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Thursday 28 May 2020
Four Alachua County Residents Arrested for Federal Drug-Trafficking CrimesRead the Press Release
GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA – Four residents of Alachua, Florida, have been arrested on federal criminal
complaints alleging an armed, drug-trafficking conspiracy. The criminal complaints were announced
by Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.The defendants arrested are:
● Lorenza Aaron Durr, Jr., 29, Alachua, Florida;
● Elboric Quadarius Robinson, 29, Alachua, Florida;
● Morris Robinson, 55, Alachua, Florida; and
● Roddrae Antonio Williams, 28, Alachua, FloridaThe charged defendants face penalties of up to life imprisonment and fines of up to $5,000,000.
The complaints and arrests resulted from an extensive investigation by the FBI Jacksonville Violent
Gang Safe Streets Task Force with support from the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force
(OCDETF). This joint federal, state, and local cooperative targeted the “4K” drug trafficking
organization that allegedly conspired to distribute various controlled substances including
cocaine, crack cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana. During the operation, over 80 agents,
officers, and other law enforcement personnel successfully made arrests and executed 5 search
warrants on properties allegedly involved in drug trafficking.The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement
Administration, the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, the University of Florida Police Department,
the Gainesville Police Department, the Alachua Police Department, the Marion County Sheriff's
Office and the Florida Highway Patrol. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States
Attorney James A. McCain.The OCDETF approach to combating drug trafficking is the nation’s primary tool for disrupting and
dismantling major drug trafficking organizations, targeting national and regional level drugtrafficking organizations, and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to
disrupt and dismantle the targeted criminal organization and seize its assets.A criminal complaint is merely an allegation that a defendant has committed a violation of federal
criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a
fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable
doubt at trial.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 United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern
District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.Fort Wayne Man Sentenced to 188 months in PrisonRead the Press Release
FORT WAYNE – Steven Smith, age 59, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, was sentenced before U.S. District Court Judge Holly A. Brady following his plea of guilty to attempting to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin, announced U.S. Attorney Kirsch.
Smith was sentenced to 188 months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release.
According to documents presented in this case, in August of 2014, Mr. Smith coordinated a two-kilogram heroin transaction with an undercover employee with the FBI; however, Smith was arrested just prior to the deal. This case is Smith’s fifth conviction for drug dealing, and he was classified at sentencing as a career offender.
“The hard work of FBI special agents and task force officers prevented Smith from distributing massive quantities of dangerous heroin on the streets of Fort Wayne and northeastern Indiana,” said U.S. Attorney Kirsch. “We have a great coordinated partnership throughout the Northern District of Indiana and will continue to prosecute those who seek to flood our streets with dangerous and illegal narcotics.”
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Safe Streets Gang Task Force, which includes the FBI, Indiana State Police, Allen County Sheriff’s Department, and Fort Wayne Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Anthony W. Geller.
Former oil executive admits role in false payroll schemeRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 40-year-old Houston man has entered a guilty plea in Corpus Christi federal court to money laundering through wire fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.
Mohamad Sylla admitted he conspired with Jose Luis Briseno, 41, Tynan, and David Contreras, 42, Paso Robles, California, to get a Houston oil production company to issue paychecks for work Contreras never completed and while he was not even employed there.
From Jan. 1 to Sept. 11, 2015, Briseno and Sylla were employed at the company as the service coordinator and South Texas region manager, respectively. The two men conspired to approve timesheets for Contreras even though he was no longer employed there. Briseno and Sylla ensured the timesheets were approved and payments issued. Once Contreras received the funds, he would split the paycheck with Briseno and Sylla.
As a result, Contreras, Briseno and Sylla falsely obtained funds totaling approximately $40,383.91.
Briseno and Contreras have also pleaded for their roles in the scheme.
U.S. District Judge David Morales will impose Sylla’s sentencing Aug. 31. At that time, Sylla faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible $500,000 maximum fine.
He was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing.
The FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy C. Fugate is prosecuting the case.
Former VA Nurse Pleads Guilty to Stealing Controlled Drugs from VA Urgent Care ClinicRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, La. – United States Attorney David C. Joseph announced today that a registered nurse formerly employed with the VA Medical Center in Pineville, Louisiana, pleaded guilty before Senior U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell to one count of fraudulently obtaining Hydromorphone. Hydromorphone, a Schedule II controlled substance, is a powerful opioid designed to relieve pain, but can also be abused and sold on the black market.
While working as a registered nurse at the VA Medical Center Urgent Care Clinic, Jolie King, 40, of Alexandria, used her position as a registered nurse to access the clinic’s narcotics supply cabinet and retrieve vials of controlled substance medications that were intended for the treatment of patients. As a part of the plea agreement reached today, King admitted that she used the drugs for her own personal use. King also admitted that she would log into the narcotics supply cabinet, randomly select a patient’s name, and then withdraw the drugs without a physician’s orders. In one instance, in an attempt to avoid detection, she refilled two vials with saline solution and placed them back in the supply cabinet. From September 2017 to October 2018, she fraudulently acquired approximately 31 vials of Hydromorphone and two vials of Morphine.
A sentencing date has not been set. King faces up to four years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General, conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian C. Flanagan is prosecuting the case.
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The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
Former Rapides Parish Correctional Officer Pleads Guilty to Three Civil Rights Offenses for Assaulting InmatesRead the Press Release
Cody Richardson, 30, a former Correctional Officer with the Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office (RPSO), Detention Center 1, in Alexandria, Louisiana, pleaded guilty in court today to three counts of using excessive force against pretrial detainees housed at the facility.
According to documents filed in connection with the guilty plea, Richardson, while on duty as a correctional officer, tased three different detainees who were restrained and/or not resisting, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 242. Specifically, on Jan. 28, 2018, Richardson tased detainee K.F. while K.F. had his hands up, causing him to fall to the ground, then continued to tase K.F. three more times despite the fact that he was not resisting. On Feb. 24, 2018, Richardson drive-stunned detainee S.M. 15-20 times while S.M. was shackled to a bench by his ankles, then, after other officers secured S.M.’s wrists in handcuffs, continued tasing him and kicked him once in the abdomen. Finally, on March 19, 2018, Richardson deployed a Taser into detainee J.A.’s back, causing him to fall to the ground, then sat on top of a table in the cellblock and continued to activate the Taser four more times while J.A. thrashed on the floor, screaming in pain.
“This misconduct by a correctional officer erodes public trust,” said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband of the Civil Rights Division. “The Department of Justice will continue to vigorously prosecute those who violate the civil rights of inmates.”
Richardson faces a maximum statutory penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for each of the three counts. A sentencing hearing has not been scheduled.
This case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant United States Attorney Mary Mudrick of the Western District of Louisiana and Trial Attorneys Katherine DeVar and Thomas Johnson of the Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case.
Former Macomb Township Trustee Pleads Guilty to Extortion and Theft ConspiraciesRead the Press Release
Former Macomb Township Trustee and Macomb County official Dino Bucci, 60, of Macomb Township pleaded guilty today to extortion and theft conspiracies, United States Attorney Matthew Schneider announced.
According to the plea agreement, for over two decades, Bucci, at the direction of his then boss, Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Anthony Marrocco, extorted builders and contractors to purchase hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of tickets to Marrocco’s fundraisers. Marrocco directed Bucci to communicate to the builders and contractors that if they did not purchase a sufficient amount of fundraising tickets, they would suffer severe economic consequences. Those consequences included holding up required permits that would financially damage the extortion victims. For over twenty years, Bucci served as Marrocco’s deputy in the Macomb County’s Public Works Department. In addition to his employment as Marrocco’s deputy, Bucci served as an elected Trustee of Macomb Township for over ten years.
The plea agreement also includes Bucci’s admission to a theft scheme by which Bucci, with the help of contractor Chris Sorrentino, stole $96,000 from Macomb Township when Bucci directed Sorrentino to overcharge for paving work at Township properties. Sorrentino then kicked back tens of thousands of dollars in cash to Bucci. The plea agreement requires Bucci to fully reimburse Macomb Township for the money he stole. Under the plea agreement, Bucci faces a sentence of between 108 to 120 months in federal prison on the two conspiracy charges.
Schneider was joined in the announcement by Steven D’Antuono, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Sarah L. Kull, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Office of IRS Criminal Investigations.
United States Attorney Schneider said: “Bucci’s guilty pleas today represent a significant milestone in our sweeping corruption investigation in Macomb County. The lengthy prison sentence he faces should be an unambiguous warning to all public officials who consider committing corrupt acts that they will be caught and punished severely.”
"Bucci’s guilty plea further exposes a decades-long pattern of corruption and illegal activity within Macomb County’s elected government,” said Steven M. D’Antuono, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. “The citizens of Macomb County deserve better, and they should rest assured the FBI stands firm with our law enforcement partners to vigorously pursue any elected official who chooses personal gain over the public good.”
"Today’s plea demonstrates our collective efforts to enforce the law and ensure public trust. The sizeable amount of the kickbacks Bucci received represents the degree to which he was cheating the public," said Sarah Kull, IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge. "It is unacceptable to help yourself to public funds, but if you do IRS-Criminal Investigation will be there to seek justice on behalf of the citizens of Macomb County."
The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys R. Michael Bullotta and Steven Cares.
Five indicted on federal charges for drug manufacturing, trafficking conspiracyRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, GA: Five Savannah-area residents are charged in a seven-count federal indictment handed down by a U.S. District Court grand jury meeting in virtual session in accordance with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The four men and one woman named in the indictment face charges with possible penalties of up to life in prison, said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. There is no parole in the federal system.
The Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team (CNT) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) conducted the investigation leading to the arrests and indictments in the case, seizing thousands of methamphetamine-laced pills and their raw materials, along with industrial pill presses, stamps with logos including cartoon characters and the Facebook logo, substantial amounts of cash and a firearm.
“The dangerous mix of contraband narcotics and illegally possessed weapons continues to be a primary target of law enforcement operations in the Southern District,” said U.S. Attorney Christine. “Our efforts to infiltrate, disrupt and dismantle these activities will continue relentlessly as we seek to bring safety and security to our communities.”
Those charged in the indictment are:
- Kyrell Benton, 33, of Savannah, charged with Conspiracy to Manufacture, Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute Methamphetamine and Eutylone; Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and Eutylone; and two counts of Use of a Drug-Involved Premises;
- Jamall Brown, 34, of Richmond Hill, Ga., charged with Conspiracy to Manufacture, Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute Methamphetamine and Eutylone; Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and Eutylone; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime; Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon; and Use of a Drug-Involved Premises;
- Antwan Benton, 29, of Savannah, charged with Conspiracy to Manufacture, Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute Methamphetamine and Eutylone; and Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and Marijuana;
- Stacy Benton, 45, of Savannah, charged with Conspiracy to Manufacture, Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute Methamphetamine and Eutylone; and,
- Tina Lipsey, 42, of Savannah, charged with Conspiracy to Manufacture, Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute Methamphetamine and Eutylone; Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and Eutylone; and Use of a Drug-Involved Premises.
The investigation into the operation continues.
Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division, said “The distribution of dangerous drugs (in this case methamphetamine-laced pills), coupled with the possession of illegal weapons, are a recipe for disaster. Drug traffickers who peddle this poison are a menace to society. Because of the dedicated efforts between DEA, its law enforcement counterparts and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, this case is a shining example of what can be achieved when multi-level law enforcement agencies work collaboratively to protect their citizens.”
“CNT will continue to focus its resources on individuals who manufacture illegal drugs and work to stop the distribution of these toxic substances in to our community,” said Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team Director Dwane Ragan. “I want to thank our Federal, State, and Local law enforcement partners, as well as the United States Attorney's Office, and applaud their continued cooperation with CNT's efforts to keep our community safe.”
Criminal indictments contain only charges; defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case was investigated by the DEA and CNT, with assistance from the Savannah Police Department Special Weapons and Tactics Team, and is being prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Frank Pennington and John P. Harper III.
Federal Inmate Sentenced to 8 More Months' Incarceration for Assault on GuardRead the Press Release
ERIE, Pa. - A former inmate of Allenwood United States Penitentiary in Allenwood, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 8 months in jail on his conviction of infliction of bodily injury, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
United States District Judge David S. Cercone imposed the sentence on Lawrence W. Nelson, 45. The sentence was imposed to run consecutively to the sentence Nelson is currently serving.
According to information presented to the court, on or about July 10, 2019, Nelson assaulted a staff member while an inmate at the McKean Federal Correctional Institution. The staff member suffered a broken nose, black eye and concussion as a result of the assault.
Assistant United States Attorney Paul S. Sellers prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Brady commended the Officers of the McKean Federal Correctional Institution and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Nelson.
Cut Bank man admits assaulting minorRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS – A Cut Bank man today admitted assaulting a minor girl on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Daniel Mark Tanner, 33, pleaded guilty to assault on a minor as charged in a superseding information. Tanner faces a maximum five years in prison, a $50,000 fine and three years of supervised release.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided and set sentencing for Sept. 17. Tanner was released pending further proceedings.
The prosecution said in court records that in January 2018, the Cut Bank Police Department began investigating allegations of Tanner having inappropriate contact with a minor girl. At the time of the disclosure, the victim was under the age of 14. In an interview with law enforcement, the victim said that a few months earlier, she awoke to find that Tanner had grabbed her hand and pulled it toward him. She described trying to move her hand away, but Tanner held it against her will. The assault occurred on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kalah Paisley is prosecuting the case, which was investigated by the FBI and Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services.
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Convicted Felon Charged with Possessing a Pipe BombRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A federal grand jury today indicted a Madison man for possessing a pipe bomb, announced U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Acting Special Agent in Charge Frank Haera.
A three-count indictment filed in U.S. District Court charges Joshua Andrew Quillin, 29, with possessing the destructive device, which was not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, as required by law. Quillin possessed a pipe bomb on April 23, 2020, in Madison County, according to the indictment.
“The defendant’s brazen act could have resulted in a devastating outcome,” Town said. “We will continue to prosecute violent criminals to the fullest extent of the law in an effort to keep our communities safe.”
“ATF’s focus on removing alleged illegal destructive devices from individuals’ aid is reducing the potential for violent crime,” Haera said.
The maximum penalty for possessing a destructive device is 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
The maximum penalty for being a felon in possession of a destructive device is 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
ATF investigated the case, along with Huntsville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Stuart Burrell is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
Columbus-based home health care company settles allegations of improper billing, agrees to pay United States $175,000Read the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Altimate Care LLC has agreed to pay $175,000 to resolve claims that the company improperly billed government health insurance programs including Medicare and Ohio Medicaid for services the company provided between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2018.
The settlement agreement between Altimate and the United States Department of Justice acting on behalf of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services resolves allegations made in a complaint filed by a former company employee. The complaint alleged that Altimate violated the False Claims Act by billing federal healthcare programs for medically unnecessary nursing visits, billing for patients that were not homebound and manipulating patient records and records of nursing visits to justify false and fraudulent claims. The complaint alleges that the company’s former owners knew of and approved the activities.
Altimate agreed to pay the United States $175,000 of which $87,500 is restitution. The company also agreed to resolve a retaliation claim filed by the former employee.
“The company was sold in 2018 and the new owners worked quickly to resolve the complaint,” U.S. Attorney David M. DeVillers said. “We will continue to work with the HHS Inspector General as they investigate reports of fraud and abuse of federal health care programs.”
DeVillers urged anyone who suspects fraud against federal healthcare programs to call 1-800-447-8477 (1-800-HHS-TIPS).
Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Malek is representing the United States in the case.
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Check Forger Sentenced to 30 Months in PrisonRead 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 Dennis Morgan, 59, of Rochester, NY, who was convicted of bank fraud, was sentenced to serve 30 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr. He was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $11,127.00.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John J. Field, who handled the case, stated that Morgan, who has an extensive criminal history of fraud and other property offenses, stole checks from mailboxes throughout the greater Rochester area, washed and altered the payees on the checks, and arranged for others to cash the checks at area banks. The defendant split the proceeds of the stolen and forged checks with the individuals cashing the checks. In total, Morgan altered $19,127.00 of stolen checks and succeeded in cashing $11,127.00 of them.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Irondequoit Police Department, under the direction of Chief Richard V. Tantalo, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Boston Division Inspector-in-Charge Joseph W. Cronin.
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Butler County Couple Plead Guilty to Fraud and Tax ChargesRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH – A married couple from Butler County, Pennsylvania, has pleaded guilty to federal fraud and tax charges, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
Stephanie J. Roskovski, 50, of Butler, PA, pleaded guilty on May 27, 2020, to one count of mail fraud and one count of filing a false income tax return. Scott A. Roskovski, 51, also of Butler, PA, pleaded guilty today to one count of filing a false income tax return and one count of submitting a false loan application to a bank. Both defendants entered guilty pleas before United States District Court Judge William S. Stickman IV.
"The Roskovskis’ crimes truly shock the conscience," said U.S. Attorney Brady. "Both were in positions critical to the health and safety of their community, as COO of Butler Health System and a Butler County Detective investigating financial crimes. Instead of $1.3 million being available to Butler hospital for patient care, the Roskovskis used the embezzled money for their own personal spending spree, with lavish vacations, home renovations and even a 70-acre motocross business. Once trusted employees, today they are convicted felons. We will continue to aggressively prosecute anyone who seeks to steal and defraud."
"When the defendants used their positions of trust to steal from a healthcare provider and financial institutions to selfishly enhance their lifestyle and to fund the operation of a family business while utilizing the U.S. Mail to facilitate this fraud; the Postal Inspection Service and their law enforcement partners will devote the resources necessary to conduct a thorough investigation and bring them to justice," said Acting Inspector in Charge James Giehl.
"All income is taxable, including money that someone embezzles from their employer", said Thomas Fattorusso, Special Agent in Charge of IRS-Criminal Investigation. "These are serious violations and the Special Agents of IRS-CI will investigate and pursue charges against anyone committing these types of crimes."
"The FBI takes our responsibility to investigate and pursue those who commit fraud for personal gain very seriously," said FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Mike Christman. "Fraud and dishonesty undermine the integrity of our health care system and cost taxpayers money. This couple thought they would live a lavish lifestyle with other people’s money. It’s even more concerning that a now former law enforcement detective, sworn to uphold the law, perpetrated the very crimes he was also investigating."
According to information provided to the court, from April 2011 through December 2017, Stephanie Roskovski, while serving as the Chief Operating Officer for Butler Health System (BHS), embezzled in excess of $1.3 million from her employer. She used her corporate credit card to make personal purchases that she disguised as business expenses, submitted falsified reimbursement requests claiming purchases she made on a personal credit card were for business, and obtained hundreds of merchant gift cards worth more than $350,000, falsely claiming they were for distribution to "focus groups" or physicians, and which she used for purely personal purposes.
During that time, Stephanie’s husband, Scott Roskovski, was employed as a detective with the Butler County District Attorney’s Office. Ironically, he investigated financial crimes including theft and fraud. The defendants spent most of the stolen funds on lavish vacations, renovations to their home, and the purchase and operation of a motocross track, "Switchback MX LLC", located in Butler County. The defendants failed to report the fraud proceeds as income on their annual income tax returns jointly filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Additionally, after the couple lost their respective jobs, the defendants submitted a materially false loan application to S&T Bank to refinance the Switchback business and to purchase a bulldozer. S&T Bank extended two loans, the first for $1,128,227, and the second for $55,384, based upon the false information.
The court was advised that the total loss resulting from the mail fraud scheme perpetrated against BHS is approximately $1,331,884, and the total tax loss to the IRS is approximately $397,342.
Judge Stickman scheduled sentencing for Stephanie Roskovski for October 5, 2020, at 10:30 a.m. and for Scott Roskovski for October 6, 2020, at 10:30 a.m. As to the mail fraud conviction, the law provides for a maximum total sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross pecuniary gain. As to the filing of a false statement on a loan application conviction, the law provides for a maximum total sentence of 30 years’ imprisonment and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross pecuniary gain. As to the filing of a false income tax return conviction, the law provides for a maximum of three years’ imprisonment and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross pecuniary gain. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Carolyn J. Bloch is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation leading to the charges in this case.
Barbour County Man Sentenced to 63 Months in Prison Following Federal Firearm and Explosive Device ConvictionsRead the Press Release
Montgomery, Alabama – On Wednesday, May 27, 2020, Bobby Wayne Williams, a 45-year-old resident of Clio, Alabama, was sentenced to 63 months in prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of an explosive device, announced United States Attorney Louis V. Franklin, Sr. Following his prison sentence, he will serve three years of supervised release.
According to court records, on September 19, 2018, detectives from the Barbour County and Dale County Sheriff’s Offices were investigating the robbery of a Dale County man. Information provided by the victim led them to Williams’ residence in Barbour County. When law enforcement went to talk to Williams at his home, he tried to flee but was immediately apprehended. When he was taken into custody, officers discovered Williams had a handgun in his pocket. Afterwards, law enforcement obtained a search warrant for his house and they found seven more firearms inside his bedroom. Williams is a convicted felon and is prohibited from possessing the firearms.
Later, on March 19, 2019, while investigating a homicide involving another suspect, Dale County detectives discovered a destructive device that was built from a modified training grenade that had been wrapped with metal shrapnel secured in place with tape. They requested assistance from ATF to analyze the device and discovered that Williams’ fingerprint was on the tape used to make the device.
Williams was initially indicted by a federal grand jury for being a felon in possession of eight firearms in March of 2019 and he has been in federal custody since April 9, 2019. After the second investigation linked him to the explosive device, he was charged for that crime in October 2019. He pleaded guilty to both charges on January 2, 2020.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Barbour County Sheriff’s Office, and the Dale County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Russell Duraski prosecuted the case.
Asheville Man Is Sentenced to More Than Nine Years in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Today, U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger sentenced Shannon Dale Henson, 46, of Asheville, to 112 months in prison, announced Andrew Murray, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Judge Reidinger also ordered Henson to serve four years under court supervision upon completion of his prison sentence.
According to filed court documents and today’s sentencing hearing, on two separate occasions, Henson was found to be in possession of methamphetamine. Specifically, on June 14, 2019, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle in which Henson was a passenger. Over the course of the traffic stop, law enforcement recovered more than six ounces of methamphetamine from inside the vehicle. On July 21, 2019, law enforcement conducted another traffic stop of the vehicle in which Henson was a passenger, this time recovering more than three ounces of methamphetamine from inside the vehicle. Court records show that Henson has mutliple prior criminal convictions, including assault and drug related charges. On December 20, 2019, Henson pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
In making the announcement, U.S. Attorney Murray thanked the Hendersonville Office of Homeland Security Investigations; the Polk County Sheriff’s Office; and the North Carolina State Highway Patrol for handling Henson’s investigation.
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In a separate case, Judge Reidinger also sentenced Prophet Karim Hadialim Allah a/k/a “Prophet Allah” a/k/a “Profit,” 47, of Leicester, N.C. to 108 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release. According to court documents and today’s sentencing hearing, Allah was part of an eight-defendant drug trafficking conspiracy operating in Buncombe County, including in and around the Bartlett Arms Apartments in Asheville. Court records show that, between October and November 2018, and over the course of the conspiracy, Allah distributed more than 15 ounces of methamphetamine to a co-conspirator, and made several deliveries of methamphetamine at the request of another co-conspirator. Allah, who has multiple prior felony convictions, pleaded guilty on November 22, 2019, to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute narcotics.
U.S. Attorney Murray commended the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Asheville Police Department’s Drug Suppression Unit; the Buncombe County Anti-Crime Task Force; the Black Mountain Police Department; the Wilkes County Sheriff’s Office; and the Hendersonville Office of Homeland Security Investigations for handling Allah’s investigation, and thanked the Asheville Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division; the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office Community Enforcement Team; the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation; and the Asheville Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for their invaluable assistance in this case.
Both defendants are in custody and upon designation of a federal facility they will be transferred to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons. All federal sentences are served without the possibility of parole.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Kent, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville, prosecuted both cases.
Army Sergeant Sentenced to Eight Months for Marriage Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
DENVER – United States Attorney Jason R. Dunn announced that Sergeant Galima Murry was sentenced today by Senior U.S. Circuit Judge David M. Ebel to serve 8 months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and making false statements regarding that fraud to the government. Murry was one of four defendants who were tried and convicted together in January 2020. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and Army Criminal Investigations Division (Army CID), joined in the announcement.
According to facts established at trial, the purpose of the conspiracy was to obtain immigration benefits for Rajesh Ramcharan, Diann Ramcharan, and one of their minor children. The Ramcharans, a married couple, came to the United States from Trinidad & Tobago on visitor visas in 2007. They overstayed their visitor visas and settled in Colorado. They then devised a scheme to defeat United States immigration laws and stay in the country illegally.
The scheme had several steps. First, in 2010, the couple was married by Pastor Ken Harvell, who signed a marriage certificate for the Ramcharans. The couple then filed for a divorce. Five days after that divorce was finalized, Pastor Harvell signed a new marriage certificate for Diann Ramcharan and Sergeant Galima Murry in 2011. Sergeant Murry is a citizen of the United States and at the time was a soldier at Fort Carson. Diann Ramcharan and Sergeant Murry entered into this marriage for the purpose of evading immigration laws and enabling Diann Ramcharan to stay in the United States.
Sergeant Murry’s involvement in the conspiracy spanned over six years and included participation in the filing of numerous documents with immigration authorities submitted to prove the fraudulent marriage was real. He received a vehicle as payment for his role in the scheme. In addition, Sergeant Murry obtained military benefits from the Army based on his fraudulent marriage to Diann Ramcharan. The military benefits included additional money in every pay check during the time that he fraudulently reported being married. Specifically, he got a family separation hardship allowance when deployed and received a housing allowance based on his dependents when in the United States. He also received reimbursements for moving expenses based on his fake wife and one of her children. He also claimed one of the Ramcharan children on his tax return.
In 2015, Rajesh Ramcharan entered into a marriage with Angelica Guevara, who also is a citizen of the United States. Pastor Harvell, whom the jury found knowingly and voluntarily participated in the conspiracy, also signed the marriage certificate between Guevara and Rajesh Ramcharan. During the time of both the Ramcharans’ fraudulent marriages to Murry and Guevara, the Ramcharans lived with each other and held themselves out to the public as married.
“Prison is an appropriate consequence for this defendant,” said U.S. Attorney Jason Dunn. “Mr. Murry not only committed immigration fraud, but stole from taxpayers and the military. Hopefully this sentence will be a deterrent to like-minded criminals.”
Each defendant was also convicted for their involvement in the submission of at least one false statement to U.S. immigration authorities as part of the Ramcharans’ attempts to gain lawful immigration status in the United States. Guevara pleaded guilty to the conspiracy and testified at trial about the marriage fraud scheme.
The nine-day jury trial was held before the Honorable David M. Ebel. The jury reached their guilty verdicts on January 16, 2020. Murry was one of four defendants that were found guilty at trial. The other defendants are pending sentencing.
The defendants were prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel McIntyre and Emily Treaster. This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and Army Criminal Investigations Division (CID), with assistance from the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office.
Amherst Man Convicted Just Three Months Ago of A State Child Sex Charge Caught Possessing Child PornographyRead 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 Gary Todd Baker, 51, of Amherst, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with possession of child pornography. The charge carries a minimum penalty of 10 years, a maximum of 20 years, and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Rudroff, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, the defendant was convicted in Erie County Court of possession of a sexual performance by a child under the age of 16 on March 4, 2020. Baker was designated a level-2 sex offender, and sentenced to 10 years probation.
On March 12, 2020, eight days into his probation term, Erie County Probation Officers conducting a routine check discovered that the defendant possessed an internet-capable cellular device, as well as empty boxes of printer ink and paper. After questioning Baker, Probation Officers located a bag containing numerous torn-up printed images. Members of the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force reassembled several of the images and confirmed that they depicted child pornography.
The defendant made an initial appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge H. Kenneth Schroeder, Jr.
The criminal complaint is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Child Exploitation Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Gary Loeffert, the Erie County Probation Department, under the direction of Commissioner Brian McLaughlin, and the Town of Tonawanda Police Department, under the direction of Chief James P. Stauffiger.
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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AT &T Robber Sentenced to 22 Years' ImprisonmentRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – A Raleigh man was sentenced today to 264 months’ imprisonment for robbing an AT&T store and illegally possessing a firearm.
According to court documents, Robert Kevin Boddie, 46, was named in a three-count Indictment filed in the Eastern District of North Carolina on November 20, 2019. The Indictment charged Hobbs Act Robbery, Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, and Brandishing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Crime of Violence on April 15, 2019. On February 11, 2020, the defendant pled guilty to the Indictment pursuant to a plea agreement.
On April 15, 2019, the Raleigh Police Department (RPD), was dispatched to an armed robbery that occurred at the AT&T store located at 4551 New Bern Avenue in Raleigh. Upon arrival, officers spoke with an employee who advised that the suspect, later identified as Boddie, entered the store and inquired about an iPhone. According to the employee, Boddie then brandished a firearm and forced him to go to the rear storage room at gunpoint. The employee placed eight iPhones (ranging in price from $749.99 to $1,099.99), an Alcatel Tetra (valued at $49.99), and a GPS tracker (valued at $480.00) from the safe into a plastic bag and gave it to Boddie. The employee advised that Boddie then fled the store. RPD reviewed the surveillance video from the store and were able to clearly see Boddie as the suspect.
RPD officers responded to the area of the AT&T store and began searching for Boddie with the use of the GPS tracker that was taken. An officer traveling on Buffalo Road in Raleigh observed a vehicle swerve from traffic, cross a double yellow line, and then run a red light. Once the officer reached the vehicle, both doors were open, and no one was in the vehicle. The stolen cell phones and GPS unit were recovered from the vehicle. Additionally, a loaded firearm with 12 rounds of ammunition wrapped in a shirt was located between the vehicle and guardrail on the side of the road. The officer heard someone running in the wooded area parallel to the road and gave chase. The officer gave commands to Boddie to stop. Boddie was then arrested. Officers established that the firearm located next to the vehicle was the same one used in the robbery.
Robert J. Higdon, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, and the Raleigh Police Department (RPD) investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel W. Smith prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on our website. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:19-CR-462-BO.
68 Defendants Indicted in "Operation Wu Block" Meth, Heroin InvestigationRead the Press Release
ATHENS, Ga. – An ongoing, large scale drug trafficking investigation dubbed “Operation Wu Block” has yielded criminal charges for 68 individuals and the seizure of kilos of methamphetamine and heroin, with more indictments expected in the coming months, said Charlie Peeler, the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia.
The two-year Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation is being conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Macon Resident Office, FBI Middle Georgia Safe Streets Gang Task Force, Athens-Clarke County Police Department, Clarke County Sheriff's Office, Hart County Sheriff’s Office, Madison County Sheriff’s Office, Oconee County Sheriff’s Office, Oglethorpe County Sheriff’s Office, Georgia Department of Corrections and Northeast Regional Drug Task Force in partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia. These agencies continue to target large scale drug trafficking organizations operating in northeast Georgia and throughout the State of Georgia.
The investigation has resulted in the seizure of more than 58 kilograms of methamphetamine, more than two kilograms of heroin, 31 firearms, and $56,000, as well as multiple indictments covering 68 defendants. Charges brought thus far include conspiracy, possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, distribution of controlled substances, and firearm possession, with penalties ranging from five years up to life in prison, depending on the charge.
“Law enforcement in Georgia are aggressively working to find and arrest individuals distributing dangerous drugs in our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Charlie Peeler. “This investigation is a textbook example of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies working together in the Middle District of Georgia to stem the flow of illegal narcotics and the severe damage they cause within our communities. Drug traffickers beware: law enforcement will find you, and you will be prosecuted.”
“Drug traffickers ultimately bring misery and destruction to our communities,” said Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “DEA and its law enforcement partners take an oath to protect and serve those communities by removing dangerous criminals from the streets. The collection of law enforcement agencies and the subsequent prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Office allowed DEA to mount an aggressive assault against a well-established methamphetamine distribution network.”
“The removal of drugs, guns and money and 68 defendants from our streets will have an immediate impact on the safety of our citizens, thanks to a two-year cooperative effort with our federal, state and local partners,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “This case is another example of the commitment to dismantle organizations that wreak havoc in our communities and endanger the people who live in them.”
19 federal indictments have been returned by federal grand juries with a total of 68 defendants criminally charged in the Middle District of Georgia. Some of the charges include conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine with a maximum sentence of life in prison; conspiracy with intent to distribute heroin with a maximum sentence of 40 years imprisonment; possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine or heroin with sentences ranging from a maximum twenty years to life in prison; distribution of methamphetamine or heroin with sentences ranging from twenty years to life in prison, depending on the amount of controlled substances charged; possession of a firearm in relation to drug trafficking with a maximum sentence of life in prison. An indictment is only an allegation of criminal conduct, and all of the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt. The defendants are as follows (last name, first name):
- Arguelles, Joey, 24, Hart County
- Baza, Frankie, 32, Gwinnett County
- Bellew, Jason Monroe, 35, Elbert County
- Bennett, Byron, 41, Athens-Clarke County
- Bentley, Peggy, 48, Oconee County
- Bishop, Latasha, 33, Athens-Clarke County
- Booker, Chuckferrio, 30, Athens-Clarke County
- Bray, Benjamin, 23, Madison County
- Carter, Haley, 21, Athens-Clarke County
- Casey, Jason, 38, Oconee County
- Clouse, Justin, 38, Athens-Clarke County
- Coker, Joshua Wayne, 38, Hart County
- Coker, Larry Thomas, 34, Oconee County
- Cook, Steven Mark, 32, Athens-Clarke County
- Cruz Sanchez, Mishel, 29, Gwinnett County
- Davis, Ashley, 26, Madison County
- Duarte, Jasmin, 26, Oconee County
- Eddy, Crystal, 38, Athens-Clarke County
- Elliott, Jeri Renee, 49, Athens-Clarke County
- Espino, Juan, 45, Oconee County
- Fain, Angela, 48, Franklin County
- Fain, William, 55, Franklin County
- Fowler, Thomas Joey, Hart County
- Gee, Jennifer, 33, Athens-Clarke County
- Gowen, Howard Burnham, 50, Athens-Clarke County
- Green, Jonathan, 34, Athens-Clarke County
- Gresham, Cierra, 23, Athens-Clarke County
- Hancock, Maurice, 46, Barrow County
- Hernandez, Lazaro, 28, Cobb County
- Hicks, Bruce, 39, Madison County
- Houseman Kristy Lynn, 40, Athens-Clarke County
- Howard, William Mathew, 45, Arlington, Virginia
- Huckeba, Russel, 40, Gwinnett County
- Jarrett, Kenneth Lee, 59, Pickens County
- Kelley, Ronald, 49, Madison County
- Kraps, Jessica, 35, Athens-Clarke County
- Leonard, Amy Laura, 51, Johnson City, Tennessee
- Maddox, Dwayne, 34, Athens-Clarke County
- Manley, Ashley Michelle, 25, Athens-Clarke County
- Mata-Bustos, Esmeralda, 38, Gwinnett County
- McCullough, Daniel Keith, 27, Hart County
- Melton, Kyle, 34, Athens-Clarke County
- Moon, Andrew, 31, Athens-Clarke County
- Moore, Chandler, 35, Bristol, Tennessee
- Moore, Rodney Lewis, 33, Athens-Clarke County
- Moore, Scott, 39, Hart County
- Morris, Mechelle, 44, Oglethorpe County
- Mull, Madlyn Vista, 21, Hart County
- Mulligan, Gregory, 29, Athens-Clarke County
- Mutch, Michelle, 27, Athens-Clarke County
- Newsome, Greyson, 31, Athens-Clarke County
- Paige, Audrey Lynn, 30, Athens-Clarke County
- Ramos, Cindy Isamara, 28, Cobb County
- Shaver, Mathew, 43, Oglethorpe County
- Silverio, Mario Alberto, 40, Cobb County
- Smith, Shana Leeanne, 31, Oconee County
- Sterling, Kenneth, 50, Athens-Clarke County
- Sutton, Pamela Lynn, 38, Athens-Clarke County
- Turbeville, Steven, 38, Barrow County
- Turrubiartes Amaro, Ricardo, 22, Gwinnett County
- Wampler, Cecil, 35, Bristol, Tennessee
- Wheeler, Travis, 36, Athens-Clarke County
- Wolford, April, 29, Athens-Clarke County
- Wolford, Garrett, 33, Athens-Clarke County
- Woodrum, Darien, 27, Athens-Clarke County
- Young, James Andrew, 26, Oglethorpe County
- Young, Ricky Keith, 32, Walton County
- Zavala, David, 28, Gordon County
“Operation Wu Block,” an OCDETF-led investigation, is part of the larger “Operation Crystal Shield,” a national DEA operation first announced on February 20, 2020 during a press conference in Atlanta. The investigation is focused on eight main methamphetamine trafficking transportation hubs across the nation, including Atlanta. Both are on-going operations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tamara Jarrett is prosecuting cases arising from this investigation for the Government. Questions can be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603 or Melissa Hodges, Public Affairs Director (Contractor), United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 765-2362.
Wednesday 27 May 2020
United States Attorney's Office Announces Charges in Fraud Cases Related to COVID-19Read the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – The United States Attorney’s Office unsealed three criminal complaints filed in Federal District Court charging multiple individuals with health care fraud associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Now more than ever, the integrity of our healthcare system is paramount as we fight a global pandemic,” said United States Attorney Michael Bailey. “We remain committed to rooting out and prosecuting any individual who would use this crisis as an opportunity to defraud individuals or the government.”
One complaint charges Jeremiah Faber, 45, of Gold Canyon, Arizona, the CEO of Harmony Healthcare, LLC dba Harmony Medical Care, with one count of health care fraud and one count of money laundering. The complaint alleges that Faber used Harmony’s Facebook and other social media sources to offer free COVID-19 testing if patients also completed Harmony’s Comprehensive Whole-Body Assessment. Harmony then fraudulently submitted claims for reimbursement to Mercy Care, Arizona’s health care benefit program, by billing for services that were medically unnecessary and for services provided in the names of physicians who had no role in the assessment.
Two other complaints charge a total of six individuals associated with five Phoenix-area businesses that purport to provide non-emergency medical transportation services on the Navajo Nation. The first complaint charges Abdul Raheem Abdul Jabbar, Nohad Loabneh, and Abedelhalim Lawabni with conspiring to commit health care fraud. The complaint alleges that Abdul Jabbar, Loabneh, and Lawabni falsely billed Arizona’s Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) for more than 9,000 non-emergency medical transports in April 2020 when those transports never occurred. After the Arizona Governor and the President of the Navajo Nation both declared COVID-19 public emergencies, the need for non-emergency medical transports dramatically decreased. The complaint further alleges that their false billings in April 2020 generated a total of more than $2.75 million in fraudulent payments from AHCCCS to the three businesses. AHCCCS is Arizona’s Medicaid agency, offering health care programs to low-income Arizona residents. Loabneh, and Lawabni own and operate A&N Services, LLC. Abdul Jabbar owns and operates Freedom AZ, LLC, and is also affiliated with Desert Mobile, LLC.
The second complaint charges Miguel Denga, Husam Alsadi, and Tamarria Denga with conspiring to commit health care fraud. The complaint alleges that Alsadi and the Dengas falsely billed AHCCCS for more than 1,500 non-emergency medical transports in April 2020 when those transports never occurred. As noted above, after the Governor of Arizona and the President of the Navajo Nation both declared COVID-19 public emergencies, the need for non-emergency medical transports dramatically decreased. The complaint further alleges that their false billings in April 2020 generated a total of more than $450,000 in fraudulent payments from AHCCCS to the two businesses. Miguel Denga and Alsadi own and operate Philia Homecare, LLC. Tamarria Denga owns and operates COS 1, LLC.
“Fraudsters are using the uncertainty around COVID-19 to line their pockets,” said Sean Kaul, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Phoenix Field Office. “Thanks to the diligent work of Arizona’s COVID-19 Fraud Task Force, the FBI identified and dismantled fraud rings in Arizona which were trying to exploit the COVID-19 pandemic. Make no mistake, the FBI will actively pursue those seeking to fraudulently profit from the pandemic. The FBI thanks the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System Office of the Inspector General (AHCCCS-OIG) for their partnerships and collaboration on these cases. Their work was vital to these investigations.”
Jeremiah Faber is scheduled to make his initial appearance in court on June 30, 2020. The other six defendants are scheduled to make their initial appearances in court on June 11, 2020.
A complaint is simply the method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. Individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
RELEASE NUMBER: 2020-053_COVID Fraud
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Union County Man Admits Distributing over One Kilogram of FentanylRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – A Union County, New Jersey, man today admitted distributing and conspiring to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Jhon Rodriguez-Acosta, 34, of Elizabeth, New Jersey, pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Peter G. Sheridan to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and one count of knowingly and intentionally distributing of 400 grams or more of fentanyl.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From April 2018 through Feb. 13, 2019, Rodriguez-Acosta conspired with others to distribute narcotics. On Feb. 12, 2019, Rodriguez-Acosta provided a conspirator with over one kilogram of fentanyl. On or about Feb. 13, 2019, Rodriguez-Acosta and a second conspirator traveled to the parking lot of a 7-Eleven in Elizabeth to collect payment for the fentanyl he distributed.
The counts to which Rodriguez-Acosta pleaded guilty each carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, a maximum sentence of life imprisonment and a fine of up to $10 million. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 28, 2020.
U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito credited special agents of the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jason Molina, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Francesca Liquori of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force/Narcotics Unit in Newark.
U.S. Attorneys from the Northern, Eastern, and Western Districts of Oklahoma Select a Coordinator for Murdered and Missing Indigenous Persons CasesRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorneys Trent Shores, Brian Kuester, and Timothy Downing today announced the selection of a Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Coordinator to serve in Oklahoma. Ms. Patti Buhl was selected for this critical position. Ms. Buhl will maximize the resources of the three United States Attorney’s Offices to ensure effective and timely responses to missing and murdered Native Americans in Oklahoma.
As MMIP Coordinator, she will support investigations into missing and murdered persons; consult with tribal communities to assist in the creation and implementation of community action plans; coordinate with tribal, local, state, and federal law enforcement in the development of protocols and procedures for responding to MMIP cases; and promote improvement of data collection and analyses throughout Oklahoma. Her start date is June 8.
“Patti Buhl will be a difference maker in our efforts to combat the crisis of missing and murdered Native Americans. Now is the time for action, and Oklahoma’s United States Attorneys are prepared to help lead the way,” said Trent Shores, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma.
“The joint MMIP coordinator will maximize the collaborative efforts of the three Oklahoma United States Attorney’s Offices as we work toward our common goal of ensuring appropriate response to missing and murdered indigenous people in Oklahoma,” said Brian J. Kuester, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Oklahoma. “Ms. Buhl will undoubtedly find great support from our federal, tribal, state, and local law enforcement partners and non-governmental service organizations who understand and appreciate that working together we can and will enhance public safety in Indian Country.”
“We are pleased to have Ms. Buhl join our ranks to help further our great working relationship with all our tribes and the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in Oklahoma to address violence in Indian Country,” said Timothy J. Downing, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma. “Together, we will continue to partner with tribes to improve public safety for all Native Americans throughout the state.”
On November 22, 2019, Attorney General William Barr launched a national strategy to address missing and murdered Native Americans. When establishing the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Initiative, the Department of Justice made an initial investment of $1.5 million to hire MMIP coordinators to serve with U.S. Attorney’s Offices in 11 states. States receiving MMIP coordinators are Oklahoma, Alaska, Arizona, Minnesota, Montana, Michigan, Utah, Nevada, Oregon, New Mexico, and Washington.
“Congratulations to the U.S. Attorneys and Patti Buhl for joining together to investigate and locate missing Native Americans. The missing are mostly children and women. Protecting our most vulnerable people by the tribes working with the Department of Justice will halt these atrocities,” said Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear of the Osage Nation.
The Inter-Tribal Council of the Five Civilized Tribes also voiced support for the hiring of Ms. Buhl:
“For too many Natives, violence is an ever-present threat. We must do more to stop this nightmare that has haunted Native persons for far too long, and appointing Ms. Buhl as a Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons coordinator here in Oklahoma is crucial to this mission. With her background in law enforcement, including her time working with the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service and investigating missing persons cases, Ms. Buhl will play a pivotal role in helping to find the many Native Americans who have gone missing, most of them women and children. As tribal leaders, we are especially proud that a member of a federally recognized tribe has been chosen for this role, knowing full well that her work will make a lasting difference across all of Indian Country. The Inter-Tribal Council of the Five Civilized Tribes thanks the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for taking this important step."
Leaders of the council are Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr., Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Chief Gary Batton, Seminole Nation of Oklahoma Chief Greg Chilcoat, and Muscogee (Creek) Nation Principal Chief David Hill.
Prior to her selection as MMIP coordinator, Ms. Buhl served in law enforcement at Northeastern State University.
“Patti joined the NSU team in 2003 and eventually became our first female Chief of Police in 2009,” said Northeastern State University President Steve Turner. “I appreciate Patti’s 17 years of dedicated service protecting the NSU family and citizens of our communities. Although she understood and embraced her role as an enforcer of the law, she was always a teacher who worked tirelessly to educate our students on appropriate and lawful conduct. Her experience will be invaluable to her new role with the U.S. Attorney’s Offices. ”
Ms. Buhl, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, has worked in law enforcement for 25 years, most recently serving Chief of Police for Northeastern State University in Tahlequah. She has also served with the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service where she enforced tribal, state, Federal, and municipal laws within the 14 county jurisdictional boundaries of the Cherokee Nation. Ms. Buhl is experienced in investigating missing persons and coordinating with tribal governments and organizations. She has also collaborated with the FBI, Secret Service, and IRS while investigating criminal cases. Ms. Buhl has further assisted in the development of policies and guidelines for law enforcement. She earned a Master of Science in Criminal Justice and is on track to receive her Juris Doctor from the Mitchell Hamline School of Law in December 2020.
Also this week, the Presidential Task Force on Murdered and Missing American Indians and Alaska Natives is holding remote listening sessions with Tribes throughout the country. U.S. Attorney Trent Shores is a member of the Task Force. On May 29, from 1-2:30 pm CDT, a listening session is scheduled to be held with the Tribes from Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Montana and Wyoming. Tribal Listening Session Webinars are open to Tribal Leaders and others. Sessions will include a short presentation about the current activities of the task force, followed by a listening session.
The Task Force was announced on Nov. 26, 2019. It was established by President Donald Trump to address the legitimate concerns of American Indian and Alaska Native communities regarding missing and murdered people — particularly missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. You can learn more about the Task Force, also known as Operation Lady Justice, here.
Two Kansas Companies Fined $1 Million Each in Atchison Chlorine Gas CaseRead the Press Release
TOPEKA, KAN. – Harcros Chemicals, Inc., and MGP Ingredients, Inc., today were fined $1 million each for violating the federal Clean Air Act when a cloud of toxic chlorine gas was released over Atchison, Kan., in 2016, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said. Both companies have paid the fines.
U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Crabtree sentenced the companies during a hearing in federal court in Topeka today. Both companies pleaded guilty to negligently violating the Clean Air Act, which is a Class A misdemeanor.
In their pleas, they admitted that on Oct. 21, 2016, a greenish-yellow chlorine gas cloud formed at MGP Ingredients’ facility in Atchison when 4,000 gallons of sulfuric acid were mistakenly combined with 5,800 gallons of sodium hypochlorite. The Atchison County Department of Emergency Management ordered community members to shelter in place and to evacuate in some areas. Approximately 140 individuals including members of the public, first responders, employees of MGP Ingredients and Harcos Chemicals sought medical attention.
“The chemicals involved in this case posed serious public health and environmental dangers,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Cate Holston of EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division in Kansas. “EPA and its law enforcement partners are committed to holding responsible parties accountable for actions that put an entire community at risk.”
McAllister commended the Environmental Protection Agency and Assistant U.S. Attorney Rich Hathaway for their work on the case.
Two Brothers Plead Guilty for Their Roles in A Contraband Tobacco Scheme Which Produced Nearly 30 Million Unlicensed CigarettesRead 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 Joseph Thompson, 39, and his brother, Jonathan Thompson, 41, both of the Akwesasne Mohawk Indian Reservation, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa, to wire fraud. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Marangola, who is handling the case, stated that the defendants worked with others to acquire “cut rag tobacco” which would be used to manufacture contraband cigarettes. Monies to purchase the cut rag tobacco were wired from Rochester, NY to CanStar International Inc., a tobacco broker, in the state of Florida. Once purchased, the cut rag tobacco was delivered to buildings and warehouses controlled by the defendants in Awkwasasne, NY. The defendants then used the cut rag tobacco to manufacture unlicensed cigarettes and distribute the cigarettes to various Indian Reservations in the United States.
Between June 2016 and December 2018, the defendants ordered approximately 72,500 pounds of cut rag tobacco from CanStar, which was used to manufacture approximately 27,923,077 unlicensed cigarettes. This resulted in a loss to the United States of approximately $1,405,368.46 in federal taxes.
The pleas are the culmination of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, under the direction of Jonathan D. Larsen, Special Agent-in-Charge; Homeland Security Investigations - Border Enforcement Security Team, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly; Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Unit, under the direction of Director Brian Manaher; the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau – Office of Field Operations, under the direction of Assistant Administrator Nicholas Colucci; and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge John B. Devito, New York Field Division.
Sentencing is scheduled for August 27, 2020, before Judge Siragusa.
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Texas Man Pleads Guilty to Cyberstalking, Making Interstate ThreatsRead the Press Release
HARRISONBURG, VIRGINIA – An Odessa, Texas man, who had an online relationship with a juvenile female in the Western District of Virginia, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Harrisonburg to cyberstalking and making interstate threats to the girl’s family following her suicide. United State Attorney Thomas T. Cullen and David W. Archey, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division made the announcement today.
Adrian Raul O’Dell, 20, was charged in October of 2019 and arrested the following month at his home in Texas. He pleaded guilty today to two counts of cyberstalking and one count of making interstate threats.
“Today’s guilty plea demonstrates that online conduct can cause victims serious harm and cyberstalking will not be tolerated. With increasing amounts of our lives and business being conducted online, these kinds of cases remain a priority for this office,” First Assistant United States Attorney Daniel P. Bubar said today. “I am grateful for the hard work of the FBI and the Warren County Sheriff’s office in identifying this defendant and bringing him to Virginia to face justice.”
“The facts of this case speak for themselves and are saddening to us all. Although today’s plea will not make up for the loss to the victim’s family or the pain they endured, we hope it reassures them of the FBI's full commitment to investigate such matters to the fullest extent of the law,” Special Agent in Charge Archey said today. “We are grateful for the assistance of the United States Attorney's Office, the FBI's El Paso Field Office/Midland Resident Agency and the Warren County Sheriff’s Office for their diligence and assistance in this investigation.”
According to court documents, between September 2017 and around March 2018, O’Dell had an online relationship with a 16-year-old girl who lived in Linden, Virginia. In May 2018, following an investigation by the Warren County Sheriff’s Office, it was determined that the girl died by suicide in a wooded area near her home.
The indictment alleges that from June 2018 through June 2019, O’Dell, using a variety of false email and online personas, took credit for her suicide. The defendant then sent threatening and intimidating messages to her family members and friends that placed them in reasonable fear of death and serious bodily harm. In addition, these messages attempted to cause friends and family members substantial emotional distress. The defendant sent certain of these messages in violation of a protective order.
The investigation of the case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the Warren County Sherriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Kate Rumsey is prosecuting the case for the United States.
Tampa Man Charged with Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISISRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice today announced the filing of a criminal complaint charging Muhammed Momtaz Al-Azhari, 23, of Tampa, Florida, with attempting to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization, namely, the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS). If convicted, Al-Azhari faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.
“We are grateful for the quick work of our partners at the FBI to apprehend Al-Azhari before he could carry out his attack,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers. “This case demonstrates the Department’s commitment to stand vigilant against the threat of terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms.”
“We are grateful for the hard work and swift action by our law enforcement partners and concerned citizens during this investigation,” stated U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez for the Middle District of Florida. “Their coordination and cooperation in this matter allowed us to interrupt a serious threat, without harm to anyone.”
“From Mr. Al-Azhari’s attempt to acquire firearms through unlawful channels to his desire to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, it was clear Mr. Al-Azhari’s intention was to carry out an act of violence,” said Assistant Director Jill Sanborn of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division. “The FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Forces across the country will continue to use all of their legal authorities to prevent a potential act of terrorism in the United States, and elsewhere.”
“The primary mission of the FBI is to protect the American public from a terrorist attack. Today’s announcement of the arrest of Muhammed Momtaz Al-Azahari is proof we are committed to that pledge. I commend the 18 federal, state, and local member agencies who comprise FBI Tampa’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) for working day and night to prevent the loss of life in the Tampa Bay community,” said Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Tampa Division Michael F. McPherson. “We were also fortunate to gain the cooperation of multiple citizens who willingly and bravely provided their assistance during this investigation. This strong bond between law enforcement and the public allowed us to disrupt this threat.”
According to the complaint, Al-Azhari was an ISIS supporter who planned and attempted to carry out an attack on behalf of that terrorist organization. Al-Azhari, who has a criminal history that includes prior terrorism charges in Saudi Arabia, attempted to purchase multiple firearms over the course of the investigation, before acquiring a Glock pistol and a silencer. He also expressed admiration for Pulse nightclub shooter Omar Mateen and spoke of his desire to carry out a similar mass casualty shooting. Additionally, Al-Azhari researched and scouted potential targets in the Tampa area, including Honeymoon Island. He also rehearsed portions of an attack and the statements that he would make during or in connection with such an attack.
FBI agents arrested Al-Azhari on May 24, 2020, after he took possession of weapons to be used in an attack.
A complaint is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, including Homeland Security Investigations, the Tampa Police Department, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, the St. Petersburg Police Department, the Clearwater Police Department, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It will be prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Scruggs with assistance from Trial Attorney Ranganath Mathripragada of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
Tampa Man Charged with Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISISRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – The Department of Justice today announced the filing of a criminal complaint charging Muhammed Momtaz Al-Azhari (23, Tampa) with attempting to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization, namely, the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS). If convicted, Al-Azhari faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.
“We are grateful for the hard work and swift action by our law enforcement partners and concerned citizens during this investigation,” stated U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez for the Middle District of Florida. “Their coordination and cooperation in this matter allowed us to interrupt a serious threat, without harm to anyone.”
“We are grateful for the quick work of our partners at the FBI to apprehend Al-Azhari before he could carry out his attack,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers. “This case demonstrates the Department’s commitment to stand vigilant against the threat of terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms.”
“The primary mission of the FBI is to protect the American public from a terrorist attack. Today’s announcement of the arrest of Muhammed Momtaz Al-Azahari is proof we are committed to that pledge. I commend the 18 federal, state, and local member agencies who comprise FBI Tampa’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) for working day and night to prevent the loss of life in the Tampa Bay community,” said Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Tampa Division Michael F. McPherson. “We were also fortunate to gain the cooperation of multiple citizens who willingly and bravely provided their assistance during this investigation. This strong bond between law enforcement and the public allowed us to disrupt this threat.”
According to the
complaint , Al-Azhari was an ISIS supporter who planned and attempted to carry out an attack on behalf of that terrorist organization. Al-Azhari, who has a criminal history that includes prior terrorism charges in Saudi Arabia, attempted to purchase multiple firearms over the course of the investigation, before acquiring a Glock pistol and a silencer. He also expressed admiration for Pulse nightclub shooter Omar Mateen and spoke of his desire to carry out a similar mass casualty shooting. Additionally, Al-Azhari researched and scouted potential targets in the Tampa area, including Honeymoon Island. He also rehearsed portions of an attack and the statements that he would make during or in connection with such an attack.FBI agents arrested Al-Azhari on May 24, 2020, after he took possession of weapons to be used in an attack.
A complaint is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, including Homeland Security Investigations, the Tampa Police Department, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, the St. Petersburg Police Department, the Clearwater Police Department, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick Scruggs, with assistance from Trial Attorney Ranganath Mathripragada of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
Statement from Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband and Nevada U.S. Attorney Nick Trutanich on Nevada Governor’s Decision to Adjust Reopening PlansRead the Press Release
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Eric Dreiband and U.S. Attorney for Nevada Nick Trutanich issued the following statement:
"We thank Governor Steve Sisolak for considering the concerns about religious liberty in Nevada, and commend him for extending religious freedom protections to people of faith as part of Phase 2 of the Nevada United: Roadmap to Recovery. We look forward to continuing to work with the Governor as we work to balance civil liberties and public safety through the process of reopening. The Department of Justice will continue to prioritize Attorney General Barr’s Memorandum regarding Balancing Public Safety with the Preservation of Civil Rights."
Statement by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan on Presidential Task Force Listening Sessions for Operation Lady JusticeRead the Press Release
Office of Justice Programs Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General and Operation Lady Justice Co-chair Designee Katharine T. Sullivan issued the following statement on the first of four virtual listening sessions of the Presidential Task Force on Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives:
“The indigenous people of the United States face formidable public safety challenges, perhaps none more troubling than the crisis of missing and murdered American Indian and Alaska Native people. The inexplicable loss of so many family members and loved ones is especially tragic in communities already suffering from disproportionately high rates of violence and where remedies and resources remain scarce. Hearing from tribal members and professionals directly affected by this crisis serves as a poignant and urgent call to support tribal leaders as they work to protect their citizens. We are grateful to everyone who came forward today for their willingness to open up about an issue that has been the source of so much pain for so many American Indian and Alaska Native people. We remain committed to working with tribal leaders and with all law enforcement agencies to better understand this problem and develop more effective responses to turn this tide of violence.”
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Tribal Listening Session Webinars are open to Tribal Leaders and others. Sessions will include a short presentation about the current activities of the task force, followed by a listening session. Registration is required at https://cvent.me/d4EwOP. For more information about the task force, visit https://operationladyjustice.usdoj.gov/.
Statement by Assistant Attorney General Stephen E. Boyd on the House of Representative’s Consideration of Legislation to Reauthorize the U.S.A. Freedom ActRead the Press Release
Assistant Attorney General Stephen E. Boyd released the following statement:
“The Department worked closely with House leaders on both sides of the aisle to draft legislation to reauthorize three national security authorities in the U.S.A. Freedom Act while also imposing reforms to other aspects of FISA designed to address issues identified by the DOJ Inspector General. Although that legislation was approved with a large, bipartisan House majority, the Senate thereafter made significant changes that the Department opposed because they would unacceptably impair our ability to pursue terrorists and spies. We have proposed specific fixes to the most significant problems created by the changes the Senate made. Instead of addressing those issues, the House is now poised to further amend the legislation in a manner that will weaken national security tools while doing nothing to address the abuses identified by the DOJ Inspector General.
Accordingly, the Department opposes the Senate-passed bill in its current form and also opposes the Lofgren amendment in the House. Given the cumulative negative effect of these legislative changes on the Department’s ability to identify and track terrorists and spies, the Department must oppose the legislation now under consideration in the House. If passed, the Attorney General would recommend that the President veto the legislation.”
Shelby County Police Agencies recently received COVID-19 funding from the Department of JusticeRead the Press Release
Indianapolis – U.S. Attorney Josh J. Minkler announced today that Shelby County Sheriff’s Department received $58,008, and Shelbyville Police Department received $66,830 in Department of Justice grants to respond to the public safety challenges posed by the outbreak of COVID-19.
“The law enforcement officers and first responders in Shelby County are doing an outstanding job keeping the community safe and upholding the rule of law during these challenging times.” said United States Attorney Josh J. Minkler. “The Shelby County Sheriff’s Department and the Shelbyville Police Department deserve our notice and appreciation for their efforts. This grant is money well spent on those who continue to serve during this unprecedented time.”
The funds are to help public safety agencies respond to the challenges posed by the outbreak of COVID-19. The Coronavirus Emergency Supplemental Funding program, authorized by the recent stimulus legislation signed by President Trump, allowed eligible state, local and tribal governments to apply immediately for these critical funds.
The Bureau of Justice Assistance in the Justice Department’s Office of Justice Programs said the funds may be used to hire personnel, pay overtime costs, cover protective equipment and supplies, address correctional inmates’ medical needs and defray expenses related to the distribution of resources to hard-hit areas, among other activities.
“The funds that the BJA provided to the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department and the Shelbyville Police Department will be very helpful with our current battle with COVID-19.” said Sheriff Louie Koch. Trying to keep the citizens and our employees safe will remain our priority with these funds.”
“Sheriff Koch and I have a strong partnership and these funds will be a tremendous resource in keeping Shelbyville and Shelby County safe during these challenging times.” said Shelbyville Police Chief Mark Weidner. “Special thanks to the U.S. Attorney's Office for calling our attention to the grant and all of the advice during the application process.”
For information about the Coronavirus Emergency Supplemental Funding program, please visit https://bja.ojp.gov/funding/opportunities/bja-2020-18553 .
If you receive any forms of suspicious communication related to the COVID-19 crisis, or become aware of family and friends that have received suspicious communications, don’t respond directly but instead report the activity to the Shelbyville Police Department, Shelby County Sheriff’s Department, or the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 1-866-720-5721, or Justice.gov/DisasterComplaintForm
San Antonio Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Distribution, Receipt and Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
In San Antonio this morning, a federal judge sentenced 53–year-old Elton Vallare of San Antonio to 20 years in federal prison for distribution, receipt and possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney John F. Bash and FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs, San Antonio Division.
In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth ordered Vallare to pay a total of $29,000 in restitution to seven identified victims and to be placed on supervised release for a period of ten years after completing his prison term.
“For the second day in a row, our office obtained a significant sentence in a child-pornography case. I’m grateful for the amazing work the FBI’s San Antonio field office in this case and so many others. We will stop at nothing to protect kids,” stated U.S. Attorney Bash.
On January 30, 2020, jurors convicted Vallare of two counts of distribution of child pornography, one count of receipt of child pornography and two counts of possession of child pornography. On June 14, 2017, FBI agents arrested Vallare following the execution of a search warrant at his residence. During the search warrant, investigators recovered two laptop computers and various computer related equipment. A forensics review of the seized items revealed the presence of numerous video and image files depicting child pornography which the defendant downloaded and distributed via the internet.
“Today's sentencing sends a strong message that there are serious consequences for those who would harm children by distributing and trading images of child pornography,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Combs. “It is impossible to measure the suffering these victims have endured. In this case, the defendant will have to pay restitution to the victims - and hopefully this will help them on their long road to recovery. The FBI is committed to finding perpetrators of this terrible crime and seeking justice for all who have been victimized.”
The FBI’s San Antonio Child Exploitation Task Force investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Thompson prosecuted this case on behalf of the government. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
Registered Sex Offender Sentenced to Prison for Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ga. – A registered sex offender caught downloading child pornography, some involving very young children, during a 2018 investigation was sentenced to 136 months in prison, said Charlie Peeler, the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia. Donald McFall, 33, of Columbus, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Clay Land to 136 months in prison and 20 years supervised release after pleading guilty to one count possession of child pornography. McFall was convicted for sexual abuse in the 2nd degree in the Circuit Court of Russell County, Alabama in 2015. McFall was also convicted in 2016 for felony failure to register as a sex offender in Muscogee County Superior Court. McFall will be required to continue registering as a sex offender once he is released from prison under the Sex Offender Registration Act. Failing to register as required by federal law will result in prosecution, with penalties including imprisonment and fines. There is no parole in the federal system.
A detective with the Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force was conducting an investigation in January 2018 into the trading and downloading of child pornography on peer-to-peer file sharing networks. Using a peer-to-program configured for law enforcement, 20 files of child pornography were downloaded from an IP address linked to a residence in Columbus, Georgia. This IP address was traced to McFall, a registered sex offender. Law enforcement executed a search warrant at the residence in March 2018 and arrested McFall after child pornography was discovered on his phone. McFall admitted to having more than 600 images of child pornography on his computer and cell phone, including pornography involving prepubescent children.
“For those who engage in the evil world of producing and consuming child sexual material online: Law enforcement agents are looking for you, they will find you and we will prosecute you to the fullest extent allowed by the law,” said U.S. Attorney Charlie Peeler. “There is a strong network of law enforcement agencies working 24 hours a day across our state, at every level, to track down criminals exploiting children. I want to commend the FBI, the Georgia ICAC Task Force and the GBI for their non-stop commitment to protecting our children and capturing child predators, and the Columbus Police Department for their excellent work capturing this sexual offender identified by the task force.”
"McFall clearly has not learned from his prior conviction that anyone who chooses to do harm to our most vulnerable citizens is a priority for FBI investigators and all of our partners in law enforcement," said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. "Now he will pay a further price and will not be able to threaten any more children during his federal incarceration."
“There is a statistical correlation between those that seek out, collect and view child sexual abuse images and those that are actively molesting children. The fact that Donald McFall was a registered sex offender and previously convicted of sexual abuse proves this point,” said Debbie Garner, GBI Special Agent in Charge and Commander of the Georgia ICAC Task Force. “We will continue to try to find and rescue child victims of sexual abuse that we would not have otherwise known about by working these child sexual abuse imagery investigations.”
This case was investigated by the FBI, the Georgia ICAC Task Force, the GBI and the Columbus Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Crawford Seals prosecuted the case for the Government. Questions can be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603 or Melissa Hodges, Public Affairs Director (Contractor), United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 765-2362.
Raleigh Real Estate Developer Arrested on Fraud and Money Laundering ChargesRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging a Sanford man with Fraud and Money Laundering. The charges were unsealed yesterday.
According to the indictment, Joshua Matthew Houchins, 36, operated a number of real estate development companies in Raleigh between 2014 and 2018, including Rossshire Development LLC, Greenstone Ventures LLC, and Modern South Development LLC. The indictment charges that Houchins used these entities to carry out a fraud upon his real estate development investors.
According to the indictment, Houchins solicited investment monies by telling victims that their money would be “put to work” on a specific property, and further represented that the investments would be secured by deeds of trust filed with the county register of deeds that was the subject of the investment. In fact, Houchins did not put all of the investor funds to work on the property on which the investor was solicited to invest, and instead, regularly used investor funds on other properties, or on personal expenses. Likewise, the investor promissory notes were not secured by a deed of trust as promised. In some instances, Houchins did not even own the property that was the subject of the investment, and as such, could not truthfully grant a deed of trust to the investor.
The indictment alleges that after Houchins diverted investor money away from the property on which the funds were supposed to be spent, Houchins failed to develop and sell the properties, as he represented he would. Houchins then defaulted on the notes by failing to pay investors their promised returns. The investors were unable to foreclose upon the investment properties because Houchins had not secured the promissory notes with a deed of trust filed, thereby resulting in losses to the investors.
Houchins is charged with nine counts of Wire Fraud, each of which carry a punishment of up to 20 years in prison. Houchins is also charged with three counts of Conducting Monetary Transactions in Criminally Derived Property, each of which carry a punishment of up to 10 years in prison.
Robert J. Higdon, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the North Carolina Secretary of State are investigating the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney William M. Gilmore is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on our website.
An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Previously Convicted Fraudster Charged with New Fraud SchemeRead 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 Henry Williams, 54, of Rochester, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with wire fraud, bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft. The charges carry a minimum penalty of two years in prison, a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison, and a $1,000,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John J. Field, who is handling the case, stated that the defendant is currently on supervised release following a 2016 conviction for bank fraud in the Western District of New York. According to the complaint, Williams engaged in a new scheme to defraud his employer and others. The defendant worked at the front desk of a Holiday Inn Hotel, and while so employed used the hotel’s Point of Sale machine fraudulently to load and attempt to load hundreds of thousands of dollars onto credit/debit cards that he controlled. Williams impersonated various hotel managers while making phone calls to the hotel’s card payment processor in furtherance of his scheme. The defendant also attempted to cover his tracks and conceal his involvement in the fraud by impersonating a hotel employee and making false complaints of criminal activity by another hotel employee.
In total, Williams attempted to defraud the hotel and hotel’s banks out of approximately $850,000. The defendant also made fraudulent and unauthorized charges in the approximate amount of $780 by using information regarding a customer’s credit/debit card that he had stolen from the hotel.
The defendant made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Marian W. Payson and is being 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 Gary Loeffert, and U.S. Probation Officers, acting under the direction of Chief Probation Officer Anthony SanGiacomo.
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.
# # # #New York City Man Charged with Hacking, Credit Card Trafficking, and Money Laundering ConspiraciesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A New York City man was charged yesterday with conspiracies to engage in computer hacking, trafficking in stolen payment card numbers, and money laundering.
Vitalii Antonenko, 28, was indicted on one count of conspiracy to gain unauthorized access to computer networks and to traffic in unauthorized access devices, and one count of money laundering conspiracy. In March 2019, Antonenko was arrested and detained on money laundering charges at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport after he arrived there from Ukraine carrying computers and other digital media that held hundreds of thousands of stolen payment card numbers.
As alleged in the indictment, Antonenko and co-conspirators scoured the internet for computer networks with security vulnerabilities that were likely to contain credit and debit card account numbers, expiration dates, and card verification values (Payment Card Data) and other personally identifiable information (PII). They used a hacking technique known as a “SQL injection attack” to access those networks without authorization, extracted Payment Card Data and other PII, and transferred it for sale on online criminal marketplaces. Once a co-conspirator sold the data, Antonenko and others used Bitcoin as well as traditional bank and cash transactions to launder the proceeds in order to disguise their nature, location, source, ownership, and control.
The charge of conspiracy to gain unauthorized access and to traffic in access devices provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, restitution and forfeiture. The charge of money laundering conspiracy provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a $500,000 fine, restitution and forfeiture. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Frederick J. Regan, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service Boston Field Office and made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth B. Kosto of Lelling’s Cybercrime Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
New Bedford Member of the Latin Kings Charged with Being a Felon in PossessionRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A member of the New Bedford Chapter of the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation was charged yesterday with being a felon in possession of a firearm as a result of a federal investigation into a shooting on April 19, 2020, in New Bedford.
Alexander Pizarro, a/k/a “King Tego,” 28, was charged yesterday in a criminal complaint with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Pizarro, who is currently in custody in Rhode Island, will make his initial appearance in federal court at a later date.
According to the charging documents, on April 19, 2020, police responded to a report of seven shots fired near a residence on Clark Street in New Bedford. During the response, police located a tan and black Taurus 9mm firearm in an alleyway near the residence. Based on information received from a 911 caller, police were directed to an apartment and located Pizarro, who was known to be a member of the Latin Kings. After searching his cell phone, investigators located a photograph of Pizarro in the apartment holding what appears to be the same firearm that was recovered from Clark Street. This photograph was allegedly taken approximately two hours before the shots-fired incident. Through ballistics comparison, the seized firearm was matched to the recovered shell casings from the shooting that evening.
Due to multiple prior convictions, Pizarro is prohibited from possessing firearms. According to court documents, Pizarro was known to investigators to be a member of the New Bedford Chapter of the Latin Kings, and had recently posted multiple pictures holding firearms to his SnapChat account. At the time of the shooting incident, Pizarro was on probation for a 2017 firearms case in Rhode Island.
The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm provides for a sentence of up to 10 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 on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Kelly D. Brady, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, New England Field Division; and New Bedford Police Chief Joseph C. Cordeiro made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Mallard of Lelling’s Organized Crime and Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Multi-State Operation Leads to Cheraw Man’s Arrest on Federal Criminal Complaint for Online Coercion of Minor, Transferring Obscene Material to MinorRead the Press Release
Columbia, South Carolina --- United States Attorney Peter M. McCoy, Jr., announced today that Nathan Branham, 39, of Cheraw, South Carolina, was arrested on a federal criminal complaint and charged with online coercion and enticement of a minor and transferring obscene material to a minor.
Branham had a detention hearing before United States Magistrate Judge Kaymani D. West on Tuesday and had his initial appearance before United States Magistrate Judge Thomas E. Rogers on May 20. At this time, he remains in custody.
The complaint states that Branham contacted a 13-year-old minor in Kentucky through the online social media application Uplive, a live-streaming platform that allows viewers to broadcast and view real-time videos via their smartphones. Using the screen name Mystic, Branham learned the minor’s age, told the minor he was sixteen years old, and convinced the minor to contact him using the Google Duo video chat application.
According to the complaint, the minor immediately noticed Branham was an adult male. Although Branham stated that he had a genetic condition that made him look older, the minor ended the call. At that point Branham claimed he could find the minor’s address and threatened the minor into engaging in another call with him. On that call, Branham told the minor to expose herself or he was going to “find out your address and have a little talk to you.” After the minor complied, Branham also exposed himself. The minor reported the matter to her parents. The parents contacted Branham, who also used the Facebook username Shuja Jahan, at which point Branham claimed to be a police officer.
According to testimony during court proceedings, Branham – who has convictions for indecent exposure, assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, and being a felon in possession of a firearm – engaged in similar interactions with minors on more than thirty occasions.
The case was initiated by the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office through the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force program, a national network of 61 coordinated task forces representing over 4,500 federal, state, and local law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies. This case is being investigated by the United States Secret Service with the assistance of the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office ICAC task force. The complaint was brought in South Carolina federal court within a week of the first report to the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Derek A. Shoemake of the Florence office.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices, 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 identify and rescue victims. For more information, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
U.S. Attorney McCoy stated that all charges in this case are merely allegations and that the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
dsc_press_release_branham_complaint.pdf
Man from Laguna Pueblo pleads guilty to assault by strangulation in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Patrick Valencia, 50, of Laguna Pueblo, New Mexico pleaded guilty in federal court in Albuquerque on May 26 to assault of an intimate partner by strangulation or suffocation in Indian Country.
A grand jury previously returned an indictment against Valencia on July 9, 2019. According to the indictment and other court records, Valencia allegedly committed this offense in Cibola County on Aug. 5, 2018. Valencia became upset and assaulted the victim by knocking her to the ground, putting his hands around her neck and strangling her. She was later treated for her injuries at the hospital.
Valencia is currently in custody pending sentencing. He has agreed to serve two years in prison under the terms of his plea agreement.
The office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Office of Justice Services investigated this case with assistance from the Pueblo of Laguna Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Marshall is prosecuting the case.
Man from Albuquerque sentenced to 25 months in federal prison for bank fraud, identity theft and harboring a fugitiveRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Ernie Thomas Ortiz, 46, of Albuquerque, New Mexico was sentenced in federal court in Albuquerque on May 19 to 25 months in prison for bank fraud, aggravated identity theft and harboring a fugitive.
Ortiz pleaded guilty to these offenses on Jan. 10. According to Ortiz’s plea agreement, he bought a truck from an auto dealership in Sandoval County, New Mexico on March 27, 2019. Ortiz impersonated another person in the transaction by using the victim’s name and personal identifying information without permission. Ortiz gave the dealership a check he knew would be used to withdraw funds from the victim’s bank account.
Ortiz also harbored a fugitive in Bernalillo County on April 13, 2019. According to Ortiz’s plea agreement and other public court records, he provided transportation to Jeyden Barnhill to help Barnhill avoid capture by the police. Ortiz provided transportation to Barnhill knowing Barnhill was wanted by the police for robbery. In a separate case, Barnhill pleaded guilty to federal robbery and firearms charges on March 24. Barnhill is facing 20 years in prison under the terms of his plea agreement.
Ortiz must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after completing his sentence.
The FBI investigated this case with assistance from the Albuquerque Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul J. Mysliwiec prosecuted the case.
Madison Man Sentenced for Possessing Heroin for DistributionRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. - Scott C. Blader, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that James Britton, 30, Madison, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 37 months in federal prison for possessing heroin with intent to distribute.
This is Britton’s second sentence in federal court. At the time of this offense, he was serving a term of federal supervision as a result of his 2015 conviction for distributing heroin. Judge Peterson revoked the defendant’s supervision and imposed an additional term of imprisonment of one year and one day, to be served consecutively to the 37-month term.
The total amount of heroin attributable to Britton was approximately 37.51 grams. Three additional counts of distribution of heroin were dismissed pursuant to the defendant’s plea.
In sentencing the defendant, Judge Peterson noted that Britton was “damaging the community” by selling heroin and that his conduct took advantage of others’ addictions. Judge Peterson explained that the sentence was meant to provide incremental punishment based on the defendant’s prior conviction and subsequent failure on supervision.
The charge against Britton was the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Taylor L. Kraus handled the prosecution.
Las Vegas Felon Sentenced in Federal "Lie and Buy" Prosecution for Illegally Acquiring 11 FirearmsRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Albert Raul Franco was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Andrew P. Gordon to three years in prison for illegally acquiring 11 firearms through a straw purchaser who made false statements on federal firearms transaction documents during the purchases, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas A. Trutanich for the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge Patrick Gorman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
“Far too often, guns bought by straw purchasers end up in the hands of violent offenders and are recovered at crime scenes,” said U.S. Attorney Trutanich. “Together with the ATF, we will hold accountable individuals who lie on federal forms to buy guns illegally. Today’s sentence demonstrates our commitment to reducing gun violence, enforcing federal firearms laws through the Project Guardian initiative, and pursuing ‘Lie and Buy’ cases to make Nevada safer.”
Franco, 35, of Las Vegas, pleaded guilty in August 2019, to seven counts of illegal acquisition of a firearm. In addition to the prison term, Franco was sentenced to three years of supervised release.
According to court documents and admissions made in his plea agreement, on five separate occasions between July 28, 2017, and October 26, 2017, Franco directed co-defendant Tiffany Henderson to make false statements on the Firearms Transaction Record during the purchase of 11 handguns at different Federal Firearms Licensee businesses. On the Firearms Transaction Record, Henderson represented that she was the actual buyer of the firearms, when in fact these purchases were made on Franco’s behalf.
Franco, an admitted gang member and convicted felon, is prohibited from owning and possessing a firearm because of his prior convictions for multiple firearms and drug-related offenses and a conviction for assaulting a police officer. Franco’s pretrial release in this case was revoked after he failed to report an encounter with law enforcement during which he fled and was found to possess cocaine.
Co-defendant Henderson previously pleaded guilty to five counts of illegal acquisition of a firearm and aiding and abetting. She is scheduled to be sentenced on June 23, 2020.
The charges resulted from an investigation by the ATF. Assistant U.S. Attorney Simon Kung is prosecuting the case.
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 U.S. 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 ATF 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.
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Las Vegas Couple Indicted in $13 Million Fraud Upon North Carolina Medicaid Program and Scheme to Launder Proceeds into Private JetRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – On May 19, 2020 a federal grand jury returned a Superseding Indictment charging a Las Vegas couple with numerous charges, including (1) Conspiracy to Commit Health Care Fraud and Wire Fraud, (2) Health Care Fraud, (3) Wire Fraud, (4) False Statements Relating to Health Care Matters, (4) Aggravated Identity Theft, (5) Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering, and (6) Conducting Transactions in Criminally Derived Property with Fraud and Money Laundering. The charges were unsealed today, following the arrest of all defendants.
“This case represents one of the most brazen and egregious cases of home health Medicaid fraud ever seen in this district,” commented U.S. Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. “The indictment alleges a $13 million fraud that funded a gluttonous, social media-marketed lifestyle - one filled with private jets, penthouses and luxury resorts. Most reprehensible is the fact that this crime is alleged to have been carried out on the backs of our most vulnerable: the poor, the deceased, the elderly, and the disabled. Even in the face of a global pandemic, this office will continue its work to ensure that defendants like these will be held to fully account for their actions.”
"Stealing taxpayer money from a health care program designed to care for the poor and disabled just to bankroll a private jet and other luxury products – as alleged in this case – is reprehensible,” said Special Agent in Charge Derrick L. Jackson of the HHS Office of Inspector General. “Our hardworking investigators and law enforcement partners are committed to making sure such greed-fueled fraud is uprooted and those who commit it are held accountable for their actions.”
Special Agent in Charge Matthew D. Line, of the IRS, Criminal Investigation stated, “We are pleased with today’s indictment of Latisha and Timothy Harron as a result of the collaborative efforts of our law enforcement partners. The egregious acts allegedly carried out by the Harron’s in this case will not be tolerated. IRS-CI will continue to use our financial expertise to expose and bring to justice those who line their pockets by committing fraud against the healthcare system.”
According to the indictment, Latisha Harron, also known as Latisha Reese Holt, 44, of Las Vegas, Nevada, and Timothy Mark Harron, 50, of Las Vegas, Nevada, worked together to carry out a massive fraud upon the North Carolina Medicaid Program (“NC Medicaid”) by billing the government for fictitious home health services. They then worked together to launder the proceeds of the fraud into, among other things, a private jet, luxury jewelry and clothing, and properties in Ahoskie and Rich Square, North Carolina.
According to the indictment, by 2010, Latisha Harron had created, and was operating, Agape Healthcare Systems, Inc. (“Agape”) an alleged Medicaid home health provider, in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina. The indictment alleges that to enroll Agape as a Medicaid provider, Latisha Harron fraudulently concealed her prior felony conviction for Identity Theft. The indictment then alleges that in 2012, Latisha Harron moved out of North Carolina to Maryland. Despite that move, Harron continued to bill NC Medicaid as though Agape was providing home health services to North Carolina recipients.
The indictment further alleges that in May of 2017, Latisha Harron moved to Las Vegas, Nevada to live with Timothy Mark Harron, and that the two were married in 2018. The indictment alleges that Timothy Mark Harron was also a previously convicted felon, and that this fact was concealed from the NC Medicaid on enrollment documents. The indictment then details how Latisha Harron and Timothy Mark Harron (“the Harrons”) worked together to expand the Agape fraud upon NC Medicaid, by fraudulently billing the program for more than $10 Million, just in the period between 2017 and 2019.
The indictment alleges that the Harrons carried out the fraud by exploiting an eligibility tool that was entrusted only to NC Medicaid providers. Specifically, the Harrons searched publicly available sources, such as obituary postings on the internet by North Carolina funeral homes, to locate recently deceased North Carolinians. The Harrons would extract from the obituary postings certain personal information for the deceased, including their name, date of birth, and date of death. Then, utilizing the extracted information, the Harrons would then query the NC Medicaid eligibility tool to determine whether the deceased individual had a Medicaid Identification Number. If the deceased North Carolinian had a valid Medicaid Identification Number and was otherwise eligible for Medicaid coverage during their life, the Harrons would use that individual’s identity to “back-bill” NC Medicaid, through Agape, for up to one year of fictitious home health services that were allegedly rendered prior to the death of the individual. NC Medicaid then disbursed millions to Agape, all of which flowed into accounts controlled by the Harrons.
The indictment alleges that the Harrons carried out the fraud via the internet from locations around the globe, including their corporate office building in Las Vegas, their penthouse condominium in Las Vegas, a corporate office in North Carolina, and from various hotels and luxury resorts in and outside of the United States.
The indictment further charges the Harrons in a scheme to launder the proceeds of the Agape fraud into various luxury items. These expenses included a $900,000 wire for the purchase of a British Aerospace Bae 125-800A private jet, hundreds of thousands of dollars in Tiffany & Co. and Brioni clothing and jewelry, thousands of dollars on Eastern North Carolina business properties, and thousands of dollars in gym equipment. The indictment also includes a forfeiture notice, seeking forfeiture of, among other things, a 2017 Aston Martin DB 11 sports vehicle and a wine collection.
The Harrons are charged with (1) Conspiracy to Commit Health Care Fraud and Wire Fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1349, which carries a maximum punishment of up to 20 years in prison, (2) Health Care Fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1347, which carries a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison, (3) 54 counts of Wire Fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343, each of which carry a maximum punishment of 20 years in prison, (4) 6 counts of Aggravated Identity Theft, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1028A, each of which carry a maximum punishment of not less than, nor more than, 2 years in prison consecutive to other sentences, (5) Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1956(h), which carries a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison, and (6) 11 counts of Conducting Transactions in Criminally Derived Property with Fraud and Money Laundering, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1957, which carries a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison. Latisha Harron is also charged with Making False Statements Relating to Health Care Matters, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1035, which carries a maximum punishment of five years in prison.
Robert J. Higdon, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, and Investigators with the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office Medicaid Investigations Division, are all investigating the case. The North Carolina Medicaid Investigations Division receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $6,160,252 for Federal fiscal year (FY) 2020. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $2,053,414 for FY 2020, is funded by the State of North Carolina.
Assistant U.S. Attorney William M. Gilmore is the prosecutor on this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Harris represents the United States with respect to forfeiture aspects of the case.
Should you feel that you or a family member are a victim of this case, please contact the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General at (305) 968-6960.
An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
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The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
La Crosse Man Sentenced on Methamphetamine ChargeRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. - Scott C. Blader, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Eric Sobek, 47, La Crosse, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to seven years in federal prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, for possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Sobek pleaded guilty to this charge on February 19, 2020.
On September 17, 2019, officers from the La Crosse Police Department arrested Sobek outside of a hotel in Onalaska, Wisconsin. When officers searched Sobek’s car, they found a safe that contained 233 grams of methamphetamine; a .226 Sig Sauer pellet gun designed to resemble a firearm; a high-capacity 9 mm magazine; and a crossbow with three bolts. Officers also searched Sobek’s backpack and hotel room, where they found an additional 23 grams of methamphetamine. In total, officers seized 256 grams of methamphetamine.
During sentencing, Judge Conley highlighted Sobek’s extensive criminal record, as well as his history of domestic violence.
The charge against Sobek was the result of an investigation conducted by the La Crosse Police Department and the Onalaska Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chadwick M. Elgersma handled the prosecution of the case.
KC Man Sentenced After Stealing Firearms from Police VehicleRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Missouri, man who stole several firearms and other items from a police vehicle has been sentenced in federal court for possessing stolen firearms.
Carvon Brown, 20, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays on Tuesday, May 26, to six years in federal prison without parole.
On Sept. 6, 2019, Brown pleaded guilty to possessing a stolen firearm. Brown admitted that he and co-defendant Leronte Swinton, 31, of Kansas City, Missouri, stole three firearms, two Tasers, two handheld radios, two Kevlar vests, and a case of shotgun shells from an unmarked police car that was parked in a Kansas City police officer’s driveway. At some point overnight on Nov. 9, 2018, Brown and Swinton ransacked the police vehicle. During the course of the investigation into this theft, numerous other thefts were identified that also were committed by Brown and Swinton.
Law enforcement officers tracked the Ford Fusion driven by Swinton, with Brown as a passenger, on Dec. 1, 2018, as Brown and Swinton committed numerous theft from autos in both Leavenworth County and Wyandotte County, Kansas. Numerous items were stolen from vehicles, including a Smith & Wesson .380-caliber handgun, a jump starter kit, a computer tablet, and an FNH 9mm semi-automatic handgun. Kansas City, Kansas, police officers attempted to stop them but they fled at a high rate of speed. A short pursuit took place but was terminated as the vehicle fled back toward Missouri. Kansas City, Missouri, police officers located the vehicle and also attempted to stop them. Once again, Brown and Swinton fled and a brief vehicle pursuit was initiated. Due to the weather conditions and the reckless manner in which Swinton was driving, the pursuit was again terminated.
Because they stopped for gas, investigators were able to identify them from surveillance videos and obtained a search warrant for their residence. On Dec. 3, 2018, officers executed the search warrant and arrested Brown and Swinton. Officers also seized several stolen firearms and other items found during the search.
Swinton also pleaded guilty and was sentenced on Jan. 30, 2020, to two years and six months in federal prison without parole.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph M. Marquez. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Judge Sentences Former Subcontractor at Bettis Lab to Prison for Stealing $250,000Read the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA - A former Department of Energy subcontractor has been sentenced in federal court to 18 months in prison and three years of supervised release on his conviction of theft of government funds, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
United States District Judge William S. Stickman imposed the sentence on Robert Lazur, 31, of West Mifflin, Pennsylvania.
According to information presented to the court, Lazur was employed at BWXT Technical Services Group, Inc., which was performing on a subcontract at the Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory in West Mifflin, PA. The contract was funded by the United States Department of Energy. From approximately January 2016 until December 2017, Lazur used company credit cards and open purchase orders to make hundreds of fraudulent purchases, which were disguised as legitimate contract expenses. He sold most of the fraudulently obtained items on eBay, so he could convert them to cash. Other items, however, he kept for himself or gave to friends. The total loss was approximately $250,000.
Assistant United States Attorney Lee J. Karl prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Brady commended the United States Department of Energy and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Lazur.
International Gun-Trafficker Pleads Guilty to Role in Straw Purchase SchemeRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A New Jersey resident and citizen of the Dominican Republic pleaded guilty today to helping arrange the straw purchase of multiple handguns.
“Straw purchasers are often literally arming criminals,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “We will continue to aggressively pursue these cases, seek to obtain felony convictions, and work with local federally licensed firearms dealers and our partners at the ATF to stop the flow of illegally purchased firearms from hitting the street.”
According to information before the court, Greilin Eurinio Santana-Munoz, 31, a carnival worker and convicted felon, used several straw purchasers to obtain at least 25 handguns from federally licensed gun stores in Virginia and Georgia, which he then shipped out of the country to the Dominican Republic. He had an associate straw purchase 10 handguns from Virginia gun stores in Chantilly, Manassas, and Virginia Beach. He was arrested in Georgia after ATF agents watched another straw purchaser buy four handguns at yet another gun store and deliver them to him while he was waiting outside the store in his vehicle.
Santana-Munoz pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting a co-conspirator causing a federally licensed gun store to maintain false records. He faces a maximum of five years in prison when sentenced on Sept. 18, 2020. 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.
“The intent of straw purchasing firearms is clear - to provide weapons to individuals who cannot possess them legally, generally for the commission of crimes,” said Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Washington Field Division. “This defendant’s plea concludes a multi-state and international investigation into his illegal activities, and we are grateful to the U.S. Attorney and our law enforcement partners for this successful outcome.”
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.
G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Washington Field Division; and Colonel Gary T. Settle, Superintendent of Virginia State Police, made the announcement after U.S. Magistrate Judge Lawrence R. Leonard accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorney William B. Jackson is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:20-cr-029.
Greenfield Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl TraffickingRead the Press Release
CONCORD - Ira Weeks, 40, of Greenfield, pleaded guilty in federal court to participating in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced today.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Weeks conspired with others to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute fentanyl. Weeks obtained the fentanyl from a source of supply in Methuen, Massachusetts. As part of the investigation, in December 2017 the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) intercepted phone communications between Weeks and his co-conspirator wife in which the couple ordered quantities of fentanyl from their Methuen drug source. DEA subsequently surveilled Weeks in Methuen meeting with the drug source on approximately four occasions. The DEA and the New Hampshire State Police arranged to conduct motor vehicle stops on Week’s vehicle after observing him meet with his drug source. These stops resulted in the seizure of over 175 grams of fentanyl.
Weeks is scheduled to be sentenced on August 27, 2020.
“Interstate drug trafficking endangers the people of New Hampshire by threatening their health and safety” said U.S. Attorney Murray. “We continue to work closely with the DEA, New Hampshire State Police, and law enforcement partners across New England to stop the flow of fentanyl and other illegal drugs into the Granite State. Those who choose to participate in the drug trade will be identified and prosecuted in federal court.”
This matter was investigated by the DEA with assistance from the New Hampshire State Police. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Cole Davis.
This case was supported by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations.
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Grand Jury Returns IndictmentsRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – A federal grand jury in the Western District of Wisconsin, sitting in Madison, returned the following indictments today. You are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Two Superior Residents Charged with Methamphetamine Conspiracy & Distribution
Christina Nord, 35, and Steven Ranta, 42, both of Superior, Wisconsin, are charged with conspiring to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. The indictment alleges that the conspiracy operated between December 2 and December 31, 2019.
The indictment also charges Nord with seven counts of distributing methamphetamine and Ranta with five counts of distributing methamphetamine during December 2019. Finally, the indictment charges that on December 31, 2019, Nord and Ranta possessed 50 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.
If convicted, Nord and Ranta face a mandatory minimum penalty of five years and a maximum of 40 years in federal prison on the conspiracy charge and the possession with intent to distribute charge alleging 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, and a maximum penalty of 20 years on the distribution charges.
The charges against them are the result of an investigation by the Superior Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Taylor Kraus is handling the prosecution.
Eau Claire Man Charged with Crimes Involving Methamphetamine & Heroin
Marnell Davis, 34, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, is charged with distributing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, with possessing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, and with possessing heroin with intent to distribute. The indictment alleges that he distributed 50 grams or more of methamphetamine on March 27, 2020, and that he possessed heroin and 50 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute on April 7, 2020.
If convicted, Davis faces a mandatory minimum penalty of five years and a maximum of 40 years in federal prison on the two charges alleging 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, and a maximum penalty of 20 years on the heroin charge.
The charges against him are the result of an investigation by West Central Drug Task Force; Chippewa, Dunn, and Eau Claire County Sheriffs’ Departments; Chippewa Falls, Eau Claire, and Menomonie Police Departments; Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation; and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Anderson is handling the prosecution.
La Crosse Man Charged with Possessing Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute
James Dean, 36, La Crosse, Wisconsin, is charged with possessing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. The indictment alleges that he possessed the methamphetamine on February 5, 2020.
If convicted, Dean faces a mandatory minimum penalty of five years and a maximum of 40 years in federal prison. The charge against him is the result of an investigation by the La Crosse Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron D. Wegner is handling the prosecution.
Two Charged with Methamphetamine Crimes
Alexander Cappard, 26, Apple Valley, Minnesota, and Alisha Heiman, 30, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, are charged with distributing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, and with possessing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. The indictment alleges that they distributed and possessed 50 grams or more of methamphetamine on March 16, 2020.
If convicted, Cappard and Heiman face a mandatory minimum penalty of five years and a maximum of 40 years in federal prison on each charge. The charges against them are the result of an investigation by the West Central Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron D. Wegner is handling the prosecution.
Madison Man Charged with Drug Crimes Involving Heroin & Cocaine
Emmanuel O. Stephen, 30, Madison, Wisconsin, is charged with possessing 100 grams or more of heroin with intent to distribute, and with possessing cocaine with intent to distribute. The indictment alleges that he possessed the heroin and cocaine on December 6, 2019.
If convicted, Stephen faces a mandatory minimum penalty of five years and a maximum of 40 years on the charge alleging 100 grams or more of heroin. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years on the cocaine charge.
The charges against him are the result of an investigation by the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, Madison Police Department, Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Dane County Narcotics Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Schlipper is handling the prosecution.
Madison Man Charged with Drug & Gun Crimes
Phillip Thomas, 30, Madison, Wisconsin, is charged with distributing crack cocaine and methamphetamine on March 31 and April 1, 2020, with possessing heroin with intent to distribute on April 3, 2020, and with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. The indictment alleges that he possessed a shotgun and ammunition on April 3, 2020.
If convicted, Thomas faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison on each of the three drug charges, and 10 years on the gun charge. The charges against him are the result of an investigation by the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, Sun Prairie Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Taylor L. Kraus is handling the prosecution.
Madison Man Charged with Drug & Gun Crimes
Hamin Williams, 37, Madison, Wisconsin, is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and with possessing fentanyl and oxycodone with the intent to distribute. The indictment alleges that on April 24, 2020, he possessed a loaded .32 caliber pistol and fentanyl and oxycodone.
If convicted, Williams faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison on the felon in possession of a firearm charge, and 20 years in federal prison on the drug charge.
The charges against him are the result of an investigation by the Madison Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rita M. Rumbelow is handling the prosecution.
Man Charged with Being a Felon in Possession of Firearm
Thomas R. Olsem, 52, Luck, Wisconsin, is charged with being a felon in possession of firearms. The indictment alleges that on March 8, 2020, Olsem possessed a .22 caliber pen gun and a loaded .380 caliber handgun.
If convicted, Olsem faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. The charge against him is the result of an investigation by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey C. Stephan is handling the prosecution.
The indictments charging Thomas, Williams, and Olsem have been brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the U.S. Justice Department’s program to reduce violent crime. The PSN approach emphasizes coordination between state and federal prosecutors and all levels of law enforcement to address gun crime, especially felons illegally possessing firearms and ammunition, and violent crimes and drug crimes that involve the use of firearms.
Man Charged with Producing Child Pornography
Gerardo Junior Torres, 23, Chicago, Illinois, is charged with two counts of producing child pornography. The indictment alleges that on January 15 and January 21, 2020, he intentionally used a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct.
If convicted, Torres faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years and a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison on each charge. The charges against him are the result of an investigation by the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office, Ladysmith Police Department, and Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Altman is handling the prosecution.
Man Charged with Escape
Theodore Thurman, 25, Rockford, Illinois, is charged with escape. The indictment alleges that on January 27, 2020, Thurman failed to remain within the extended limits of his confinement and return within the time prescribed to the Rock Valley Community Programs Center in Janesville, Wisconsin.
If convicted, Thurman faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. The charge against him is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rita M. Rumbelow is handling the prosecution.
Government Contractor to Pay $1 Million to Settle Claims of Fraudulently Representing Work by a Small Disadvantaged Business on Peoria Airport ConstructionRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Williams Brothers Construction Inc. (WBCI) of Peoria Heights, Illinois, has agreed to pay $1 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by misrepresenting its use of a small disadvantaged business to obtain a federally-funded construction contract, the Department of Justice announced today.
“The Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program of the Department of Transportation creates important opportunities for small businesses to participate in construction projects paid for with federal funds,” said Assistant Attorney General Jody Hunt of the Department of Justice’s Civil Division. “We will hold accountable those who misrepresent their compliance with program requirements to obtain taxpayer funds to which they are not entitled, and thereby undermine the program’s goal of supporting small businesses.”
The settlement resolves claims arising from WBCI’s construction of a new terminal building at the Peoria International Airport using Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grant funds. The FAA grant required the use of disadvantaged business enterprises for part of the construction. The United States contends that WBCI knowingly made false representations regarding its plans to use a disadvantaged small firm on the project and then falsified documents to make it appear that an eligible business did window, glazing, and curtain wall work. Instead, WBCI allegedly used that business only as a pass-through and had the work done by an ineligible company.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to protect taxpayer dollars,” said U.S. Attorney John C. Milhiser for the Central District of Illinois. “In cases such as this, we work alongside the Civil Division at the Department of Justice and with the Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General to ensure that funds designated to support disadvantaged small businesses are used for their intended purpose and benefit.”
“The settlement reached today is a step on the way to closing the chapter on this egregious fraud scheme involving a federally funded construction project at Peoria International Airport,” said Andrea M. Kropf, Regional Special Agent-in-Charge of the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General (DOT OIG). “While the damage to the integrity of DOT’s DBE program in this instance cannot be undone, it only serves to strengthen our resolve in pursuing those whose actions prevent the legitimate participation of disadvantaged businesses in federal contracting on transportation projects.”
The settlement was the result of a coordinated effort by the Civil Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of Illinois, and DOT OIG. To learn more about the Civil Division, please visit https://www.justice.gov/civil. To learn more about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Central District of Illinois, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdil.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years