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25 June 2020
Malden Man Arrested on Fraud ChargesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Malden man was arrested today and charged with using stolen identities to make purchases, rent cars and open credit accounts.
Wagner Sozi, 32, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with wire fraud and will appear in federal court in Boston via videoconference this afternoon.
According to the criminal complaint, Sozi used the names and identities of various individuals to open credit accounts, rent cars and make large purchases. It is alleged that Sozi, along with a female accomplice, opened credit accounts at an office supply retailer under various fake identities and then used these accounts to purchase Visa gift cards, resulting in a loss to the retail chain of more than $100,000. He processed these accounts via an employee of the office retailer who was complicit in the scheme. Sozi also allegedly used stolen identities to: purchase a Rolex for more than $15,000; rent a Ford Mustang convertible from Logan Airport, which he then failed to return; and rent a Dodge Charger from Logan Airport, which he then failed to return.
Sozi also allegedly possessed a Maine driver’s license, bearing his photograph and the name of an identity theft victim, which was used to open a bank account and to make large purchases at the Apple Store.
The charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Frederick J. Regan, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service, Boston Field Office made the announcement today. The Massachusetts State Police and the Malden, Medford and Braintree Police Departments provided valuable assistance with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Abely, Deputy Chief of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit, is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the criminal complaint are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Louisville, KY Man Pleads Guilty for His Role in Conspiracy Stretching from El Paso, Texas to BuffaloRead 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 Daniel Sterling, a/k/a Pancho, a/k/a Jose, 43, of Louisville, KY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute, and distributing, five kilograms or more of cocaine. The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison, a maximum of life, and a $20,000,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Adler, who is handling the case, stated that between October 2017, and December 7, 2018, the defendant conspired with 11 others to sell cocaine. Sterling and co-defendant Edgar Pavia brokered bulk quantity cocaine to multiple areas in the country including Buffalo, Kentucky, and Georgia. Pavia coordinated shipments of cocaine to Sterling in Kentucky and co-defendant Adrian Goudelock in Buffalo. For example, on June 28, 2018, Pavia told Sterling that a shipment of 40 kilograms of cocaine would be the last shipment at $28,000 per kilogram, since the price would be going up. Sterling received multiple shipments of cocaine brokered by Pavia in amounts of 10 kilograms, 15 kilograms, and 20 kilograms.
In September 2018, shortly after a shipment of cocaine was delivered to Sterling in Louisville, KY, approximately $1,144,735 in cash, proceeds of narcotics trafficking, was seized from a commercial truck driver in Chicago, Illinois. Approximately $350,000 came from Sterling in Kentucky. The money was destined to be transported back to El Paso and, eventually, Mexico.
On December 6, 2018, investigators observed Sterling meeting with another co-defendant Martin Lopez to receive 20 kilograms of cocaine that was inside a hidden compartment in Lopez’s vehicle. A search inside Sterling’s vehicle found approximately $620,470 concealed in a black duffle bag. A warrant conducted at Sterling’s residence located an additional $114,200.
Of the 12 defendants charged in this case, Sterling is the first to be convicted. 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.
The plea is the result of an investigation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly; the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Robert Guyton; the New York State Police, under the direction of Major James Hall; the Erie County Sheriff’s Department, under the direction of Sheriff Timothy Howard; and Customs and Border Protection, Air and Marine Unit, under the direction of Brian Manaher, Director, Marine Operations. Additional assistance was provided by the New York National Guard. Additional assistance was provided by HIS-Louisville; the Kentucky State Police; the Louisville Metro Police; and the Greater Hardin County Drug Task Force.
Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date before Judge Sinatra.
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Local Man Pleads Guilty to Stealing $124,758.21 from Former EmployerRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Darryl Gale, 52, a former civilian employee of the Army Ten-Miler pled guilty to stealing vendor funds from the Army Ten-Miler’s race and exposition.
The announcement was made by Acting U.S. Attorney Michael R. Sherwin, and James A. Dawson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal Division.
Gale pled guilty yesterday via teleconferencing in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia before the Honorable Emmet G. Sullivan to a one-count Information charging him with a wire fraud scheme. Gale is scheduled to be sentenced by the Honorable Emmet G. Sullivan on November 4, 2020. He faces a possible sentence of 15-21 months and will be required to pay restitution in the amount of $124,758.21, and a forfeiture money judgment.
According to the Statement of Offense, the Army Ten-Miler is an annual race and exposition that has been conducted in the District of Columbia by the U.S. Army Military District of Washington for the prior 35 years. Each year, the race and pre-race exposition attracts over 35,000 runners and 900 teams from around the world. Participants include military, civilians, wheel chair athletes and wounded warrior athletes. The Army Ten-Miler’s mission is to support Army outreach, build morale, and promote physical fitness. The Army Ten-Miler is a category-B Army Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (“MWR”) event, which is open to the public. All race proceeds benefit MWR programs. The Army Ten-Miler is organized and administered each year by a staff of employees based out of an office located in Washington, D.C.
Between 2012 and November 2018, Gale was employed as a civilian employee at the Army-Ten Miler office. Gale’s main responsibilities included selling exposition booth rentals and managing logistics on the day of the exposition and race. Gale devised a scheme to defraud the Army Ten-Miler by making false representations to exposition vendors in order to obtain vendor fees. Gale cashed and deposited into his own personal bank accounts checks, money orders, and payments through third-party payment processors from vendors who had purchased booths for an Army Ten-Miler exposition. The funds were all intended for and were due to the Army Ten-Miler as payments of fees for these booths, but Gale cashed these payments or deposited the funds into his own personal bank accounts for his own use. Through this scheme, Gale stole at least $124,758.21 in vendor fees between January 2017 and November 2018.
In announcing the plea, Acting U.S. Attorney Sherwin and Special Agent in Charge Dawson commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office. They acknowledged the efforts of those who are handling the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including Paralegal Specialists C. Rosalind Pressley and Amanda Rohde.
Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Diane Lucas and Kathryn Rakoczy of the Fraud and Public Corruption Section, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, who prosecuted the case.
Lobbyist Jack Abramoff and CEO Rowland Marcus Andrade Charged with Fraud in Connection with $5 Million Initial Coin Offering of Cryptocurrency AML BitcoinRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO –Jack Abramoff has been charged in a criminal information with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and violating the Lobbying Disclosure Act. In a connected case, a federal grand jury in San Francisco has indicted Rowland Marcus Andrade for wire fraud and money laundering. The announcements were made by United States Attorney David L. Anderson, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation John F. Bennett, and Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, Kareem Carter.
The allegations underlying the charges against Abramoff, 62, of Silver Spring, Md., and Andrade, 42, of Missouri City, Texas, are contained in two separate documents: the information filed June 25, 2020, charging Abramoff, and the indictment filed June 22, 2020, charging Andrade. According to the allegations in the charging documents, Andrade and Abramoff conspired to make false and misleading statements to potential purchasers of a proposed new cryptocurrency called AML Bitcoin. According to the indictment, Andrade was the founder and chief executive officer of NAC Foundation, also referred to as the “National AtenCoin Foundation,” an organization that was intended to develop and manage the new cryptocurrency AML Bitcoin. Andrade claimed to be the creator of AML Bitcoin and inventor of its technology that purportedly would prevent money laundering and anonymous use through “biometric technologies.” The charging documents allege Andrade claimed this technology would allow the AML Bitcoin cryptocurrency to comply with anti-money laundering and know-your-customer laws and regulations. According to the charging documents, the defendants misled purchasers through various means when raising money to fund the venture. In addition, the charging documents allege Andrade defrauded investors by misusing funds that were raised and laundered funds that were illegally obtained.
The indictment and information allege that beginning in July 2017 Andrade and his company NAC Foundation began raising money for the development of AML Bitcoin by selling AML Bitcoin to purchasers in the United States and elsewhere, and that sales continued through at least December 2018. According to the charging documents, NAC Foundation raised more than $5 million through the sale of AML Bitcoin. The charging documents allege the defendants engaged in the following criminal condu
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In January and February 2018, Andrade and Abramoff allegedly engaged in a false “rejection campaign” regarding a television commercial that they falsely stated was going to be aired during the 2018 Super Bowl television broadcast. The television commercial portrayed AML Bitcoin as impervious to hacking efforts by the North Korean government and its leader in a manner demeaning to the North Korean government and its leader. Andrade and Abramoff falsely claimed that the advertisement would have aired during the Super Bowl if the television network airing the Super Bowl and the National Football League had not rejected the advertisement as being too politically controversial. In fact, as Abramoff and Andrade knew, the NAC Foundation did not have the funds to purchase the advertising time, did not intend to air the television commercial, and the advertisement was not reviewed or rejected by the television network or the NFL. Abramoff and Andrade used paid op-ed articles, social media, and AML Bitcoin press releases to make statements that the commercial had been rejected in order to promote AML Bitcoin to prospective purchasers.
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Andrade, Abramoff, and Andrade’s NAC Foundation allegedly made false statements to the public and potential purchasers of AML Bitcoin that misrepresented the state of the development of the technology and the viability and timeline for the release of AML Bitcoin cryptocurrency.
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Andrade, with assistance of Abramoff, allegedly made statements that falsely stated and implied NAC Foundation had reached or was about to finalize agreements with various government agencies for the use of AML Bitcoin or AML Bitcoin technology. The statements were intended to convince prospective purchasers that the cryptocurrency was progressing toward widespread adoption. In addition, Abramoff allegedly retained writers to disseminate these statements as op-eds published on various news and financial websites. Included among the false claims were claims that the NAC Foundation was near a partnership with the Panama Canal Authority to permit AML Bitcoin to be used for ships passing through the Panama Canal when no such agreement or negotiations existed.
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Andrade allegedly diverted more than $1 million obtained through the sale of AML Bitcoin and spent it on personal expenses, including the purchase of two properties in Texas.
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Andrade allegedly laundered funds from the venture by steering investor assets through various bank accounts before moving them into an account for Andrade’s personal expenses and the purchase of the two properties.
The information filed against Abramoff also alleges that he knowingly and corruptly failed to register as a lobbyist, as required by the Lobbying Disclosure Act, after being retained for lobbying efforts that would involve one or more lobbying communications with a federal official. This is the first ever known prosecution of a lobbyist for a criminal violation of the Lobbying Disclosure Act. The information alleges that during part of 2017, Abramoff was retained by a client in the marijuana industry, and that the engagement in part involved efforts to advocate for changes in federal law and policy. The information also alleges that in June 2017, an FBI undercover agent, posing as a business person seeking to fund lobbying efforts, agreed to retain Abramoff for lobbying activities including lobbying contacts. After being retained, and after having a later lobbying contact with a federal elected official, Abramoff failed to register as a lobbyist with the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House of Representatives within 45 days of the retention or the contact, as required by the Act.
In sum, Andrade is charged in the indictment with one count of wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343, and one count of money laundering, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1956(a)(1). Abramoff is charged in the information with one count of conspiracy, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371, and one count of violating the provisions of the Lobbying Disclosure Act, in violation of 2 U.S.C. § 1606(b).
Andrade was arrested on June 23, 2020, in Missouri City, Texas, and appeared before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in Houston, Texas. He was released on bond pending his initial San Francisco federal court appearance, which is set before the duty U.S. Magistrate Judge on July 1, 2020.
Abramoff has filed a stipulated notice of an intent to change plea pursuant to a plea agreement. The hearing for intended change of plea has not yet been scheduled.
An information and an indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, Andrade faces a maximum sentence of 20 years, and a fine of $250,000, plus restitution if appropriate, for violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343, and a maximum sentence of 20 years and a fine of $500,000 for violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1956(a)(1). Abramoff faces a maximum sentence of 5 years, and a fine of $250,000 for violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371, and a maximum sentence of 5 years and a fine of $250,000, for violation of 2 U.S.C. § 1606(b). However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
In separate civil actions filed on June 25, 2020, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission filed civil charges against Andrade and Abramoff, alleging securities fraud and acting as unregistered brokers of securities, among other charges.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lloyd Farnham and Andrew Dawson are prosecuting the case with the assistance of Kimberly Richardson. The prosecution is being conducted by the United States Attorney’s Office new Corporate Fraud Strike Force. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations with the assistance of the San Francisco Regional Office of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
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Lincoln Woman Sentenced for Conspiracy to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Joe Kelly announced that Janalee M. Ramirez, 35, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced today to five years and three months, (63 months), in federal prison, by Chief United States District John M. Gerrard, for conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of actual (pure) methamphetamine and 500 grams or more of methamphetamine mixture. Following the prison term, Ramirez will serve three years on supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
Information provided to law enforcement indicated Ramirez was responsible for the distribution of at least 50 grams (approximately 1 ¾ ounces) of actual methamphetamine and at least 1.5 kilograms (approximately three pounds) of methamphetamine mixture in the Lincoln area between April 2018 and April 2019. On April 22, 2019, Ramirez agreed to let officers search her Lincoln apartment. During that search, two baggies containing methamphetamine residue were found. At that time, Ramirez admitted to officers that she had about five methamphetamine customers who were buying ¼ ounce to ½ ounce quantities at a time.
This case was investigated by the Lincoln/Lancaster County Narcotics Task Force.
Lafayette Convicted Felon Pleads Guilty to Illegally Possessing a Semi-Automatic PistolRead the Press Release
LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney David C. Joseph announced that Patrick Comeaux, 30, of Lafayette, Louisiana, pled guilty today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Carol B. Whitehurst, to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
On December 7, 2018, Lafayette Police Department officers were dispatched to a vehicle burglary in progress. Officers located the burglary suspect, Comeaux, in a separate vehicle at a Lafayette apartment complex. When Comeaux attempted to flee the complex in the vehicle, he crashed into an officer’s unit. Comeaux then fled on foot and was apprehended and arrested for multiple violations. During the encounter, officers saw an SCCY, Model CPX-2, 9mm semi-automatic pistol on the center console of the vehicle Comeaux was driving.
It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess firearms or ammunition. Comeaux has prior felony convictions in the 15th Judicial District Court, Lafayette Parish, for domestic battery and theft (May 2017), possession of methamphetamine (May 2017), and aggregated theft (November 2018).
Comeaux faces up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine, as well as forfeiture of the firearm and ammunition related to this offense. The court set the sentencing date for September 22, 2020.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Lafayette Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel J. McCoy is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative. PSN is a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN plays a major role in the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction strategy. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. To learn more about Project Safe Neighborhoods, go to www.justice.gov/psn.
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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.
Jamestown Man and Woman Sentenced for Threatening an InformantRead 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 Bobby Hunt, 27, and Amy Dean, 31, both of Jamestown, NY, who were convicted of conspiracy to retaliate against an informant, were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo. Hunt was sentenced to serve 24 months in prison and Dean was sentenced to a period of time served (approximately three months).
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua A. Violanti, who handled the case, stated that in October 2018, the defendants conspired to intimidate and/or retaliate against an individual (the Victim), whom they believed was sharing information with investigators regarding the drug trafficking activities of Ramael Fields, Jr. Hunt and Dean believed the Victim might also share information about Hunt’s possible involvement in a narcotics conspiracy. Fields was previously arrested in connection with a federal investigation of a largescale methamphetamine distribution operation in Jamestown.
On October 17 and October 25, 2018, Hunt posted a series of Facebook messages regarding individuals “snitching” on the defendant's “brother,” Ramael Fields, Jr. On October 25, 2018, Hunt posted a copy of the cover page of the indictment that charged Fields. The cover page included a list of individuals whom Fields and Hunt believed to be federal informants who provided information that led to the arrest of Fields. Hunt received the indictment cover page from Fields, who instructed the defendant to post the page on Facebook. Also on October 25, 2018, Hunt and Dean left the Victim several threatening Facebook voice messages, including:
Hunt: You know if I go to jail for conspiracy there's going to be a lot of females after you!
Dean: That's right [expletive] and his sister is one of them so go ahead and try [expletive] cause I live at 124 Barrows and you can come get yourself some, don't you threaten my little brother!The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Robert Guyton.
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Hopkinton Man Sentenced on Firearms ChargesRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Hopkinton, RI, man previously convicted on domestic assault and receiving stolen goods, and who admitted to illegally possessing firearms and to illegally ordering gun parts from China used to convert Glock 9mm pistols to automatic weapons, was sentenced on Thursday in U.S. District Court in Providence.
David Poole, 32, previously admitted to the court that in early 2019, he purchased at least two Glock conversion devices from a web site operated out of China. The parts, when added to a Glock pistol, convert a Glock pistol into a fully automatic weapon.
An investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) identified at least 3,800 transactions by U.S. customers who are believed to have illegally purchased conversion devices and had them shipped to the United States. Often times, the contents of the packages shipped to the United States were labeled as “MULTITOOL SWITCH” and/ or “HANDCRAFTED FINISHED PIECES.”
According to information presented to the court, as part of the investigation the U.S. Postal Inspection Service determined and reported to ATF that at least five packages from assorted vendors containing various firearms-related accessories were delivered to Poole’s residence between February and April 2019.
Poole was arrested on May 7, 2019, as he accepted delivery from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service of the package containing the conversion devices illegally ordered and shipped from China.
Poole pleaded guilty on November 5, 2019, to being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a machine gun (eight conversion switch parts each capable of enabling a Glock pistol to fire as a fully automatic weapon). He was sentenced on Thursday by U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith to three years probation, the first six months to be served at the Neil J. Houston, Jr., House in Pawtucket to be followed by three months home confinement with electronic monitoring.
Poole’s sentence is announced by United States Attorney Aaron L. Weisman, Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Kelly D. Brady, and Joseph W. Cronin, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division.
United States Attorney Aaron L. Weisman thanks U.S. Customs and Border Patrol for their assistance in the investigation of this matter.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald R. Gendron.
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Honduran National Sentenced to 7 Months in Federal Prison for Illegal Re-EntryRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Peter Strasser announced today that JOSE DE LA ROSA BUSTILLO-CASTRO (“BUSTILLO”), a Honduran National, age 51, was sentenced on June 24, 2020 by U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman to seven months in prison and one year of supervised release on a one-count indictment for illegal reentry of a removed alien in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a).
According to the indictment, JOSE DE LA ROSA BUSTILLO-CASTRO reentered the United States after he was previously deported on February 1, 2006. BUSTILLO faced a maximum term of imprisonment of two years, a maximum fine of $250,000, a maximum term of supervised release of one year, and a mandatory $100 special assessment.
U.S. Attorney Strasser praised the work of the United States Customs and Border Protection in investigating this matter. Assistant U. S. Attorney Spiro G. Latsis is in charge of the prosecution.
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Heroin Trafficker Sentenced to 12 YearsRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. - Scott C. Blader, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that D’Angelo Smith, 43, Madison, Wisconsin was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 12 years in prison for possessing more than 100 grams of heroin with the intent to distribute it. Smith pleaded guilty to this charge on January 21, 2020.
On June 17, 2019, police conducted searches of Smith’s home on Langdon Street in Madison, and his barbershop on Thierer Road in Madison. During the search of Smith’s home, police found 176 grams of heroin inside a disposable fast food coffee cup. Smith was stopped after driving away from one of the search locations. Police searched Smith’s car and found a case containing a digital scale and several tied off baggies of controlled substances, including heroin.
In sentencing Smith, Judge Peterson said a lengthy sentence was necessary because of Smith’s extensive criminal history which included prior drug trafficking convictions and his return to the drug activity soon after his release from a prior sentence.
The charges against D’Angelo Smith were the result of an investigation conducted by the Sun Prairie Police Department, Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Dane County Narcotics Task Force. The prosecution of the case has been handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Anderson.
Hard time in federal prison ahead for five men sentenced in separate Augusta-area crimes involving gunsRead the Press Release
AUGUSTA, GA: Five Augusta-area men are headed to federal prison after being sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court in separate cases involving firearms.
The five men, each facing U.S. District Court Chief Judge J.Randal Hall, were sentenced to federal prison terms to be followed by a period of supervised release, said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.
“A cornerstone of our office’s prosecutions is the Prosecutor to Prosecutor Program, in which we collaborate with local district attorneys to determine the best venue for cases,” said U.S. Attorney Christine. “As these sentences demonstrate, federal court often is the best option for prosecuting violent criminals with illegally carried firearms, because substantial prison time awaits – with no parole.”
Sentenced in the cases are:
- Darryl Kennedy Daggett, 30, of Augusta, to 188 months in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release. Daggett pled guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine, Crack Cocaine and Marijuana, and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Daggett, who has a history of convictions on state narcotics charges, was arrested in December 2018 by Richmond County Sheriff’s deputies after a search of his vehicle revealed substantial amounts of illegal drugs and a stolen firearm. He was adjudicated as a career offender.
- Steven Williams, 31, of Hephzibah, to 188 months in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release. Williams, arrested in June 2019 by Richmond County Sheriff’s investigators, pled guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Because of his substantial criminal record including state convictions for burglary, narcotics and firearms, Williams was adjudicated as an armed career criminal.
- Terry Benjamin Jr. 45, of Augusta, to 48 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. Benjamin pled guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Benjamin, who was found in possession of a pistol in April 2019 after a disturbance at an Augusta hotel, has an extensive record of criminal convictions including crimes involving violence, firearms and drugs.
- Larry Meminger Jr., 34, of Augusta, to 60 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. Meminger pled guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. He was charged after a May 2018 report by Richmond County Sheriff’s deputies who responded to a call in which Meminger, claiming a home invasion, had suffered a minor gunshot wound. The investigation determined the wound was accidentally self-inflicted. Meminger, who had outstanding warrants at the time, was located and arrested six months later. Meminger has a substantial criminal record that includes multiple state convictions related to illegal drugs.
- Jerry Kemp Jr., 41, of Wrens, Ga., to 77 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. Kemp pled guilty to an Information charging him with Possession of Ammunition by a Convicted Felon. He was arrested by the Wrens Police Department in October 2018 after officers responded to reports of a man pointing a firearm. Kemp has a lengthy criminal record that includes convictions for violence and firearms-related charges.
“These defendants have no business carrying firearms, given their previous criminal conduct,” said Beau Kolodka, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). “These arrests have made the Southern District of Georgia a safer place.
This investigations took place under the umbrella of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws.
The cases were investigated by the ATF, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office and the Wrens Police Department, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alejandro V. Pascual IV, Henry W. Syms Jr., and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael A. Marchman Jr.
Gulfport Man Pleads Guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Gulfport, Miss – Xzavier Earl Damon Wilson, 24, of Gulfport, entered a guilty plea today before Senior U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola, Jr. to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Brad L. Byerley, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Wilson is scheduled for sentencing by Judge Guirola on September 24, 2020 at 10:00 a.m., and faces a minimum of 5 years and maximum of 40 years in prison. He further faces fines up to $5,000,000 and at least 5 years of supervised release.
The Harrison County Sheriff’s Department Narcotics Unit was investigating a heroin overdose and received information that Wilson was the source of supply. On September 30, 2019, during a traffic stop of Wilson, deputies found 55.15 grams of 100% pure Methamphetamine, a small amount of marijuana and a Schedule I controlled substance synthetic cannabinoid.
A search of a car at the house Wilson was observed leaving produced 27.873 grams of Heroin, 375.9 grams of pure Methamphetamine along with pills.
The Harrison County Sheriff’s Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case. It is prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Annette Williams.
Guilty Plea in a Refund Fraud Scheme Conducted from Hotels and Motels Throughout Northern CaliforniaRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A Salt Lake City man pleaded guilty Thursday to a conspiracy to commit bank fraud that attempted to defraud financial institutions of more than $1.5 million, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.
According to court documents, between June 2018 and February 2019, Talalima Toilolo, 44, conspired with Johnathon Ward and Monica Nunes, to defraud financial institutions using a scheme that exploited the merchant refund process used by businesses and retail establishments to pay back customers for returns, reimbursements, and erroneous charges.
The defendants committed this scheme by stealing or purchasing point-of-sale (POS) terminals used by businesses to process bankcard transactions. The defendants programmed each terminal to make it appear as if it was authorized by a particular merchant, connected the terminals to payment processing intermediaries, and executed refund transactions even though no purchases had been made. The payment processors, falsely believing the terminals were authorized, approved the refunds and caused the merchants’ banks to transfer funds to the defendants’ accounts. The defendants then drained the stolen funds from the accounts. The indictment alleges that this scheme caused at least $3.5 million in intended victim losses.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Regional Enforcement Allied Computer Team (REACT) Task Force, which includes investigators from the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. Artuz is prosecuting the case.
Nunes has pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 6. Charges are pending against Ward. The charges against him are only allegations; he is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Toilolo is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Morrison C. England Jr. on Sept. 17. Toilolo faces a maximum statutory penalty of 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
Greenville Ambulance Company Manager Sentenced to Prison in Multimillion Dollar Fraud and Identity Theft SchemeRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – Today a federal judge sentenced a Greenville ambulance company manager to 64 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release on charges of Conspiracy to Commit Health Care Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft. He was also ordered to pay $4,726,464.42 in restitution.
United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. stated, “Medicare entrusts its providers to only bill taxpayers for the work that they actually perform. In this case, the defendants blatantly abused that trust, stealing millions from taxpayers in the form of fake ambulance services. This case is a reminder to the public that the price of these crimes is spending years in federal prison.”
According to the Criminal Information and evidence discussed at the sentencing hearing, Davon Terrell Henderson, 32, of Greenville, worked as the manager of Med-1 Interfacility Care, LLC (“Med-1”), an ambulance transportation company, and was also the owner of a wheelchair transport company named H&H Transport Services, LLC (“H&H”).
Between 2014 and June of 2016, Henderson and billing clerk Pamela Dewitt Babb worked together to fraudulently bill Humana, a Medicare Part C contractor, for more than $6.1 Million dollars in fictitious ambulance services. To carry out the crime, Henderson paid others to steal Humana beneficiaries and Medicare identification numbers, mostly from assisted living facilities. Henderson and Babb then used the identities of the beneficiaries to “back-bill” Humana for the fake services. In total, Henderson and Babb reaped $4.7 Million from the fraud scheme, which they split amongst themselves.
Babb was previously sentenced in January of 2020 to serve 72 months in federal prison.
Robert J. Higdon, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. The United States Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General, handled the investigation of this case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney William M. Gilmore served as the prosecutor.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:19-cr-0061-BO
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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
Green County Man Sentenced for Trafficking MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. –Scott C. Blader, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Darrin Demrow, 41, Brodhead, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to six years in prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Demrow pleaded guilty to this charge on January 16, 2020.
Demrow was arrested on November 21, 2019, after he purchased over 100 grams of methamphetamine in Texas and drove the drugs back to his home in Brodhead. The investigation revealed that prior to his arrest, Demrow received seven mail packages from Texas that likely contained methamphetamine. Federal agents searched and seized one of those packages on August 8, 2019, and found approximately one ounce of methamphetamine.
At the sentencing hearing, Judge Conley found that Demrow was a danger to society based on his lengthy criminal history, which included prior felony convictions for burglary, domestic abuse, bail jumping, and possession of narcotic drugs. Judge Conley also noted that Demrow’s criminal activity occurred while on supervision from a felony burglary conviction and on probation from a separate felony drug conviction.
The charge against Demrow was the result of an investigation conducted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Green County Sheriff’s Department, Rock County Sheriff’s Department, Stateline Area Narcotics Task Force, and Drug Enforcement Administration. The prosecution of the case has been handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Wegner.
Goshen Man Sentenced to over 15 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
SOUTH BEND – Brandon Kramer, age 29, of Goshen, Indiana was sentenced today by United States District Court Judge Jon E. DeGuilio upon his guilty plea to production of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Kirsch.
Mr. Kramer was sentenced to 188 months in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release.
According to documents filed in this case, on August 3, 2018, Kramer induced a pre-teen female to produce two visual depictions of child pornography.
This case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Maciejczyk.
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Fresno Man Sentenced for Credit Card Fraud and Possession of Stolen MailRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd sentenced a Fresno man today to one year and one day in prison for credit card fraud and possession of stolen mail, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.
According to court records, from Dec. 5, 2018, through March 28, 2019, Justin Deger, 28, broke into mail boxes at various Fresno area residences and stole over 2,000 pieces of mail, including checks and 26 credit cards. He subsequently activated some of those credit cards and made unauthorized purchases and cash withdrawals at retailers and casinos totaling thousands of dollars. Deger was also ordered to pay full restitution to the victims and forfeit the proceeds of his crimes.
This case was the product of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Fresno Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Vincente Tennerelli and Joseph Barton prosecuted the case.
Fort Dodge Man Given Lengthy Prison Sentence for Methamphetamine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
A Fort Dodge man was sentenced June 23, 2020 to more than 24 years in federal prison.
Demetrius Johnson, age 34, from Fort Dodge, IA, received the prison term after a guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession of firearms by a prohibited person.
In a plea agreement, Johnson admitted he was distributing methamphetamine from the fall of 2017 to on or about August 2019. In December 2019, Johnson sold methamphetamine on two separate occasions in Mason City, Iowa. On January 15, 2018, law enforcement searched Johnson’s Mason City storage locker and apartment where they seized methamphetamine, large quantities of marijuana, and three handguns, one of which was loaded. Johnson left Mason City and moved to Fort Dodge where Johnson was hiding from law enforcement pending his parole violation for another drug dealing offense. On August 1, 2019, Johnson was found in Fort Dodge. At the time of his arrest, law enforcement noticed a strong odor of marijuana which led them to search his residence finding approximately 4.5 pounds of pure methamphetamine, as well as another handgun.
During the course of his drug dealing, defendant used other people to sell drugs for him and maintained an apartment for the purpose of drug dealing. Johnson has three prior felony drug convictions and multiple convictions for violent offenses.
Johnson was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Jonson was sentenced to 292 months’ imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and 120 months for possession of firearms by a prohibited person to run concurrently. He must also serve a 10-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Johnson is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jack Lammers and investigated by the North Central Iowa Drug Task Force, the Cerro Gordo Sheriff’s Office, the Mason City Police Department, the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, the Fort Dodge Police Force, and the Webster County Sheriff’s Office.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 19-3037.
Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Former Union General Hospital CEO and two Blairsville doctors sentenced to federal prison for illegally prescribing and obtaining pain pillsRead the Press Release
GAINESVILLE, Ga. - John Michael “Mike” Gowder, James Heaton, and George David Gowder have been sentenced to federal prison. Both Mike Gowder and Heaton were convicted on October 24, 2019, after a two-week jury trial on 102 counts related to illegally prescribing and obtaining more than 15,000 doses of prescription pain medications outside the usual course of professional practice and for no legitimate medical purpose. In addition, Heaton was convicted of 27 counts of issuing illegitimate prescriptions to two female patients. David Gowder pleaded guilty on March 15, 2019, to illegally dispensing opiates outside the scope of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose.
“The abuse of prescription drugs and its related criminal activity is a danger in many of our communities - one we have made a central focus of our office,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “Jurors in this case sent a clear message that the illicit prescribing and obtaining of controlled substances will not be tolerated.”
Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s Atlanta Field Division stated, “In this case, the dispensing of addictive prescription pain medication under the guise of a licensed medical professional’s care is not about the good of the community or an individual’s specific health needs; it is about the greed of those involved in illegal prescribing practices.” DEA and its law enforcement partners will continue to expend its time, energy and resources in an effort to stem the tide against the growing opioid epidemic. The spirited level of law enforcement cooperation and the prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Office made this investigation a success.”
“I simply want to personally thank our federal partners, the DEA and their outstanding agent. Also, Assistant U.S. Attorneys William McKinnon and Laurel Boatright, and especially U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia BJay Pak, who without his diligent interest in these cases prosecution and conviction would not have been possible. During my 37 years in law enforcement at the state and local level as Sheriff I have never seen or even heard of a federal prosecutor that was so intent on aiding local law enforcement as U.S. Attorney Pak. He helps make the system work as it should with cooperation, assistance, and a pro-found interest in our needs,” said Mack Mason, Sheriff, Union County.
“The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office (NC) would like to thank all the partners involved with the investigation and prosecution of this case. It is great to know that a good working relationship among law enforcement agencies keeps drug users and dealers from hiding across state lines to conduct their illegal activities,” said Derrick Palmer, Sheriff, Cherokee County, North Carolina.
“An excellent job was done by all, from the local level, to the state level and at the federal level. The public places a great deal of trust in medical professionals and in order to combat the opioid crisis drug dealers in white coats must be weeded out as well,” said Dennis M. Troughton Sr., Director, Georgia Drugs and Narcotics Agency.
According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: From 2011 to 2015, Mike Gowder served as the Chief Operating Officer and later Chief Executive Officer of Union General Hospital (“the Hospital”) in Blairsville, Georgia. Dr. James Heaton operated a family practice clinic in Blairsville and worked as the Medical Director of the Nursing Home of the Hospital. Dr. David Gowder was the Emergency Room Director of the hospital and a member of the Hospital’s Board of Directors (until April 2015).
On April 11, 2015, Dr. David Gowder was arrested by the Union County Sheriff’s Office after presenting to two local pharmacies three forged oxycodone prescriptions purportedly issued by a hospital colleague. He admitted that he had become addicted to oxycodone. Investigators later learned that, since mid-2011, David Gowder had been routinely writing or “calling in” to local pharmacies high quantity, high-dose opiate prescriptions in the names of family members and fictitious patients (including alleged missionaries). Investigators also learned that many of the prescriptions were filled by hospital employees at the instruction of David Gowder. He also stole pills from some of his patients at the hospital and elsewhere.
During this same time, investigators also learned that Dr. James Heaton had illegally prescribed increasing quantities of hydrocodone and oxycodone to Mike Gowder between 2012 and 2015, knowing that those prescriptions were issued outside the usual course of professional practice and that the pills obtained with the prescriptions had no legitimate medical purpose. Heaton violated numerous standards of medical practice by prescribing the pills to Mike Gowder, without adequately documenting the medical need for the prescriptions in his patient file and without monitoring patient abuse of the pills he obtained. During the three-and-half years in which Heaton prescribed more than 15,000 hydrocodone and oxycodone pills to Mike Gowder, Heaton recorded only six of the prescriptions in his patient file for Mike Gowder.
Starting in 2012, Mike Gowder obtained oxycodone by fraud, subterfuge, and deception by filling the illegal prescriptions from Heaton at different pharmacies in an effort to conceal the large numbers of pills that Heaton was prescribing to him. In addition to filling the prescriptions at pharmacies in Georgia, Mike Gowder often travelled to North Carolina and Tennessee to fill multiple prescriptions a month at pharmacies in those states. On numerous occasions, Heaton wrote two prescriptions for oxycodone for Mike Gowder on the same day. On other occasions, Mike Gowder traveled to North Carolina to fill one prescription, and then traveled to Tennessee to fill a second prescription, to hide the fact that Heaton had written multiple prescriptions to him on the same day. During this time, Mike Gowder recommended that the hospital purchase Heaton’s sleep study, increase Heaton’s compensation for various roles at the hospital, and that Heaton serve as a member of the Hospital Board of Directors.
Investigators also learned that Heaton issued prescriptions for hydrocodone, oxycodone, and methadone to two female patients outside the usual course of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose, including by ignoring obvious signs that the two women were abusing the medications and/or had become addicted. Oxycodone, hydrocodone, and methadone are powerful pain medications that are listed as controlled substances under federal law because each has a high potential for psychological and physical abuse and dependence. Oxycodone, which may be combined with acetaminophen, is sold generically under brand names including Percocet, Endocet, Oxycontin, and Roxicodone. Hydrocodone is sold generically or under brand names including Lortab, Vicodin, and Norco. Methadone is an opioid pain medication that is also used in opioid dependence therapy
The defendants in this case have been sentenced as follows:
- John Michael “Mike” Gowder, 62, of Nashville, Tennessee, has been sentenced to one year and one day in prison.
- Dr. James Heaton, 63, of Blairsville, Georgia, has been sentenced to six years in prison.
- Dr. David Gowder, 63, of Blairsville, Georgia, was sentenced to one year, six months in prison on June 10, 2020, after pleading guilty to illegally dispensing opiates outside the scope of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Union County (Georgia) Sheriff's Office, Cherokee County (North Carolina) Sheriff’s Office, Georgia Drugs and Narcotics Agency, and Zell Miller Mountain Parkway Drug Task Force are investigating this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Laurel R. Boatright, Deputy Chief of the Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Section (PSN), and former Assistant U.S. Attorney William McKinnon prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Operation SCOPE, Strategically Combatting Opioids through Prosecution and Enforcement. SCOPE is our initiative combining our efforts (criminal, civil, and educational) with those of our law enforcement partners to create one unified front in the battle against the opioid/heroin epidemic. One important aspect of Operation SCOPE is to prosecute those who are illegally prescribing, or distributing, painkillers.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.gov.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Former Postal Employee Re-Sentenced for Sexually Exploiting a ChildRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A former U.S. Postal Service (USPS) employee was re-sentenced yesterday in federal court in Worcester for sexually exploiting a child, using USPS computers to access child pornography and possessing child pornography.
Stephen Mantha, 66, of Spencer, was re-sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman to 16 years and four months in prison and five years of supervised release. In February 2018, Mantha pleaded guilty to one count of producing child pornography, one count of accessing child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. An identical sentence was imposed in August 2018, but the sentence was vacated on appeal due to an error in calculating the federal sentencing guidelines.
In the summer of 2015, federal investigators were alerted to suspicious internet searches being conducted on a computer at a Shrewsbury postal facility where Mantha worked as an electronic technician. In the course of the investigation, agents installed a computer activity recorder, which tracked all computer usage on that computer, and, a video camera, which recorded the identity of the person using the computer. Agents were then able to observe and record as Mantha searched for, and viewed, child pornography on USPS computers.
On Sept. 21, 2016, a search warrant was executed at Mantha’s residence where numerous thumb drives containing child pornography were recovered. During the review of the materials seized from Mantha’s home, a video was discovered, which had been recorded in approximately 2000 or 2001, depicting Mantha sexually abusing an approximately seven-year-old boy. That same month, agents were able to locate and interview the boy (now an adult), who confirmed the sexual abuse.
In 2000 and 2001, at the date of the offense, the charge of sexual exploitation of a child provided for a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Although existing penalties for producing child pornography are substantially higher, the Constitution prohibits the government from subjecting individuals to more stringent penalties adopted after their crimes had been committed. The charges of accessing child pornography and possession of child pornography provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, five years and up to life of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Matthew Modafferi, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General, Northeast Area Office; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Colonel Christopher Mason, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Spencer Police Chief David Darrin; and Shrewsbury Police Chief James Hester Jr. made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Grady of Lelling’s Worcester Branch Office prosecuted the case.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Former D.C. Tax Official Pleads Guilty to Accepting Bribes to Erase Millions in Tax LiabilityRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON—A former official of the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue (OTR) pled guilty today for participating in corruption schemes in which he accepted at least $75,000 in exchange for fraudulently erasing tax liability, inflicting more than $3 million in losses upon the District of Columbia.
The announcement was made by Acting U.S. Attorney Michael R. Sherwin, Special Agent in Charge James A. Dawson of FBI’s Washington Field Office, District of Columbia Inspector General Daniel W. Lucas, and District of Columbia Chief Financial Officer Jeffrey S. DeWitt.
Vincent Slater, 42, of Temple Hills, MD, pled guilty before the Honorable Reggie B. Walton in the District Court for the District of Columbia. The charge of bribery carries a statutory maximum of 15 years in prison and potential financial penalties. Under federal sentencing guidelines, Slater faces a possible range of 87 to 108 months’ imprisonment. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
The investigation into Slater’s schemes—which, to date, has resulted in the guilty pleas of two taxpayers and the indictment of two taxpayers and another former District of Columbia government employee—began in 2017 when internal auditors from the Office of the Chief Financial Officer noticed suspicious adjustments to certain taxpayers’ accounts.
In announcing Slater’s guilty plea, Acting U.S. Attorney Sherwin stated, “Corruption at any level of government should not be tolerated. Our Office is committed to holding accountable officials who abuse the public trust to line their pockets with taxpayer dollars. We will vigorously pursue corruption at all levels of government, and especially corruption targeted at the citizens of the District of Columbia.”
According to the statement of offense, between 2012 and 2017, Slater brokered bribery agreements with various bar and nightclub owners—including Davoud Jafari, 69, of Washington, D.C., and Andre De Moya, 47, Arman Amirshahi, 49, and Charles Zhou, 47, of Maryland—through a former employee of the D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, Anthony Merritt, 45, of Washington, D.C. Slater then used his position as a manager in OTR’s Adjustment Unit to fraudulently eliminate or reduce the tax liabilities of their businesses, or otherwise act to fraudulently benefit bribe-paying taxpayers.
As part of his guilty plea, Slater admitted to causing a total loss of more than $3 million to the District. Slater explained that typically, he and Merritt agreed to solicit bribe payments equaling approximately half of the amount the taxpayer sought to evade paying, and then to split the bribe proceeds amongst themselves. Slater further admitted that $75,000 in cash deposits he made into his bank accounts during the scheme were bribe proceeds.
Taxpayers Amirshahi and Zhou previously pled guilty for their roles in the bribery schemes and are awaiting sentencing. De Moya, Jafari, and Merritt were indicted by a grand jury in the District of Columbia in 2019 and their cases have not yet been set for trial.
Slater’s plea marked the second time in two weeks that former D.C. tax officials have pled guilty to bribery. On June 12, 2020, Bobby Tucker, 64, of Virginia, former Chief of Collections at OTR, pled guilty to a federal bribery charge stemming from a scheme in which, after departing his OTR position to pursue private business opportunities, he paid bribes to an OTR official in order to reduce the tax liabilities of a business he consulted and to take other actions to benefit Tucker’s business interests. Tucker admitted that he agreed to pay an OTR official, who was working as a confidential source, to obtain referrals of city taxpayers with outstanding tax liabilities. Tucker would then attempt to broker a bribery agreement whereby he would be paid by a business owner to facilitate a bribe to the OTR official to fraudulently reduce or eliminate tax liabilities. The Honorable Beryl A. Howell scheduled Tucker’s sentencing for September 11, 2020.
These cases are being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the District of Columbia Officer of the Inspector General, with substantial assistance by the District of Columbia Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Office of Integrity and Oversight. Assistant United States Attorneys Emily Miller and Molly Gaston of the Fraud and Public Corruption Section are prosecuting the Slater case on other individuals involved in his corruption scheme, and Assistant United States Attorney Peter Lallas, also of the Fraud and Public Corruption Section, is prosecuting the Tucker case.
Former Air Force Staff Sergeant Sentenced for Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Joe Kelly announced that Willis T. Brown, 31, formerly a Staff Sergeant for the United States Air Force, was sentenced today in federal court for possessing child pornography. United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Brown to 54 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, Brown will begin a 7-year term of supervised release and will be required to register as a sex offender.
The Nebraska State Patrol was conducting an undercover investigation into individuals receiving child pornography through the internet. A computer at Brown’s residence was identified as sharing images of child pornography. Two of the files involved seven- to nine-year-old girls engaging in sexually explicit conduct. A search warrant was executed in October 2018. Forensic examination of Brown’s devices revealed five images of child pornography in unallocated space. Search terms indicating earlier searches of child pornography were also found.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
This case was investigated by the Nebraska State Patrol.
Five Defendants Sentenced for Marriage/Immigration SchemeRead the Press Release
DENVER – United States Attorney Jason R. Dunn today announced that five defendants have been sentenced this week for conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and making false statements regarding that fraud to the government. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and Army Criminal Investigations Division (Army CID), joined in the announcement.
Those sentenced this week were:
- Sergeant Galima Murry, age 29, was sentenced to serve 8 months in federal prison, followed by 2 years on supervised release.
- Diann Ramcharan, age 37, was sentenced to serve 4 months in federal prison, followed by 2 years on supervised release.
- Rajesh Ramcharan, age 45, was sentenced to serve 3 months in federal prison, followed by 2 years on supervised release.
- Pastor Ken Harvell, age 60, was sentenced to serve 3 years of probation with the first 4 months in home confinement.
- Angelica Guevara, age 31, was sentenced to serve 1 year of probation.
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. 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. In addition, Sergeant Murry separately obtained military benefits by claiming to be married to Diann Ramcharan. Several years later, 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 otherwise presented themselves to the world as a married couple.
“We have legitimate and legal processes for becoming a citizen of this country that we expect everyone to follow,” said U.S. Attorney Jason Dunn. “Thousands upon thousands of people do so every year, but these individuals tried to illegally shortcut that process for their own benefit and greed, and as a result will now pay a steep price.”
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.
Four of the five defendants were earlier found guilty following a nine-day jury trial, with the guilty verdicts announced on January 16, 2020. The fifth defendant pleaded guilty. The trial and sentencings hearings were conducted by U.S. District Court Judge David M. Ebel.
The defendants were prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel McIntyre and Assistant U.S. Attorney 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.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado. Related court documents can be found on PACER by searching for Case Number 19-cr-154.
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.
Final Two Defendants Sentenced in Methamphetamine Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
PIKEVILLE, KY- Amy Jo King, 40, of Bybro, Ky., and Christopher A. Moore, 41, of Kite, Ky., were sentenced in court on Thursday to 262 months and 108 months, respectively, in federal prison, by U.S. District Judge Karen Caldwell, for conspiracy and possession with intention to distribute methamphetamine.
King admitted that from August 2018 to November 2018, she conspired with Moore and Gregory Phillip Chaffins to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. According to their plea agreements, King made an arrangement with a methamphetamine dealer in Atlanta, Georgia, where she obtained more 500 grams of methamphetamine and distributed it to other dealers and users, including Moore and Chaffins, who sold it in Floyd, Knott, and Letcher Counties.
Chaffins was sentenced to 200 months in federal prison on Tuesday.
Under federal law, King, Moore, and Chaffins name must serve 85 percent of their prison sentence. Upon release, King will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for five years, and Moore will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for four years.
Robert M. Duncan, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; James Robert Brown, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Division; and Commissioner Rodney Brewer, Kentucky State Police; jointly made the announcement.
The investigation was directed by the FBI and KSP. The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Parman.
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.
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Fentanyl Dealer Facing up to Eighty Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Pawtucket man who admitted to selling significant quantities of fentanyl on the streets of Pawtucket is facing between five and eighty years in federal prison after pleading guilty in U.S. District Court to drug trafficking charges.
Jessie Yanez, 34, was arrested by members of the Cranston Police Department on November 16, 2019, following an investigation by members of the Pawtucket Police Department and the FBI Safe Streets Task Force. The investigation included four controlled purchases of varying amounts of fentanyl and cocaine from Yanez.
According to information presented to the court, Yanez sold an individual 3.5 grams of fentanyl for $240 on October 28, 2019, 20 grams of fentanyl for $1,800 on November 1, 2019, 50 grams of fentanyl for $2,750 on November 6, 2019, and 50 grams of cocaine for $1,900 on November 14, 2019.
Yanez, who has been detained since his arrest, appeared today before U.S. District Court Chief Judge John J. McConnell, Jr. and pleaded guilty to two counts of distribution of less than 40 grams of fentanyl, one count of distribution of more than 40 grams of fentanyl, and one count of distribution of less than 500 grams of cocaine, announced United States Attorney Aaron L. Weisman, Cranston Police Chief Colonel Michael J. Winquist, Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves, and Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division Joseph R. Bonavolonta.
Yanez is scheduled to be sentenced on August 25, 2020.
Distribution of less than 40 grams of fentanyl is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison followed by 3 years of supervised release. Distribution of more than 40 grams of fentanyl is punishable by a minimum of 5 years and up to 40 years imprisonment followed by 4 years of supervised release. Distribution of less than 500 grams of cocaine is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison and 3 years of supervised release.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney’s Stacey P. Veroni and Gerard B. Sullivan.
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Felon Indicted for Gun and Pawn Shop BurglaryRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A federal grand jury last week indicted a felon in connection to a burglary of a gun and pawn shop in Jasper, announced U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Explosives and Firearms Acting Special Agent in Frank Haera.
A four-count indictment filed in U.S. District Court charges Donald Keith Southall, 55, Quinton, Ala., with one-count of theft of a firearm from a Federal Firearms Licensed business, Outlaw Gun and Pawn in Jasper, on July 1, 2019. The indictment also charges Southall with one-count of possession of a stolen firearm and two-counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
“We have zero-tolerance for violent crime in the Northern District of Alabama,” Town said. “Felons with firearms violate our federal laws and present a danger to all of us. Together with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners we will continue to aggressively prosecute those individuals who threaten the safety of our communities.”
ATF Acting Special Agent in Charge Frank Haera stated, “Stolen firearms from Federal Firearms Licensees cause a serious issue for the safety of the public. This indictment illustrates ATF’s partnerships with the community and law enforcement to provide a safe environment for our communities.”
The maximum penalty for stealing a firearm from a licensed gun dealer, for possession of a stolen firearm, and being a felon in possession of a firearm is 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
ATF investigated the case, along with the Walker County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Britteny Bucak is prosecuting.
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.
Feds Charge Additional Defendant for Looting Neighborhood Pharmacy During Civil UnrestRead the Press Release
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – United States Attorney Russell Coleman today announced that a federal grand jury has indicted a man for attempting to rob a pharmacy during civil unrest in Louisville. This indictment is additive to multiple charges recently announced by the United States Attorney’s Office for the looting of neighborhood pharmacies for controlled substances, carjacking, and illegal possession of firearms by convicted felons.
“What does looting a relied-upon neighborhood pharmacy for drugs have to do with constitutionally-protected speech seeking change in policing; nothing,” said U.S. Attorney Russell Coleman. “Federal law enforcement will stand as one to protect our neighbors in all neighborhoods of Louisville.”
Christopher Tinsley, 27, of Louisville, has been charged with conspiracy to commit burglary involving controlled substances by a Federal Grand Jury sitting in Louisville. According to a criminal complaint, on June 2, 2020, LMPD responded to a burglary in progress at Walgreens on 5201 S. 3rd St. Louisville, Kentucky. Police observed multiple people fleeing the business when they arrived. Tinsley was detained at that time along with Vontreil Bailey, 30, of Louisville, who the U.S. Attorney’s Office previously announced was charged with conspiracy to commit burglary involving controlled substances.
During a law enforcement interview on June 6, 2020, an employee of the business advised that the burglary had severely affected Walgreens’ ability to conduct business as patients prescriptions had been stolen, and the pharmacy was left in disarray.
The charges carry a penalty of no more than 10 years, a maximum fine of $250,000 and no more than three years of supervised release
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Louisville Metro Police Department are investigating the case.
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Fayetteville Man Pleads Guilty to Stealing Postage from Law Firm to File Fraudulent ClaimsRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, N.C. – A federal judge accepted a guilty plea today from a Fayetteville man who was charged with Conspiracy to Defraud the United States on Claims.
According to the Criminal Information, Casey Tyler Smith, 27, of Fayetteville, worked in Wilmington at a law firm identified in the Criminal Information as “B&S.” In the course of his work at the law firm, Smith had access to the firm’s Pitney Bowes postal meter.
According to the Criminal Information, Smith accessed the firm’s postal meter and fraudulently generated thousands of dollars in postage on the firm’s postal account. He and others then took the stolen postage to a post office where Smith filed fraudulent postal refund claims, alleging that the postage had been lost or stolen. In fact, the postage was used to generate fraudulent proceeds for Smith. The post office then provided refunds on the postage to Smith in the form of postal money orders, both in his own name and in the names of others.
The Criminal Information further alleges that Smith and others then took the postal money orders to banks to convert them into cash.
In total, Smith caused 113 fraudulent postal claims to be filed, resulting in more than $80,000 in losses to B&S.
At sentencing, Smith faces up to 10 years in prison and 3 years of supervised release for committing the offense of Conspiracy to Defraud the United States on Claims.
Robert J. Higdon, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. The United States Postal Inspection Services handled the investigation of this 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.
Eleven People Charged with $6 Million Bank Fraud Conspiracy that Operated in South Jersey and Southeastern PennsylvaniaRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – Eleven people have been charged for their alleged roles in a large-scale conspiracy to commit bank fraud over in southern New Jersey and southeastern Pennsylvania over the course of four years, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced today.
The complaints unsealed today charge each of the defendants with bank fraud conspiracy in connection with a scheme that used hundreds of fraudulent accounts to defraud several major banks of $6 million and then launder that money and send it overseas to other conspirators.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
The defendants are allegedly members of a Nigeria-based, multi-layered organization that engaged in a massive bank fraud conspiracy in several states, including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Rhode Island, between June 2016 and March 2020. Members of the group stole numerous business checks from the United States mail, altered the payee on the checks to a fraudulent name and deposited the checks in bank accounts that had been opened with forged foreign passport documents and fraudulent U.S. visas that matched the names on the stolen checks. Once the banks credited all or a portion of the funds to the accounts – but before the checks had cleared – the defendants withdrew the funds from ATMs or purchased money orders, using debit cards associated with the fraudulent accounts. Members of the organization have used over 400 fraudulent accounts with fake identity documents to defraud the banks.
The organization also laundered the proceeds of the fraud by several means, including using debit cards to purchase money orders from third party stores and using those money orders to purchase used automobiles from different automobile auction companies in Pennsylvania. The vehicles were then exported to Nigeria and other countries in Africa to launder the stolen funds and to increase profits by selling the vehicles at the higher market values obtained for vehicles in these foreign countries.
The bank fraud conspiracy count carries a maximum potential penalty of 30 years in prison and a maximum fine of $1 million.
U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito credited special agents of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Damon E. Wood, Inspector in Charge, Philadelphia Division, and Peter R. Rendina, Inspector in Charge, Washington Division; the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jason Molina in Newark, Special Agent in Charge Brian A. Michael in Philadelphia, Special Agent in Charge John Ernst in Baltimore, and Special Agent in Charge Michael S. Shea in Boston Division; and the U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), New York Field Office and Philadelphia Resident Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Timothy W. Dumas, with the investigation leading to the charges. He also thanked the U.S. Marshals Service and the Pennsylvania State Police for their assistance.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick C. Askin of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Camden.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaints are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The defendants charged today are listed below:
Name
Age
Residence
Sulaiman Fola Dosunmu
39
Darby, Pennsylvania
Tunde Adeowo
40
Lansdowne, Pennsylvania
Muritala Adeowo
55
Lansdowne
Ayanniyi K Alayande
47
Darby
Ahmmed Bamidele Ponle
41
Darby
Margiettu M. Kamu
34
Philadelphia
Rafiat Adesubomi Sarumi
36
Yeadon, Pennsylvania
Babatunde Omotayo Oke
40
Hyattsville, Maryland
Adekunle Kehinde Owolabi
49
Laurel, Maryland
Olayinka Peter Olaseinde
42
Providence, Rhode Island
Olugbenga Oyedele
47
Collingdale, Pennsylvania
East Central Illinois Woman Charged with Meth TraffickingRead the Press Release
URBANA, Ill. – An East Central Illinois woman made her initial appearance in federal court today after she was charged by criminal complaint for alleged possession of more than 50 grams of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Angela Faith Brown, 41, last known address Mansfield, Ill., was arrested on June 23, 2020, in Ashmore, Ill, a rural Coles County community.
At today’s hearing, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Eric I. Long, Brown was ordered to remain detained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending a detention hearing scheduled on June 29.
The complaint and supporting affidavit allege that Brown possessed more than 50 grams of methamphetamine with intent to distribute on June 23, 2020, when she was arrested near Ashmore, Ill., in Coles County.
If convicted, the statutory penalty for the offense is 10 years to life in prison.
The charge is the result of an investigation by the FBI Southern Illinois Transnational Organized Crime Task Force; the Coles County Sheriff’s Office; and the Charleston Police Department, with assistance from the Office of Coles County State’s Attorney Jesse Danley. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Finlen represents the government in the case prosecution.
Members of the public are reminded that a complaint is merely an accusation; each defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Department of Justice Announces Launch of Civil Rights Reporting PortalRead the Press Release
The Western District of Michigan’s Local Hotline Continues as a Supplement to the New Portal
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN -The Department of Justice today announced the launch of the Civil Rights Reporting Portal. This new online tool will make it easier for the public to report a civil rights violation.
“The Department is committed to upholding the civil and constitutional rights of all people in the United States,” said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband of the Civil Rights Division. “The Civil Rights Reporting Portal will make it easier for the public to connect with us, which in turn makes us more effective at upholding these important rights. I encourage the public to use this portal to report civil rights violations.”
The new Civil Rights Reporting Portal – located at civilrights.justice.gov – will consolidate over 30 unique reporting pathways. The portal will dramatically ease the burden on victims of civil rights violations to identify the proper reporting channel. The form is fully accessible to people with disabilities. It is also available in both English and Spanish, with more languages to be added over the next year.
Western District of Michigan U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge explained that the established civil rights hotline contact for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Grand Rapids will remain available as well, at 616-808-2004 and [email protected]. “We coordinate with the Civil Rights Division on referrals; so whether you want to reach us quickly with a concern or to actually file a report through the new portal, you will be taken seriously.”
Individuals who believe that they may have been victims of civil rights violations can learn more about their rights and how to report violations by visiting civilrights.justice.gov. If you believe that you are a victim of criminal civil rights violations, such as misconduct by law enforcement officers, hate crimes, or human trafficking, please contact your local FBI office.
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Convicted Felon Sentenced to 13 Months in Prison for Possessing a FirearmRead the Press Release
St. Louis, Missouri – Mark Harris, 25, of St. Louis, Missouri was sentenced to 13 months in prison on a charge of felon in possession of a firearm. He appeared in federal court today before U.S. District Judge Catherine D. Perry.
According to court documents, on May 27, 2019, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Officers received a call for suspicious person/drugs in the 4000 block of Blow Street. Upon responding to that area, Officers observed three occupants of a vehicle smoking cigarillos, and the Officers smelled marijuana. Officers knocked on the vehicle’s driver’s window and when the driver, later identified as Mark Harris, rolled down the window, the Officers observed a bag of marijuana on Harris’ lap. When the Officers asked if there were any more illegal drugs in the vehicle, the backseat passenger stated that she had more marijuana in her bag, which she handed to the Officers. Officers removed Harris from the vehicle and patted him down, at which time the Officer immediately felt a firearm in Harris’ shorts pocket. The firearm was a loaded Hi-Point, 9mm semi-automatic pistol. Harris has prior felony convictions for a 2015 Stealing of a Motor Vehicle and a 2016 Forgery.
This case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.
Cherokee, N.C. Man Is Sentenced to More Than Seven Years for Possession of A Firearm While on Federal ProbationRead the Press Release
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Chief U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger today sentenced Tanner Moren Eagle Larch, 30, of Cherokee, N.C., to 92 months in prison and three years of supervised release for a firearms offense, announced Andrew Murray, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Vincent C. Pallozzi, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in North Carolina, and Sheriff Chip Hall of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office join U.S. Attorney Murray in making today’s announcement.
On April 4, 2013, Larch was sentenced to six and a half years in prison and three years of supervised release for a federal robbery conviction. According to filed court documents and today’s sentencing hearing, on September 14, 2018, while Larch was still on federal probation, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office was informed that an arrest warrant for Larch had been issued for a violation of the terms of his supervised release. Court records show that Larch had been seen on the campus of Smoky Mountain High School leaving the football stadium on the same day. Law enforcement located and attempted to arrest Larch, who dropped a firearm he possessed and fled on foot. After he fled the scene, Larch, holding a second firearm behind his back, approached five young males standing outside of a car in the parking lot behind the high school’s gymnasium. Following a brief tussle, one of the young men wrestled the firearm out of Larch’s hands, and Larch fled the scene again. Shortly thereafter, Larch was apprehended by law enforcement.
On January 7, 2020, a federal jury convicted Larch of two counts of possession of a firearm by a felon. Larch is currently in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Murray commended the ATF and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office for their investigation of this case. He also thanked District Attorney Ashley Welch for her office’s coordination over the course of the prosecution of this case.
Special Assistant United States Attorney (SAUSA) Alexis Solheim prosecuted the case. Ms. Solheim is a state prosecutor with the office of the 30th Prosecutorial District, and was assigned by District Attorney Ashley Welch to serve as SAUSA with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville. Ms. Solheim is duly sworn in both state and federal courts. The SAUSA position is a reflection of the partnership between the office of the 30th Prosecutorial District and the United States Attorney’s Office. The SAUSA position helps ensure the effective and vigorous prosecution of federal court cases that impact the counties within the 30th Prosecutorial District.
Charleston Man Sentenced to Five Years in Federal Prison for Drug and Gun OffenseRead the Press Release
Charleston, South Carolina --- United States Attorney Peter M. McCoy, Jr., announced today that Sean Deandre Martin, 33, of Charleston, was sentenced to five years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Evidence presented to the court showed that on August 1, 2017, Martin was arrested after a gun and multiple types of narcotics were discovered in the car he was driving on Savannah Highway in West Ashley. Text messages on Martin’s cell phone confirmed that he was dealing drugs. Martin ultimately pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking on February 24, 2020.
United States District Judge David Norton sentenced Martin to 60 months in federal prison, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Charleston Police Department.
This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. Assistant United States Attorney Chris Schoen of the Charleston office prosecuted 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.
Carroll, Iowa Man to Federal Prison for Firearm ChargeRead the Press Release
A man who illegally possessed a firearm was sentenced June 24, 2020, to more than 5 years’ in federal prison.
Marcelino Delangel, 47, from Carroll, Iowa, pled guilty on December 30, 2019, to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Delangel had been previously convicted of three felony crimes in Mower County, Minnesota, in 2003, 2006 and 2010, respectively.
At the plea and sentencing hearings, evidence showed that Delangel illegally possessed a .22 caliber pistol, which was seized from his vehicle that he was driving when stopped by law enforcement on November 7, 2018. Also seized from Delangel’s vehicle was 5.2 grams of methamphetamine, Vicodin pills, and a digital scale. Evidence at the hearing, showed the pistol was loaded with four rounds of ammunition and had been stolen during a burglary in Carroll, Iowa in October 2018.
Sentencing was held before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Delangel remains in custody of the United States Marshal until he can be transported to a federal prison. Delangel was sentenced to 61 months’ plus 17 days’ imprisonment. He must also serve a term of 3 years of supervised release following the imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. For more information about Project Guardian, please see /media/1122011/dl?inline.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, and Carroll, Iowa Police Department.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 18-3054. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Canadian Man Sentenced for Smuggling Aliens into the United StatesRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051
BUFFALO, N.Y.- U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Wanderson Dos Santos-Freitas, 35, a Brazilian citizen living in Toronto, Canada, who was convicted of alien smuggling, was sentenced to serve 21 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles M. Kruly, who handled the case, stated that on March 13, 2019, at approximately 9:00 a.m., a U.S. Border Patrol Agent spotted a black jet ski with three occupants, two males and one female, about 50-60 feet from the shoreline at Beaver Island State Park. When the occupants noticed the agent, the operator of the jet ski, the defendant, stepped into the water, and began to push the watercraft further away from the shoreline. Dos Santos-Freitas continued to stand up in an apparent attempt to restart the jet ski, but the jet ski began to release smoke from the exhaust. After a couple minutes, the defendant began to wave at the agent and related that the jet ski appeared to be stuck in the ice. Air and Marine Operations were alerted and responded to the scene.
A short time later, Dos Santos-Freitas got off the jet ski, abandoning his two passengers, and walked across the ice onto the shore. When asked by agents on shore for his citizenship, the defendant stated that he was a “permanent resident of Canada.” Dos Santos-Freitas also stated that he did not have any immigration documentation which would allow him to enter the United States legally. The defendant was then placed under arrest. The defendant’s passengers later told agents that they expected to pay the defendant after arriving at their final destinations in the United States.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by U.S. Border Patrol, under the direction of Patrol Agent-in-Charge Eduardo Payan; Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly; and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, under the direction of Director of Field Operations Rose Brophy.
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COVID-19 ALERT: Fraudulent Facemask FlyersRead the Press Release
GREENSBORO, NC — U.S. Attorney Matthew G.T. Martin of the Middle District of North Carolina today urged the public to be aware regarding fraudulent postings, cards, or flyers on the internet regarding the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the use of face masks due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many of which include the United States Department of Justice’s seal. An example of these cards appears below:
These postings, cards, and flyers were not issued by the Department of Justice and are not endorsed by the Department.
“Do not be fooled by the chicanery and misappropriation of the DOJ eagle,” said U.S. Attorney Martin. “These cards do not carry the force of law. The ‘Freedom to Breathe Agency,’ or ‘FTBA,’ is not a government agency.”
U.S. Attorney Martin urges the public not to rely on the information contained in these postings and flyers and to visit http://www.ADA.gov for official information about the Americans with Disabilities Act. For more information and technical assistance about the ADA, please contact the ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 (voice) and 800-514-0383 (TTY).
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends wearing cloth facial coverings in areas where social distancing guidelines may be difficult to maintain, especially in areas of significant community-based transition.
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.
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Bookkeeper sentenced to 37 months in federal prison for stealing nearly $540,000Read the Press Release
Indianapolis – United States Attorney Josh J. Minkler announced today that Kenya Dake, 51, of Indianapolis, was sentenced in federal court for perpetrating a 4 ½-year scheme to steal nearly $540,000 from her employer, an Indianapolis-based small business. Dake was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt.
“Fraud on a small business often impacts much more than the bottom line,” said Minkler. “It can cost people good jobs and breed distrust, especially when perpetrated by a trusted employee. Those who exploit their positions for personal financial gain must be, and will be, held accountable.”
Dake’s now-former employer is a local consulting firm that, among other things, helps its clients secure federal grants. Dake, who worked at the company since 2012, was the company’s controller and office manager and made an annual salary of approximately $80,000.
Late last year, federal agents uncovered Dake’s embezzlement scheme and moved to disrupt it as it was happening. The coordinated investigation by four federal law enforcement agencies—the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Marshal’s Service, and Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation—led to search and seizure warrants at Dake’s residence and ultimately federal fraud and money laundering charges.
The investigation revealed that Dake had been stealing from her employer since at least 2015. As Dake admitted in her guilty plea, she funneled company funds to herself by connecting her personal bank accounts to fictitious “vendors” she created in the company’s bookkeeping system. She also made personal purchases on Amazon with company money. The amounts Dake stole were relatively small at first, a few hundred dollars every couple of months. By mid-2017, they had picked up significantly, averaging nearly $20,000 per month until she was caught in 2019. In all, through hundreds of transactions, she stole nearly $540,000, which she concealed by recording the personal purchases and “vendor” payments in the company’s financial ledger as legitimate company expenses.
Dake spent the stolen money on routine living expenses (e.g., meals, groceries, and clothing), significant cash withdrawals, several pieces of diamond and platinum jewelry, a new 2019 Honda SUV, and multiple trips to Aruba.
Federal agents were able to seize the SUV, much of the jewelry, and over $50,000 from two different bank accounts.
“This sentencing reinforces that fraud on small businesses is something we take seriously,” stated Kathy Enstrom, Special Agent in Charge of IRS-CI Chicago Field Office. “IRS-Criminal Investigation is uniquely positioned to investigate financial fraud schemes such as this. We are proud to be able to contribute to this investigation in cooperation with our law enforcement partners.”
“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the law enforcement and security arm of the U.S. Postal Service, investigates any fraud in which the U.S. Mail is used, even if the fraud began another way; the use of the mail is what makes it mail fraud” said Felicia George, Acting Inspector in Charge. “In an effort to uphold the nation’s first consumer protection law, Postal Inspectors enforce the mail fraud statute to the fullest extent possible against those seeking to separate innocent customers and businesses from their money through illegal or nefarious means.”
“Through her embezzlement, Ms. Dake took advantage of her position and her employer’s trust for her own personal criminal gain. Theft such as this is unacceptable and today’s sentence clearly shows that cooking the books never pays off in the long run,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Robert “Alex” Middleton, FBI Indianapolis. “The FBI is dedicated to working with our law enforcement partners to investigate those who choose to engage in illegal activity and bring these corrupt individuals to justice.”
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Nick Linder, who prosecuted the case for the government, Dake will serve 37 months in federal prison, three years of supervised release, and the seized property will be forfeited and Dake must repay all of the money she stole.
In October 2017, United States Attorney Josh J. Minkler announced a Strategic Plan designed to shape and strengthen the District’s response to its most significant public safety challenges. This prosecution demonstrates the Office’s firm commitment to prosecuting complex, long-running fraud schemes. See United States Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Indiana Strategic Plan 5.1
Bath Man on NYS Parole Arrested on Child Pornography ChargeRead 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 Ryan Hamilton, 28, of Bath, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with possession of child pornography. The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum of 20 years.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan K. McGuire, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, in 2016, the defendant was convicted in New York State Court of Possessing a Sexual Performance by a Child and sentenced to 10 years’ probation. In 2017, Hamilton violated his probation, was convicted again of Possessing a Sexual Performance by a Child, and was sentenced to two to four years in prison. The defendant served his sentence and was released from prison in June 2019.
On October 4, 2019, a New York State Parole Officer conducted a home visit at Hamilton’s residence in Bath. During the visit, the defendant was found to be in possession of an unregistered Kyocera cellular telephone and Samsung tablet, in direct violation of his parole conditions. The Parole Officer determined that the tablet contained a number of pornographic videos depicting minors performing sexual acts with adults. Hamilton was arrested for violating his parole. A further review of the tablet recovered approximately 87 videos and 1,124 images containing child pornography.
The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Robert Guyton, the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Eric Laughton, and the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, under the direction of under the direction of Acting Commissioner Anthony J. Annucci.
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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Atlanta hospital system to pay $16 million to resolve false claims allegationsRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Piedmont Healthcare, Inc., an Atlanta-based hospital system, has agreed to pay $16 million to settle allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by billing Medicare and Medicaid for procedures at the more expensive inpatient level of care instead of the less costly outpatient or observation level of care. The settlement also resolves allegations that Piedmont paid a commercially unreasonable and above fair market value to acquire Atlanta Cardiology Group in 2007 in violation of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute.
“Billing the government for unnecessary inpatient services wastes precious government resources and taxpayer dollars,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “All appropriate action will be taken to ensure that beneficiaries of federal health care programs received services untainted by overcharges and improper financial incentives.”
“Our watchdog agency will continue to aggressively investigate healthcare providers that attempt to boost their profits by billing Medicare and Medicaid for medically unnecessary services and engaging in kickback schemes,” said Special Agent in Charge Derrick L. Jackson, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. “We will not tolerate such greed-fueled schemes, which bilk taxpayer-funded health care programs and undermine the public’s trust in the healthcare industry.”
“Our office will continue to work with our federal partners to ensure that healthcare providers abide by rules that serve as important safeguards for public safety and public resources,” said Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr.
The settlement resolves two separate False Claims Act allegations. First, between 2009 and 2013, Piedmont’s case managers allegedly overturned the judgment of its treating physicians on numerous occasions and billed Medicare and Medicaid at the more expensive inpatient level of care even though the treating physicians recommended performing the procedures at the less expensive outpatient or observation level of care. Second, in 2007 Piedmont allegedly acquired the Atlanta Cardiology Group, a physician practice group, in violation of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute by paying a commercially unreasonable and above fair market value for a catheterization lab partly owned by the practice group.
This settlement resolves a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia by a former Piedmont physician under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act, which permit private citizens to bring lawsuits on behalf the United States and obtain a portion of the government’s recovery. The whistleblower in this case will receive $2,967,400.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, the Georgia Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, and Health and Human Services—Office of the Inspector General, with substantial assistance from the Department of Justice Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch (Frauds Section).
Assistant U.S. Attorney Armen Adzhemyan represented the United States in this matter and Assistant Attorney General James Mooney represented the State of Georgia.
The case is captioned United States and Georgia ex rel. Doe v. Piedmont Healthcare, Inc. et al., 1:16-CV-780. The claims resolved by this settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
For further information, please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Anchorage Woman Charged with Embezzling Funds from a Tribal Organization in AlaskaRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney Bryan Schroder announced today that an Anchorage woman has been federally charged with embezzling approximately $174,290 from the Alaska Native Harbor Seal Commission (ANHSC), which was primarily funded from federal grants issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, with additional federal grant funds provided by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Joni Raelle Bryant, 43, of Anchorage, was named in the indictment charging her with one count of embezzlement from an Indian tribal organization, and two counts of embezzlement from an organization receiving federal funds.
The indictment alleges that, from July 2014 to October 2016, Bryant embezzled approximately $174,290 from the ANHSC for her personal use. During that time, Bryant was employed as the Executive Director at the ANHSC, and was responsible for managing federal grants, as well as the day-to-day financial management of the organization.
Bryant allegedly embezzled the money by using the ANHSC credit card to make unauthorized personal purchases, and by using the ANHSC checking account to make unauthorized cash withdrawals, issue unauthorized checks, and make unauthorized debit card purchases with tribal funds. The unauthorized expenditures included paying for personal travel for herself and family, personal purchases at various retail stores, gas and grocery purchases, wireless service charges, and insurance and utility bills.
If convicted, Bryant faces a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison and up to a $250,000 fine, for the most serious charges alleged. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
The U.S. Department of Interior’s Office of Inspector General (DOI-OIG) conducted the investigation leading to the charges in this case, with assistance from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Office of Inspector General and the Anchorage Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charisse Arce.
The charges in the indictment are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Anchorage Motivational Speaker Indicted on Federal Child Pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
Anchorage, Alaska – U.S. Attorney Bryan Schroder announced today that Donteh Mone Devoe, 41, of Anchorage, has been federally charged with two counts of production of child pornography, one count of receipt of child pornography, and one count of coercion and enticement of a minor. Devoe was arrested in February 2020, and was ordered detained pending trial.
According to court documents, Devoe became the subject of an investigation on Jan. 29, 2020, when Anchorage Police Department (APD) received a tip concerning allegations that Devoe had engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct with a minor. The complaint alleges that, between Sept. 30, 2019, and Oct. 1, 2019, Devoe used text messages to request sexually explicit images of the minor. It is further alleged that the minor would receive sexually explicit images of Devoe while she was in school, and that there were at least two incidents where Devoe and the minor had sexual contact. A search of Devoe’s cell phone and iCloud account revealed the graphic communications, as well as several sexually explicit images of the minor.
After serving his sentence for a federal drug conviction, Devoe traveled throughout Alaska giving motivational speeches about rehabilitation and reentry, oftentimes coming into contact with students from the Anchorage School District.
If the public has any further information regarding Devoe’s activities, please contact FBI’s Anchorage Field Office at (907) 276-4441.
If convicted, Devoe faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years up to life in federal prison, for the most serious charges alleged. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history of the defendant.
The Anchorage Police Department (APD), as well as FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force, conducted the investigation leading to the charges in this case. This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Ivers of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska.
The investigation is also part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, Project Safe Childhood combines federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
The charges in the indictment are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Activity in the United States Attorney's OfficeRead the Press Release
Chief Federal District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl sentenced TOMOTHY R. MARTINEZ, 30, of Gillette, Wyoming on June 19, 2020 for retaliation against an informant. Martinez was arrested in Casper, Wyoming. He received thirty-eight months of imprisonment, to be followed by thirty-six months of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $500.00 fine and a $100.00 special assessment. The Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation investigated this case.
Chief Federal District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl sentenced TAYLOR MARIE NICKS, 25, of Gillette, Wyoming on June 19, 2020 for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, and using, carrying, brandishing, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime, and retaliation against an informant. Nicks was arrested in Casper, Wyoming. She received two hundred four months of imprisonment, to be followed by sixty months of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $300.00 special assessment. The Gillette Police Department and the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation investigated this case.
Chief Federal District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl sentenced ISAAC DORMAN, 23, of Casper, Wyoming on June 19, 2020 for carjacking and aiding and abetting, theft from a federally licensed dealer of firearms, and using, carrying, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Dorman was arrested in Cheyenne, Wyoming. He received one hundred sixty six months of imprisonment, to be followed by sixty months of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $3,283.76 and a $300.00 special assessment. The Casper Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated this case.
Chief Federal District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl sentenced GUADALUPE HERNANDEZ, Jr., 39, of Lovell, Wyoming on June 10, 2020 for felon in possession of a firearm. Hernandez was arrested in Cody, Wyoming. He received twenty-four months of imprisonment, to be followed by thirty-six months of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100.00 special assessment. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated this case.
Federal District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson sentenced TRISHA ANN GARNER, 36, of Cheyenne, Wyoming on June 11, 2020 for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Garner was arrested in Laramie County, Wyoming. She received thirty-four months of imprisonment, to be followed by sixty months of supervised release, and ordered to pay community restitution in the amount of $200.00 and a $100.00 special assessment. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated this case.
Chief Federal District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl sentenced SHAWN MICHAEL CONNORS, Jr., 27, of Gillette, Wyoming on June 23, 2020 for receipt of child pornography. Connors was arrested in Gillette, Wyoming. He received sixty months of imprisonment, to be followed by one hundred twenty months of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100.00 special assessment. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations and the Wyoming Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigated this case.
11 Members and Associates of the Bully Gang Charged with Narcotics Conspiracy, Illegal Weapons Possession and Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
Defendants Include Two New York City Department of Education Employees
Two criminal complaints were unsealed today in federal court in Brooklyn charging 11 members and associates of the New York City-based Bully street gang with crimes related to conspiracies to distribute drugs throughout Maine and in New York, smuggling drugs into Rikers Island, illegal weapons possession and money laundering. The initial appearances of six defendants arrested today in Brooklyn and New Jersey—alleged Bully gang member Derrick Ayers and gang associates Bermon Clarke, Amy Sonnenblick, Nia Govan, Paul Harris and Anthony Kennedy—are scheduled for this afternoon before United States Chief Magistrate Judge Cheryl L. Pollak. Defendant Amanda Walton was arrested in Maine. Defendant Amanda Huard is currently not in custody. The remaining defendants were previously incarcerated.
Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, John B. DeVito, Special Agent-in-Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, New York Field Division (ATF), Dermot F. Shea, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), and Margaret Garnett, Commissioner, New York City Department of Investigation (DOI), announced the charges.
“As alleged, these defendants trafficked narcotics between Maine and New York, including smuggling dangerous contraband drugs into Rikers Island,” stated United States Attorney Donoghue. “Drug dealers, and those who launder their drug proceeds, destroy lives and communities and, in this case, jeopardized the safety and security of a prison.”
Mr. Donoghue expressed his grateful appreciation to the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine, New Hampshire State Police, Maine State Police, Brewer Maine Police Department, Waterville Maine Police Department and Augusta Maine Police Department for their assistance in the case.
“These arrests will undoubtedly have a significant impact on public safety. As alleged, these gang members and their associates plagued communities from New York City to Maine, but today, thanks to the diligent work of the ATF/NYPD Joint Firearms Task Force, their criminal exploits have been brought to an end,” stated ATF Special Agent-in-Charge DeVito. “I would like to thank the United States Attorney’s Office for their work in prosecuting this case and acknowledge the contributions of the New Hampshire State Police, Maine State Police, Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, Waterville Maine Police Department and the Augusta Maine Police Department.”
“The NYPD’s responsibility to prevent crime and keep people safe knows no boundaries. In this case, our hardworking detectives and law enforcement partners dismantled an alleged drug gang with a complex distribution network that crossed state lines and penetrated Rikers Island,” stated NYPD Commissioner Shea.
“Contraband smuggling at Rikers Island continues to be a threat to the security of our City’s jails and an active area of investigation for DOI. These defendants allegedly worked in concert using various methods to smuggle illicit drugs into Rikers Island, including mailing packages of paper soaked with K2 disguised as mail to inmates in an attempt to bypass Department of Correction screening procedures. DOI is proud to partner with the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, New York Field Division, and the New York City Police Department to investigate and prosecute these alleged crimes,” stated DOI Commissioner Garnett.
According to the complaints, Ayers, Clarke, Govan, Huard, Jessica Pelkey, Walton and Demetrius Wright are members of a drug ring operating in New York, Maine and elsewhere. The organization trafficked cocaine base (or “crack”), heroin and other controlled substances using vehicles with hidden compartments and “trap” houses in Maine to store and sell narcotics.
As alleged, the drug trafficking proceeds were deposited into various bank accounts, including an account controlled by Sonnenblick, who is employed as a paraprofessional by the New York City Department of Education, as is Clarke. Sonnenblick then transferred the drug money to her co-conspirators. In addition to laundering proceeds through bank deposits and wire transfers, drug proceeds were also laundered through the acquisition of vehicles, including a Range Rover purchased by Sonnenblick and used by Ayers.
As charged in the related complaint, Moeleek Harrell, the founder of the Bully gang and currently an inmate at Rikers Island, coordinated with associates Kennedy and Harris to smuggle 5-Fluoro MDMB-Pica, a Schedule I controlled substance commonly referred to as “K2,” into the jail. Law enforcement officers recovered multiple pages of a court transcript that had been soaked in K2 and earmarked for delivery to Harrell. A subsequent search of Harrell’s cell revealed additional pages of paper from comic books that field tested positive for synthetic cannabinoid and for fentanyl and/or heroin.
Ayers, Clarke, Govan, Huard, Pelkey, Walton and Wright are charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin and at least 280 grams of crack cocaine; Ayers and Clarke are charged with possessing one or more firearms in relation to the drug conspiracy; Ayers, Clarke, Govan, Sonnenblick and Walton are charged with money laundering conspiracy; and Harrell, Harris and Kennedy are charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute K2.
During searches of premises today in Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York, law enforcement officials found multiple firearms; a substantial amount of U.S. currency; drug manufacturing and packaging supplies; law enforcement paperwork pertaining to criminal investigations and narcotics believed to include marijuana, crack cocaine, heroin and fentanyl.
The charges in the complaints are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section and Public Integrity Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Drew G. Rolle, Nicholas J. Moscow and Special Assistant United States Attorney Virginia T. Nguyen are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendants:
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 20-MJ-453 (RER)
DERRICK AYERS (also known as “Mel”)
Age: 33
Rahway, New JerseyBERMON CLARKE (also known as “G”)
Age: 28
Rahway, New JerseyNIA GOVAN (also known as “Cam”)
Age: 29
Boston, MassachusettsAmanda Huard
Age: 38
MaineJESSICA PELKEY
Age: 26
Presque Isle, MaineAMY SONNENBLICK
Age: 48
Brooklyn, New YorkAMANDA WALTON
Age: 31
Portland, MaineDEMETTRIUS WRIGHT (also known as “Clean” and “Meexhi Brim”)
Age: 22
Brooklyn, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 20-MJ-472 (CLP)
MOELEEK HARRELL (also known as “Moe Money”)
Age: 30
Brooklyn, New YorkPAUL HARRIS (also known as “Baldhead”)
Age: 31
Brooklyn, New YorkANTHONY KENNEDY (also known as “Biggie”)
Age: 34
Queens, New York
24 June 2020
WikiLeaks Founder Charged in Superseding IndictmentRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A federal grand jury returned a second superseding indictment today charging Julian P. Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, with offenses that relate to Assange’s alleged role in one of the largest compromises of classified information in the history of the United States.
The new indictment does not add additional counts to the prior 18-count superseding indictment returned against Assange in May 2019. It does, however, broaden the scope of the conspiracy surrounding alleged computer intrusions with which Assange was previously charged. According to the charging document, Assange and others at WikiLeaks recruited and agreed with hackers to commit computer intrusions to benefit WikiLeaks.
Since the early days of WikiLeaks, Assange has spoken at hacking conferences to tout his own history as a “famous teenage hacker in Australia” and to encourage others to hack to obtain information for WikiLeaks. In 2009, for instance, Assange told the Hacking At Random conference that WikiLeaks had obtained nonpublic documents from the Congressional Research Service by exploiting “a small vulnerability” inside the document distribution system of the United States Congress, and then asserted that “[t]his is what any one of you would find if you were actually looking.”
In 2010, Assange gained unauthorized access to a government computer system of a NATO country. In 2012, Assange communicated directly with a leader of the hacking group LulzSec (who by then was cooperating with the FBI), and provided a list of targets for LulzSec to hack. With respect to one target, Assange asked the LulzSec leader to look for (and provide to WikiLeaks) mail and documents, databases and pdfs. In another communication, Assange told the LulzSec leader that the most impactful release of hacked materials would be from the CIA, NSA, or the New York Times. WikiLeaks obtained and published emails from a data breach committed against an American intelligence consulting company by an “Anonymous” and LulzSec-affiliated hacker. According to that hacker, Assange indirectly asked him to spam that victim company again.
In addition, the broadened hacking conspiracy continues to allege that Assange conspired with Army Intelligence Analyst Chelsea Manning to crack a password hash to a classified U.S. Department of Defense computer.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Assange is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on each count except for conspiracy to commit computer intrusion, for which he faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. 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.
G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, John C. Demers, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, and Stacey R. Moy, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Washington Field Office Counterintelligence Division, made the announcement. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kellen S. Dwyer, Thomas W. Traxler, Alexander P. Berrang, and Gordon D. Kromberg, and Trial Attorneys Adam L. Small and Nicholas O. Hunter of the Justice Department’s National Security Division are prosecuting the case.
Assange is currently detained in the United Kingdom on an extradition request from the United States. Assange’s extradition to the United States is being handled by the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs and UK authorities, including the Home Office and the Crown Prosecution Service for England and Wales.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:18-cr-111.
WikiLeaks Founder Charged in Superseding IndictmentRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury returned a second superseding indictment today charging Julian P. Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, with offenses that relate to Assange’s alleged role in one of the largest compromises of classified information in the history of the United States.
The new indictment does not add additional counts to the prior 18-count superseding indictment returned against Assange in May 2019. It does, however, broaden the scope of the conspiracy surrounding alleged computer intrusions with which Assange was previously charged. According to the charging document, Assange and others at WikiLeaks recruited and agreed with hackers to commit computer intrusions to benefit WikiLeaks.
Since the early days of WikiLeaks, Assange has spoken at hacking conferences to tout his own history as a “famous teenage hacker in Australia” and to encourage others to hack to obtain information for WikiLeaks. In 2009, for instance, Assange told the Hacking At Random conference that WikiLeaks had obtained nonpublic documents from the Congressional Research Service by exploiting “a small vulnerability” inside the document distribution system of the United States Congress, and then asserted that “[t]his is what any one of you would find if you were actually looking.”
In 2010, Assange gained unauthorized access to a government computer system of a NATO country. In 2012, Assange communicated directly with a leader of the hacking group LulzSec (who by then was cooperating with the FBI), and provided a list of targets for LulzSec to hack. With respect to one target, Assange asked the LulzSec leader to look for (and provide to WikiLeaks) mail and documents, databases and pdfs. In another communication, Assange told the LulzSec leader that the most impactful release of hacked materials would be from the CIA, NSA, or the New York Times. WikiLeaks obtained and published emails from a data breach committed against an American intelligence consulting company by an “Anonymous” and LulzSec-affiliated hacker. According to that hacker, Assange indirectly asked him to spam that victim company again.
In addition, the broadened hacking conspiracy continues to allege that Assange conspired with Army Intelligence Analyst Chelsea Manning to crack a password hash to a classified U.S. Department of Defense computer.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Assange is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on each count except for conspiracy to commit computer intrusion, for which he faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. 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.
John C. Demers, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and James A. Dawson, Special Agent in Charge, Criminal Division, FBI Washington Field Office, made the announcement. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kellen S. Dwyer, Thomas W. Traxler, Alexander P. Berrang, and Gordon D. Kromberg, and Trial Attorneys Adam L. Small and Nicholas O. Hunter of the Justice Department’s National Security Division are prosecuting the case.
Assange is currently detained in the United Kingdom on an extradition request from the United States. Assange’s extradition to the United States is being handled by the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs and UK authorities, including the Home Office and the Crown Prosecution Service for England and Wales.
Wetzel County man sentenced for distributing heroinRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Caleb McCune, of New Martinsville, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 33 months incarceration for selling heroin, U.S. Attorney Bill Powell announced.
McCune, age 24, pled guilty to one count of “Aiding and Abetting the Distribution of Heroin in Proximity to a Protected Location” in February 2020. McCune admitted to working with another to sell heroin near Bruce Park in Wetzel County in April 2019.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert H. McWilliams, Jr. prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Marshall County Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, and the West Virginia State Police investigated.
U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey presided.
Westbrook Man Pleads Guilty to Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Kristina O’Connell, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in New England, announced that KEVIN BRAZA, 48, of Westbrook, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall to one count of tax evasion.
Pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), the court proceeding occurred via videoconference.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Braza operates K.E. Braza Construction, a construction and excavation business based in Old Saybrook, For the 2013 through 2017 tax years, Braza failed to report to the IRS approximately $565,161 in income earned through his business, and through gambling winnings. As a result, he failed to pay a total of $184,579 in federal income taxes.
Judge Hall scheduled sentencing for September 16, 2020, at which time Braza faces a maximum term of imprisonment of five years.
Braza has paid full restitution, including penalties and interest, of $394,474.
Braza is released on a $50,000 bond pending sentencing.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Cherry.
Wellesley Physician Agrees to Pay $25,000 to Resolve Allegations that he Violated Controlled Substances ActRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Wellesley plastic surgeon has agreed to pay $25,000 to resolve allegations that he provided controlled substances to family members outside the usual course of his professional practice and failed to maintain records and accurate inventories of controlled substances.
Arthur Shektman, M.D., a plastic surgeon practicing in Wellesley, has agreed to pay $25,000 to resolve allegations that he violated the Controlled Substances Act by dispensing controlled substances outside the usual course of his professional practice and by failing to maintain complete and accurate inventories of controlled substances.
“The proper handling of prescriptions is a critical part of patient safety and crucial to preventing drug diversion,” said United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling. “This office will continue to ensure that DEA registrants meet federal recordkeeping requirements, whether they are solo physician practices or large pharmacy chains.”
“DEA registrants are responsible for handling controlled substances responsibly and ensuring that complete and accurate records are being properly kept and accounted for in compliance with the Controlled Substance Act,” said Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Boston Field Division. “We are committed to working with our law enforcement and regulatory partners to ensure that these rules and regulations are followed.”
According to the allegations in the settlement, on two occasions, Dr. Shektman provided controlled substances to two family members outside the usual course of his professional practice. Dr. Shektman also allegedly failed to maintain records pertaining to Schedules III-V controlled substances and failed to maintain complete and accurate inventories of controlled substances.
Dr. Shektman cooperated with the federal investigation and has agreed to pay $25,000 to resolve the government’s allegations. He has also agreed to enter into a three-year Memorandum of Agreement with the DEA to come into compliance with the recordkeeping requirements of the Controlled Substances Act.
U.S. Attorney Lelling and DEA SAC Boyle made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey Ross of Lelling’s Civil Division handled the case.
Washington, D.C. Man Sentenced to 9 Years in Federal Prison for the Armed Robbery of A Capitol Heights BarbershopRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang sentenced Ambrose Augustus Doye, age 25, of Washington, D.C., yesterday to 9 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for an armed commercial robbery and for brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Jennifer C. Boone of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Acting Chief Hector Velez of the Prince George’s County Police Department.
According to Doye’s guilty plea, on November 26, 2018, Doye and his co-defendant drove to a barbershop in Capitol Heights, Maryland, and spoke with two employees outside of the shop, pretending to be potential customers. The two left and went to a convenience store across the street, then returned to the barbershop. Doye sat in the barbershop chair while an employee prepared to cut his hair. He then drew a handgun and pointed it at the employee, while Bolton struck a second employee in the back of the head with a handgun.
As detailed in the plea agreement, Doye and Bolton then forced the employees to the back of the store and pulled the blinds down over the windows of the barbershop. They forced the employees to strip naked and lie face down on the floor with their hands behind their heads, and ordered them to count to 1,000. They robbed the employees of their cellphones, money, and jewelry. The robbers threatened to kill the employees if they moved while they counted to 1,000. They demanded to know where additional money was located in the store and threatened to kill the employees when they were unable to locate additional money. They again threatened to kill the employees if the robbery was reported, then left the barbershop with the personal belongings of the employees. A search of Doye’s residence recovered a distinctive silver necklace stolen from one of the barbershop employees and a loaded, silver and black .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI and the Prince George’s County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine K. Dick and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Hernandez, who are prosecuting the case.
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