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21 January 2021
Marrero Men Sentenced After Pleading Guilty to Cocaine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS –U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser announced that U.S. District Mary Ann Vial Lemmon sentenced GARLAND GULLORY (GUILLORY), age 41, and PHILLIP HELTON (P. HELTON), age 41, both of Marrero, Louisiana, to 188 months’ imprisonment and five years’ supervised release and a $100 special assessment, respectively, after both plead guilty to a one-count superseding bill of information charging them with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five hundred grams or more of cocaine hydrochloride and twenty-eight grams or more of cocaine base (“crack”).
According to court documents, in 2016, agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) New Orleans identified GUILLORY and P. HELTON’S brother Derris (D. Helton) as cocaine traffickers in the New Orleans area. Using a confidential source, agents made three controlled purchases of crack from GUILLORY and D. Helton totaling more than one hundred fifty grams. Through telephone wiretaps, agents identified their co-conspirators, P. HELTON, Robert Gaines, and Exavier Gardner. During a monitored telephone call in July 2017, the Helton brothers discussed having Gaines supply an individual with a quantity of drugs.
On August 1, 2017, agents learned through monitored telephone calls between the Helton brothers that D. Helton was travelling from Houston, Texas to New Orleans via Greyhound bus with a large quantity of cocaine. DEA agents and Louisiana State Police troopers stationed themselves at the Greyhound terminal in New Orleans awaiting D. Helton’s arrival. When D. Helton arrived at the terminal and exited the bus, agents and troopers approached D. Helton. After D. Helton consented to a search of his bag, agents found approximately 500 grams of cocaine hydrochloride in his bag. A subsequent monitored telephone call revealed a distraught P. HELTON lamenting his brother’s arrest while acknowledging that he (P. HELTON) should have been the one arrested with the drugs.
U.S. Attorney Strasser praised the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the Louisiana State Police in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney André Jones in was charge of the prosecution
Marine Corps Civilian Employee Pleads Guilty to Assaulting His SpouseRead the Press Release
A civilian employee working for the U.S. Marine Corps Community Association pleaded guilty today to assaulting his spouse while working in Iwakuni, Japan.
Nicholas L. McQuaid, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Matthew Schneider, U.S Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan; and Timothy Mahew, Special Agent in Charge of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) Far East Field Office made the announcement.
Jason Beltran, 35, a former U.S. Marine most recently residing in Flushing, Michigan, pleaded guilty to a single count of assault of a spouse resulting in substantial bodily injury. Beltran entered his plea before U.S. District Judge Nancy G. Edmunds in the U.S. District Court in Detroit, Michigan.
According to the admissions made in connection with his plea, Beltran was an active duty U.S. Marine stationed in Iwakuni, until he was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps in 2011.
Thereafter, Beltran was hired by the U.S. Marine Corps Community Services to work as a library technician at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni. In 2011, Beltran married a dual Japanese-U.S. citizen and had three children with his spouse. Beltran admitted that on or about June 20, 2017, he had an argument with his spouse during which he punched her with a closed fist to the side of her face causing a gash that required several stitches to close the wound, and which resulted in a small, permanent scar.
Sentencing is scheduled for May 3.
NCIS conducted the investigation. Trial Attorneys Frank G. Rangoussis and John-Alex Romano of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section are prosecuting the case.
Manhattan man convicted of lying in attempted firearm purchase sentenced to prisonRead the Press Release
MISSOULA – A Manhattan man who was convicted at trial of providing false information on a form when trying to buy a firearm was sentenced today to 13 months in prison and three years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Leif Johnson said today.
U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen, on Oct. 1, 2020, found Joshua Rodney Meech, 29, guilty of false statement during a firearms transaction. The one-day bench trial was held on Sept. 28, 2020.
During the trial, the prosecution presented evidence that Meech attempted to buy a 9mm semi-automatic pistol from Bob Ward & Sons, Inc., in Bozeman on April 4, 2020. In court records filed in the case, the prosecution said Meech, while shopping for firearms at the store, completed a Firearms Transaction Report, known at ATF Form 4473, signed and dated the form and provided it to an employee for a background check. A few days later, Bob Ward's was notified that Meech's request had been denied.
Meech had checked a box on the form that he was not subject to a court order restraining him from harassing, stalking, or threatening his child, and intimate partner or the child of such a partner. On Jan. 10, 2020 the District Court in Gallatin County issued a temporary restraining order against Meech directing him not to commit any acts of violence or harass, threaten, abuse or stalk the petitioner, now his ex-wife, and three minor children. The parties agreed to a Stipulated Order of Protection, which was signed by Meech and his attorney, on Feb. 26, 2020. The Stipulated Order was to remain in effect until the parties mutually agreed to dissolve it or upon further order of the court. The Stipulated Order included the statement, "Federal law provides penalties for possessing, transporting, shipping or receiving any firearm or ammunition."
The Stipulated Order was terminated on May 20, 2020 by a motion from the petitioner.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Cyndee Peterson prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
This case is part of Project Guardian, a Department of Justice initiative launched in the fall of 2019 to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Through Project Guardian, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Montana is working to enhance coordination of its federal, state, tribal and local law enforcement partners in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes. In addition, Project Guardian supports information sharing and taking action when individuals are denied a firearm purchase by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System for mental health reasons or because they are a prohibited person.
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Man Pleads Guilty to COVID-19 Relief Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
A Washington man pleaded guilty today to perpetrating a scheme to fraudulently obtain COVID-19 relief guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) through the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
Nicholas L. McQuaid, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Brian T. Moran, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington; J. Russell George, Inspector General of the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA); Gail S. Ennis, Inspector General of the Social Security Administration (SSA); Hannibal “Mike” Ware, Inspector General of the SBA, and Cardell Morant, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigation (HSI), made the announcement.
Austin Hsu, 46, of Issaquah, pleaded guilty to an information charging him with one count of wire fraud before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michelle L. Peterson in the Western District of Washington. Sentencing has been scheduled for April 19, 2021, before U.S. District Court Judge James L. Robart.
As part of his guilty plea, Hsu admitted that he submitted nine fraudulent disaster loan applications seeking over $1.1 million. Hsu, who is the owner and CEO of a company named Blackrock Services P.S. doing business as “Back 2 Health Bellevue” (Back 2 Health), received EIDL and PPP funds for Back 2 Health, and then used the names of Back 2 Health’s current and former employees to apply for additional PPP loans under the names of four other companies that he owned and controlled. Hsu further admitted that, in support of the fraudulent PPP loan applications, Hsu submitted fake federal tax filings.
Hsu also admitted that he incorporated a company named Blueline Capital LLC (Blueline) in June 2020 for the purpose of applying for an EIDL loan in July 2020, and then misrepresented to the SBA that Blueline had been in business since 2017 and that, as of Jan. 31, 2020, Blueline had nine employees and gross receipts of over $1.5 million. Hsu admitted that, in truth, Blueline had no business or operations.
Six of Hsu’s nine fraudulent loan applications were approved, and he fraudulently obtained more than $700,000 in COVID-19 relief funds.
The CARES Act is a federal law enacted March 29. It is designed to provide emergency financial assistance to millions of Americans who are suffering the economic effects resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. One source of relief provided by the CARES Act is the authorization of up to $349 billion in forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses through the PPP. In April 2020, Congress authorized over $300 billion in additional PPP funding, and in December 2020, Congress authorized another $294 billion in additional PPP funding.
The PPP allows qualifying small businesses and other organizations to receive loans with a maturity of two years and an interest rate of one percent. Businesses must use PPP loan proceeds for 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 time period and use at least a certain percentage of the loan towards payroll expenses.
The EIDL program is designed to provide economic relief to small businesses that are currently experiencing a temporary loss of revenue. EIDL proceeds can be used to cover a wide array of working capital and normal operating expenses, such as continuation of health care benefits, rent, utilities and fixed debt payments. If an applicant also obtains a loan under the PPP, the EIDL funds cannot be used for the same purpose as the PPP funds.
This case was investigated by the TIGTA, SSA – Office of Inspector General (OIG), SBA – OIG, and HSI. Trial Attorney Christopher Fenton of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Masada of the Western District of Washington are prosecuting the case.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Man Convicted of Multiple Obscenity Crimes Involving ChildrenRead the Press Release
A Texas man was convicted by a federal jury today for operating a website dedicated to publishing writings that detailed the sexual abuse of children.
Nicholas L. McQuaid, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Gregg Sofer, U.S. Attorney of the Western District of Texas; and Luis M. Quesada, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s El Paso Field Office made the announcement.
After a three-day trial, Thomas Alan Arthur, 64, of Terlingua, was convicted of three counts of trafficking in obscene visual representations of the sexual abuse of a child, five counts of trafficking in obscene text stories about the sexual abuse of children, and one count of engaging in the business of selling obscene matters involving the sexual abuse of children.
According to trial evidence, Arthur began operating the Mr. Double website in 1996, and began charging members for access to the site in 1998. The website was dedicated to publishing writings that detail the sexual abuse of children, including the rape, torture, and murder of infants and toddlers. The evidence at trial showed that all submissions for publication were reviewed and approved by Arthur before he posted them on the site. Some of the author pages contained drawings depicting children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Evidence at trial showed that the website was Arthur’s sole source of income for more than 20 years. The site was taken offline in November 2019 when the FBI executed a search warrant at his residence near Terlingua, where Arthur administered the site. Pursuant to our Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty with the Netherlands, additional evidence was obtained from the server in the Netherlands where the site was hosted.
Sentencing is scheduled for April 19, 2021.
Trial Attorney Austin M. Berry of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica Morrison of the Middle District of Tennessee, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Fidel Esparza of the Western District of Texas are prosecuting the case with assistance from the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.
The FBI, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, Texas Department of Public Safety, and Brewster County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and 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 http://www.justice.gov/psc.
Maine Man Arrested on Child Exploitation ChargesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Maine man was charged yesterday in federal court in Boston for travelling to have sex with a minor and child pornography offenses.
Patrick Plummer, 29, of Parsonsfield, Maine, was charged in a criminal complaint with traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a person under 18 years of age and transportation of child pornography.
According to the complaint, Plummer communicated via various messaging applications with an undercover officer posing as a 13-year-old girl and devised a plan to meet the purported child in Georgetown, Mass. to have sex. On Sept. 26, 2020, Plummer allegedly drove from Maine to a predetermined location in Georgetown, as they had planned. Officers arrested Plummer on scene, and found him in possession of four cell phones, a computer and a spring-release knife. Preliminary analysis of the electronic evidence seized from Plummer’s car revealed in excess of 100 images and videos of child pornography on at least three of the devices. Preliminary analysis also revealed evidence that Plummer was logged into the account from which he had communicated with the undercover officer. Forensic analysis of the devices is ongoing.
According to court documents, Plummer admitted that he had traveled from Maine to meet the purported 13-year-old girl, that he was talking to approximately 10 underaged girls and that investigators would find child pornography on his devices.
The charge of traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor provides for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, a minimum of five years and up to life in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of transportation of child pornography provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 20 years in prison, a minimum of five years and up to life in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; and Georgetown Police Chief Donald C. Cudmore made the announcement today. The Essex County District Attorney’s Office provided assistance with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anne Paruti, Lelling’s Project Safe Childhood Coordinator and Deputy Chief of the Major Crimes Unit, is prosecuting the case.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.
Lexington Man Sentenced to 71 Months for Fentanyl and Cocaine Trafficking and Illegal Gun PossessionRead the Press Release
LEXINGTON, Ky. – A Lexington man, Christopher Lovings, 36, was sentenced to ____ months in federal prison on Thursday, before Chief U.S. District Judge Danny Reeves, for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and cocaine base and possession of firearm by a convicted felon.
According to his plea agreement, on January 28, 2019, law enforcement observed a vehicle matching reports of a stolen vehicle at a gas station on Versailles Road in Lexington. Lovings was identified as the driver. Law enforcement located approximately four grams of crack cocaine and approximately eight grams of fentanyl on Lovings, along with a handgun under the drivers’ seat. Lovings admitted to being in possession of the drugs with intent to distribute and further admitted to being in possession of the firearm as a convicted felon.
Lovings was previously convicted of a felony in 2006 and was prohibited from possessing a firearm.
Under federal law, Lovings must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence and will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for three years, following his release.
Robert M. Duncan, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; J. Todd Scott, Special Agent in Charge, DEA, Louisville Field Division; Shawn Morrow, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, Louisville Field Division; and Chief Lawrence Weathers, Lexington Police Department, announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by the DEA, ATF, and Lexington Police Department. The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cynthia Rieker.
This is another case prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. It involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the Eastern District of Kentucky, U.S. Attorney Robert Duncan Jr., coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.
This case is part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. Click here for more information about Project Guardian.
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Le Mars Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for COVID-19 Related Unemployment FraudRead the Press Release
A Le Mars, Iowa man who stole government funds using a COVID-19 unemployment scheme was sentenced January 19, 2021, to 3 months in federal prison.
Dennis George Chinn, age 55, from Le Mars, Iowa, received the prison term after a September 25, 2020 guilty plea to theft of government funds.
In a plea agreement, Chinn admitted to falsely reporting his income, stating it was $150 per week, so he could get an additional $600 weekly payment, and to fraudulently obtaining unemployment benefits related to COVID-19 relief funds to which he was not entitled. In total, Chinn obtained over $13,000 in COVID-19 pandemic CARES Act Iowa unemployment funds.
Chinn was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Chinn was sentenced to 3 months’ imprisonment. He was ordered to pay $12,231.00 in restitution. He must also serve a 2-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Chinn is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by United States Attorney Ron Timmons and was investigated by the United States Department of Labor and the Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Rooting out COVID-19 fraud is a priority of the Department of Justice. On March 27, 2020, the President signed the CARES Act, which provides emergency assistance to individuals, families, and businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, including increased unemployment benefits.
These prosecutions are an example of the Department of Justice’s strong commitment to combating fraud and criminal activity related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 20-4082.
Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Latin Dragons Nation Associate Sentenced to 60 Months Imprisonment Following Conviction for Racketeering ConspiracyRead the Press Release
HAMMOND- Tiffany Barragan, 23, of Chicago, Illinois, was sentenced to 60 months imprisonment following her guilty plea to conspiracy to participate in racketeering activity as an associate of the Latin Dragons Nation street gang, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Gary T. Bell.
According to documents in the case, the Latin Dragons Nation is a criminal street gang that originated in Chicago and spread to other areas, including the Northern District of Indiana. Members and associates of the Latin Dragons Nation allegedly engage in acts of violence, including murder, attempted murder, witness tampering, and assault, to protect the gang’s territory. The Latin Dragons Nation members have been charged with crimes involving in excess of 50 victims, including 15 murder victims.
As part of her involvement in the Latin Dragons Nation, Barragan participated with gang members and associates in acts of violence and other criminal activity. In June 2017, at the direction of a Latin Dragons Nation member, Barragan and another Latin Dragons associate provided a firearm previously used to commit a murder to another Latin Dragons Nation member, with the intention that he would dispose of the murder weapon. In November 2017, Barragan accompanied Latin Dragons Nation members when they shot at a rival gang member’s residence, after which Barragan concealed drugs from the police during a traffic stop. In this case, a total of 19 members and associates have been charged with racketeering conspiracy for their participation in Latin Dragons Nation activity. Of those, 15 defendants have pled guilty and 8 are awaiting sentencing.
This case is the result of the investigative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Chicago Police Department Criminal Enterprise Unit; the Cook County Sheriff’s Office; the Bartlett Police Department; the Hammond Police Department; the East Chicago Police Department; the Merrillville Police Department; the Hobart Police Department; the Lake County Sheriff’s Department; and the Calumet City Police Department, with assistance from the Lake County, Indiana Prosecutor’s Office, the Cook County, Illinois State’s Attorney’s Office, the Indiana Department of Corrections, and the Illinois Department of Corrections. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin F. Wolff and Maria N. Lerner, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Toth, with prior assistance from former Assistant United States Attorney Joseph A. Cooley.
Lake City Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
A man who illegally possessed a gun pled guilty January 19, 2021, in federal court in Sioux City.
Jeffrey Carothers, 52, from Lake City, Iowa, was convicted of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. Carothers was previously convicted of a crime which prohibited him from possessing guns, namely, receiving stolen property, in the Superior Court for the State of California in and for the county of Plumas, on or about November 17, 1995.
At the plea hearing, Carothers admitted that around April or May 2019, he possessed a 9mm pistol. Carothers further admitted he was an illegal user of methamphetamine and that over the past one or two years, he had traded methamphetamine and marijuana for guns approximately six times.
Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Carothers faces a possible maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment; a $250,000 fine, and not more than three years of supervised release.
The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and was investigated by the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Lake City Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 20-3018. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Kotzebue Man Indicted for Sex Trafficking of a MinorRead the Press Release
Anchorage, Alaska – U.S. Attorney Bryan Schroder announced today that Wally Roy Carter, 61, of Kotzebue, Alaska, has been indicted by a federal grand jury for sex trafficking of a minor. Carter was arrested on Thursday, Dec. 17, and has remained incarcerated since his arrest.
According to a criminal complaint, Carter became the subject of a federal investigation in November 2020, when the FBI received a tip alleging a minor had been sexually abused by Carter approximately 15 times over the course of three years, with the first instance occurring when the victim was just 10 years old. Carter allegedly gave the victim money after each instance of sexual abuse, and often gave her alcohol and marijuana before or after the sexual abuse. The complaint further alleges that the sexual abuse happened in Carter’s home, his vehicle and on one occasion, Carter took her by boat to a cabin, where the victim tried to escape from Carter at least five times.
If the public has any further information regarding Carter’s activities, please contact Anchorage FBI at (907) 276-4441.
If convicted, Carter faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Anchorage Police Department (APD) Task Force Officers investigated this case collectively as part of the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, with assistance from the Alaska State Troopers (AST) and Kotzebue Police Department (KPD). This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dan Doty.
The investigation is 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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, Project Safe Childhood combines 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.
This case is also part of the Rural Alaska Anti-Violence Enforcement Network (RAAVEN), the U.S. Attorney’s Office is increasing engagement, coordination, and action on public safety in Alaska Native communities.
The charges in the criminal complaint are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Kanawha County Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for FraudRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Mike Stuart announced today that Holly Urlahs, also known as Holly Anderson, 32, of Elkview, was sentenced to two years in federal prison for bank fraud and forging a judge’s signature. Urlahs will also serve a three year term of supervised release upon completion of her prison sentence.
“Urlahs committed very serious crimes,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “She spun a tangled web of deceit for which she will now spend the next two years in federal prison.”
Urlahs previously pled guilty and admitted that she falsely claimed to have sued Charleston Area Medical Center (CAMC) and was expecting a large financial settlement from her lawsuit. Under these false pretenses, she set out to defraud financial institutions and an insurance company. As part of her fraudulent scheme, Urlahs altered a $100 cashier’s check to reflect an amount over $8.4 million. She also provided fake documents with forged signatures and a personal check for $1 million, although she knew she did not have sufficient funds in her account, to an insurance company to obtain an annuity contract. Urlahs’ check was returned for insufficient funds.
The investigation was conducted by the West Virginia State Police-Bureau of Criminal Investigations and the West Virginia Insurance Commissioner’s Special Investigations Division. United States District Judge Irene C. Berger imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Kathleen Robeson handled the prosecution.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:20-cr-00125.
Follow us on Twitter: SDWVNews and USAttyStuart
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Judge sentences St. Louis man to 10 years for drug trafficking and firearm chargesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS, MO – United States District Judge Catherine D. Perry sentenced James Lamont Fields to 120 months in prison today. The 23-year-old St. Louis, Missouri resident pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and one count of felon in possession of a firearm.
Fields, along with three other co-defendants, was involved in a conspiracy in December 2016 to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl.
As part of the conspiracy to distribute the fentanyl, a co-defendant maintained multiple cell phones that were passed among members of the conspiracy and which drug customers would call in order to procure fentanyl. At various times, multiple co-defendants and Fields agreed to maintain possession of the phone and distribute fentanyl to the customers on behalf of the conspiracy. During the investigation, federal agents and assisting police officers utilized undercover officers and confidential informants to do controlled purchases of fentanyl from whoever was in possession of the common cell phone. On at least one occasion, Fields answered the cell phone and distributed fentanyl to an undercover officer in the city of St. Louis.
Additionally, Fields kept in touch with his co-conspirators regarding the activities of the conspiracy even during periods of incarceration. On December 3, 2016, Fields placed a call from the St. Louis City Justice Center to a phone number and received updates from co-conspirators regarding drug trafficking and the shooting death of David Bryant.
On April 11, which was after Fields’ release from the St. Louis City Justice Center, officers from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department received a call for multiple offenders fleeing from police at a high rate of speed in a stolen vehicle. When officers spotted the vehicle, Fields fled from it and led officers on a foot chase in Downtown St. Louis. When officers found Fields, he was in possession of a bag containing a Glock model 23C, .40 caliber semi-automatic firearm and a knotted baggie containing clear capsules totaling 11.68 grams of fentanyl. Fields told officers the firearm was stolen, and he was a convicted felon. Fields agrees he responsible for more than 400 grams, but less than 1.2 kilograms.
This case was an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the St. Louis Division of the FBI, the St. Louis Division of the DEA, the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the United States Marshals Service and the St. Charles County Sheriff’s Department.
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Jamestown Man Going to Prison for Illegally Possessing A FirearmRead 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 Ingvue Buchanan, 57, Jamestown, NY, who was convicted of being a felon-in-possession of a firearm, was sentenced, by Chief U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr., to serve 36 months in prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth T. Molisani, who is handling the case, stated that in June 2016, law enforcement officers interviewed the defendant regarding his knowledge of 97 firearms that had been stolen, between May and June of 2016, from three federal firearms licensees in Pennsylvania. During the interview, Buchanan consented to a search of his vehicle, which he stated he had recently purchased from an individual by the name of Ben McCormack. During the search, officers recovered of a box containing 20 rounds of .44 caliber ammunition. The defendant was on New York State parole at the time following a manslaughter conviction in January 2011, and as a result of that conviction, he was prohibited from possessing any ammunition.
The following day, Buchanan was interviewed by his parole officer and stated that he had two firearms in his residence. The parole officer located one of the firearms, a rifle, but could not locate the other, a handgun. Subsequent investigation determined that the rifle was previously reported stolen from GNR Sporting Goods, in Mansfield, Pennsylvania. The defendant also told the parole officer that he helped facilitate meetings between Ben McCormack and individuals located in the Western District of New York for the purposes of selling stolen firearms from Pennsylvania. In addition, he admitted that 15 of the stolen firearms that were intended for distribution at a future date were hidden in the garage of a person known to the defendant.
Ben McCormack was previously convicted in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and sentenced to serve 121 months in prison.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Jamestown Police Department, under the direction of Chief Timothy Jackson, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of John B. Devito, Special-Agent-in-Charge, New York Field Division.
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Issaquah, Washington man pleads guilty to COVID-19 relief fraud schemeRead the Press Release
Seattle – An Issaquah, Washington man pleaded guilty today to perpetrating a scheme to fraudulently obtain COVID-19 relief guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) through the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
Nicholas L. McQuaid, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Brian T. Moran, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington; J. Russell George, Inspector General of the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA); Gail S. Ennis, Inspector General of the Social Security Administration (SSA); Hannibal “Mike” Ware, Inspector General of the SBA, and Cardell Morant, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigation (HSI), made the announcement.
AUSTIN HSU, 46, of Issaquah, pleaded guilty to an information charging him with one count of wire fraud before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michelle L. Peterson in the Western District of Washington. Sentencing has been scheduled for April 19, 2021, before U.S. District Court Judge James L. Robart.
As part of his guilty plea, HSU admitted that he submitted nine fraudulent disaster loan applications seeking over $1.1 million. HSU, who is the owner and CEO of a company named Blackrock Services P.S. doing business as “Back 2 Health Bellevue” (Back 2 Health), received EIDL and PPP funds for Back 2 Health, and then used the names of Back 2 Health’s current and former employees to apply for additional PPP loans under the names of four other companies that he owned and controlled. HSU further admitted that, in support of the fraudulent PPP loan applications, Hsu submitted fake federal tax filings.
HSU also admitted that he incorporated a company named Blueline Capital LLC (Blueline) in June 2020 for the purpose of applying for an EIDL loan in July 2020, and then misrepresented to the SBA that Blueline had been in business since 2017 and that, as of Jan. 31, 2020, Blueline had nine employees and gross receipts of over $1.5 million. HSU admitted that, in truth, Blueline had no business or operations.
Six of HSU’s nine fraudulent loan applications were approved, and he fraudulently obtained more than $700,000 in COVID-19 relief funds.
The CARES Act is a federal law enacted March 29. It is designed to provide emergency financial assistance to millions of Americans who are suffering the economic effects resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. One source of relief provided by the CARES Act is the authorization of up to $349 billion in forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses through the PPP. In April 2020, Congress authorized over $300 billion in additional PPP funding, and in December 2020, Congress authorized another $294 billion in additional PPP funding.
The PPP allows qualifying small businesses and other organizations to receive loans with a maturity of two years and an interest rate of one percent. Businesses must use PPP loan proceeds for 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 time period and use at least a certain percentage of the loan towards payroll expenses.
The EIDL program is designed to provide economic relief to small businesses that are currently experiencing a temporary loss of revenue. EIDL proceeds can be used to cover a wide array of working capital and normal operating expenses, such as continuation of health care benefits, rent, utilities and fixed debt payments. If an applicant also obtains a loan under the PPP, the EIDL funds cannot be used for the same purpose as the PPP funds.
This case was investigated by the TIGTA, SSA – Office of Inspector General (OIG), SBA – OIG, and HSI. Trial Attorney Christopher Fenton of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Masada of the Western District of Washington are prosecuting the case.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Illegal Alien from the Dominican Republic Sentenced Today for Unlawfully Possessing a Firearm Related to a Shooting at the Executive NightclubRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI – Gretchen C.F. Shappert, United States Attorney for the District of the Virgin Islands, announced today that Charlie Manuel Castillo Borg, 27, a citizen of the Dominican Republic with no legal status in the United States, was sentenced to time served in custody. He has been detained under custody by local and federal authorities since December 31, 2019. The defendant was also ordered to forfeit the firearm he unlawfully possessed.
According to court documents, on December 22, 2019, a shooting occurred at the Executive Night Club, Bar and Restaurant located at Contant #38, St. Thomas. V.I. Surveillance video from the incident collected at the scene shows a male subject, later identified with the initials I.D.A., open the door of the Executive Night Club, Bar and Restaurant and discharge a firearm into the establishment. Immediately thereafter, the surveillance video records the defendant, Charlie Manuel Castillo Borg, shooting the firearm at I.D.A., striking him several times. Medical personnel later pronounced I.D.A. dead at the scene. A query conducted by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services found that the defendant Charlie Manuel Castillo Borg is an illegal alien in the United States.
This case was investigated by the Virgin Islands Police Department in conjunction with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Juan A. Albino.
Hartford Man Admits Assaulting U.S. Postal Service EmployeeRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that DEMORSE KELLEY, 39, of Hartford, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to assaulting a U.S. Postal Service letter carrier.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on June 7, 2019, a U.S. Postal Service letter carrier was sorting mail inside her postal delivery van that was parked on Sigourney Street in Hartford. Kelley approached the van from the sidewalk, slid the side door of the van so that it was fully open and then spoke to the letter carrier. Kelley commented the letter carrier on her appearance and asked her for a hug and for her phone number. Kelley then climbed into the postal van and allowed the door to close behind him. He then touched the letter carrier’s leg below her shorts, made sexual advances and obstructed the letter carrier’s ability to exit. The letter carrier was eventually able to exit the van and called Hartford Police, who arrested Kelley later that day.
Judge Dooley scheduled sentencing for April 15, 2021, at which time Kelley faces a maximum term of imprisonment of eight years.
Kelley, who has unrelated state charges pending, has been detained since his arrest.
This matter is being investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Hartford Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nancy V. Gifford.
Gulf Coast Man Pleads Guilty to Firearms OffenseRead the Press Release
Gulfport, Miss. – Cameron Malik Dajon Payton, 19, of Harrison County, Mississippi, pled guilty today before Senior U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola to being an unlawful user of a controlled substance in possession of a firearm, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Darren LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Michelle Sutphin with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Mississippi.
On September 2, 2020, law enforcement officers with the Biloxi Police Department conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Payton. As a result of the stop, officers located two loaded handguns, one of which was stolen, beneath the passenger seat. One of the firearms was a Glock 42 .380 caliber pistol. Additionally, officers found a Glock 42 pistol magazine loaded with 5 rounds of .380 ammunition and a single .380 round on Payton. Further investigation revealed that Payton was an unlawful user of marijuana, a controlled substance.
On October 6, 2020, Payton was charged in a federal criminal indictment with being an unlawful user of a controlled sustance in possession of a firearm.
Payton will be sentenced by Judge Guirola on April 28, 2021 at 1:30 p.m. and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the Biloxi Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan Buckner.
Gregg County Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Trafficking Anabolic SteroidsRead the Press Release
MARSHALL, Texas – A 53-year-old Longview, Texas man has been sentenced to federal prison for drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas announced Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei today.
Tony Goss pleaded guilty on Sep. 30, 2020 to possession with the intent to distribute anabolic steroids and was sentenced to 19 months in federal prison today by U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap.
According to evidence presented in court, On August 22, 2019, state and federal law enforcement agents executed a search warrant at an office located at 107 Community Blvd, in Longview. Goss admitted that he possessed approximately 5,493 pills or tablets containing anabolic steroids, approximately 4,192 grams of anabolic steroid powder and, approximately 2,960 milliliters of liquid anabolic steroids at the location with the intent to distribute them for commercial profit. Goss further admitted that he distributed anabolic steroids through mass-marketing by means of an interactive computer service.
Goss also agreed to the forfeiture of seven firearms, a 2016 Ford F – 350 pickup, and $459,285.25 which he obtained by selling anabolic steroids online.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration Tyler Field Office, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service – Ft. Worth Office and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Noble.
Former State Regional Officer of Latin Kings Pleads Guilty to Racketeering Conspiracy ChargesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A former Regional Officer for the Massachusetts Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation (“Latin Kings”) pleaded guilty today to racketeering charges.
Michael Cotto, a/k/a “King Gordo,” 26, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity, more commonly referred to as RICO conspiracy. U.S. Senior District Court Judge Rya W. Zobel scheduled sentencing for April 28, 2021.
The Latin Kings are a violent criminal enterprise comprised of thousands of members across the United States. The Latin Kings adhere to a national manifesto, employ an internal judiciary and use a sophisticated system of communication to maintain the hierarchy of the organization. As alleged in court documents, the gang uses drug distribution to generate revenue, and engages in violence against witnesses and rival gangs to further its influence and to protect its turf.
Cotto, a former member of the New Bedford Chapter, admitted to his role in the drug distribution activity of the Latin Kings in New Bedford, and a variety of violent acts committed in furtherance of the Latin Kings. One such violent act was a February 2018 beating, known as a “termination,” of an individual who was suspected of cooperating with law enforcement. The victim was found by New Bedford Police bleeding from his injuries and transported to the hospital.
Cotto also admitted to conspiring in August of 2018 to terminate a leader of the Fitchburg Chapter who was suspected of cooperating with law enforcement. On intercepted phone calls, Cotto discussed an elaborate ruse to trick this leader into attending a meeting at which he would be ambushed and beaten by other Latin Kings members.
In December 2018, a surveillance video depicted Cotto participating in a group assault of another individual. Cotto can be observed striking the victim with a baseball bat.
In December 2019, a federal grand jury returned an indictment alleging racketeering conspiracy, drug conspiracy and firearms charges against 62 leaders, members and associates of the Latin Kings. Cotto is the 30th defendant to plead guilty in the case.
The RICO conspiracy charge provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Commissioner Carol Mici of the Massachusetts Department of Correction; and New Bedford Police Chief Joseph C. Cordeiro made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was also provided by the FBI North Shore Gang Task Force and the Bristol County and Suffolk County District Attorney’s Offices. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Philip A. Mallard and Lauren Graber of Lelling’s Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.
The operation was conducted by a multi-agency task force through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply. More information on the OCDETF program is available here: https://www.justice.gov/ocdetf/about-ocdetf.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Former Jackson Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Obstruction of a Federal InvestigationRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. - Mark Coleman, 57, a former Jackson Police Officer, pled guilty today before United States District Judge Tom S. Lee to obstruction of a federal investigation by destroying and concealing text messages and images of a minor female, announced Acting United States Attorney Darren LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Michelle Sutphin with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Mississippi.
Upon learning that a 16 year old female with whom Coleman had a relationship had been reported as a runaway, Coleman attempted to delete text messages and images of the female from his phone in an attempt to prevent federal investigators from connecting him to the runaway. His attempt at concealing his relationship failed, and Coleman was arrested. He was charged in a federal criminal indictment on July 14, 2020.
Coleman’s sentencing hearing is set for April 29, 2021 at 9:30 a.m. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
The case was investigated by the The Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Glenda R. Haynes is prosecuting the case.
Former Department of Unemployment Assistance Employee and Husband Indicted on Fraud Charges Arising from Pandemic Unemployment ClaimsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A married couple was indicted today by a federal grand jury in Boston on fraud charges arising from their claims for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) funds.
Tiffany Pacheco, a/k/a Tiffany Tavery, 35, and Arthur Pacheco, 47, who, until recently, resided in New Bedford, Mass., were each indicted on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Tiffany Pacheco was also indicted on five counts of wire fraud and Arthur Pacheco on two counts. The defendants were arrested in San Antonio, Texas in December 2020 and have been detained since.
According to charging documents, Tiffany was hired by the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance (DUA) in April 2020, shortly after her release from federal prison following a conviction for aggravated identity theft. While employed by DUA, Tiffany allegedly misused her position to submit fraudulent PUA claim information on behalf of herself and her husband, Arthur, who was incarcerated in Texas until Sept. 4, 2020, and thus ineligible for PUA funds.
Specifically, it is alleged that in June 2020, PUA claims submitted for Tiffany and her husband reflected 2019 income of $0 and no dependents. In July 2020, via her employment with DUA, Tiffany obtained access to the PUA computer system, and later changed claim information for herself and Arthur so as to increase the amount of PUA funds they would receive. For example, Tiffany allegedly increased the amount of 2019 income for her and Arthur to more than $240,000, and increased the number of their dependents to seven. Tiffany further used her access to the PUA system to verify the increased reported 2019 income on both claims without the required income verification documents.
It is further alleged that the PUA claim for Arthur was fraudulent because he was incarcerated in Texas until Sept. 4, 2020, and thus ineligible for PUA funds. In November 2020, Arthur called DUA and falsely denied that he had been incarcerated during the timeframe leading up to September 2020, and that he was only incarcerated for approximately a month. Tiffany also spoke with DUA and misrepresented the period of time for which Arthur had been incarcerated.
A search of the New Bedford apartment where Tiffany and Arthur resided uncovered various tools of identity fraud, including an ID laminator, 100 blank ID cards, 68 hologram overlays, 150 card lamination sheets and 649 sheets of blank checks. Law enforcement also seized approximately $17,000 cash and a notebook that appeared to contain the personal identifying information of various individuals. On Sept. 23, 2020, DUA terminated Tiffany’s employment.
The charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security’s Investigation’s Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force (DBFTF), a specialized field investigative group comprised of personnel from various local, state, and federal agencies with expertise in detecting, deterring, and disrupting organizations and individuals involved in various types of document, identity, and benefit fraud schemes.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; William S. Waolker, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; and Michael Mikulka, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigation made the announcement. The New Bedford Police Department, Massachusetts Parole Board and Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance, Program Integrity Unit provided valuable assistance with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bill Abely and Dustin Chao of Lelling’s Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Former City of Rochelle Employee Charged with Fraudulently Obtaining at Least $150,000 from a Non-Profit Business AssociationRead the Press Release
ROCKFORD — A former employee of the City of Rochelle was charged today with fraudulently obtaining at least $150,000 from a non-profit business association.
SCOTT KOTESKI, 58, of Rochelle, is charged with one count of wire fraud, according to a criminal information filed in federal court in Rockford. Arraignment has not yet been scheduled.
The charge was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. The Illinois State Police assisted in the investigation. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott R. Paccagnini.
According to the information, Koteski was selected by the city to sit on the board of directors of a non-profit business association that provided broadband internet technology to smaller municipalities in northern Illinois. Starting in 2011, Koteski was selected as the treasurer of that association. As treasurer, Koteski handled the invoicing and billing of the member municipalities, and as of February 2012 had signatory authority on the association’s bank account. According to the information, from September 2012 through April 2018, Koteski fraudulently obtained from the association at least $150,000, which he used for his own benefit without the association’s knowledge or consent. Koteski wrote numerous checks to himself from the association’s bank account and deposited them into a personal account for his benefit, the information states.
Koteski allegedly concealed his acts by writing false information on the memo line to make it appear the checks were for reimbursement of personal monies Koteski spent for the association when, in fact, Koteski was not entitled to reimbursement. In 2018, Koteski made online payments from the association’s bank account to a credit card company to pay balances on his personal credit card, and to an online loan financing company to pay balances on Koteski’s loan, the information states.
Wire fraud carries a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal sentencing statutes and the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines.
The public is reminded that an information 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.
Former City of Rochelle Employee Charged with Fraudulently Obtaining at Least $150,000 from a Non-Profit Business AssociationRead the Press Release
ROCKFORD — A former employee of the City of Rochelle was charged today with fraudulently obtaining at least $150,000 from a non-profit business association.
SCOTT KOTESKI, 58, of Rochelle, is charged with one count of wire fraud, according to a criminal information filed in U.S. District Court in Rockford. Arraignment has not yet been scheduled.
The charge was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. The Illinois State Police assisted in the investigation. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott R. Paccagnini.
According to the information, Koteski was selected by the city to sit on the board of directors of a non-profit business association that provided broadband internet technology to smaller municipalities in northern Illinois. Starting in 2011, Koteski was selected as the treasurer of that association. As treasurer, Koteski handled the invoicing and billing of the member municipalities, and as of February 2012 had signatory authority on the association’s bank account. According to the information, from September 2012 through April 2018, Koteski fraudulently obtained from the association at least $150,000, which he used for his own benefit without the association’s knowledge or consent. Koteski allegedly wrote numerous checks to himself from the association’s bank account and deposited them into his personal bank account for his personal benefit.
Koteski concealed his acts by writing false information on the memo line to make it appear the checks were for reimbursement of personal monies Koteski spent for the association when, in fact, Koteski was not entitled to reimbursement, the information states. In 2018, Koteski made online payments from the association’s bank account to a credit card company to pay balances on his personal credit card, and to an online loan financing company to pay balances on Koteski’s loan, the information states.
Wire fraud carries a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal sentencing statutes and the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines.
The public is reminded that an information 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.
Florida Man Pleads Guilty in Multi-Million Dollar Medicare Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Florida man pleaded guilty today to his role in a multi-million dollar Medicare fraud scheme involving durable medical equipment.
Nathan LaParl, 34, of Boca Raton, Fla., pleaded guilty to one count of receiving kickbacks in connection with a federal health care program and one count of violating the HIPAA statute. U.S. Senior District Court Judge George A. O’Toole, Jr. scheduled sentencing for May 20, 2021.
According to charging documents, LaParl and co-defendant Talia Alexandre sold Medicare patients’ personal and medical data to Juan Camilo Perez Buitrago. LaParl and Alexandre worked with foreign call centers to contact Medicare patients to ask if they were interested in durable medical equipment (DME) such as arm, back, knee and shoulder braces “at little to no cost.” The call centers collected demographic and insurance information from Medicare patients, which LaParl and Alexandre sold to Perez. Together, LaParl and Alexandre received more than $1.6 million from Perez for the patient data. Perez Buitrago used that patient data to submit more than $109 million in false and fraudulent claims, submitting claims for DME that was not prescribed, not necessary, and, in many instances, never requested or received.
To perpetuate the scheme, LaParl checked Medicare patients’ insurance eligibility by improperly accessing a patient eligibility tool provided by co-defendant Stefanie Hirsch. Hirsch owned EI Medical, Inc., a Medicare-enrolled wheelchair and scooter repair company that qualified for access to a health care clearinghouse that contains Medicare patients’ personal, medical and insurance information. Hirsch improperly gave LaParl access to that clearinghouse and charged him about $0.25 per patient eligibility check. Using Hirsch’s credentials, LaParl accessed the personal and medical data of more than 350,000 patients.
In October 2020, Perez pleaded guilty to health care fraud and paying kickbacks in connection with a federal health care program and is scheduled to be sentenced on March 4, 2021. Alexandre and Hirsch are scheduled to plead guilty on Feb. 24, 2021.
Two other defendants, Jessica Jones and Elizabeth Putulin, pleaded guilty yesterday.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Johnnie Sharp Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Birmingham Field Division; Phillip Coyne, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General, Boston Division; and Joseph W. Cronin, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elysa Q. Wan of Lelling’s Health Care Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.
Florence Man Pleads Guilty to Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
COVINGTON, Ky.- A Florence, Ky., man, Robert Picklesimer, 34, pleaded guilty on Thursday, before U.S. District Judge David Bunning, to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
According to Picklesimer’s plea agreement, on September 17, 2020, law enforcement responded to a report of a possible overdose in a hotel room in Florence. Picklesimer was the sole occupant of the hotel room, and officers located over 18 grams of methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, and a handgun in the room. Picklesimer admitted that he owned the methamphetamine and indicated that he had been distributing it to make money.
Picklesimer was indicted in November 2020.
Robert M. Duncan, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; J. Todd Scott, Special Agent in Charge, DEA, Louisville Field Division; and Chief Tom Grau, Florence Police Department, jointly announced the guilty plea.
The investigation was conducted by the DEA and Florence Police Department. The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tony Bracke.
Picklesimer is scheduled to be sentenced on May 20, 2021. He faces a minimum of five years and a maximum of 40 years in federal prison. However, any sentence will be imposed by the Court, after its consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal sentencing statutes.
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Fifth and Final Member of Local Multi-State Drug Trafficking Organization Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Kevin C. Bui, of Fort Walton Beach, was sentenced yesterday to 78 months in federal prison following his August conviction on drug and money laundering conspiracy charges. Bui and four co-conspirators trafficked thousands of pounds of marijuana into North Florida from California and laundered hundreds of thousands of dollars in proceeds to send back to their supplier in California. Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the sentence.
“This man and his co-conspirators polluted North Florida with their drugs, then laundered the proceeds to be shipped out of state. Their federal prison sentences are key to disrupting and dismantling this drug trafficking organization,” U.S. Attorney Keefe said. “This case is another example of how federal, state, and local law enforcement can work effectively to put organizations like this out of business.”
After a 14-month investigation led by federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies in the Northern District of Florida, all five defendants have now been sentenced for their roles in the multi-state drug trafficking and money laundering organization, which operated in Florida, California, and elsewhere.
Bui and three other Florida-based defendants conspired with and relied upon a fifth defendant – the organization’s California-based source of supply – to mail thousands of pounds of marijuana into the Northern District of Florida. In exchange, the Florida-based defendants funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash through bank accounts and purchased money orders and cashier’s checks at local grocery and convenience stores with marijuana trafficking proceeds, in order to transfer the money back to the source in California. During the execution of search and arrest warrants, law enforcement seized thousands of dollars in United States currency, precious jewelry, controlled substances, and other items of significant value.
"So much crime is motivated by greed. IRS Special Agents play a unique role on task forces aimed at dismantling criminal enterprises: we follow the money. That’s exactly what we did in this case,” said Special Agent in Charge Brian Payne of Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation. “We are proud to add our financial investigative skills to this operation, and we commend the exemplary efforts of our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners in bringing these criminals to justice.”
Bui and his co-conspirators were each charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute marijuana and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Bui’s co-conspirators all pled guilty to the charges, while Bui was convicted by a federal jury in August 2020. The sentences imposed for all five defendants are:
- Phi T. Nguyen, of Fort Walton Beach, Florida, 120 months in federal prison;
- Kevin C. Bui, of Fort Walton Beach, Florida, 78 months in federal prison;
- Larry Millard Harrison, II, of Mary Esther, Florida, 84 months in federal prison;
- Philip H. Ly, of Mary Esther, Florida, 60 months in federal prison; and
- Hoang B. Pham, of Temple City, California, 40 months in federal prison.
These prosecutions resulted from an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation that since the beginning of 2017 targeted a drug trafficking organization responsible for the distribution of marijuana throughout northern Florida. OCDETF is a joint federal, state, and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking. OCDETF is the nation’s primary tool for disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations, targeting national and regional-level drug trafficking organizations and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to take down criminal organizations and seize assets.
“These traffickers funneled large amounts of illegal drugs into our Northwest Florida communities,” said FDLE Pensacola Special Agent in Charge Jack Massey. “I appreciate the hard work of our FDLE agents, members of the OCDETF and U.S. Attorney Keefe. There is no doubt that our community is a safer place with these traffickers behind bars.”
These sentences resulted from the collaborative work of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys David L. Goldberg and Lazaro P. Fields prosecuted the cases.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Press Release - U.S. v. BuiFairbanks Man Indicted on Federal Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
Anchorage, Alaska – U.S. Attorney Bryan Schroder announced today that Bradley Kruger, 20, of Fairbanks, has been indicted for Felon in Possession of a Firearm.
According to state court documents, on July 27, 2020, Kruger was stopped by Alaska State Troopers for a traffic violation. During the stop, Troopers observed loose ammunition on the front passenger seat of the vehicle. Kruger self -identified that he was on felony probation and his probation officer requested a search of Kruger and the vehicle for prohibited weapons and controlled substances. During the search, Troopers located drugs and drug paraphernalia, a loaded Smith and Wesson 22 caliber pistol, 2 loaded AR15 magazines, and a backpack containing a pry bar, bolt cutters, screwdriver and wire snips. Further investigation revealed the pistol had been reported as lost one week earlier. Kruger has a prior felony conviction and is prohibited from possessing firearms.
If convicted on the federal charges, Kruger faces a maximum of 10 years in prison. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Alaska State Troopers (AST) conducted the investigation leading to the charges in this case. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dan Doty.
This case was brought 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 visit https://www.justice.gov/ag/about-project-guardian
The charges in the indictment are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Fairbanks Man Indicted for StalkingRead the Press Release
Anchorage, Alaska – U.S. Attorney Bryan Schroder announced today that Roger Keeling, 54, of Fairbanks has been indicted by a federal grand jury for stalking.
According to court documents, Keeling allegedly strangled his girlfriend in October 2020. The victim obtained a Domestic Violence Protective Order. Keeling pleaded to a misdemeanor assault charge in state court, and upon release, violated the DVPO numerous times over several weeks while on ankle monitoring. Keeling continued to harass and contact the victim by emailing her, following her and leaving notes for her, slashing her vehicle tires, and placing her in fear for her life.
If convicted, Keeling could face a sentence of up to five years. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Alaska State Troopers (AST) conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dan Doty.
This case was brought 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.
The charges in the indictment are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Essex County Man Indicted for Drug Offenses and Illegally Possessing Three Firearms with Extended MagazinesRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A federal grand jury today indicted an Essex County, New Jersey, man for illegally possessing several firearms, including an AM-15 rifle, as well as quantities of crack cocaine and heroin with the intent to distribute, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Cedric Lewis, 30, of Bloomfield, New Jersey, is charged with two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, two counts of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and two counts of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Lewis was previously charged by complaint in October 2020. He will be arraigned on a date to be determined.
According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court:
In September 2020, law enforcement officers began investigating Lewis for his involvement in distributing controlled substances in Newark. They learned about Lewis’ involvement in an incident on Sept. 20, 2020, in which Lewis was in a car in the Newark/Elizabeth area while he possessed 118 jugs containing suspected crack cocaine, as well as an AM-15 rifle with a high-capacity magazine that contained 30 rounds of .300 caliber ammunition.
On Sept. 25, 2020, law enforcement officers lawfully searched Lewis’ apartment and recovered: one 9 millimeter pistol with an extended magazine; one .40 caliber pistol with an extended magazine; drug paraphernalia and a scale; $800 in United States currency; one clear plastic bag containing a distribution quantity of suspected crack cocaine; several bundles of distribution quantities of suspected heroin; and nine suspected Xanax pills.
The narcotics offenses each carry a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison, and a fine of $1 million. The counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm each carry a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison. The counts of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime each carry a statutory mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, which must run consecutively to any other sentence imposed – and a maximum potential penalty of life in prison. Each firearm count carries a maximum fine of $250,000.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited members of the Essex County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Armando B. Fontoura; special agents of the ATF, Newark Field Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Charlie J. Patterson; deputy marshals with the U.S. Marshals Service in the District of New Jersey, under the supervision of U.S. Marshal Juan Mattos Jr.; as well as deputy marshals with the U.S. Marshals Service in the Northern District of Georgia, under the supervision of U.S. Marshal Michael S. Yeager, with the investigation leading to today’s indictment. She also thanked the Bloomfield Police Department for its assistance with this case.
This case is a part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensured that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. For more information about Project Guardian, please see: https://www.justice.gov/projectguardian
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Levin of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Violent Crimes Unit in Newark.
The charges and allegations against the defendant are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Dominican National Sentenced for Identify FraudRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Dominican national was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for aggravated identity theft.
Luis Rafael Noble Diaz, 43, who previously resided in Brockton, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock to 35 months in prison and two years of supervised release. Noble Diaz will be subject to deportation proceedings upon completion of his sentence. In Sept. 2020, Noble Diaz pleaded guilty to false representation of a Social Security number and aggravated identity theft.
On Aug. 20, 2014, Noble Diaz submitted an application for an identification card at the Registry of Motor Vehicles office in Boston using the name, date of birth and Social Security number of a U.S. citizen from Puerto Rico. Noble Diaz is a citizen on the Dominican Republic and in the United States without legal authority. At the time he submitted the fraudulent RMV application, Noble Diaz was on supervised release after serving a 10-year federal prison sentence for distributing heroin and cocaine base, commonly referred to as crack. After he was charged in this case, Noble Diaz was sentenced to 10 months in federal prison for violating the conditions of his supervised release.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and William S. Walker, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Tobin of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
Dominican National Sentenced for Drug Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Utah-based cocaine trafficker was sentenced today in federal court in Boston after previously being convicted by a federal jury.
Droel Jared Encarnacion, 28, of Medford, Mass. and Salt Lake City, Utah, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs to one year and one day in prison and three years of supervised release. In October 2020, Encarnacion was convicted following a jury trial of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
In August and September 2018, federal investigators were conducting a wiretap investigation into Encarnacion and his co-conspirator, Robin Manuel Suazo, who lived in Lynn, Mass. The two men discussed their fentanyl and cocaine distribution activities in several calls and discussed shipping drugs from Utah to Boston. On Sept. 17, 2018, Encarnacion shipped, via, FedEx, a package containing approximately 427 grams of cocaine from his home in Utah to his mother’s address in Medford, Mass. Encarnacion then flew to Boston to pick up the cocaine. Agents stopped the two men as they drove together in a vehicle toward Lynn, and located the FedEx package of cocaine in the vehicle, showing Encarnacion as the sender of the package.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division made the announcement today. Assistant United States Attorneys Lauren A. Graber and Jared Dolan of Lelling’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.
Dominican National Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl TraffickingRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Dominican national pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to fentanyl trafficking.
Andres Arias, 48, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and five counts of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled sentencing for May 20, 2021.
According to court documents, Arias and his co-defendant Cristian Lara Diaz, conspired to distribute fentanyl and engaged in five separate controlled sales of fentanyl to a cooperating witness for the government in Boston between April 2017 and January 2018.
On Jan. 12, 2021, Lara Diaz was sentenced to 63 months in prison and four years of supervised release.
The charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 million. The charges of distribution of and possession with the intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl carry a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 40 years in prison, at least four years of supervised release and a fine of up to $5 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The operation was conducted by a multi-agency task force through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply. More information on the OCDETF program is available here: https://www.justice.gov/ocdetf/about-ocdetf.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; and Boston Police Commissioner William Gross made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen W. Hassink of Lelling’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.
Defendant Accused of Kidnapping and Torture Extradited to U.S. to Face Federal Charges in MiamiRead the Press Release
Miami, Fl. -- Sergei Nkorina, a 55-year-old American citizen indicted in the Southern District of Florida on kidnapping charges, arrived in Miami last night on a flight from Spain pursuant to a request from the U.S. government to extradite the fugitive.
According to an indictment returned by a South Florida grand jury, on January 14, 2019, Nkorina and his co-defendant, Justin Boccio, abducted their victim from a Walmart parking lot in Broward County, Florida, by grabbing the victim, blindfolding him, and forcing him into a van. It is alleged that Nkorina and Boccio drove the victim to a storage facility where they blowtorched the victim’s hands and threatened to kill him with a firearm and other weapons. Nkorina and his co-defendant demanded the address and entry code to the victim’s home, which the conspirators later visited while armed, says the indictment. According to other court documents, on January 15, 2019, local law enforcement officers found the victim, with his hands and feet bound, hands burned, and lacerations on his face, inside a car parked at a Broward County gentlemen’s club.
Nkorina was classified as a fugitive on May 24, 2019. Nkorina was arrested in Spain for purposes of extradition based on a request from the United States in accordance with the U.S.-Spain Extradition Treaty. He arrived in Miami last night.
Ariana Fajardo Orshan, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, of the FBI’s Miami Field Office made the announcement.
Boccio, Nkorina’s co-defendant, pled guilty to the kidnapping charges on September 26, 2019. On December 5, 2019, United States District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga sentenced Boccio to more than 11 years in prison.
An indictment is merely an accusation and Nkorina is presumed innocent unless and until found guilty in a court of law. Nkorina made his initial appearance today in federal court. A pre-trial detention hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, January 26, 2021, at 10:00 a.m., in federal magistrate court in Miami.
FBI Miami investigated this case. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Demanovich and Lisa H. Miller, former South Florida Assistant U.S. Attorney, now Chief of the Market Integrity & Major Frauds Unit, within the Department of Justice, Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.
U.S. Attorney Fajardo Orshan extends her gratitude to the FBI Miami Violent Crimes/Fugitive Task Force and the Hallandale Beach Police Department for their work, to the government of Spain for making the extradition possible, and to the Department of Justice, Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs who provided significant assistance in securing the defendant’s extradition. The U.S. Attorney also extends her gratitude to the Spanish Civil Guard and Interpol for their assistance in capturing this fugitive and in bringing him back to the United States.
You may find related court documents on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 19-cr-20261.
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Columbia Man Facing Federal Charges in Maryland for Making Internet Threats to Blow up the IRS HeadquartersRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – A federal criminal complaint has been filed in Maryland charging Cody Wolf Gideon Mohr, age 27, of Columbia, Maryland, on the federal charges of making Internet threats to destroy a building by use of explosive. The criminal complaint was signed on January 20, 2021, and Mohr was arrested late that day.
The criminal complaint was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur and Inspector General J. Russell George of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA).
U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur stated, “We take threats to bomb a federal building and injure federal employees seriously. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners will use all the tools at our disposal to identify and prosecute those who make such threats.”
According to the affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, on January 19, 2021 the TIGTA Criminal Intelligence and Counterterrorism Division conducted a routine review of publicly accessible social media accounts to identify and prevent threats to the Internal Revenue Service. The review resulted in the identification of tweets from “@BonaFried” in which the user threatened the IRS and federal employees, including political officials and law enforcement officers.
As detailed in the affidavit, a tweet dated January 15, 2021 stated, “I am going to explode the IRS headquarters with a bomb.” Additional tweets on or around the same date made reference to the original tweet and allegedly confirmed the user’s intent to bomb the IRS, but said that “I am simply announcing my intentions to give employees a fair shot at escaping alive.” The user posted other tweets since January 15, 2021, allegedly making additional threats including that he was “laser focused on thinking about ways to kill [Speaker of the House] Nancy Pelosi,” “[it would be cool to] drive 80 mph into a million people,” and that “…if a cop pulls you over for something minor like speeding or a busted tail light, you can just threaten his life and he’ll let you go with no trouble.” The user also allegedly discussed how easy it was to build a semi-automatic rifle, and discussed obtaining firearms.
Further investigation identified the user of the account as Mohr and that the IP addresses used during recent logins to the account were located in the area in or around Columbia, Maryland.
If convicted, Mohr faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for making Internet threats to destroy a federal building by use of explosive. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. An initial appearance for Mohr is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Friday, January 22, 2021, in U.S. District Court in Baltimore.
A criminal complaint is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by criminal complaint is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended TIGTA for its work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathleen O. Gavin and P. Michael Cunningham, who are prosecuting the case.
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College of Staten Island Agrees to Settle Claims Related to Research MisconductRead the Press Release
The College of Staten Island (“CSI”), a college within the City University of New York (“CUNY”), has agreed to repay $98,237.86 in federal assistance awarded by the United States to perform research with the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (“NOAA”), to resolve a federal investigation concerning alleged fabricated research results.
Seth D. DuCharme, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Duane E. Townsend, Special Agent-in-Charge, U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of the Inspector General, announced the resolution.
“Maintaining the highest levels of integrity and accuracy must be the bedrock of scientific research. This resolution demonstrates how research institutions should respond upon learning of alleged misconduct or fraud in connection with federally funded projects,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney DuCharme. “When a federal award recipient fully cooperates with the government’s investigation, our Office will work with them to arrive at a fair and just resolution.”
“This investigation demonstrates the government's resolve to protect the integrity of federally funded research and ensure taxpayer money is not wasted on dishonesty. We greatly appreciate the efforts of the U.S. Attorney's Office and the cooperation of the college in resolving this matter,” stated U.S. Department of Commerce Special Agent-in-Charge Townsend.
NOAA is a component of the United States Department of Commerce. In 2015, the Research Foundation of CUNY, on behalf of CSI, applied for and was awarded federal assistance pursuant to a cooperative agreement with NOAA to conduct a component of a research project to study the role of ocean eddies on the productivity of certain fish stock. The principal investigator for CSI was a professor who is no longer employed by the school. The work was required to be performed between September 2015 and August 2017. As a condition for receiving the funds, CSI certified, in part, that it was capable of managing the research project and ensuring that the required work was done.
In 2018, NOAA notified CSI that the principal investigator had not conducted the work required under the cooperative agreement and allegedly had fabricated research results submitted to NOAA. CSI then conducted an internal investigation and concluded, in part, that the principal investigator had committed research misconduct. After receiving CSI’s findings, the United States Attorney’s Office, with the support of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of the Inspector General, independently investigated NOAA’s allegations regarding the fabrication of research results. CSI cooperated fully throughout the investigation, providing documents and responding to government inquiries. The United States concluded that CSI failed to ensure proper management and completion of the research required under the cooperative agreement, and negotiated the resolution.
In addition to repayment of the $98,237.86 that CSI received under the cooperative agreement, CSI has agreed to modify its current policies and procedures concerning the supervision of federal funded research projects to ensure that the work required under federal awards is completed and to safeguard against research misconduct and fraud.
The government’s case is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Bonni J. Perlin.
Charlotte Man Is Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison on Drug and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – U.S. District Judge Kenneth D. Bell sentenced Nathaniel Jerome Steele, 45, of Charlotte, to 10 years in federal prison today, on drug trafficking and gun charges, announced Andrew Murray, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Steele was also ordered to serve six years under court supervision after he is released from prison.
Vincent C. Pallozzi, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, and Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD), join U.S. Attorney Murray in making today’s announcement.
According to filed court documents and today’s sentencing hearing, in June 2019, law enforcement became aware that Steele was selling narcotics out of his residence in Charlotte. On June 14, 2019, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Steele’s residence, where they recovered fentanyl, cocaine, crack cocaine, and methamphetamine. Law enforcement also seized a firearm and a loaded high-capacity magazine. Steele has a prior federal firearm conviction and he is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.
On October 14, 2020, Steele pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. He is currently in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
U.S. Attorney Murray thanks the ATF and CMPD for handling this investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Hess, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte, prosecuted the case.
Charleston Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Bank Fraud and Possession of Stolen MailRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Mike Stuart announced today that Samantha Miller, 36, of Charleston, was sentenced to one year in federal prison for the felony offenses of bank fraud and possession of stolen mail matter. After Miller completes her sentence of federal incarceration, she will be placed on supervised release for a term of five years. Miller is also required to pay restitution back to the victim banks in the amount of $1,965.51.
“Miller stole a number of checks from the mail and attempted to alter and cash them for herself,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “In addition to her one year prison sentence, she will also pay restitution to the victims for the almost $2,000 she fraudulently received through her scheme.”
Samantha Miller previously pled guilty and admitted that in 2018 she traveled to various banks in Kanawha County and she presented stolen checks that had been altered in an attempt to cash them. On January 28, 2018, she successfully cashed an $800 check to obtain money that did not belong to her and that was not under her lawful control. On February 9, 2018, she was caught in possession of a number of stolen checks that had been taken from the United States mail. Samantha Miller knew that she possessed stolen mail matter and was in the process of further altering these checks to attempt to cash them. In total, she received nearly $2,000 that did not belong to her through manipulating checks that had been stolen from the U.S. mail.
The United States Postal Inspection Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Dunbar Police Department, and the West Virginia State Police conducted the investigation. United States District Judge Irene C. Berger imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Erik S. Goes handled the prosecution.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:19-cr-00114.
Follow us on Twitter: SDWVNews and USAttyStuart
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Central Falls Man Admits to Illegally Possessing AmmunitionRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Central Falls man on Wednesday admitted to a federal court judge that in April 2020 he possessed .223 caliber ammunition after previously being convicted of a felony.
According to information presented to the court during an earlier detention hearing, Jayquan Parker, 25, opened fire shortly after he and others were involved in a verbal dispute. Police recovered 24 spent Remington brand .223 shell casings.
Based on information developed by Pawtucket Police and gleaned from surveillance videos recorded in the surrounding area of the shooting, Pawtucket Police identified Parker as the shooter. He was located and arrested by the Fugitive Task Force and Pawtucket Police on April 19, 2020.
Prior to the incident, Parker had been convicted and sentenced in Rhode Island state court on felony charges on multiple occasions. In addition to state charges filed against Parker in connection with the April 7 incident, the Government filed a federal criminal complaint charging Parker with being a felon in possession of ammunition. He was later indicted on the same charge.
Appearing before U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith, Parker pleaded guilty as charged in the indictment, announced United States Attorney Aaron L. Weisman, Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves, United States Marshal Wing Chau,
Parker is scheduled to be sentenced on April 23, 2021 and is awaiting trial in Providence Superior Court on related state charges.
The case in U.S. District Court is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney William J. Ferland.
The Rhode Island Violent Fugitive Task Force is run by the U.S Marshals Service along with the Rhode Island State Police. The Task Force is comprised of members from the U.S. Marshals Service, the Rhode Island State Police, and the Warwick, Cranston, Coventry, East Providence, Middletown, Pawtucket, Portsmouth and Providence Police Departments who work full time to track down and apprehend the most violent and dangerous fugitives both within the United States and Internationally.
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Case manager and property agent plead guilty to stealing federal funds designated to help homeless veteransRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Camelia Revels, a former case manager at HOPE Atlanta, and Katrise Jones, a property agent, have pleaded guilty to a criminal information charging them with conspiring to steal approximately $124,000 in federal funds intended to help homeless veterans.
“The defendants betrayed the trust of veterans who came to them for help,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine. “The victims are men and women who sacrificed for their country and deserve more than being taken advantage of for personal greed.”
David Spilker, Special Agent in Charge at the U.S. Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (VA OIG) stated, “VA OIG’s continued oversight of VA’s grant programs, which are used to provide housing for at-risk homeless veterans, is one of the agency’s highest priorities because it safeguards the integrity of VA’s programs designed to end veteran homelessness. As detailed in the charging document, the defendants’ fraud scheme adversely impacted the well-being of homeless veterans, their families, and the programs designed to assist them during a time of need.”
“This is a case of financial predators that actively sought to pilfer federal housing funds fittingly dedicated to assist our nation’s homeless veterans,” said Wyatt Achord, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General. “It is our mission to tirelessly root out such individuals with the intent to willfully undermine federal housing programs dedicated toward improving the quality of life of those who devotedly served in our country’s armed services.”
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Christine, the charges and other information presented in court: The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provide funds through a variety of programs, including the Supportive Services for Veterans program (SSVF), in order to assist homeless veterans. SSVF monies are in turn provided as grants to various organizations, including HOPE Atlanta (a/k/a Traveler’s Aid of Metropolitan Atlanta).
HOPE Atlanta is a non-profit organization dedicated to combatting homelessness that has served metro-Atlanta for more than 100 years. Between approximately October 2013 and November 2015, Revels was employed at HOPE Atlanta as a case manager for the SSVF program. As part of her duties, Revels was responsible for confirming a veteran’s eligibility to participate in the SSVF program, assisting veterans in finding suitable housing, and preparing the SSVF vouchers to secure issuance of funds. Although Revels did not have final approval over SSVF vouchers, she provided all the relevant information to her supervisor, including the name of the vendor to whom the check would be issued on behalf of a veteran.
Among the vendors Revels provided to her supervisor as the payee were companies that were owned and operated by Jones, including Stratford Corporate Realty, Strategic Consultants, and Reserve at Bay Bridge. Jones was supposed to act as a “property agent,” who would assist the veterans find suitable housing. In other words, rather than listing the rental property as the payee, Revels provided one of Jones’s companies.
In December 2014, HOPE Atlanta learned that Jones was not making rental payments on behalf of veterans who received SSVF funds and directed Revels to no longer work with her. Revels ignored this directive but continued her scheme with Jones. In particular, Revels did not disclose to HOPE Atlanta that the “vendors” receiving SSVF funds were various entities controlled and operated by Jones. As part of the conspiracy, Revels and Jones in fact opened a joint bank account in the name of Strategic Consultants—one of Jones’s companies—in which stolen SSVF funds were deposited. The scheme lasted until November 2015 when HOPE Atlanta learned that Revels had continued to work with Jones and that Jones’s companies had continued to receive SSVF funds that were not being used to help homeless veterans.
Separately, Jones also stole HUD-VA Supportive Housing funds (VASH) funds from the Marietta Housing Authority (MHA) in August and September 2015. HUD-VASH is a collaborative program between HUD and VA that combines HUD rental assistance (Housing Choice Vouchers) with VA supportive services to help veterans and their families who are homeless. To receive the VASH funds, an individual must represent that they are the owner of the property to be rented or a registered agent of the property owner. MHA also required the applicant to show that the mortgage payments for the property were up to date (or otherwise the owner held free and clear title to the property). MHA imposed these latter requirements to avoid placing veterans in properties that were subsequently foreclosed upon.
Jones falsely misrepresented to MHA that she was a registered agent of a large, legitimate property management company in order to participate in the VASH program. As a result of Jones’s misrepresentations to MHA, she received approximately $3,000 on behalf of several veterans for rental payments but never made the payments.
Sentencing for Camelia Revels, 50, of Hiram, Georgia, is scheduled for April 6, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. Sentencing for Katrise Jones, 47, of Lexington, South Carolina, is scheduled for April 15, 2021 at 9:30 a.m. Both sentencings will be held before U.S. District Judge Mark H. Cohen.
This case is being investigated by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of the Inspector General, Office of Inspector General-Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Cobb County Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex R. Sistla is prosecuting the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Carroll County Man Indicted for Selling Firearm to Convicted Felon Jason AutryRead the Press Release
Jackson, TN –Danny Joe Ivy, 55, of Buena Vista, Tennessee, has been indicted for selling a firearm to a convicted felon and making false statements to a federal law enforcement agent. D. Michael Dunavant, U.S. Attorney announced the filing of the indictment today.
According to allegations contained in the January 14, 2021 two-count indictment, Ivy is charged with selling a firearm to convicted felon, Jason Autry, and also for knowingly making materially false, fictitious, and fraudulent statements to an ATF Special Agent during the criminal investigation.
During the same grand jury session, Jason Autry's previous indictment returned on December 10, 2020 for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm was superseded to add and include a second count for possession of ammunition while being a convicted felon. https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdtn/pr/jason-autry-federally-indicted-being-convicted-felon-possession-firearm.
If convicted, Ivy faces up to ten years in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. There is no parole in the federal system.
U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said, "Selling or providing a firearm to a known prohibited person such as a convicted felon is a serious violation of federal law with significant consequences. The government has a strong interest in preventing dangerous and prohibited persons from obtaining firearms, and this office will always vigorously prosecute any persons who sell guns to felons."
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Benton County Sheriff’s Office investigated this case.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations of criminal conduct, not evidence. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, and convicted through due process of law.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Josh Morrow and Beth Boswell are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
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Cameraman Pleads Guilty in GirlsDoPorn Sex Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Assistant U. S. Attorneys Joseph Green (619) 546-6955 and Alexandra F. Foster (619) 546-6735
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – January 21, 2021
SAN DIEGO – Cameraman Theodore Wilfred Gyi, aka Teddy, pleaded guilty today to conspiring with the operators of the adult websites GirlsDoPorn and GirlsDoToys to fraudulently coerce young women to appear in sex videos.
Gyi pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jill L. Burkhardt to Conspiracy to Commit Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud and Coercion, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371. Gyi, the second of six defendants to plead guilty, admitted that he worked from 2015 to 2017 as a camera operator for the GirlsDoPorn and GirlsDoToys adult websites, which were run by co-defendants Michael James Pratt and Matthew Isaac Wolfe.
Gyi admitted in his plea agreement that at the start of his employment he was instructed by Matthew Wolfe that, if any of the young female models asked, he should tell them that the videos would not be posted on the internet. Gyi admitted that over the course of his employment, he became aware that Matthew Wolfe and Michael Pratt were posting many of the sex videos that he filmed on GirlsDoPorn and GirlsDoToys, where they were publicly available to all willing purchasers. Nonetheless, Gyi continued to lie and personally assured the young women he filmed that the videos would not be posted publicly. To help convince them that the sex videos would not be posted on the internet, Gyi told some that he believed on-line pornography was “cheap.” Gyi also admitted that he was aware that Pratt, Wolfe, co-defendant Ruben Andre Garcia, and others were falsely assuring the women that if they agreed to appear in a video, the video would not be posted on the internet. Garcia pled guilty on December 17, 2020, to one count of Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud and Coercion, and one count of Conspiracy to Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud, and Coercion.
Gyi admitted that he filmed approximately 120 videos for GirlsDoPorn and GirlsDoToys.
“There is a high price to be paid by those who fraudulently exploit young women and forever alter their lives for profit,” said U.S. Attorney Robert Brewer. “Our prosecutors will leave no stone unturned in our effort to stop the tragedy of human trafficking and bring justice and restorative resources to its victims.” U.S. Attorney Brewer commended the excellent work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph Green and Alexandra F. Foster, as well as FBI agents and members of the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force, for their continuing effort to investigate and prosecute this important case.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Suzanne Turner said, “Today’s plea underscores the FBI’s commitment to aggressively pursuing anyone who seeks to profit from the exploitation of young women. Theodore Gyi’s actions, in support of the GirlsDoPorn conspiracy, caused significant emotional pain and distress to the victims they targeted. This conviction is another step forward in the pursuit of justice for sex trafficking victims and the FBI’s role in holding perpetrators accountable for their crimes.”
Gyi is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Janis L. Sammartino on April 9, 2021 at 9 a.m. The next hearing in the ongoing case is January 22, 2021 at 2:00 p.m.
Any additional victims of the alleged crime are encouraged to call the San Diego FBI at 858-320-1800.
The FBI is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest of Michael James Pratt. Individuals with information about Pratt should contact their local FBI office or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate.
For further information, please see:
- Wanted Poster: https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/additional/michael-james-pratt
- Press Release: https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/sandiego/news/press-releases/fbi-seeks-public-assistance-in-locating-sex-trafficking-suspect
DEFENDANT Case Number 19cr4488-JLS
Theodore Wilfred Gyi Age: 42 Aliso Viejo, CA*
*Pleaded guilty to a Superseding Information charging Conspiracy to Commit Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud and Coercion, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371.
Maximum Penalty: Five years in prison, $250,000 fine, a special assessment of $100.
CO-DEFENDANTS
Michael James Pratt Age: 36 Fugitive
Matthew Isaac Wolfe Age 37 San Diego, CA
Ruben Andre Garcia Age: 31 San Diego, CA**
**Pleaded guilty to Counts 1 and 7
Valorie Moser Age: 37 San Diego, CA
Amberlyn Dee Nored Age: 27 San Diego, CA
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Count 1 (charging all defendants)
Conspiracy to Commit Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud and Coercion, 18 U.S.C. § 1594(c)
Maximum Penalty: Life in prison, $250,000 fine, and a special assessment of $5,000 under 18 U.S.C. § 3014.
Count 2 (Pratt)
Production of Child Pornography, 18 U.S.C. § 2251(a) and (e)
Minimum penalty: Fifteen years in prison; Maximum penalty: 30 years in custody, $250,000 fine, and a special assessment of $5,000 under 18 U.S.C. § 3014.
Count 3 (Pratt)
Sex Trafficking of a Minor by Force, Fraud and Coercion, 18 U.S.C. § 1591(a)(1) and (2)
Minimum penalty: Fifteen years in prison; Maximum penalty: life in custody, $250,000 fine, and a special assessment of $5,000 under 18 U.S.C. § 3014.
Counts 4 (Pratt, Wolfe, Garcia), 5 (Pratt, Garcia), 6 (Pratt, Wolfe, Garcia), 7 (Pratt, Garcia, Gyi), 8 (Pratt, Garcia, Gyi)
Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud and Coercion, 18 U.S.C. § 1591(a) and (b)(1)
Minimum penalty: Fifteen years in prison; Maximum penalty: life in custody, $250,000 fine, and a special assessment of $5,000 under 18 U.S.C. § 3014.
INVESTIGATING AGENCY
Federal Bureau of Investigation – San Diego Field Office
San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force
*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
California Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Iowa Meth ConspiracyRead the Press Release
A woman who conspired to distribute methamphetamine was sentenced on January 20, 2021, to more than 7 years in federal prison.
Marissa Weisbly, 34, from Los Osos, CA, received the prison term after an August 19, 2020, guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
At sentencing, Weisbly was found to have been involved with trafficking 70 pounds of methamphetamine across California, Iowa, and South Dakota. On February 8, 2020, while patrolling the Grand Falls Casino parking lot in Larchwood, IA, law enforcement searched a vehicle connected to Weisbly and ultimately recovered nearly 3 pounds of methamphetamine, and drug trafficking materials. Earlier that winter, Weisbly and her coconspirators had brought pounds of methamphetamine to the Midwest for distribution.
Weisbly was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Weisbly was sentenced to 93 months’ imprisonment. She must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mikala Steenholdt and was investigated by the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office, Lyon County Attorney’s Office, and Iowa Department of Criminalistics Investigation.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 20-4064.
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Caldwell Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Federal Prison for Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
BOISE - Andrew Neil Smith, 33, of Caldwell, Idaho, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 300 months in federal prison for producing child pornography, U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced today. U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill also ordered Smith to serve ten years of supervised release following his prison sentence. Smith pleaded guilty to the charge on November 4, 2019.
According to court records, the investigation began after a ten-year-old child disclosed that Smith had sexually abused her. FBI agents served a federal search warrant at Smith’s residence in Caldwell and located images of child pornography on Smith’s cellphone. Smith admitted the images depicted the ten-year-old child and that he asked her to send him the images through social media. Smith also admitted to sexually abusing the child and to producing videos of the abuse.
At sentencing, Judge Winmill also ordered Smith to forfeit the cell phone used in the commission of the offense. As a result of conviction, Smith will be required to register as a sex offender.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Caldwell 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. As part of Project Safe Childhood, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho and the Idaho Attorney General’s Office partner to marshal 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.usdoj.gov/psc.
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Businessowner Pleads Guilty to Bribing Former Chief of Collections for D.C. Office of Tax and RevenueRead the Press Release
Mohammad Ezazul Hoque, 57, the owner of several Washington, D.C. restaurants, pled guilty today to one count of bribery for paying bribes to the former Chief of Collections of the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue (“OTR”) in exchange for the OTR official taking actions favorable to Hoque’s businesses. Hoque also pled guilty to one count of wire fraud for his execution of a multi-year scheme to obtain credit cards in others’ names, without their knowledge or consent, to fund his personal and business expenses.
The announcement was made by Acting U.S. Attorney Michael R. Sherwin and Special Agent in Charge James A. Dawson of the FBI Washington Field Office, Criminal Division.
As part of his plea, Hoque, of Alexandria, Virginia, admitted that from 2015 to 2017, as the unpaid tax liabilities on his businesses grew to be hundreds of thousands of dollars, Hoque paid more than $45,000 in bribes to the OTR official so that the official would change the status and limit the negative effects of the unpaid liabilities on the businesses. Hoque further admitted that, in 2016, in exchange for the bribes Hoque was paying, the OTR official released a lien on one of his businesses and provided a false certification that it had no outstanding tax liabilities so that Hoque could sell the business to a third party. In fact, Hoque still owed tens of thousands of dollars in taxes and related fees. As a result of the OTR official’s actions, Hoque was able to sell the business and make a more than $84,000 profit.
Hoque further admitted that, between 2013 and 2017, Hoque carried out a fraud scheme in which he obtained more than 15 credit cards from various financial institutions in the names of others without their knowledge or consent. Hoque admitted that he charged more than $40,000 in personal and business expenses to the cards he fraudulently obtained.
In announcing the plea, Acting U.S. Attorney Sherwin and Special Agent in Charge Dawson commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda R. Vaughn, former Assistant U.S. Attorney Bianca Forde, and Paralegal Specialist Joseph McClanahan.
Buffalo Man Going to Prison for Lying on the Stand While Testifying About A Murder in A Federal TrialRead 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 Jonathan Singletary a/k/a Freeze, 38, of Buffalo, NY, who was convicted of obstructing an official proceeding, was sentenced to serve 62 months in prison by Chief U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin G. Bish, Charles J. Volkert, Jr., Meghan A. Tokash, and Nicholas T. Cooper, who handled the case, stated that in January 2010, the defendant informed his New York State parole officer that he had information concerning the murder of Jabril Harper, which occurred on December 16, 2009, and the robbery of Morris Singer, which occurred on January 4, 2010.
On January 11, 2010, Singletary provided a signed, sworn statement to the Buffalo Police Department. In his statement, defendant said that Rodshaun Black came to his house on December 23, 2009, and told him that he and Ernest Green had robbed and killed Jabril Harper in Roosevelt Park. Singletary also told the detectives that Black admitted that Harper’s murder was part of a $10,000 contract killing. The defendant shared these details once again on December 6, 2011, while testifying before a federal grand jury.
On October 25, 2017, representatives of the United States Attorney’s Office and the FBI met with Singletary to prepare Singletary for testimony in the trial of Rodshaun Green and Ernest Black. Singletary expressed reluctance to testify and did not want to read his prior 2010 Buffalo Police statement or his 2011 grand jury testimony, so and Assistant U.S. Attorney read it to Singletary who agreed that both his prior statement and grand jury testimony were true and accurate.
On November 29, 2017, representatives of the United States Attorney’s Office and the FBI again met with the defendant prior to his trial testimony scheduled for that day. Singletary again expressed reluctance to testify, but agreed to do so. The defendant told the government representatives that he had a problem testifying in front of Rodshaun Black’s mother because he had known her for a long time. Singletary then again refused to review both his 2011 grand jury and his 2010 statement to the Buffalo Police but stated that he was not worried because everything he had said previously was true.
On November 29, 2017, the prosecution called Singletary as a witness in United States v. Rodshaun Black and Ernest Green, et al., an official criminal trial proceeding in United States District Court for the Western District of New York. The defendant was sworn and then testified falsely and evasively. Specifically, Singletary: denied ever speaking to Rodshaun Black about the Jabril Harper murder; denied knowing Rodshaun Black’s mother; denied discussing his relationship with Rodshaun Black’s mother with an FBI agent and an AUSA earlier that day in preparation for his trial testimony; denied that he learned about Jabril Harper’s murder directly from Rodshaun Black; and testified that his prior statement to the Buffalo Police Department consisted of information he was told to say by the detectives who interviewed him.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Byron Lockwood; the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Stephen Belongia; and the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, under the direction of under the direction of Acting Commissioner Anthony J. Annucci.
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Birmingham Man Arrested in Mississippi for Unlawful Dealing in FirearmsRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – On Thursday, January 14, 2021, a Birmingham man was arrested in the Southern District of Mississippi, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Explosives, and Firearms (ATF) Special Agent in Charge Mickey French.
A 21-count indictment filed in U.S. District Court charges JECOREY TYSHAWN EDWARDS ALLEN, 26, with one count of dealing in firearms without a license, one count of traveling across state lines while dealing in firearms without a license, and 19 counts of falsifying information on firearm acquisition records. A federal grand jury in the Northern District of Alabama indicted Allen on January 29, 2020.
According to the indictment, between November 2018 through July of 2019, Allen purchased at least 19 pistols from several licensed Birmingham firearm dealers and traveled out of state to sell the illegally purchased guns. Allen falsified the ATF form 4473, specifically stating that he was the actual purchaser when in fact he was purchasing the firearms for other individuals. ATF form 4473 is a form purchasers must complete when buying a gun from a licensed firearm dealer.
The maximum penalty for dealing in firearms without a license is five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and no more than three years of supervised release. The maximum penalty for crossing state lines while dealing in firearms without a license is 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and no more than three years of supervised release. The maximum penalty for each count of falsifying information on ATF form 4473 is 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and no more than three years of supervised release.
The ATF investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Cross is prosecuting.
An indictment contains only charges. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Bath Man Arrested for Trafficking in Child PornographyRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Jeffrey Clark, 34, of Bath, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with receiving and distributing child pornography. The charge carries a minimum penalty of five years imprisonment a maximum of 20 years, and a fine up to $250,000.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John J. Field, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, in September 2020, an undercover law enforcement officer in Rochester, NY, received video files of suspected child pornography, including a file named “6Yo Babyj - Bedtime Rape.” In November 2020, undercover law enforcement officers in Rochester, Buffalo, North Dakota, and Texas, also received video files of suspected child pornography. Subsequent investigation traced the files to the defendant’s residence in Bath, NY. A search warrant was executed at the residence on January 13, 2021, during which investigators seized multiple digital devices, including Clark’s cell phone.
The defendant made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Marian W. Payson and was detained.
The criminal complaint is the result of an investigation by Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, acting 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.
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Aniak Man Indicted on Federal Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
Anchorage, Alaska – U.S. Attorney Bryan Schroder announced today that Alfred Morgan, 35, of Aniak, has been indicted for Felon in Possession of a Firearm.
According to court documents, on September 6, 2020, Alaska State Troopers (AST) responded to a domestic violence report at a residence in Aniak. During the interaction, Troopers contacted a male at the residence, who brandished a knife at the responding Trooper. Morgan then allegedly approached the Trooper, positioned himself between the male and the Trooper, then raised the barrel of a Ruger Mini 14 rifle at the Trooper. The Trooper gave commands to drop the rifle, which the defendant did, only to retrieve the rifle again when a second Trooper arrived on scene. Troopers were able to secure Morgan and the rifle, then began to apprehend the other male on scene. While Troopers were apprehending the other male, Morgan fled the scene in handcuffs. He was apprehended and transported to the Aniak jail. Morgan has 2 prior felony convictions and is prohibited from possessing firearms.
If convicted on the federal charges, Morgan faces a maximum of 10 years in prison. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Alaska State Troopers (AST) conducted the investigation leading to the charges in this case. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dan Doty.
This case was brought 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 visit https://www.justice.gov/ag/about-project-guardian
Additionally, this case is part of the Rural Alaska Anti-Violence Enforcement Network (RAAVEN), the U.S. Attorney’s Office is increasing engagement, coordination, and action on public safety in Alaska Native communities.
The charges in the indictment are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Anchorage Woman Sentenced for Filing False Income Tax Returns on Behalf of Other IndividualsRead the Press Release
Anchorage, Alaska – U.S. Attorney Bryan Schroder announced that Sanh Sunni Thampithak, a/k/a “Allysia” or “Ally”, 54, of Anchorage, was sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release for Aiding and Advising False Income Tax Returns, while preparing fraudulent income tax returns on behalf of other individuals. Thampithak pleaded guilty to the charges in September 2020.
According to court documents, Thampithak had been filing fraudulent tax returns as an informal tax preparer, for tax years 2015-2017. Thampithak routinely misrepresented herself to her clients as a legitimate tax preparer. Thampithak did taxes for the Lao community and others in Anchorage, charging them $100-$300 per return, but would obtain unwarranted refunds for her clients by inflating certain Schedule A deductions and expenses. All tax return preparers who are paid to prepare or assist substantially in the preparation of any U.S. federal tax return, claim for refund or other tax form submitted to the IRS must have a PTIN. It is further alleged that Thampithak consistently fabricated the figures in order to generate refunds for her clients, and although she had a Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN), she failed to input her PTIN on her client’s returns. Thampithak filed at least 89 fraudulently prepared tax returns.
Thampithak became the subject of a federal investigation after her IP addresses were linked to questionable Form 1040’s that had been referred to IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI). During the investigation, Thampithak knowingly prepared a fraudulent return for an IRS-CI undercover agent, and then lied to investigators to conceal the criminal conduct.
U.S. District Judge Sharon L. Gleason noted the need for general deterrence in the imposition of the 1 year and 1-day sentence. In addition to the term of imprisonment, Thampithak was ordered to complete 1 year of supervised release and pay restitution in the amount of $348,759.
The IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) conducted the investigation leading to the successful prosecution in this case. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Alexander of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska.
Return preparer fraud is one of the IRS’s Dirty Dozen Tax Scams and taxpayers seeking a return preparer should remain vigilant. The IRS has information on its website for choosing a tax preparer and has launched a free directory of federal tax preparers.