States Attorney Randolph J. Bernard announced.
Craig, 31, was indicted on one count of “Unlawful Possession of Firearm.” Craig, a person prohibited from having a firearm because of prior convictions, is accused of having a .38 S&W Special caliber revolver in December 2020 in Harrison County.
Craig is facing up to 10 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 Sarah E. Wagner is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office investigated.
An indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Grand Jury Indicts Depew Man for Selling Fentanyl That Led to the Deaths of Two IndividualsRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that a federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Jonathan DiPirro, 30, of Depew, NY, with distribution of acetyl fentanyl, fentanyl, and cocaine causing death, distribution of acetyl fentanyl and fentanyl causing death, possessing with intent to distribute, and distributing, acetyl fentanyl and fentanyl, narcotics conspiracy, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and crack cocaine, and maintaining a drug-involved premises. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 20 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison.
“This indictment alleges that the drugs distributed by the defendant resulted in the deaths of two of his customers,” stated United States Attorney Kennedy. “While no amount of punishment can bring back those lives and while the hope is that the prospects of spending 20-plus years in federal prison might deter others from supplying drugs that could lead to overdose, in the end, the only real guarantee that this prosecution can provide is that defendant, if convicted as charged, won’t be able to provide deadly poison to anyone else for at least two decades.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan T. Cullinane, who is handling the case, stated that according to the indictment and a previously filed complaint, in October of 2019, the Lancaster Police Department, Drug Enforcement Administration, and the New York State Police Violent Gang Narcotics Enforcement Team began investigating the drug dealing activities of the defendant and his co-defendant Sarah Szymanski, who were identified as individuals who sold heroin and fentanyl together in the Western New York area. Since February of 2020, law enforcement has made three separate controlled purchases of suspected opiates from co-defendants DiPirro and Szymanski.
On November 2, 2019, Lancaster Police Officers, the Bowmansville Fire Company, and the Lancaster Volunteer Ambulance Corporation, responded to an emergency call at a residence in Lancaster. When first responders arrived, they discovered an individual identified as J.L. deceased. Next to J.L., officers observed a hypodermic needle containing a small amount of liquid or blood. A few days later, on November 4, 2019, officers took custody of an eyeglasses case that contained an amount of suspected controlled substances and the hypodermic needle. Testing by the Erie County Central Police Services Forensics Laboratory confirmed that the powdered substance contained a mixture of acetyl fentanyl, fentanyl, and cocaine. On February 11, 2020, the Erie County Medical Examiner's Office issued a death certificate listing the cause of death as “[a]cute mixed drug intoxication,” and identifying fentanyl and acetyl fentanyl as two of the drugs in J.L's system at that time that contributed to the drug intoxication.
Subsequent investigation determined that DiPirro was the individual J.L. contacted by cell phone, using calls, text messages, and Facebook Messenger, to purchase heroin or fentanyl. Specifically, between September 2019 and November 2, 2019, the date of his overdose death, J.L. contacted DiPirro continually using these lines of communication. During that time, J.L. overdosed from heroin and/or fentanyl on three known occasions. J.L. survived the first two overdoses, but died as a result of the third overdose.
On March 4, 2020, the Cheektowaga Police Department responded to an emergency call at a residence in Cheektowaga involving an overdose of an individual. When officers arrived, they found an individual, identified as S.L., unresponsive. Officers administered two doses of Narcan but could not revive S.L. Officers also administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation and transported S.L. to St. Joseph's Hospital. Medical personnel ultimately pronounced S.L. dead. The investigation into S.L.'s fatal overdose revealed voice calls exchanged between S.L. and DiPirro on the date of S.L.'s death. On March 5, 2020, the Erie County Medical Examiner's Office issued a death certificate listing the cause of death as “[a]cute mixed drug intoxication,” and identifying fentanyl and acetyl fentanyl as two of the drugs in S.L's system at that time that contributed to the drug intoxication.
DiPirro was arraigned this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy and detained.
Sarah Szymanski was previously convicted and is awaiting sentencing.
The indictment is the result of an investigation by the Lancaster Police Department, under the direction of Chief William J. Karn, Jr.; the Depew Police Department, under the direction of Chief Jerome Miller; the Cheektowaga Police Department, under the direction of Chief Michael Sliwinski; the New York State Police Violent Gang Narcotics Enforcement Team, under the direction of Major James Hall; and the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Ray Donovan.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
# # # #
Four charged in $32 million health care fraud schemeRead the Press Release
HOUSTON - A medical director, operator and two unlicensed practitioners at a Texas medical clinic are now in custody on charges related to their alleged participation in a $32 million health care fraud scheme.
Farrah Forough Farizani, D.O., 57, Hamid Reza Razavi, 60, Elie Hanna Hajjar, 48, and Juan Acuña, 64, all of Houston, made their appearances today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christina Bryan.
Farizani and Razavi are the medical director and operator, respectively, of Hillcroft Physicians, while Hajjar and Acuña were former unlicensed practitioners there.
The indictment, unsealed today, charges all four with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Farizani, Razavi and Hajjar are also charged with five counts of making false statements relating to health care matters.
The indictment alleges the defendants participated in a health care fraud scheme. They allegedly submitted false and fraudulent claims to Medicaid and Medicare for services that were not provided as billed or were not provided by a licensed, qualified and enrolled provider. Farizani, Razavi, Hajjar,and Acuña allegedly misled patients and staff to believe that Hajjar and Acuña were licensed to practice medicine in Texas.
According to the indictment, Farizani and Razavi directed Hajjar and Acuña to pose as licensed medical professionals. Hajjar and Acuña then allegedly examined, diagnosed, treated, referred and prescribed drugs for patients, many of whom were non-English speaking Medicaid clients unfamiliar with the American medical system. Farizani and Razavi allegedly directed Hillcroft Physicians’ billing staff to submit false claims to Medicaid and Medicare as though Farizani had seen and treated the patients, even when Farizani was out of the country.
The indictment alleges that the defendants submitted or caused the submission of approximately $31 million in claims to Medicaid for which Medicaid paid approximately $12.2 million. They also submitted approximately $600,000 in claims to Medicare for which Medicare paid approximately $250,000.
The FBI, Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) - Office of Inspector General and Texas Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit conducted the investigation. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations assisted with the arrests.
Trial Attorney Devon Helfmeyer of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn Olson of the Southern District of Texas are prosecuting the case.
The Fraud Section leads the Health Care Fraud Strike Force. Since its inception in March 2007, the Health Care Fraud Strike Force, which maintains 15 strike forces operating in 24 districts, has charged more than 4,200 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for nearly $19 billion. In addition, the DHHS Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with DHHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
Four Charged in $32 Million Health Care Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
A medical director, operator and two unlicensed practitioners at a Texas medical clinic are now in custody on charges related to their alleged participation in a $32 million health care fraud scheme.
Farrah Forough Farizani, D.O., 57, Hamid Reza Razavi, 60, Elie Hanna Hajjar, 48, and Juan Acuña, 64, all of Houston, made their appearances today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christina Bryan.
Farizani and Razavi are the medical director and operator, respectively, of Hillcroft Physicians, while Hajjar and Acuña were former unlicensed practitioners there.
The indictment, unsealed today, charges all four with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Farizani, Razavi and Hajjar are also charged with five counts of making false statements relating to health care matters.
The indictment alleges the defendants participated in a health care fraud scheme. They allegedly submitted false and fraudulent claims to Medicaid and Medicare for services that were not provided as billed or were not provided by a licensed, qualified and enrolled provider. Farizani, Razavi, Hajjar, and Acuña allegedly misled patients and staff to believe that Hajjar and Acuña were licensed to practice medicine in Texas.
According to the indictment, Farizani and Razavi directed Hajjar and Acuña to pose as licensed medical professionals. Hajjar and Acuña then allegedly examined, diagnosed, treated, referred and prescribed drugs for patients, many of whom were non-English speaking Medicaid clients unfamiliar with the American medical system. Farizani and Razavi allegedly directed Hillcroft Physicians’ billing staff to submit false claims to Medicaid and Medicare as though Farizani had seen and treated the patients, even when Farizani was out of the country.
The indictment alleges that the defendants submitted or caused the submission of approximately $31 million in claims to Medicaid for which Medicaid paid approximately $12.2 million. They also submitted approximately $600,000 in claims to Medicare for which Medicare paid approximately $250,000.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicholas L. McQuaid of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery of the Southern District of Texas; Special Agent in Charge Perrye K. Turner of the FBI’s Houston Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Miranda Bennett of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General’s (HHS-OIG) Dallas Region; and Stormy Kelly of the Texas Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) made the announcement.
The FBI, HHS-OIG and Texas Attorney General’s MFCU conducted the investigation. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations assisted with the arrests.
Trial Attorney Devon Helfmeyer of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn Olson of the Southern District of Texas are prosecuting the case.
The Fraud Section leads the Health Care Fraud Strike Force. Since its inception in March 2007, the Health Care Fraud Strike Force, which maintains 15 strike forces operating in 24 districts, has charged more than 4,200 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for nearly $19 billion. In addition, the HHS Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Former U.S. Marine Sentenced for Illegal Exportation of Firearms and Controlled EquipmentRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – Jacques Yves Sebastien Duroseau, age 34, a former U.S. Marine born in Haiti and a naturalized citizen of the United States, residing in Onslow County, was sentenced today by United States District Judge James C. Dever III to 63 months in prison.
On December 12, 2020, Duroseau was convicted following a three-day trial (conviction) of conspiracy to illegally export and smuggle firearms and controlled equipment from the United States to Haiti, as well as transporting firearms without a license to the Haitian Army. Additionally, the jury decided that the firearms and equipment should be forfeited.
At trial, the evidence showed that Duroseau, at the time an active duty U.S. Marine with the rank of sergeant, along with a co-conspirator, both impersonated high ranking military officers and pretended to be on military business in order to facilitate the illegal transportation of eight firearms, including a Ruger model Precision Rifle 300WIN MAG and a Spike’s Tactical model ST15, as well as copious ammunition, riflescopes, and body armor, via commercial aircraft to Haiti. The evidence further showed that Duroseau’s purpose was to train the Haitian Army with the firearms and equipment in order to engage in foreign armed conflict.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. The investigation of this case was conducted by agents of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and Homeland Security Investigations. Additional assistance was provided by the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service and Directorate of Trade Controls, the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry Security, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, and the U.S. Marine Corps.
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. 4:20-cr-00003-D.
###
Former Special Education Aide Sentenced to Six Years in Federal Prison for Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett today sentenced Peter Na’Shon Greer, age 42, of Laurel, Maryland, to six years in federal prison, followed by 25 years of supervised release, for distribution of child pornography. Judge Bennett also ordered that, upon his release from prison, Greer must register as a sex offender in the places where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
The sentence was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Jonathan F. Lenzner and Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore.
According to his guilty plea, Greer has been involved in the receipt and distribution of child pornography, specifically, as a member and then administrator of an online chat group that focused on the sexual exploitation of children. During the time of the offense, Greer was employed as a middle school special education aide.
In August 2018, investigators from the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) began an investigation into a chat group on an online mobile application. The investigation revealed that users in the chat group were distributing child pornography, posting messages or commenting on child pornography images or videos, and expressing a sexual interest in children. Greer was a member of this chat group and posted video files of child pornography on at least four occasions in March and April 2019. Between March and June 10, 2019, Greer also posted comments on sexually explicit videos documenting the sexual abuse of children and responded to comments posted by other members of the chat group.
In June 2019, the chat group was shut down by the application. Shortly thereafter, the chat group started again under a different name and Greer again joined the chat group. On August 1, 2019, a search warrant was executed at Greer’s residence. During the search, investigator’s seized Greer’s mobile phone, which was subsequently found to have the chat group application in a hidden folder, protected by a password.
As detailed in his plea agreement, Greer admitted that he distributed child pornography and that he was an administrator of the chat group, as well as of other sexually based chat groups, including those dedicated to BDSM and incest. Further, Greer advised that he is part of a group of people who pretend to be minors online, as a form of role playing.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the "Resources" tab on the left of the page.
Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner commended HSI for its work in the investigation. Mr. Lenzner thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Budlow, who prosecuted the case.
# # #
Former Kankakee Wastewater Utilities Official Pleads Guilty to FraudRead the Press Release
URBANA, Ill. – Sentencing has been scheduled in June for a wastewater utilities official, Richard G. Simms, who pleaded guilty to defrauding Kankakee’s wastewater utilities, Kankakee River Metropolitan Agency (KRMA) and the city’s Environmental Service Utility (ESU), of more than $2 million. Simms, 73, currently of Marietta, Ohio, entered his guilty plea on March 1, by video conference, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Eric I. Long.
Simms, who owned and operated Simms Engineering, LTD., served for many years as executive director of KRMA, which was responsible for treating wastewater from its member municipalities, namely, Kankakee, Bradley, Bourbonnais, and Aroma Park, Ill. Simms was also the Superintendent of ESU that serves as Kankakee’s public works and sewer system.
Simms admitted that from 2014 through 2018, he fraudulently received approximately $2.2 million as payment to Simms Engineering for software development by Plum Flower International, a business that Simms and his daughter started in 2014. Although Simms did not have board approval or contracts with his engineering firm to develop software, he submitted fraudulent and inflated invoices for payment. Simms circumvented KRMA’s invoice payment procedure by submitting invoices directly to its accounting firm. As a result, KRMA’s superintendent and administrative assistant did not approve the invoices and were unaware of the Simms Engineering invoices for software development.
Simms Engineering transferred more than $2 million to Plum Flower International from 2014 to 2018, which represented more than 95% of Plum Flower’s revenue. Approximately $161,000 was used to pay another company to create a software application which they attempted to sell on the open market. Most of the remaining funds were used by Simms and his daughter for their personal benefit.
Sentencing is scheduled on June 28. The offense of federal program fraud carries a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eugene L. Miller is representing the government in the case prosecution.
Former Federal Law Enforcement Agent Arrested for Allegedly Participating in Bribery Scheme that Brought Him at Least $122,000Read the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – Federal authorities this morning arrested a former special agent with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) on federal bribery charges that allege he accepted cash payments and other benefits to provide assistance to a person linked to organized crime, including taking official action designed to help two foreign nationals gain entry into the United States.
Felix Cisneros Jr., 46, of Murrieta, was taken into custody without incident and is expected to be arraigned on a 28-count indictment this afternoon in United States District Court in Los Angeles. Cisneros was arrested by special agents with the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, and the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General.
The indictment filed on February 16 and unsealed today charges Cisneros with conspiracy to commit bribery of a public official, bribery, and 26 counts of money laundering.
Over an 18-month period that started in September 2015, Cisneros accepted cash, checks, private jet travel, luxury hotel stays, meals and other items of value from a person identified as Individual 1 who was associated with a criminal organization, according to the indictment. Cisneros allegedly received at least $122,000 from Individual 1 in 2015 and 2016.
Cisneros allegedly accepted the cash and other bribes while a special agent with HSI, which is part of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, an agency within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). In exchange for the bribes, according to the indictment, Cisneros allegedly performed a series of official acts at the behest of Individual 1, including:
- Accessing a DHS database for information about a German national identified as W.R., and telling Individual 1 he removed a “hit” on W.R., “thus indicating derogatory information had been removed”;
- Placing an alert in a law enforcement database for an address associated with an illegal marijuana grow operation so Cisneros could learn of law enforcement interest and warn Individual 1;
- Obtaining an official DHS letter signed by an HSI assistant special agent in charge to allow the parole of Individual 1’s brother-in-law into the United States from Mexico, and later providing updates about the brother-in-law’s asylum application; and
- Collecting information on an associate of Individual 1 whose home had been searched by law enforcement and later providing Individual 1 with information about the investigation.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The conspiracy charge in the indictment carries a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison, the bribery count carries a sentence of up to 15 years, and each money laundering charge carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment.
This matter is being investigated by the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, and the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ruth C. Pinkel of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section.
Former Employee of Millbury Plumbing Company Sentenced for Marijuana, Fraud and Money Laundering ConvictionsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A former employee of a family-owned plumbing business in Millbury was sentenced today for drug, money laundering and fraud convictions arising from his role in a large-scale marijuana grow operation.
Thomas Laverty, 40, of Clinton, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman to 12 years in prison, eight years of supervised release and ordered to pay $3,100 in restitution. In January 2020, Laverty was convicted following a five-day trial of conspiring to cultivate more than 100 marijuana plants, conspiracy to launder money, cultivating marijuana and possessing marijuana with intent to distribute, and later pleaded guilty to and additional charge of theft of government funds.
Laverty and certain co-conspirators used a plumbing business, Chuck Laverty & Son Inc., as a front for a large-scale, commercial marijuana cultivation and distribution operation. Laverty and others utilized Laverty & Son vehicles, bank accounts and locations to facilitate marijuana manufacturing, storage and distribution. Every week, numerous Laverty & Son workers harvested 20 marijuana plants from the commercial warehouse, with a goal of producing 8 – 10 pounds of dried marijuana per week. The dried marijuana was sold in large quantities for approximately $2,400 per pound.
Laverty received income in connection with his work for Laverty & Son, including up to $5,000 per week in cash. During this same timeframe, Laverty received federally-funded Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, eligibility for which is need-based and generally limited to households whose incomes do not exceed the federal poverty line. Laverty misrepresented his income on pertinent paperwork provided to the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance (which administers SNAP benefits in Massachusetts), and also concealed the fact that he was living with his wife, who herself was receiving SNAP benefits but was using a different address than that of her actual residence.
Co-defendant Andrea Laverty, 63, of Millbury, previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to cultivate marijuana and conspiring to launder money. She is scheduled to be sentenced on March 3, 2021.
Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; and Ramsey E. Covington, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation in Boston made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bill Abely and Phil Cheng of Mendell’s Criminal Division prosecuted the case.
Former Bank CEO Sentenced to Prison for Falsifying Bank Records, Misappropriating More Than $1.6 MillionRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney W. Anders Folk today announced the sentencing of ROBERT JOHN HAGER, 70, a former bank CEO, to 18 months in prison for making a false entry in bank records. HAGER, who pleaded guilty on May 18, 2020, was sentenced earlier today by Judge Patrick J. Schiltz in U.S. District Court.
According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed with the court, HAGER was the CEO of Border State Bank (“Border”) and served as a director of the bank’s holding company, Border Bancshares, Inc. HAGER also held various executive positions in banks that Border Bancshares, Inc. acquired, including the former First State Bank of Clearbrook and the former First Advantage Bank. In late 2015 and early 2016, HAGER loaned money to a bank customer to invest in a diamond and gold venture in Liberia, Ghana, and Kenya that promised a quick return. After he depleted his own personal funds on the investment and maxed out the amount he could borrow from the bank, HAGER asked other individuals, including bank customers, shareholders, and directors of the bank to lend him money, which would enable HAGER to recover his personal funds.
According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed with the court, between 2016 and 2017, HAGER requested a series of loans by having Border bank customers take out loans in their own names, or draw from loans they already had, and then transfer the funds to HAGER. In May 2016, HAGER issued three unauthorized Standby Letters of Credit (SBLCs) worth $1.6 million to facilitate the purchase and delivery of diamonds and gold from Africa. In each instance, Hager issued the SBLC on the letterhead of First Advantage Bank and signed the letter as CEO of First Advantage. Letters of Credit are considered obligations of a bank, and they can impact a bank’s financial standing. Such obligations must be entered into the bank’s general ledger so that they can be accounted for and tracked by regulators. In order to conceal his actions, HAGER failed to report the SBLCs to bank personnel so that they could be logged into the bank’s system.
This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the Office of Inspector General for the Federal Reserve Board, the Office of Inspector General for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and the FBI.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Amber M. Brennan.
Defendant Information:
ROBERT JOHN HAGER, 70
Greenbush, Minn.
Convicted:
- Making false entries in bank records, 1 count
Sentenced:
- 18 months in prison
- Two years of supervised release
###
Additional news available on our website.
Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota: (612) 664-5600
Felon Who Used a Gun to Commit a Robbery Sentenced to More than Nine Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
A man who robbed and assaulted another person while in possession of a firearm was sentenced on March 1, 2021, to more than nine years in federal prison.
Anquavion Claybon, age 22, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after an August 21, 2020 guilty plea to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
At the guilty plea, Claybon admitted he possessed a firearm after having been convicted of two previous felony offenses that involved firearms. Information at sentencing showed that, on January 19, 2020, Claybon used a firearm to rob a victim, stealing money from the victim. Claybon and others then assaulted the victim.
Claybon was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Claybon was sentenced to 110 months’ imprisonment. He was ordered to make $105 in restitution. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Claybon is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. For more information about Project Guardian, please see /media/1122011/dl?inline.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kyndra Lundquist and investigated by a Federal Task Force composed of the Waterloo Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms assisted by the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office and Cedar Falls Police Department.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 20-CR-2025.
Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Federal Grand Jury Indicts Rantoul Man on Child Pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
URBANA, Ill. – A federal grand jury today returned an indictment that charges Alan L. Dodd, 37, of the 100 Block of Shady Lawn Dr., Rantoul, Ill., with distribution and possession of child pornography.
Dodd was previously arrested and charged by criminal complaint on Feb. 11, 2021. Dodd has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since his arrest.
The indictment charges Dodd with distribution of child pornography on Oct. 25, 2020, and possession of child pornography on Feb. 11, 2021. Dodd is scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Eric I. Long for arraignment on March 8, in Urbana.
According to the affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, in November 2020, the Champaign County Sheriff’s Office received a Cybertip referral after four separate social media and instant messaging applications, Instagram, Snapchat, Discord, and Twitter, self-reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that an online social media user possessed and distributed content believed to be of child pornography. The complaint alleges that the internet addresses of the user were related to Dodd, including from his home internet address in Rantoul.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Elly M. Peirson is representing the government in the prosecution. The NCMEC referral was reported to the Illinois Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force and referred to the Champaign County Sheriff’s Office. U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations, the Champaign County Sheriff’s Office, and the Urbana Police Department conducted the investigation.
If convicted, the offense of distribution of child pornography (one count) carries a statutory penalty of at least five years to 20 years in prison; for possession of child pornography (one count), the penalty is up to 10 years in prison.
Members of the public are reminded that an indictment is merely an accusation; the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), to marshal federal, state and local resources to 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.
Erie Man on Parole for Child Rape Admits Committing Two Violent Bank RobberiesRead the Press Release
ERIE, Pa. - A former resident of Erie, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of bank robbery, armed bank robbery, and using and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.
Ronald Eugene Lomax, 32, pleaded guilty to three counts before United States District Judge Stephanie L. Haines.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that on November 21, 2018, Lomax entered the Northwest Savings Bank, 3407 Liberty Street in Erie and by force, violence and intimidation, took $5,000. On December 28, 2018, Lomax robbed the same Northwest Savings Bank branch and by force, violence and intimidation, took $6,100. Lomax pointed a handgun at the victim teller during the bank robbery on December 28th. When he committed the bank robberies, Lomax was on parole in Pennsylvania for a conviction involving the rape of a child.
Judge Haines scheduled sentencing for July 2, 2021 at 10:30 a.m. The law provides for a total sentence of life in prison, a fine of $750,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Christian A. Trabold is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Erie Police Department conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Lomax.
Elizabethtown Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Federal Prison for Child ExploitationRead the Press Release
LOUISVILLE, KY. – Matthew Alexander Lyons, 34, of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, was sentenced by United States District Judge David J. Hale yesterday to 25 years in prison followed by a life term of Supervised Release for multiple counts of online enticement of a minor, production of child pornography, sex trafficking of minors, and distribution and possession of child pornography, announced Acting United States Attorney Michael A. Bennett. There is no parole in the federal system.
“The defendant targeted and exploited vulnerable victims and will now spend more than two decades in federal prison and upon release be under close federal supervision for the rest of his life – a substantial sentence and strong message to others who consider engaging in similar conduct,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Bennett. “As a result of the outstanding work and dedication of AUSA Lawless, the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office, the Radcliff Police Department, the Elizabethtown Police Department, and the United States Secret Service, Kentucky kids are safer and our citizens once again well-served by the men and women of law enforcement.”
“We have no higher calling than to protect our children, and this sentence should send a message that the exploitation of our youngest citizens will not be tolerated in the Commonwealth,” said Attorney General Cameron. “Law enforcement at every level worked together to investigate and prosecute these heinous crimes, and I’m grateful for the unwavering commitment of Acting U.S. Attorney Bennett, our Department of Criminal Investigations Investigator Mike Littrell, the Elizabethtown and Radcliff Police Departments, and the U.S. Secret Service to pursue justice on behalf of the victims.”
According to the Plea Agreement and other Court documents, in April of 2020, the Radcliff Police Department received a call from a grandparent who reported that at least one minor was posting on social media about engaging in sexual activity with an adult in exchange for money. A Radcliff PD Detective interviewed two 14-year-old boys, seized their mobile devices, and was granted consent to search those devices by the minors’ legal guardians. Based on initial investigative steps, the Radcliff PD Detective identified Lyons as the adult with whom the two boys had engaged in sexual activity in exchange for money. Lyons had a prior conviction in 2008 in Hardin District Court case 08-F-00401 for attempted prohibited use of electronic communication system to procure a minor for sex, a violation of K.R.S. § 510.155(1). The Detective obtained and executed a Kentucky state search warrant to seize and search Lyons’s mobile device and subsequently asked for help with review of the devices from the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office Department of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
A DCI Detective conducted a review of Lyons’s Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max. The DCI Detective found more than 1,500 image and video files that were identified as known child sexual abuse material stored in a pin-code protected application in a “Frequently Used” folder on Lyons’s iPhone’s main screen. The images were stored in more than 250 categorized folders.
Further examination of Lyons’s iPhone confirmed Lyons’ communication with at least one 14-year-old boy on a social media app. On or about April 1, 2020, Lyons traveled to a convenience store and met two 14-year-old boys. Lyons picked up the boys in his 2017 Chevrolet Silverado truck and drove them to a Dollar General parking lot where sex acts occurred, and videos were taken, in exchange for money.
During the review of Lyons’s iPhone, the DCI Detective also located a chat conversation from February 16, 2020, between Lyons and a 16-year-old boy. During the conversation, Lyons requested, and the boy sent, two photos and two videos of himself engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Another chat conversation between Lyons and an adult, Robert Alan Thompson, showed that Lyons sent Thompson two photos of actual minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct and revealed the two men discussing their mutual sexual interest in boys.
Assistant United States Attorney Jo E. Lawless prosecuted the case. The Kentucky Office of Attorney General’s Department of Criminal Investigations and Radcliff Police Department conducted the investigation, with assistance from the United States Secret Service and Elizabethtown Police Department.
####
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
El Distrito Escolar del Condado de Charleston Acuerda Facilitar El Acceso Lingüístico a Padres Cuyo Dominio del Inglés es LimitadoRead the Press Release
El Departamento de Justicia anunció hoy su acuerdo de conciliación con el Distrito Escolar del Condado de Charleston, el cual resuelve su investigación de quejas que acusaban al distrito escolar de no comunicar información esencial a miles de padres hispanoparlantes cuyo dominio del inglés es limitado («LEP», por sus siglas en inglés), lo que denegó el acceso pleno e igualitario de sus hijos a los programas y servicios educativos del Distrito. La División de Derechos Civiles y la Fiscalía Federal para el Distrito de Carolina del Sur llevaron a cabo la investigación en virtud del Título VI de la ley de Derechos Civiles de 1964 y la ley de Igualdad de Oportunidades Educativas de 1974.
La investigación de Estados Unidos halló que, en muchas ocasiones, el Distrito no usa intérpretes cualificados para comunicarse con padres y tutores legales hispanoparlantes LEP, incluso cuando su necesidad de un intérprete esté documentada o que de otra forma sea evidente. Por otra parte, Estados Unidos halló que el Distrito no traduce información escrita esencial al español de una manera consistente, y pide a padres que solamente pueden comunicarse en español, que tomen decisiones importantes sobre programas y servicios escolares sin explicarles las opciones de una forma adecuada, en un idioma que entienden.
«Para el bien del éxito de los estudiantes en la escuela y más allá, es fundamental empoderar a los padres y tutores legales con la información que necesitarán para tomar parte de una forma significativa en la educación de sus hijos. Debemos seguir luchando por asegurar que todos los padres tengan esta oportunidad, independientemente de su nacionalidad de origen o competencia en el idioma inglés», declaró Pamela S. Karlan, la Principal Fiscal General Auxiliar Adjunta de la División de Derechos Civiles. «Nos alienta el compromiso y la cooperación por parte del Distrito Escolar del Condado de Charleston y estamos deseando seguir trabajando con el Distrito para implementar este acuerdo y cumplir con su compromiso a tratar a todos los estudiantes y padres del Distrito por igual».
«Se debe felicitar al Distrito Escolar del Condado de Charleston por su colaboración en esta investigación y por su compromiso con sus estudiantes, padres y tutores legales», afirmó el Fiscal Federal en funciones para el Distrito de Carolina del Sur, M. Rhett DeHart. «La Fiscalía Federal está deseando seguir colaborando con el distrito escolar mientras intente servir como ejemplo para otros distritos en lo que se refiere a la provisión plena e igualitaria de acceso a información».
El Distrito cooperó en cada paso de la investigación y se comprometió a mejorar sus prácticas mediante una revisión de sus políticas y el desarrollo profesional. El acuerdo de conciliación requiere que el Distrito use intérpretes y traductores cualificados para comunicarse con padres acerca de asuntos que son esenciales a la educación de sus hijos y que deje de depender de miembros familiares, personal no capacitado y estudiantes para tales fines. Asimismo, el Distrito brindará a padres LEP acceso a documentos e información sobre las ofertas de distintos programas, entre ellos los servicios de educación especial, en un idioma que entienden. Más aún, el acuerdo requiere que el Distrito preste estos servicios de traducción e interpretación a padres y tutores legales LEP en cada una de sus 80 escuelas y programas.
Conforme al acuerdo, el Distrito:
- Implementará políticas y procedimientos eficaces y capacitará a sus empleados para que las escuelas puedan identificar correctamente y comunicarse de modo significativo con padres y tutores legales LEP;
- Asegurará que todos los padres y tutores legales, a sabiendas, den su consentimiento para programas y servicios educativos para sus hijos o que los renuncien; y
- Se comunicará con padres y tutores legales LEP antes de celebrar reuniones relacionadas con la educación especial para notificarles de su derecho a tener un intérprete cualificado en la reunión y una versión traducida de documentos relacionados con la educación especial, sin costo alguno al padre/tutor legal.
La ejecución del Título VI de la ley de Derechos Civiles de 1964 y la ley de Igualdad de Oportunidades Educativas de 1974 es una de las prioridades principales de la División de Derechos Civiles del Departamento de Justicia. Para más información sobre la División de Derechos Civiles del Departamento de Justicia, puede visitar su sitio web en www.justice.gov/crt. Para más información sobre la labor de la Sección de Oportunidades Educativas, vaya a https://www.justice.gov/crt/educational-opportunities-section. Miembros del público también pueden informar de posibles vulneraciones de derechos civiles en https://civilrights.justice.gov/report/.
Download Acuerdo Charleston.pdf
El Distrito Escolar del Condado de Charleston Acuerda Facilitar El Acceso Lingüístico a Padres Cuyo Dominio del Inglés es LimitadoRead the Press Release
El Departamento de Justicia anunció hoy su acuerdo de conciliación con el Distrito Escolar del Condado de Charleston, el cual resuelve su investigación de quejas que acusaban al distrito escolar de no comunicar información esencial a miles de padres hispanoparlantes cuyo dominio del inglés es limitado («LEP», por sus siglas en inglés), lo que denegó el acceso pleno e igualitario de sus hijos a los programas y servicios educativos del Distrito. La División de Derechos Civiles y la Fiscalía Federal para el Distrito de Carolina del Sur llevaron a cabo la investigación en virtud del Título VI de la ley de Derechos Civiles de 1964 y la ley de Igualdad de Oportunidades Educativas de 1974.
La investigación de Estados Unidos halló que, en muchas ocasiones, el Distrito no usa intérpretes cualificados para comunicarse con padres y tutores legales hispanoparlantes LEP, incluso cuando su necesidad de un intérprete esté documentada o que de otra forma sea evidente. Por otra parte, Estados Unidos halló que el Distrito no traduce información escrita esencial al español de una manera consistente, y pide a padres que solamente pueden comunicarse en español, que tomen decisiones importantes sobre programas y servicios escolares sin explicarles las opciones de una forma adecuada, en un idioma que entienden.
«Para el bien del éxito de los estudiantes en la escuela y más allá, es fundamental empoderar a los padres y tutores legales con la información que necesitarán para tomar parte de una forma significativa en la educación de sus hijos. Debemos seguir luchando por asegurar que todos los padres tengan esta oportunidad, independientemente de su nacionalidad de origen o competencia en el idioma inglés», declaró Pamela S. Karlan, la Principal Fiscal General Auxiliar Adjunta de la División de Derechos Civiles. «Nos alienta el compromiso y la cooperación por parte del Distrito Escolar del Condado de Charleston y estamos deseando seguir trabajando con el Distrito para implementar este acuerdo y cumplir con su compromiso a tratar a todos los estudiantes y padres del Distrito por igual».
«Se debe felicitar al Distrito Escolar del Condado de Charleston por su colaboración en esta investigación y por su compromiso con sus estudiantes, padres y tutores legales», afirmó el Fiscal Federal en funciones para el Distrito de Carolina del Sur, M. Rhett DeHart. «La Fiscalía Federal está deseando seguir colaborando con el distrito escolar mientras intente servir como ejemplo para otros distritos en lo que se refiere a la provisión plena e igualitaria de acceso a información».
El Distrito cooperó en cada paso de la investigación y se comprometió a mejorar sus prácticas mediante una revisión de sus políticas y el desarrollo profesional. El acuerdo de conciliación requiere que el Distrito use intérpretes y traductores cualificados para comunicarse con padres acerca de asuntos que son esenciales a la educación de sus hijos y que deje de depender de miembros familiares, personal no capacitado y estudiantes para tales fines. Asimismo, el Distrito brindará a padres LEP acceso a documentos e información sobre las ofertas de distintos programas, entre ellos los servicios de educación especial, en un idioma que entienden. Más aún, el acuerdo requiere que el Distrito preste estos servicios de traducción e interpretación a padres y tutores legales LEP en cada una de sus 80 escuelas y programas.
Conforme al acuerdo, el Distrito:
- Implementará políticas y procedimientos eficaces y capacitará a sus empleados para que las escuelas puedan identificar correctamente y comunicarse de modo significativo con padres y tutores legales LEP;
- Asegurará que todos los padres y tutores legales, a sabiendas, den su consentimiento para programas y servicios educativos para sus hijos o que los renuncien; y
- Se comunicará con padres y tutores legales LEP antes de celebrar reuniones relacionadas con la educación especial para notificarles de su derecho a tener un intérprete cualificado en la reunión y una versión traducida de documentos relacionados con la educación especial, sin costo alguno al padre/tutor legal.
La ejecución del Título VI de la ley de Derechos Civiles de 1964 y la ley de Igualdad de Oportunidades Educativas de 1974 es una de las prioridades principales de la División de Derechos Civiles del Departamento de Justicia. Para más información sobre la División de Derechos Civiles del Departamento de Justicia, puede visitar su sitio web en www.justice.gov/crt. Para más información sobre la labor de la Sección de Oportunidades Educativas, vaya a https://www.justice.gov/crt/educational-opportunities-section. Miembros del público también pueden informar de posibles vulneraciones de derechos civiles en https://civilrights.justice.gov/report/.
Eight Defendants Indicted for $4.1 Million Meth ConspiracyRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Eight defendants have been indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a $4.1 million conspiracy to distribute more than 520 kilograms of methamphetamine.
Tina Marie Bailey, 36, and Martin Lee Williams, 58, both of Kansas City, Mo.; Mark Williams Hildebrand II, 31, and Harry Richard Watson Jr., also known as “Ricky,” 35, of St. Joseph, Mo.; Derek Sean Freese, 53, Carl Dewey Williams, 47, and Angeliqua Teresa Collins, 35, all of Moberly, Mo.; and Joshua Lee Laws, 44, of Unionville, Mo., were charged in a five-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Feb. 23, 2021. The indictment has been unsealed and made public following the arrests and initial court appearances of several defendants this week.
Collins, Laws, and Watson were arrested today. Martin Williams was arrested on Monday, March 1. The remaining defendants were already detained in state custody in separate and unrelated cases.
The federal indictment alleges that all eight defendants participated in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine from Jan. 1, 2017, to Feb. 22, 2021. The indictment also alleges that all eight defendants participated in a related money-laundering conspiracy.
In addition to the conspiracy counts, Bailey, Freese, Laws, Carl Williams, and Martin Williams are charged together with one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of crimes of violence and drug-trafficking crimes. Freese, Carl Williams, and Martin Williams are also charged together in one count of being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition. Bailey and Laws are also charged together in one count of being a drug user in possession of firearms and ammunition.
The firearms cited in the indictment include a Smith & Wesson 9mm semi-automatic handgun with a magazine containing 16 live rounds with one round in the chamber; a Tisas 9mm semi-automatic handgun, a Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun, a Smith & Wesson .380-caliber semi-automatic handgun, a Taurus 9mm semi-automatic handgun, a Ruger .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun, a High-Point 9mm semi-automatic handgun, a Smith & Wesson .40-caliber, semi-automatic handgun, a Taurus 9mm semi-automatic handgun, a Ruger 9mm semi-automatic handgun, a Smith & Wesson .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun, a Taurus 9mm semi-automatic handgun, a Ruger 9mm semi-automatic handgun, and various other firearms identified by witnesses, including those traded for methamphetamine.
The indictment also contains a forfeiture count, which would require the defendants to forfeit to the government $4,160,000, which allegedly was received in exchange for the unlawful distribution of more than 520 kilograms of methamphetamine, based on an average street price of $8,000 per kilogram. The defendants must also forfeit the firearms that were seized by law enforcement officers during the investigation.
The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bruce Rhoades. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the FBI, the Buchanan County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
OCDETF
This case is part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program. The OCDETF program is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s drug supply reduction strategy. OCDETF was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. 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.Drug User Who Illegally Possessed a Gun Sentenced to ProbationRead the Press Release
A man who illegally possessed a firearm as a drug user was sentenced March 1, 2021, to five years’ probation.
Treyton Mims, age 21, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a September 22, 2020 guilty plea to being a drug user in possession of a firearm. Evidence during the case established that during a traffic stop, police found Mims in possession of a 9mm firearm. Mims also admitted to being a marijuana user.
Mims was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Mims was sentenced to 5 years’ probation.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. For more information about Project Guardian, please see /media/1122011/dl?inline.
Goad is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lisa C. Williams and investigated by the Marion Police Department.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 20-cr-0053.
Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Columbus Convicted Felon Sentenced to Serve 14 Years in Prison for Attempting to Sell Meth in Harris County, GeorgiaRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ga. – A Columbus man with a lengthy criminal history was sentenced to serve 168 months in federal prison for attempting to distribute a half-kilo of methamphetamine, said Peter D. Leary, the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia.
Jeffery McBride, 40, of Columbus, was sentenced by to serve 168 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Clay D. Land after previously pleading guilty to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. There is no parole in the federal system.
“With this sentencing, repeat violent offenders and drug traffickers operating in the Middle District of Georgia can clearly see the punishment that comes with federal prosecution—lengthy prison time without parole,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Leary. “I want to thank both the Harris County and Muscogee County Sheriff’s Offices and the DEA for their tremendous partnership working to bring federal cases against the most disruptive offenders in the region.”
“For all dealers trying to come into Harris County—we do not condone drug trafficking, and we have the combined strength of local, state and federal law enforcement working together to stop such activity. This 168-month federal prison sentence sends a strong message that our partnership is paying dividends toward a safer community,” said Harris County Sheriff Mike Jolley.
“The Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office is committed in working with our local, state, and federal partners to work every case from the beginning to the end, without let-up. I am pleased to see Acting U.S Attorney Peter D. Leary seeking federal prosecution. This is huge! This will send a loud message to those involved in criminal activity within the Middle District of Georgia to let them know federal prosecution is headed their way. Great job Harris County Sheriff’s Office, Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office, DEA, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia,” said Muscogee County Sheriff Greg Countryman.
“This ‘meth’ trafficker, who is a convicted felon, was caught because of the joint efforts between DEA and its law enforcement counterparts,” said the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division Robert J. Murphy. “Mr. McBride will now spend well-deserved time in prison and his sentencing makes the Columbus, Georgia community a safer place to live.”
Investigators with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office and DEA arranged a controlled buy of “ice” methamphetamine from McBride on September 20, 2019. McBride initially told undercover officers (UC) he had one kilogram of methamphetamine to sell, but later messaged the UC that he had one-half of a kilogram of methamphetamine remaining to sell. The controlled buy occurred at a gas station in Fortson, Georgia (Harris County). The defendant was taken into custody in possession of 498.73 grams of methamphetamine. Inside the vehicle, officers discovered a loaded Glock 22 handgun. McBride was previously convicted of attempted burglary and identity fraud (2014), possession of cocaine with intent to distribute (2008), robbery and possession of a firearm by a felon (2000), and two counts of burglary (1999), all in the Superior Court of Muscogee County, Georgia.
The investigation was conducted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. For more information about Project Guardian, please see https://www.justice.gov/archives/projectguardian.
The case was investigated by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, the Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office and DEA. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Williams. Questions can be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603 or Melissa Hodges, Public Affairs Director (Contractor), United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 765-2362.
Clinton, PA Man Charged with Possession of Child Pornography following Pennsylvania State Police InvestigationRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - One resident of Clinton, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge of possession of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.
The one-count Indictment named Roderick T. Long, 56, as the sole defendant.
According to the Indictment, on or about March 9, 2020, Long possessed visual depictions, namely still images and videos in computer graphics and digital files, the production of which involved the use of minors, some of whom had not attained the age of 12 years, engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Carolyn J. Bloch is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Pennsylvania State Police conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Clay County Man Sentenced to 196 Months for Distribution and Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
LONDON, KY. - A Manchester man, Richard Scott Smith, 45, was sentenced on Tuesday to 196 months in federal prison, by U.S. District Judge Claria Horn Boom, for one count of distribution and one count of possession of child pornography. Smith was further ordered to pay $31,000 in restitution to his victims.
In his plea agreement, Smith admitted to distributing sexually explicit images of an 8-year-old female via the Skout application. Skout is a social networking application. Judge Boom held that Smith’s conduct involved children as young as 3-years-old and involved more 1,200 images under the United States’ Sentencing Guidelines. Smith has two prior convictions for assault, and a federal conviction for transporting undocumented aliens within the United States.
Smith pled guilty in October of 2020.
Under federal law, Smith must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Smith will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for 10 years, following his release.
Carlton S. Shier, IV, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky and James Robert Brown, Jr., Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI London Office. The U.S. Attorney’s Office was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jenna E. Reed.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Cibolo Businessman Admits to Defrauding High School StudentsRead the Press Release
In San Antonio today, 46-year-old George Alberto Barragan of Cibolo admitted that he stole money from high school students who paid him for group travel opportunities to celebrate their graduations, announced U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff and FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs, San Antonio Division.
Appearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Chestney, Barragan pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud. According to court records, Barragan owned and operated several travel agencies, including EB Worldwide, Exhibit Tours and Senior Grad Trips. He was the sole individual in charge of negotiating and contracting with customers as well as booking and arranging travel accommodations for large groups. Victim groups would pay Barragan by check or through an online payment portal to book the trips for them. Once in possession of victims’ funds, Barragan would make reservations and provide confirmations and itineraries to victims purporting to show that desired travel arrangements had been made.
Prior to travel, however, Barragan would cancel reservations and have the refunds deposited into his bank account. Barragan never notified his victims of the cancellations. In fact, he kept communicating with them after he cancelled their trips, informing them that their travel was still taking place. In at least two instances, large groups of students arrived at the designated time and location to begin their trip, only to find out that their trip had been cancelled.
By pleading guilty, Barragan admitted to perpetrating his scheme on no less than six different high school student groups between May 2015 and June 2018, resulting in an approximate total loss of at least $150,000.
Barragan, who remains on bond, faces up to 20 years in federal prison for mail fraud. Sentencing is scheduled for May 19, 2021, before U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez in San Antonio.
The FBI investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Chung is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
Chicago Man Charged in Federal Court with Inciting Rioting Last SummerRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A Chicago man has been charged in federal court with inciting rioting involving multiple incidents of property damage and looting in the city last summer.
JAMES MASSEY, 22, is charged with one count of using a facility of interstate commerce to incite a riot. According to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago, Massey on Aug. 9, 2020, posted multiple videos and messages on Facebook calling for people to travel to downtown Chicago to engage in property damage and looting, the complaint states. In the early morning hours of Aug. 10, 2020, numerous individuals damaged and looted retail stores, predominantly in downtown Chicago and the city’s Near North Side.
Massey was arrested this morning on the federal charge. He made an initial court appearance this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sunil R. Harjani and was ordered released on bond with electronic monitoring and subject to a curfew. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for March 18, 2021, at 1:30 p.m.
The complaint was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; and David Brown, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jordan Matthews and Sheri L. Wong.
The investigation was jointly conducted by the Chicago Police Department and FBI.
According to the complaint, Massey sent Facebook messages to numerous individuals directing them to meet at a certain location in Chicago to travel together to the downtown area. Several people responded to the messages throughout the night to discuss, among other things, the location of property damage and looting activity, the complaint states. In one of the messages, a Facebook user allegedly stated to others in the group, “We like 13 cars deep.”
One of the locations discussed in the Facebook messages was a marijuana dispensary in the 900 block of West Weed Street on the Near North Side of Chicago. At approximately 1:00 a.m. on Aug. 10, 2020, several individuals broke into the dispensary by smashing a window with tools they had retrieved from the trunk of Massey’s vehicle, which was parked in the dispensary’s parking lot, the complaint states.
Another incident cited in the complaint occurred at a retail store in the 800 block of North Michigan Avenue in Chicago. At approximately 1:25 a.m. on August 10, 2020, Massey approached the store with a tire iron while another individual broke a store window, the complaint states. Massey and several others entered the store, stole numerous coats, and returned to Massey’s vehicle, the complaint states. Shortly thereafter, an individual allegedly wrote to the Facebook group, “We just hit the [partial name of retail store].”
Massey and others later looted a convenience store in the city’s South Loop neighborhood after individuals broke windows to gain entry and then broke display counters inside, the complaint states. Shortly before 6:00 a.m., Massey and several others looted a cell phone store in the West Loop neighborhood after offenders broke the side door of the store to gain entrance, the complaint states.
The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Inciting a riot is punishable by a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
Cheektowaga Man Charged with Engaging in Sexual Acts with A MinorRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Michael Mesko, 50, of Cheektowaga, NY, was charged by criminal complaint with enticement of a minor and production of child sexual abuse. The charges carry a minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Bonanno, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, the defendant was arrested by the North Tonawanda Police Department on February 4, 2021, after it was discovered that he had been engaging in repeated sexual acts with the 17-year-old Victim. Mesko communicated with the Victim on social media applications, including Snapchat and TextNow, obtained naked images, constituting child pornography, of the Victim, and enticed the Victim into sexual contact. Investigators conducted a search of the Victim’s iPad and discovered conversations between the defendant and the Victim dating back to October 8, 2020.
Mesko will make an initial appearance this afternoon at 3:00 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer.
The complaint is the result of an investigation by the North Tonawanda Police Department, under the direction of Chief Thomas Krantz; the Cheektowaga Police Department, under the direction of Chief Michael Sliwinski; and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Stephen Belongia.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
# # # #
Charleston County School District Agrees to Provide Language Access for Limited English Proficient ParentsRead the Press Release
Today the Justice Department announced a settlement agreement with the Charleston County School District to resolve its investigation into complaints that the school district failed to communicate essential information to thousands of Spanish-speaking, limited English proficient (LEP) parents, denying their children full and equal access to the district’s education programs and services. The Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina conducted the investigation under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974.
The United States’ investigation found that the district often fails to use qualified interpreters to communicate with Spanish-speaking, LEP parents and guardians, even when their need for an interpreter is documented or otherwise evident. The United States also found that the district does not consistently translate essential written information into Spanish, and asks parents who can only communicate in Spanish to make important decisions about school programs and services without explaining the options in a language they understand.
“Empowering parents and guardians with the information necessary to meaningfully participate in their children’s education is critical to students’ success in school and beyond. We must continue the work to ensure that all parents have this opportunity, regardless of national origin or English proficiency.” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Pamela S. Karlan of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “We are encouraged by the Charleston County School District’s commitment and cooperation and look forward to continuing to work with the district to implement this agreement and fulfill its promise of equal treatment for all of the district’s students and their parents.”
“The Charleston County School District should be commended for its cooperation with this investigation and for its commitment to its students, parents and guardians,” said Acting U.S. Attorney M. Rhett DeHart for the District of South Carolina. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office looks forward to continue working with the school district, as it strives to be a model for other districts in providing full and equal access to information.”
The district cooperated at every stage of the investigation and committed to improving its practices through revised policies and professional development. The settlement agreement requires the district to use qualified interpreters and translators to communicate with parents about matters essential to their children’s education and to cease relying on family members, untrained staff and students for such purposes. The district will also provide LEP parents with access to documents and information about program offerings, including special education services, in a language they understand. The agreement requires the district to provide these interpretation and translation services for LEP parents and guardians at each of its 80 schools and programs.
Under the agreement, the district will:
- Implement effective policies and procedures and provide employees with training so that schools properly identify and meaningfully communicate with LEP parents and guardians;
- Ensure that all parents and guardians knowingly consent to or decline educational programming and services for their children; and
- Contact LEP parents and guardians prior to holding special education-related meetings to notify them of the right to have a qualified interpreter at the meeting and translated special-education related documents, at no cost to the parent/guardian.
The enforcement of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974 is a top priority of the Civil Rights Division. Additional information about the Civil Rights Division is available on its website at www.justice.gov/crt, and additional information about the work of the Educational Opportunities Section is available at https://www.justice.gov/crt/educational-opportunities-section. Members of the public may report possible civil rights violations at https://civilrights.justice.gov/report/.
Capitol Heights Man Pleads Guilty to Manufacturing and Passing Counterfeit CurrencyRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – Ricco Darnell Taylor, age 32, of Capitol Heights, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to manufacturing and passing counterfeit currency.
The guilty plea was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Jonathan F. Lenzner and Special Agent in Charge Matthew S. Miller of the United States Secret Service - Washington Field Office.
According to his guilty plea, from at least 2017 to December 2019, Ricco Darnell Taylor, conspired with others, including co-defendants Keara Davis and Deon Jones, to manufacture and pass counterfeit currency. Taylor manufactured the counterfeit currency using a printer at his home. Taylor gave the counterfeit currency to his co-conspirators or occasionally sold it. Taylor and his co-conspirators took the counterfeit currency to retailers in the area, where they used it to purchase merchandise. The conspirators subsequently returned the merchandise and received genuine currency.
During a search warrant executed by law enforcement on March 23, 2018, at the residence Taylor and Davis shared, officers recovered cell phones, three counterfeit $100 bills, gift cards, receipts from a victim retailer, linen copy paper, a printer, a scale and baggies, two shell casings, and a .38-caliber revolver. The linen copy paper was a type commonly used in counterfeit operations and subsequent testing by the United States Secret Service established that the ink contained in the printer’s ink cartridge was indistinguishable from ink analyzed from various counterfeit notes in this case.
The Secret Service collected evidence from dozens of instances in which Taylor and his co-conspirators passed counterfeit currency. For example, on June 19, 2019 Taylor purchased one package of diapers for $26.49 using one counterfeit $100 bill. The next day, Taylor returned the diapers, as well as some items purchased by Jones, in exchange for genuine currency. The Secret Service recovered eight counterfeit $100 bills used by Taylor and his co-conspirators during transactions on June 19, 2019, as well as video recordings and receipts reflecting their criminal activity.
On July 26, 2019 and October 10, 2019, officers conducted traffic stops on vehicles operated by Taylor. In the first instance, Taylor attempted to run away, but was apprehended. His vehicle was then searched, and officers recovered 18 counterfeit $100 bills, as well as Taylor’s cell phone, which contained text messages indicative of passing counterfeit bills. In the second instance, Taylor again ran away and attempted to discard counterfeit currency into a trash can. Law enforcement searched the trash can and recovered 13 cut counterfeit $100 bills displaying the same serial number, 27 pages of uncut $20 bills displaying three repeating serial numbers, and a key to the vehicle from which Taylor fled. Taylor’s fingerprints were subsequently found on the first three pages of the uncut counterfeit $20 bills.
In total, Taylor and his co-conspirators are responsible for passing between $95,000 and $150,000 in counterfeit currency. As part of his plea agreement, Taylor will be required to pay restitution in the full amount of the victims’ losses, which the parties agree is at least $95,000.
Taylor faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for conspiracy to pass counterfeit currency and a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for manufacturing counterfeit currency. U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang has scheduled sentencing for June 4, 2021 at 2:30 p.m.
Deon Kelsey Jones, age 30, of Temple Hills, Maryland, and Keara Unique Davis, age 29, of Capitol Heights, Maryland, previously pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracy. Judge Chuang has scheduled sentencing for Jones on March 23, 2021, and for Davis on June 2, 2021. Charges remain pending against a third co-defendant.
Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner commended the U.S. Secret Service for their work in the investigation. Mr. Lenzner thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Morgan Michael and Dana J. Brusca, who are prosecuting the case.
# # #
Camden County jail inmate admits providing drugs that caused fellow inmate's overdose deathRead the Press Release
BRUNSWICK, GA: An inmate at the Camden County Detention Facility has admitted providing the drugs resulting in another inmate’s death by overdose.
Joshua Swing, 36, of Woodbine, Ga., pled guilty in U.S. District Court to Distribution of Fentanyl, said David H. Estes, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. The charge carries a possible penalty of up to 20 years in prison, and there is no parole in the federal system.
“The law enforcement and medical community face an unprecedented fight against the epidemic of opioid abuse, and synthetic opioids like fentanyl add fuel to that raging inferno,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Estes. “The corrupting influence of illegal narcotics distribution makes it especially disturbing that this deadly poison was provided to a jail inmate by another inmate.”
The investigation began May 17, 2020, when an inmate at the Camden County Detention Facility, identified in court documents as J.D., was found unresponsive in his cell. J.D. later died, and a subsequent autopsy found that his cause of death was acute fentanyl toxicity. Swing admitted he provided the fentanyl J.D. consumed.
Swing previously was convicted in April 2018 in state court in Nassau County, Fla., for sale of methamphetamine.
“I was honored that our agency was able to investigate this case and bring it to conclusion on behalf of the people of Camden County and Sheriff Jim Proctor, and perhaps bring a sense of closure for the people involved,” said Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk.
The case is being investigated by the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office at the request of the Camden County Sheriff’s Office, and is being prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Josephson and E. Greg Gilluly Jr.
Buffalo Man Pleads Guilty to Being A Felon in Possession of A Gun and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Denzel Robinson a/k/a Sparks, 27, of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. The charge carries carry a minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael J. Adler and Charles E. Watkins, Jr., who are handling the case, stated that on April 28, 2020, the Buffalo Police Department executed a search warrant at the defendant's residence on Sun Street in Buffalo and recovered a .22 caliber rifle and multiple rounds of ammunition. In June 2018, Robinson was convicted in Erie County Court of bail jumping and is legally prohibited from possessing a firearm and ammunition.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Byron Lockwood, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Stephen Belongia.
Sentencing is scheduled for June 29, 2021, at 2:00 p.m. before Judge Sinatra.
# # # #
Broken Arrow Man Pleads Guilty to Fraudulently Applying for Paycheck Protection Program Forgivable LoanRead the Press Release
A Broken Arrow man pleaded guilty today for fraudulently applying for a Paycheck Protection Program forgivable loan guaranteed by the Small Business Administration under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
Rafael Maturino, 40, of Broken Arrow, pleaded guilty to bank fraud after executing a scheme to defraud First Bank of Owasso when applying for a Paycheck Protection Program loan under false pretenses on April 28, 2020. As part of the plea, the United States and Maturino agreed to a sentence of 12 months and one day of imprisonment and restitution in the amount of $97,800 to be paid to First Bank of Owasso. U.S. District Judge Claire V. Eagan will make the final sentencing determination at a hearing set for June 1, 2021.
“Small businesses employ millions of Americans and are the backbone of our communities. The Paycheck Protection Program is designed to assist legitimate small business owners keep their doors open and Americans employed during the current pandemic,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “This office along with the Federal Reserve Board Office of Inspector General, Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General, and the FBI will continue to bring fraudsters, like Maturino, to justice.”
Maturino applied for a Paycheck Protection Program loan on behalf of a company he claimed to own and operate, Maturino Enterprises, Inc. Maturino submitted forms that misrepresented the company’s payroll expenditures, amount of taxes paid, and the number of people employed.
In his plea agreement, Maturino admitted that he falsely represented in a Paycheck Protection Program “Borrower Application Form” submitted to First Bank of Owasso that Maturino Enterprises had an average monthly payroll of $39,152.92; had 5 employees; and was in operation on February 15, 2020. He further represented that he would use the requested loan funds to retain workers and maintain payroll or make mortgage interest payments, lease payments, and utility payments, as specified under the Paycheck Protection Program Rule. Maturino then signed the application form certifying the information was truthful.
The CARES Act is a federal law enacted on March 29, 2020, designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who are suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. One source of relief provided by the CARES Act was the authorization of up to $349 billion in forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses, through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). In April 2020, Congress authorized over $300 billion in additional PPP funding, and in December 2020, Congress authorized another $284 billion in additional funding.
The PPP allows qualifying small businesses and other organizations to receive loans with a maturity of two years and an interest rate of 1 percent. Paycheck Protection Program loan proceeds must be used by businesses on payroll costs, interest on mortgages, rent, and utilities. The PPP allows the interest and principal to be forgiven if businesses spend the proceeds on these expenses within a set period and use a certain percentage of the loan towards payroll expenses.
The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection Office of Inspector General; Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General; and FBI are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Victor A.S. Régal is prosecuting the case.
Boise Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Transportation of a Minor with Intent to Engage in Criminal Sexual Activity and Receipt of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
BOISE – Robert William Havery, 40, of Boise, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 180 months in federal prison for transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity and receipt of child pornography, Acting U.S. Attorney Rafael M. Gonzalez, Jr. announced today. Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye also ordered Havery to serve five years of supervised release following his prison sentence. Havery pleaded guilty to the charge on June 29, 2020.
According to court records, Havery began communicating online and via text message with a 14-year-old girl living in Junction City, Oregon in December 2016. For three years, Havery’s communications with the minor were sexual in nature, and included Havery expressing his sexual attraction to the minor, and desire to meet with her and have sex. During the communications, the minor produced images of her engaged in sexually explicit conduct and sent them to Havery.
On December 7, 2019, Havery drove from Idaho to Oregon, picked the minor up, and drove her back to his residence in Boise. While at his residence, Havery and the minor engaged in sexual contact. On December 10, 2019, officers with the Boise Police Department received information that the minor victim was missing from her home in Oregon and may be with Havery in Boise. When officers arrived at Havery’s residence in Boise, they discovered the minor victim unclothed in Havery’s bed. Both Havery and the minor victim later admitted to engaging in sexual contact at Havery’s residence.
As a result of his conviction, Havery will be required to register as a sex offender.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Boise Police Department.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
# # #
Birmingham Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Carjacking and RobberyRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A federal judge today sentenced a Birmingham man to federal prison for carjacking and for robbing a business engaged in interstate commerce, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp, Jr.
U.S. District Judge Annemarie Carney Axon sentenced ALBERT WARD, III, to 240 months in prison after he pleaded guilty in September 2020 to carjacking, use of a firearm during the carjacking, and an unrelated robbery of a business. As a result of his guilty plea, Ward received concurrent sentences of 156 months on the carjacking and the robbery. He received a mandatory minimum 84-month consecutive sentence for using a firearm to commit the carjacking. Ward had multiple prior felony convictions in state court, including convictions for Robbery First Degree, and Assault First Degree, arising from a burglary in 2012.
On the morning of December 6, 2018, Ward used a pistol to carjack a female shopper outside a retail establishment in Hoover, Alabama. On the evening of December 8, 2018, Ward robbed a convenience store in northeast Jefferson County, beating the store clerk with a screwdriver and taking the cash register before fleeing. Blount County Sheriff’s deputies apprehended Ward approximately an hour later when they responded to a call of a suspicious motorist who had run out of gas. Those deputies arrived to find Ward driving off after generous citizens put gas in his vehicle. Having just received a be-on-the-lookout bulletin that matched the driver and vehicle pulling away from them, the deputies quickly pulled Ward over and took him into custody. The cash register was found in weeds near where Ward’s vehicle ran out of gas. Jefferson County Sheriff’s investigators contacted Hoover Police a few days later after realizing that Ward fit the description of the Hoover carjacker. The carjacking victim subsequently identified Ward as the perpetrator after a Hoover detective showed her a photographic lineup.
“We were able to prosecute these cases because of great investigative work by all the law enforcement agencies involved,” U.S. Attorney Escalona said. “The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office quickly responded to the robbery scene, reviewed the security video and issued the alert to other agencies. The Blount County Sheriff’s Office recognized the vehicle and suspect as matching the robbery alert. The Hoover Police Department worked its case to develop an accurate description of the suspect.”
“We are pleased to take another dangerous individual off the street,” SAC Sharp said. “The cases that we pursue federally often start with dedicated efforts by local law enforcement, this case is an excellent example of law enforcement cooperation.”
FBI investigated the case along with the Hoover Police Department, the Blount County Sheriff’s Office, and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Baty prosecuted the case.
Bergen County Man Admits Filing 18 Phony Tax Returns to Obtain Tax RefundsRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Bergen County, New Jersey, man today admitted filing 18 fraudulent tax returns in victims’ names to obtain tax refunds to which he was not entitled, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Emmanuel A. Barrientos-Fermin, 33, of Tenafly, New Jersey, pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Claire C. Cecchi to an indictment charging him with one count each of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, access device fraud, and aggravated identity theft.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Barrientos-Fermin admitted that from January 2020 through February 2020, he and others conspired to use stolen personal identifying information (PII) to submit fraudulent tax returns in victims’ names to obtain tax refunds without the victims’ knowledge or consent. A conspirator (CC-1) obtained falsified Social Security cards, driver’s licenses, birth certificates and W-2 forms bearing the victims’ stolen PII. The conspirator provided the documents to Barrientos-Fermin and others, who would use fraudulently obtained PII to file tax returns at various tax preparation company branches, posing as the victims.
Barrientos-Fermin admitted that he entered into an agreement in which CC-1 would pay him $200 to enter tax preparation companies posing as the victims to file tax returns in their names. Barrientos-Fermin provided CC-1 a photo of himself and CC-1, in turn, provided Barrientos-Fermin with driver’s licenses bearing Barrientos-Fermin’s photos and the victims’ PII. CC-1 also provided Barrientos-Fermin with matching Social Security cards, W-2s, and sometimes birth certificates. Barrientos-Fermin admitted going into tax preparation locations pretending to be the victims and providing the false documents to the tax preparers to prepare and file the fraudulent tax returns. After submitting each fraudulent tax return and collecting advance refund debit cards, Barrientos-Fermin provided CC-1 the debit cards in exchange for cash payments of about $200 per return.
The count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and the count of access device fraud carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. The count of aggravated identity theft carries a statutory minimum term of imprisonment of two years in prison, which must run consecutively to any other term of imprisonment imposed. All the counts also carry a maximum fine of $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss caused by the offenses, whichever is greater. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 15, 2021.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited postal inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Inspector in Charge Raimundo Marrero in Newark; and special agents of IRS - Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael Montanez in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea. She also thanked the Totowa, New Jersey, Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police Carmen Veneziano, for its assistance.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Perry Farhat of the Government Fraud Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division in Newark.
Baltimore Armed Career Criminal Sentenced to Nearly 16 Years in Federal Prison After Pleading Guilty to Distributing Heroin, Fentanyl, Cocaine, and Crack CocaineRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III sentenced Cephus Albert Powell, age 54, of Baltimore, today to 188 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, after Powell pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.
The guilty plea and sentence were announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Jonathan F. Lenzner; Special Agent in Charge Jennifer C. Boone of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Orville O. Greene of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.
Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner stated, “All too often, guns and drugs go hand in hand—and we are committed to getting both off of our streets and to reducing violent crime in Baltimore. As an armed career criminal who possessed a gun, Cephus Powell now faces nearly 16 years in federal prison, where there is no parole. Please, put down the guns and save a life—maybe even your own.”
“Guns and drugs take far too many lives in our communities, and Cephus Powell was contributing to the devastating impact of both in Baltimore City,” said Jennifer C. Boone, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Baltimore Field Office. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to disrupt and dismantle criminal drug operations.”
According to Powell’s guilty plea, in April 2019, law enforcement officers were investigating drug trafficking activity in the 1400 block of Mosher Street and installed a covert camera to monitor the area. Between April 23 and April 29, 2019, law enforcement observed Powell conduct suspected hand-to-hand drug transactions in this area. Powell followed the same basic pattern each day: He arrived to the location in the morning using a ride service, then placed a white bag inside the first-floor window of a vacant rowhouse at 1417 W. Mosher Street. Powell conducted what investigators believed were hand-to-hand drug transactions using a large white Styrofoam cup to store the suspected narcotics.
As detailed in his plea agreement, on April 30, 2019, law enforcement officers were watching the covert camera and saw Powell engage in what they believed to be a hand-to-hand drug transaction. At approximately 7:20 a.m., moments after they observed the suspected drug transaction, law enforcement officers located and detained Powell, retrieving his Styrofoam cup, which he had placed in a nearby trash can. Inside the cup, investigators seized 23 red and clear gelcaps, each containing a mixture of heroin and fentanyl; 20 clear top vials each containing crack cocaine; and 13 green top vials containing cocaine. Powell also had $2,161 in cash on his person. Investigators then looked inside the window of the vacant rowhouse at 1417 W. Mosher Street and retrieved a white bag. Inside the bag was a .40-caliber handgun, loaded with seven live rounds; 230 red and white gelcaps containing a mixture of heroin and fentanyl; two knotted plastic bags each containing crack cocaine; 46 clear top vials each containing crack cocaine; 20 green top vials each containing cocaine; and a digital scale.
Subsequent DNA analysis conducted pursuant to a federal search warrant confirmed that the handgun contained Powell’s DNA. A review of the video footage from the covert camera revealed that, at approximately 6:45 a.m., Powell had opened the front window at 1417 W. Mosher Street and placed a white bag inside.
In total, law enforcement recovered approximately 96 grams of a mixture of heroin and fentanyl; 20 grams of crack cocaine; and three grams of cocaine. Powell admitted that he possessed the drugs with the intent to distribute them. Powell further admitted that he had a previous felony conviction which he knew prohibited him from possessing a firearm or ammunition.
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. Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner commended the FBI Strike Force Group, the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, the DEA, and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Lenzner thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Anatoly Smolkin, who is prosecuting the case.
# # #
Allergy and Asthma Associates in Roanoke Pleads Guilty to Criminal Charge; Enters into Civil Resolution over Health Care Fraud AllegationsRead the Press Release
ROANOKE, Va. – Acting United States Attorney Daniel P. Bubar and Virginia Attorney General Mark G. Herring announced today the finalization of a $2.1 million civil resolution with Allergy and Asthma Associates Inc. [AAA], a Roanoke-based, family-owned medical practice that billed Medicare and Virginia Medicaid more than $600,000 for expensive asthma treatments in did not purchase or improperly administered to patients. In June 2020, AAA pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Roanoke to one count of criminal health care fraud.
“When a medical practice fraudulently bills our Medicare and Medicaid programs, it diverts funds from the most vulnerable in our communities and must be held accountable,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Bubar. “Today’s civil resolution coupled with AAA’s criminal conviction in June marks the end of a lengthy investigation and demonstrates that we will work closely with our federal and state partners to hold providers responsible for healthcare fraud.”
“Individuals and health care providers who defraud our health care system are not only stealing from Medicare and Medicaid, but they are also stealing from taxpayers and they must be held accountable,” said Attorney General Herring. “I want to thank both our state and federal partners, as well as my hardworking Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, for their dedication and partnership on this case.”
“Every Medicare or Medicaid dollar paid wrongfully is money no longer available for crucially needed health services,” said Maureen R. Dixon, Special Agent in Charge at the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “Working with our law enforcement partners we will continue protecting these valuable program funds.”
According to court documents, between January 2010 and September 2017, AAA submitted improper billings to Medicare and Medicaid for Xolair, an expensive asthma treatment sold in single-use vials. Due to the nature of the drug, many patients receive doses of the drug that require health care providers to administer a partial vial of the drug. This results in leftover amounts of Xolair that are not administered to the patient. At relevant times, Medicare and Medicaid allowed providers to bill Medicare Part B and Medicaid one time for an entire single vial of Xolair, which includes both the administered quantity, as well as the discarded quantity of the drug from a single-use vial, up to the amount listed on the vial’s label.
In situations where a patient’s dose resulted in a leftover partial vial of Xolair, AAA administered the leftover amount to another patient and the billed Medicare and Medicaid for administering this amount as if it were the entire single-use vial.
From January 2010 to September 2017, AAA billed Medicare $627,540 for Xolair that AAA did not purchase. In addition, AAA received 129 vials of Xolair from Medicaid which is not documented as being used for a Medicaid patient. These 129 vials represent an approximate loss to Medicaid of $88,878.
Under the terms of the civil resolution finalized last week, AAA will pay a total of $2,149,607 to settle claims they violated the false claims act. Broken down, $1,994,607 will be paid to United States government and $154,648 will be paid to the Commonwealth of Virginia.
The investigation of the case was conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services- Office of the Inspector General, Virginia Office of the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Special Assistant United States Attorney and Virginia Assistant Attorney General Nicole S. Terry prosecuted the criminal case for the United States. Assistant United States Attorney Justin Lugar handled the civil matter.
Alabama Man Sentenced to Prison for Violating Federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification ActRead the Press Release
Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that YAMIL DIAZ, 48, formerly of Alabama, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to 24 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for failing to register as a sex offender.
The Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (“SORNA”), which was passed by Congress in 2006 as part of the Adam Walsh Act, provides a comprehensive set of minimum standards for sex offender registration and notification in the United States and seeks to strengthen the nationwide network of sex offender registration and notification programs. In part, SORNA requires registered sex offenders to register and keep their registration current in each jurisdiction in which they reside, work, or go to school.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in May 2019, Diaz was convicted in Alabama of attempted sexual abuse of a child less than 12 years of age. He received a sentence of 120 months of incarceration, suspended after seven months, and two years of supervised probation. In July 2019, Diaz registered as a sex offender with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Sex Offender Registration Unit. Diaz acknowledged in writing that he was required to register as a sex offender in each jurisdiction where he resided.
In August 2019, Diaz traveled from Alabama to Connecticut and, from at least November 2019 to February 24, 2020, he resided and worked as a mechanic in Waterbury. Diaz failed to register as a sex offender with the Connecticut Sex Offender Registry, as required under SORNA.
In September 2019, a court in Coffee County issued an arrest warrant for Diaz for violating his probation. On February 24, 2020, the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force located Diaz in Waterbury and arrested him on the outstanding Alabama warrant. He has been detained since his arrest.
On September 4, 2020, Diaz pleaded guilty to failing to register as a sex offender.
This matter was investigated by the United States Marshal Service. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Chen.
Aiken Resident Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison on Meth ChargesRead the Press Release
Columbia, South Carolina---- Acting United States Attorney M. Rhett DeHart announced today that James Sydnor Willis, 40, of Aiken County, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
Evidence presented in court established that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) initiated an investigation into the narcotics distribution activities of Kenneth Evans and Eddie Brockington, co-defendants in the case. Both Evans and Brockington were serving sentences in state prisons at the time of the conspiracy – Evans in the South Carolina Department of Corrections and Brockington in the Georgia Department of Corrections. Through controlled purchases and other investigative techniques, agents learned that members of the conspiracy purchased and distributed large amounts of methamphetamine and heroin for Evans and Brockington. Some of the individuals charged were responsible for transporting multi-kilogram amounts of methamphetamine and heroin into South Carolina and then distributing the drugs throughout the state. Willis was involved in purchasing and distributing methamphetamine in the Aiken County area for Evans. Willis was arrested several times with methamphetamine nearby.
United States District Judge J. Michelle Childs sentenced Willis to 120 months in federal prison, followed by eight years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
The case was investigated by agents of the DEA and the Aiken County Sheriff's Office. Assistant United States Attorney William K. Witherspoon prosecuted the case.
#####
1 March 2021
William T. Stetzer to Serve as Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of North CarolinaRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – William T. Stetzer has been named as the Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, following the departure of U.S. Attorney Andrew Murray on February 28, 2021.
Acting U.S. Attorney Stetzer is a career prosecutor who has dedicated his professional life to public service. Mr. Stetzer joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 2018 and has since served as the First Assistant United States Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
During his 20+ years of combined service as a state and federal prosecutor, Mr. Stetzer has handled numerous criminal cases and has extensive experience in felony jury trials, including capital and non-capital murder cases.
“It is a great honor to serve the people of the Western District and to work with an incredible group of dedicated public servants,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Stetzer. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office has a long legacy of fulfilling its mission to seek justice and to protect the rights and safety of the public, which I pledge to continue while serving in this new role.”
Since joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office as the Western District’s second-in-command, Mr. Stetzer has maintained an active caseload and has handled a variety of federal criminal prosecutions, including drug trafficking, violent crime, child exploitation, financial fraud, and public corruption cases. Notably, Mr. Stetzer served on the prosecution team in United States v. Lindberg et al., one of North Carolina’s most prominent bribery cases involving public officials.
Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mr. Stetzer served as Supervisor of the Homicide Prosecution Team at the District Attorney’s (DA’s) Office for Mecklenburg County, which includes Charlotte. During his seven-year tenure as a Supervisor at the DA’s office, Mr. Stetzer’s unit achieved significant reductions in the homicide case backlog and in case disposition time, while increasing both the conviction rate of homicide defendants and the sentences they received.
From 2007 to 2010, Acting U.S. Attorney Stetzer also served as an Assistant District Attorney for the Gaston County DA’s Office. While there, Mr. Stetzer prosecuted serious violent felony cases including violent assaults, homicides, sexual assaults, and crimes against children.
In 2020, Mr. Stetzer received the Justice Department’s Assistant Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Service. He has also been recognized for his lifelong contribution to the pursuit of justice by the FBI, the Crime Victim’s Coalition, and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department Homicide Support Group.
Mr. Stetzer, who resides in Gaston County, received his undergraduate degree from the University of Central Florida in 1993. He graduated with honors from Washburn University School of Law in 1996.
Mr. Stetzer’s spouse, Kelly Stetzer, is a prosecutor assigned to the Violent Crimes Unit with the Mecklenburg County DA’s Office.
Wheeling man admits to role in drug trafficking operationRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Zachary James Parsons, of Wheeling, West Virginia, has admitted to his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy, Acting United States Attorney Randolph J. Bernard announced.
Parsons, age 30, pled guilty to one count of “Aiding and Abetting the Distribution of Cocaine Base.” Parsons admitted to selling cocaine base, also known as “crack,” in January 020 in Ohio County.
Parsons 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. Attorneys Shawn M. Adkins and Clayton J. Reid are prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Ohio Valley Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, which includes the Drug Enforcement Administration, West Virginia State Police, Ohio County Sheriff’s Office, and the Wheeling Police Department, investigated. The U.S. Marshal Service, Columbus Police Department Gang Crimes Unit, the Martins Ferry Police Department, and the Bellaire Police Department also assisted.
U.S. Magistrate Judge James P. Mazzone presided.
Original case indictment here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndwv/pr/26-charged-drug-conspiracy-involving-heroin-fentanyl-crack-cocaine-and-meth-wheeling
Wesson Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – Gunner Nathaniel Speed, 25, of Wesson, pled guilty today before U.S. District Judge Carlton W. Reeves to possession of child pornography, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Jack P. Stanton, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New Orleans.
On November 15, 2019, Speed was stopped by the Flowood Police Department for a traffic violation. He was found to have over 150 pictures and videos portraying children having sex and simulated sex with adult males on his cell phone.
Speed was charged in a federal criminal indictment on June 10, 2020. He is scheduled for sentencing on June 3, 2021 at 9:00 a.m. and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The case is part of a joint investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and the Flowood Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Erin Chalk.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
Vipal J. Patel becomes Acting United States AttorneyRead the Press Release
DAYTON – Former First Assistant United States Attorney Vipal J. Patel is now the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio.
“These are huge shoes to fill, and I am humbled and honored to fill them,” Patel said. “The important work of the public servants in this Office – and their dedication to justice – continues. Our casework will persist uninterrupted.”
Patel, 53, a longtime resident of Dayton, became an Assistant United States Attorney in 2000. He has served in U.S. Attorney Office criminal, civil and appellate divisions.
Patel was named First Assistant United States Attorney in April 2016 under former U.S. Attorney Benjamin C. Glassman and was retained in that position by fellow former U.S. Attorney David M. DeVillers. Prior to his time as First Assistant, Patel served the district as a Deputy Criminal Chief and as the district’s Criminal Chief, filling management roles under both Republican- and Democrat-appointed U.S. Attorneys and Attorneys General. He spent 2011 in Afghanistan, serving a one-year anti-corruption and counter-narcotics assignment as a U.S. Department of Justice civilian advisor.
Patel was the lead prosecutor in the first ever international terrorism trial in the Southern District of Ohio in 2018, both prosecuting the case and successfully arguing its appeal. He also represented the United States in the prosecution of weapons-related charges against a friend of the August 2019 Dayton mass shooter. In other significant casework, Patel prosecuted a local child exploiter who abused an infant, young child, and numerous teenage girls. The defendant was sentenced to life plus 10 years in prison.
Patel received his law degree in 1991 from the George Washington University Law School. He currently serves as an evaluator of other United States Attorney’s Offices, teaches at the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Advocacy Center, in Columbia, South Carolina, and has taught abroad as part of DOJ’s Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance, and Training program.
Locally, since 2008, Patel has served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Dayton Law School. In his spare time, he enjoys coaching youth soccer. He is currently the Head Coach of the Kroc Center Soccer Club’s boys U11 team, part of a new club soccer program Patel helped found with a friend and in partnership with the Dayton Salvation Army in an effort to bring competitive club soccer to, and serve the needs of, inner-city Dayton.
Patel immigrated to the United States with his parents in 1970 and became a naturalized citizen in 1981. He and his wife have two children and reside in downtown Dayton and enjoy (ever slowing) walks along the river with their nearly 15-year-old rescue dog, “Frankie.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio includes 67 Assistant United States Attorneys and 51 non-attorney personnel. They serve the southern 48 counties in the state, including the Columbus, Cincinnati and Dayton metropolitan areas.
# # #
US Attorney Lamar Resigns After Decades of ServiceRead the Press Release
OXFORD, Miss. – After nearly 30 years of service to the United States Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, William C. Lamar, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Mississippi, announced today that he has tendered his resignation effective February 27, 2021. Lamar’s resignation was submitted at the request of the President of the United States and the Acting Attorney General, who have requested the resignation of all U.S. Attorneys.
Reflecting upon his service, Lamar stated, "It has been a privilege and honor to serve as an AUSA and the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Mississippi and in the town where I was raised. While I leave with a bit of a heavy heart, I'm so proud of the accomplishments, past, present and future, of our office. It will be left in good hands." Quoting author A.A. Milne, Lamar further remarked, “I am so lucky to have had a place that makes saying goodbye so hard.”
Lamar graduated from Oxford High School before attending Millsaps College for his undergraduate studies. He completed his law degree at the University of Mississippi School of Law and obtained an LLM in tax from Boston University School of Law. Upon completing his legal studies, Lamar returned to Mississippi and served as a law clerk to U.S. District Judge Neal B. Biggers from 1990-1991.
Lamar joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 1991 where he worked as an AUSA in the criminal division for many years. During his years as a line AUSA in the Criminal Division, Lamar received several awards for his work, including a coveted Director’s Award from the Executive Office for U.S. Attorney’s in 2004. While employed in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Lamar served in a variety of capacities, including Senior Litigation Counsel, Chief of the Criminal Division, and as Appellate Chief.
Lamar was nominated to serve as U.S. Attorney by President Donald J. Trump on June 29, 2017. He was unanimously confirmed by the Senate on November 19, 2017, and was sworn in by Chief U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock on Wednesday, November 22, 2017.
Two Men Charged with Conspiring to Distribute Heroin after Seizure of 20 Kilograms of Heroin from Mill in PatersonRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – Two men will make their initial court appearances today after being arrested and charged in connection with a drug distribution conspiracy, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Luis Cepeda-Capellan, 25 of Paterson, New Jersey, and Isidro Fernandez, 32, of New York, are each charged by complaint with one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin. They are scheduled to appear this afternoon by videoconference before U.S. Magistrate Judge James B. Clark III.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
During an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Drug Enforcement Task Force (NYDETF), law enforcement officers learned that Fernandez purchased significant quantities of items associated with the illegal manufacture and distribution of narcotics, including thousands of glassine bags, strainers, sifters, and scales. On Feb. 25, 2021, law enforcement officers observed Fernandez receive boxes of items consistent with those used to transport drug paraphernalia, such as large quantities of glassine bags, in New York. After obtaining the boxes, Fernandez traveled into New Jersey and delivered these boxes to an individual who brought them to Cepeda-Capellan’s residence.
The charge of conspiracy to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin carries a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison, a maximum of life in prison, and a fine of $10 million, or twice the amount of money involved in the offense, whichever is greater.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited the NYDETF, which comprises special agents and task force officers of the DEA, New York City Police Department, and New York State Police,with the investigation leading to the charges.
The government is represented by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Keith Travers of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force/Narcotics Unit in Newark.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Tulsa Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison for Sexually Abusing a ChildRead the Press Release
A man who was convicted of sexually abusing a child for more than 2 years was sentenced in federal court, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell sentenced Joshua Dale Armstrong, 33, of Tulsa, to 360 months in federal prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release. Armstrong will also be required to register as a sex offender once released.
“Joshua Armstrong preyed upon a defenseless child and engaged in a horrific pattern of repeated rapes and molestation that lasted years. While there is nothing that can make up for the pain and suffering of the victim in this case, a thirty year sentence reflects the heinousness of Armstrong’s crimes and provides a strong deterrent to others who would seek to victimize children," said Acting U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. "I’m thankful for the child victim in this case, who bravely came forward to report her abuse and allowed Armstrong to be brought to justice.”
In November, Armstrong pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual abuse and to abusive sexual contact of a minor under 12-years-old in Indian Country. From Jan. 1, 2018 to April 16, 2020, Armstrong abused a position of trust to engage in sexual acts with the child.
Armstrong was remanded into the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service until transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prison’s Facility.
The Tulsa Police Department and FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Devon Lash and Christopher J. Nassar prosecuted the case.
Thompson Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Kidnapping and Sexually Assaulting Massachusetts GirlRead the Press Release
Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JOSHUA BESAW, 37, of Thompson, Connecticut, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 240 months of imprisonment, followed by 20 years of supervised release, for kidnapping and sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on May 31, 2019, Besaw encountered a 12-year-old girl (“minor victim”) at a park in Webster, Massachusetts, and tricked the minor victim into entering his vehicle. Besaw, who identified himself as “Chuck,” then drove the minor victim to a wooded area in Thompson, Connecticut, where he sexually assaulted her. After the assault, Besaw drove the minor victim back to Massachusetts, where he released her in a neighborhood that was unfamiliar to her and refused to return her cellphone. The minor victim then borrowed a phone from a stranger to contact her parents who picked her up and brought her to the police station to report the incident. Later that day, a sexual assault examination of the victim was conducted at a medical facility.
Besaw was identified as a suspect after an extensive investigation led by Webster Police with support from the Connecticut State Police, which included analysis of surveillance video collected from numerous residences and businesses in Connecticut and Massachusetts.
On July 10, 2019, investigators conducting surveillance of Besaw collected cigarette butts that Besaw had discarded. The DNA evidence collected from the discarded cigarette butts matched DNA evidence collected from the minor victim on May 31, 2019.
Besaw was arrested on July 17, 2019. He pleaded guilty on March 13, 2020.
Besaw has been detained since his arrest.
This matter was investigated by the Webster Police Department, Connecticut State Police and Federal Bureau of Investigation, with the assistance of the Massachusetts State Police Crime Laboratory. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nancy V. Gifford.
Acting U.S. Boyle thanked the Windham State’s Attorney’s Office for its cooperation in the investigation and prosecution of this case.
The Breakfast Klub agrees to remove ADA violationsRead the Press Release
HOUSTON — A local Houston restaurant has settled allegations under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and agreed to remove barriers and greatly improve physical accessibility, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Individuals with disabilities had complained that they were unable to gain access to the restaurant. A follow-up investigation revealed several physical barriers existed on restaurant access points preventing individuals with disabilities from gaining entry to the restaurant. Authorities also found additional violations inside the restaurant.
The settlement agreement requires The Breakfast Klub to remove and remedy all ADA violations the United States has identified.
Under the ADA, persons with disabilities shall be afforded the opportunity to participate in or benefit from the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages or accommodations equal to that afforded to other individuals. Title III mandates that no individual shall be discriminated against on the basis of a disability by any person who owns, leases or operates a place of public accommodation.
Under Title III, The Breakfast Klub is a place of public accommodation. As such, the property owner and tenant are subject to its requirements.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Karpati and Keith Edward Wyatt handled this investigation with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Raymond Babauta.