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Tuesday 25 February 2020
Career criminal sentenced to prison as final federal defendant in Operation 30906Read the Press Release
AUGUSTA, GA: The final federal defendant in a sweep targeting the worst criminals in Augusta’s highest-crime area has been sentenced to nearly 13 years in prison.
Marty Copeland, 45, of Augusta, was sentenced by Chief Judge J. Randal Hall to 151 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute, said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. After completion of his prison term, Copeland will be required to serve three years of supervised release.
“Copeland’s substantial sentence punctuates our joint operation aimed at helping the law-abiding citizens of an Augusta neighborhood rid themselves of criminal behavior inflicted on them by a relative handful of offenders,” said U.S. Attorney Christine. “Operation 30906 represents very real cooperation among local, state and federal agencies working together to make our communities safer.”
Operation 30906 coordinated law enforcement agencies and prosecutors through the U.S. Department of Justice Project Safe Neighborhoods and the FBI Safe Streets Gang Task Force. The operation targeted offenders in Augusta’s 30906 Zip code, an area identified by the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office as plagued by a disproportionate number of crimes committed by a core group of “alpha” criminals. Cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana were seized during the operation, along with at least 29 firearms and approximately $1,000 in counterfeit money.
Since the indictments for drugs and firearms felonies were unsealed in December 2018, charges against all 20 defendants have been resolved, with 17 receiving sentences of up to 16½ years in federal prison. Four of the seven defendants charged in state court are awaiting trial. Most of the defendants charged in Operation 30906 had prior felony convictions.
Copeland’s substantial criminal history began 28 years ago with a conviction for drug possession, and included multiple felony convictions for drug possession and trafficking. Despite receiving state court sentences of up to 15 years in prison, he rarely served more than three years on any of the charges – and repeatedly violated parole when released. When arrested during Operation 30906, Copeland was on parole from a 2007 sentence for trafficking cocaine.
There is no parole in the federal system.
“Because of the efforts of the FBI and our local, state and federal law enforcement partners, neighborhoods in Augusta’s 30906 zip code are substantially safer today,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Copeland’s lengthy federal sentencing and the sentencings of 19 other defendants as part of Operation 30906 should serve as a warning to anyone thinking about taking up where they left off.”
“These convictions illustrate that drug trafficking at any level will not be tolerated in our state,” said Vic Reynolds, Director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI). “The citizens of Augusta and the rest of the state of Georgia deserve to be safe in their neighborhoods. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is fully committed to working with our local and federal partners to bring to justice those that perpetuate fear and intimidation while conducting their crimes.”
“It is a pleasure to continue joint prosecution efforts with the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” said Natalie S. Paine, District Attorney for the Augusta Judicial Circuit. “When federal and state agencies pool their resources the community benefits in more effective and efficient prosecution of violent offenders. Specifically, this operation was targeted to identify individuals that illegally carry firearms and to prevent the proliferation of gun violence in our community. We are pleased to be a part of joint efforts to make this community safer.”
“This operation has resulted in a significant blow to those who fuel gun violence,” said Richmond County Sheriff Richard Roundtree. “Those charged in this operation as well as others will be relentlessly pursued by the Sheriff’s Office and its federal partners. This pursuit will not end until the senseless gun violence stops.”
Agencies participating in Operation 30906 included the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the U.S. Secret Service, the GBI, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office and the Augusta Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office. The cases were prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tara Lyons, Hank Syms, and Alejandro V. Pascual IV and Special Assistant United States Attorney Michael Marchman.
California Man Sentenced to 12+ Years in Prison for Cross-Country Cocaine Distribution SchemeRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A California resident has been sentenced in federal court to 151 months’ imprisonment and five years’ supervised release on his conviction of violating federal narcotics laws, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan imposed the sentence on Robert Forbes, also known as "Daniel Kirkpatrick" and "Joe", age 46, of Pomona, California.
According to information presented to the court, Forbes conspired to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, a Schedule II controlled substance from April 2017 through April 2019. The conspiracy involved the shipment of cocaine from California using the United States Mail to various cities throughout the United States, including New Castle, Pennsylvania. The conspiracy also involved the shipment of cash, also through the United States Mail, from the recipients of the cocaine to the suppliers of cocaine. Many of the cocaine distributors were, like Forbes, originally from Jamaica.
Assistant United States Attorney Brendan T. Conway and Marnie Sheehan-Balchon prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Brady commended the federally administered Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Forbes. The task force is headed by the Drug Enforcement Administration and is comprised of members drawn from the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Lawrence County Drug Task Force, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Borough of Baldwin Police Department, McKees Rocks Police Department, Munhall Police Department, Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, and the Pennsylvania State Police. The OCDETF program supplies critical federal funding and coordination that allows federal and state agencies to work together to successfully identify, investigate, and prosecute major interstate and international drug trafficking organizations and other criminal enterprises. In this case, the Lawrence County Drug Task Force and the New Castle Police Department also participated in the investigation.
California Man Indicted for Carrying Two Kilos of Cocaine Aboard Train Traveling Through KCRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Sacramento, California, man was indicted by a federal grand jury today for carrying more than two kilograms of cocaine aboard a train traveling through Kansas City.
Eduardo Fernando Orozco-Lizaola, 22, was charged with possessing cocaine with the intent to distribute in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City. Today’s indictment replaces a federal criminal complaint that was filed against Orozco-Lizaola on Jan. 28, 2020.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the original complaint, a detective with the Kansas City Police Department contacted Orozco-Lizaola aboard a train that arrived at the Kansas City terminal for a layover on Jan. 28, 2020. Orozco-Lizaola had a ticket to Newark, New Jersey.
Orozco-Lizaola allowed the detective to search his backpack, which was underneath his seat. The backpack contained some clothes and two bundles with a total of approximately 2.4 kilograms of cocaine.
The charge contained in this indictment is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charge must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Trey Alford. It was investigated by the Kansas City Interdiction Task Force and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
California Fraudster Sentenced to Four Years in Federal Prison for International Mail and Wire Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel yesterday sentenced Saul Eady, age 36, of Los Angeles, California, to four years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, in connection with a scheme to fraudulently obtain goods using what appeared to be a military e-mail address, but was actually a registered Yahoo e-mail address. Judge Hazel also entered an order requiring Eady to forfeit and to pay restitution in the full amount of the victim’s losses, which is $640,172.80. Eady has been detained since his arrest in October 2018.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Robert E. Craig, Jr. of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service - Mid-Atlantic Field Office; Special Agent in Charge John Eisert of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; and Special Agent in Charge Nasir Khan of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Export Enforcement's Washington Field Office.
According to Eady’s plea agreement, a co-conspirator established and used what was purported to be a U.S. Navy e-mail address, authentic forms, titles, addresses and other indicia to pose as U.S. government contracting agents and fraudulently obtain merchandise, including large-screen televisions, specialized communications equipment, cellular telephones and computers. Much of the fraud scheme was conducted from outside the United States, including from Nigeria. Three victim companies—one that provided wireless voice and data services that was headquartered in Washington State, one that was a wholesale audio-video distributor and manufacturer’s representative located in Virginia, and a defense contractor that designed, manufactured, and marketed communications equipment that was headquartered in Maryland—shipped merchandise, without prior payment, to Eady’s East Coast co-conspirators. Those individuals then shipped the stolen items to Eady and others on the West Coast.
Specifically, Eady admitted that from November 2016 until February 2017, he assisted in receiving, transporting, and storing the stolen televisions by renting trucks and transporting the stolen televisions to at least three storage locations in the Los Angeles area, where Eady and other had rented storage units. Following the sale of the televisions, Eady was paid in cash for receiving and moving the televisions. According to his plea agreement, the organization obtained approximately 2,109 televisions over the course of the scheme, and the number of televisions and loss attributable to Eady is 493 televisions worth at least $1,181,290.80.
Eady also admitted that he engaged in financial transactions using the proceeds of the fraud scheme. Specifically, Eady assisted in depositing cash obtained from the sale of the stolen goods into bank accounts of co-conspirators. At times, Eady received cash in excess of $10,000, but made smaller deposits at different bank locations in order to avoid detection by financial institutions and law enforcement.
Based on bank records, surveillance footage, financial and business records of the victim companies, and other information, the loss foreseeable to Saul Eady was between $1.5 million and $3.5 million.
Of the nine defendants charged in this case, six have pleaded guilty to their roles in the fraud scheme, including Saul Eady. Two others are scheduled for trial next month, and one defendant, Peter Unakalu, is a fugitive.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur praised the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement for their work in the investigation, and thanked the FBI Washington Field Office and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service for their assistance. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer R. Sykes and Joseph R. Baldwin, who prosecuted the case.
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Browning woman sentenced in crash that injured twoRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS—A Browning woman who admitted she had been drinking and driving when she crashed a truck on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation and injured two passengers was sentenced today to 27 months in prison and three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Lisa Marie Skunkcap, 37, pleaded guilty in November to assault resulting in serious bodily injury.
U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.
The prosecution said in court records that the crash happened on the afternoon of April 23, 2019 when Skunkcap and others were drinking and driving around Browning. Skunkcap lost control of the truck she was driving. The vehicle went off the road and rolled. Skunkcap and two passengers were ejected and lost consciousness.
Skunkcap told investigators that she had been driving and admitted having consumed alcohol. Her blood alcohol concentration was .20 at the time of the crash. Both ejected passengers suffered serious injuries, including broken bones. One passenger was transferred to Seattle for treatment.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kalah Paisley prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI, Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services and the Montana Highway Patrol.
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Brockton Man Pleads Guilty to Firearms ChargeRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Brockton man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Anibal Pires, 29, pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition before U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs, who scheduled sentencing for June 16, 2020.
On Nov. 29, 2018, Pires was found in Brockton in possession of a Taurus PT111, 9mm pistol and 10 rounds of 9 mm ammunition. Due to a prior felony conviction punishable by more than one year incarceration, Pires in prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.
The charging statute provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Kelly Brady, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Brockton Police Department and the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney William B. Brady of Lelling’s Criminal Division is prosecuting the case.
Boylston Man Pleads Guilty to Filing False Corporate and Personal Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Boylston man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Worcester to two counts of filing false and fraudulent tax returns.
Robert Fuller, 64, pleaded guilty to filing false and fraudulent personal and corporate tax returns for calendar year 2015 before U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman who scheduled sentencing for June 15, 2020.
Fuller’s scheme was to cash checks written to his business, Fuller Motor Home, without reporting this cash on his corporate tax returns and then using the cash for his own personal enrichment, while also not reporting it as income on his personal tax returns.
The charge of filing a false and fraudulent tax return provides for a sentence of up to three years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $100,000. 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 Kristina O’Connell, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Mulcahy of Lelling’s Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.
Bismarck, ND Man Arrested for Theft of Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site PropertyRead the Press Release
Bismarck – U.S. Attorney Drew H. Wrigley announced that on February 25, 2020, Charles Joseph Folk, Age 42 of Bismarck, ND, made his initial court appearance to face federal theft charges. A federal grand jury has indicted Folk on a single count of theft of government property. Specifically, over a two year period, while Folk was a national park service employee, he is alleged to have stolen approximately $10,000.00 worth of property belonging to the Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site.
"Federal employees are placed in a position of special trust, which makes these allegations even more troubling," said U.S. Attorney Drew Wrigley.
An Indictment is an accusation and notice of charges, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty. A trial is scheduled for April 21, 2020, before Senior Judge Daniel L. Hovland.
This case was investigated by the National Park Service.
Assistant United Sates Attorney Jonathan J. O’Konek is prosecuting the case.
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Attorney General William P. Barr Names Michael Carvajal Director of the Bureau of PrisonsRead the Press Release
Attorney General William P. Barr today announced that Michael Carvajal will serve as the Director of the Bureau of Prisons (BOP). Current BOP Director Dr. Kathleen Hawk Sawyer will remain as a Senior Advisor to assist him with the transition.
“Today, I am appointing Michael Carvajal Director of the Bureau of Prisons. Michael’s nearly 30 years of experience with the Bureau will serve him exceptionally well as he takes on these new responsibilities, and I am confident he will do an outstanding job as director. I want to thank Kathy Hawk Sawyer for her exceptional leadership and helping us identify a highly qualified individual to serve as permanent director. I am grateful for Kathy’s service and that she has agreed to stay on as a senior advisor to assist the Bureau with this transition.”
Carvajal, a U.S. Army veteran, began his employment with the Bureau of Prisons in 1992 as a correctional officer. Since then, he took on positions of increasing responsibility for the Bureau, including Employee Development Specialist and Lieutenant at FCI Three Rivers; Captain at FCI Texarkana (TX) and USP Leavenworth (KS); Correctional Services Administrator for the South Central Region (TX); and Associate Warden at FCC Beaumont. He also served as Warden at FCI Texarkana (TX), and Complex Warden for FCC Pollock (LA), before being promoted to Regional Director for the Northeast Region in July 2016.
As Assistant Director for Correctional Programs since August of 2018, Carvajal was responsible for a wide variety of areas, including designations and sentence computation, the Witness Security and Victim-Witness Programs, security and emergency planning, inmate transportation, and unit and case management operations, and the agency's intelligence efforts that require coordination with law enforcement and counter terrorism agencies around the country.
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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.
Antioch Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for EmbezzlementRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – February 25, 2020 – Ilaine T. Newby, 51, of Antioch, Tennessee, was sentenced Friday to 12 months and 1 day in prison for embezzling over $206,000 from a Smyrna, Tennessee-based company, announced U.S. Attorney Don Cochran for the Middle District of Tennessee. U.S. District Judge William L. Campbell, Jr. also imposed six months of home confinement at the conclusion of the sentence and ordered Newby to pay $147,289 in restitution to the victim company. Newby was charged in August 2019 and pleaded guilty in October to three counts of wire fraud.
According to Court documents, Newby was the comptroller of a company in Smyrna, Tennessee identified as C.A. As such, she was responsible for the company’s financial affairs, including managing the monthly financial reports, the profit and loss statements, Quickbooks entries, accounts payable, accounts receivable, and the company bank accounts and company credit card accounts. From November 2014 through June 2018, Newby embezzled approximately $206,000 by using company credit cards to pay personal expenses and using the company’s bank accounts to make payments to her own personal credit cards. Newby admitted she used the funds for personal expenditures, such as purchasing a Jeep Liberty and paying tuition to the University of Arizona. Newby concealed her fraud by making false entries in the company’s general ledger and providing those manipulated financial records to the business’s owner.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the Smyrna Police Department and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathryn Booth and Stephanie N. Toussaint.
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Akron man admits selling fatal dose of fentanylRead the Press Release
Letroy Vaughn, 28, of Akron pleaded guilty today to Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl with a sentencing enhancement for causing the death of another.
On September 28, 2015, Vaughn sold fentanyl to a 25-year-old Akron man who died after ingesting the drug. The Summit County Medical Examiner determined that the man died as a result of a fentanyl overdose. Detectives from the Akron Police Department Narcotics Unit learned that the man had purchased the fatal drugs from Vaughn hours before his death.
Vaughn is scheduled to be sentenced on June 16, 2020 at 10 a.m. Under the terms of his guilty plea, Vaughn is likely to be sentenced to 20 years in prison.
The Akron Police Department Narcotics Unit and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case, which is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter Daly and Aaron Howell.
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Monday 24 February 2020
“Southside” Gang Leader Sentenced to 30 Years for Murder, Racketeering, Narcotics, and Firearms ChargesRead the Press Release
Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that today SKYLAR DAVIS, a/k/a “S-Dot,” was sentenced to 30 years in prison in connection with his robbery and participation in the murder of Samuel Stubbs, a community member in the City of Newburgh, New York, and DAVIS’s membership in and leadership of “Southside,” a violent street gang that operated in Newburgh. DAVIS previously pled guilty to racketeering and murder charges before United States District Cathy Seibel, who also imposed today’s sentence. Besides his gang leadership and his participation in the murder of Samuel Stubbs, DAVIS also committed or helped commit six additional nonfatal shootings of Southside’s gang rivals in Newburgh over an approximately nine-month period in 2015 and 2016.
U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “On a summer night in 2015, Southside gang leader Skylar Davis participated in the murder of Samuel Stubbs. Davis also committed or participated in more than half a dozen other attempted murders over the ensuing year. Now he will spend many years in federal prison for his reign of violence.”
According to the various Indictments filed in this case, other documents filed, as well as statements made in open court:
From at least 2014 through June 2017, the Southside Gang was a criminal enterprise centered in and around the intersection of South Street and Chambers Street in an area of Newburgh known as the “Southside.” In order to gain funds for the gang, protect the gang’s territory, and promote the gang’s standing, members of Southside engaged in, among other things, narcotics trafficking, robbery, and acts involving murder. To that end, Southside members sold heroin, crack cocaine, and marijuana in the gang’s territory, promoted their gang affiliation on social media sites such as Facebook, possessed firearms, and engaged in shootings as part of their gang membership. Southside members participated in numerous shootings of rival gang members and innocent bystanders, including two murders.
DAVIS was a longtime member of Southside and one of the gang’s leaders. On August 13, 2015, DAVIS, along with others, decided to rob a high-stakes card game that Stubbs was playing outside, near the intersection of Lander and Courtney Streets in Newburgh. DAVIS and a co-conspirator approached the three card players with guns drawn and then started firing. All three men were hit by the ensuing gunfire, and Stubbs, 67, died of his injuries.
The Stubbs murder was only one of many acts of violence DAVIS participated in as part of his leadership of the Southside gang, including numerous violent crimes after DAVIS participated in Stubbs’s murder. Beginning in the summer of 2015, Southside engaged in a series of retaliatory shootings with its primary rival gang in Newburgh, the Yellow Tape Money Gang, or “YTMG,” and with other Newburgh gangs allied with YTMG. DAVIS committed, assisted, and/or caused the following additional Newburgh shootings:
- The attempted murder of rival gang member Gabriel Warren, a/k/a “Stacks,” in the late summer or early fall of 2015;
- The attempted murder of rival gang member Armad Evans, a/k/a “Yellow,” on or about October 5, 2015;
- The attempted murder of rival gang member Tyrin Gayle, a/k/a “Spazzo,” and other YTMG members on or about December 11, 2015;
- The attempted murder of rival YTMG gang members on or about March 17, 2016;
- Aiding and abetting the attempted murder of rival gang member Romeo Herring on or about April 3, 2016; and
- The attempted murder of rival gang members in the vicinity of the 845 Lounge located at 778 Broadway on or about May 21, 2016.
DAVIS bragged about his violence, his drug dealing, and his firearms possession on Facebook, which helped further fuel the violent rivalry between Southside and YTMG.
DAVIS, 22, of Newburgh, was arrested in June 2017 as a result of a multi-year investigation by the FBI’s Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force and the City of Newburgh Police Department into gang violence in Newburgh. DAVIS was previously serving a lengthy sentence for New York state weapon and controlled substance offenses. The Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force and the City of Newburgh Police Department had previously arrested members of YTMG in 2016; every charged member of YTMG was sentenced by Judge Seibel in 2017 and 2018.
Davis is the thirteenth member of Southside to be sentenced by Judge Seibel. Judge Seibel has imposed substantial periods of incarceration on each:
Name
Convictions:
Sentence
Skylar Davis
Racketeering Conspiracy
Murder in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking
Murder Through Use of a Firearm
Ardae Hines
Racketeering Conspiracy
Narcotics Conspiracy
180 months
Michael Simmons
Racketeering Conspiracy
Possessing Firearms During and in Relation to Drug Trafficking
111 months
Demetrice McLean
Racketeering Conspiracy
Possessing Firearms During and in Relation to Attempted Murder in Aid of Racketeering
180 months
Christopher Davis
Racketeering Conspiracy
Narcotics Conspiracy
126 months
Diamante Frazier
Narcotics Conspiracy
Brandishing Firearms During and in Relation to Assault with a Deadly Weapon and Attempted Murder in Aid of Racketeering
120 months
Ditavious Williams
Racketeering Conspiracy
Narcotics Conspiracy
121 months
Donte Nugent
Racketeering Conspiracy
Narcotics Conspiracy
108 months
Davante Nugent
Racketeering Conspiracy
Narcotics Conspiracy
60 months
Calvin Lembhard
Discharging Firearm in Furtherance of Attempted Murder in Aid of Racketeering
120 months
Paradise Branch
Racketeering Conspiracy
Narcotics Conspiracy
120 months
William Fennell
Racketeering Conspiracy
Narcotics Conspiracy
Discharging Firearms in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking
240 months
Troy Young
Racketeering Conspiracy
Using a Firearm in Furtherance of Murder in Aid of Racketeering
180 months
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Mr. Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco, and Explosives, and the City of Newburgh Police Department. Mr. Berman thanked the Orange County District Attorney’s Office for its invaluable ongoing assistance in the case. Mr. Berman also thanked the Town of Newburgh Police Department, the New York State Police, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, the Town of New Windsor Police Department, and the New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision for their assistance in the case.
This case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Jacqueline Kelly, Allison Nichols, Maurene Comey, and Samuel Raymond are in charge of the prosecution.
Wright City Man Sentenced for Stealing Firearms from Williamsburg StoreRead the Press Release
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Wright City, Missouri, man was sentenced in federal court today for stealing firearms from a Williamsburg, Missouri, store then leading law enforcement officers on a high-speed chase in which a state trooper was injured.
Jack Arnold Wodke, 25, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to eight years in federal prison without parole.
On June 26, 2019, Wodke pleaded guilty to stealing firearms from a licensed dealer. Wodke admitted he stole 25 firearms and other items when he burglarized Crane’s Country Store, 10675 State Road D in Williamsburg, on Dec. 19, 2017.
On Dec. 20, 2017, law enforcement officers responded to the Missouri Department of Transportation building in Williamsburg when Wodke pointed a handgun at an employee and threatened him. Wodke was driving a Ford F-250 pickup truck with no license plates, which was later determined to be stolen. As a state trooper and sheriff’s deputy arrived at that location, Wodke fled from them at a high rate of speed. The trooper and several deputies pursued Wodke.
While pursuing Wodke on County Road 1005, the trooper was involved in a single-vehicle accident where he was trapped in his patrol car for nearly two hours and was later transported
to University Hospital by ambulance for his injuries.Deputies continued pursuing Wodke until he drove into a bean field. At the intersection of County Roads 1022 and 1034, Wodke lost control of his vehicle and the truck spun into the grass. As deputies approached, Wodke put the truck into reverse and rammed it into the side of a Ford Explorer, operated and occupied by a Callaway County deputy, and attempted to drive away. At this point, deputies took Wodke into custody.
Wodke appeared to be under the influence of a controlled substance. He was animated, had exaggerated movements, and kept twitching and talking about people that were not in the truck with him. Wodke admitted to using amphetamine, and later admitted that he had been up for three days and started seeing an imaginary person on the third day.
Deputies searched Wodke, who had a Ruger .380-caliber pistol in his left coat pocket along with numerous rounds of ammunition and knives. Found just outside the driver’s door of the truck
was a black cloth pull string bag that containing a glass methamphetamine smoking pipe
with a crystal residue inside and a small tin containing methamphetamine.Deputies searched the truck and found several firearms that had been reported stolen from Crane’s Country Store.
In the bed of the truck was an ATM machine, numerous surveillance cameras, well over 100 packages of cigarette, display cases containing chewing tobacco, alcohol, and other items. Montgomery County deputies were investigating a commercial burglary at R&G Fuels, a gas station at the Danville exit of I-70. The owner of the business arrived and confirmed the items in the bed of the truck had been stolen from his business.
Deputies later recovered a Glock handgun with the serial number defaced, which had been reported stolen from Crane's Country Store, from the Missouri Department of Transportation parking lot.
All of the firearms stolen from Crane’s Country Store were recovered.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Turner. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Callaway County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
Woman Arrested for Assaulting a Federal Air MarshalRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A North Carolina woman made her initial appearance in federal court today on charges of allegedly assaulting a Federal Air Marshal.
According to allegations detailed in the affidavit in support of the criminal complaint, on February 22, Dana Ghazi Mustafa, 27, assaulted a Federal Air Marshal on board United Airlines flight 933 that departed from Frankfurt, Germany, and landed at Dulles International Airport.
According to court documents, at some point during the flight, flight attendants were alerted to the activation of a flight lavatory smoke detector, encountered Mustafa in the lavatory and directed her to not smoke aboard the aircraft and return to her seat. After flight attendants observed Mustafa crying and visibly upset, Mustafa stated that she was flying home to see her family, but they had died in a car accident caused by a drunk driver.
After being relocated a second time, a Federal Air Marshal observed Mustafa leave her seat and walk to the rear of the plan while striking the flint of a lighter. As a flight attendant attempted to stop Mustafa from entering the lavatory, Mustafa pushed the flight attendant and tried to close the lavatory. At that time, two Federal Air Marshals interceded. Mustafa allegedly refused to comply and was combative, including resisting being handcuffed, yelling, and kicking at the Federal Air Marshals.
After being handcuffed and relocated next to a Federal Air Marshal, Mustafa stated that, “I’m going to stab everyone on this plane. Then kill myself. I’m Palestinian! That’s how we get down.”
Upon landing at Dulles International Airport, an FBI agent interviewed Mustafa about the incident, including her statement regarding her family being killed by a drunk driver. Mustafa allegedly admitted the story was a lie.
Mustafa is charged with assaulting a federal officer and faces a maximum penalty of eight years in prison, if convicted. 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.
Mustafa is scheduled for a preliminary hearing tomorrow at 2 p.m. at the federal courthouse in Alexandra.
G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Larissa Knapp, Special Agent in Charge, Counterterrorism Division, FBI Washington Field Office, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney John C. Blanchard is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:20-mj-82.
WDLA News Round-UpRead the Press Release
LAKE CHARLES, La. – United States Attorney David C. Joseph announced the resolution of two Project Safe Childhood cases last week, each separately noted.
SENTENCING – JOHN MICHAEL WARD
Westlake Man Sentenced to 60 Years in Federal Prison for Production of Child Pornography
Ward was the former pastor of Bellview Baptist Church
LAKE CHARLES, La. – United States Attorney David C. Joseph announced that John Michael Ward, 45, of Westlake, Louisiana, was sentenced on February 19, 2020, to 60 years in federal prison after pleading guilty in November 2019 to two counts of production of child pornography. U.S. District Judge James D. Cain Jr. sentenced Ward to 30 years for each count, to run consecutively, and a lifetime term of court supervision.
According to information presented to the court, Ward, the former pastor of Bellview Baptist Church in Westlake, sexually abused a minor female for two years, and on two occasions, coerced the minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of capturing sexually explicit videos of the minor.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations and the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Luke Walker prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and 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.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) also encourage the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at (866) 347-2423. Investigators are available at all hours to answer hotline calls. Tips or other information can also be submitted to ICE online by visiting their website at www.ice.gov/exec/forms/hsi-tips/tips.asp or through the Operation Predator smartphone application www.ice.gov/predator/smartphone-app. Tips may be submitted anonymously.
SENTENCING – JAMES GAHARAN
Former LeGrange High School Teacher Sentenced to Eight Years in Federal Prison for Possessing Child Pornography
LAKE CHARLES, La. – United States Attorney David C. Joseph announced that James Gaharan, 56, of Laker Charles, was sentenced on February 19, 2020, by U.S. District Judge James D. Cain Jr., to 97 months in prison for possession of child pornography. Following his imprisonment, Gaharan will be supervised by the United States Probation Office for 10 years and will be required to register with the state sex offender registry in any state in which he lives or works. Gaharan pleaded guilty on September 18, 2019.
According to information disclosed during court proceedings, Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office (CPSO) received a complaint that Gaharan, a school teacher at LeGrange High School, was having a sexual relationship with a student. After an interview with Gaharan, CPSO obtained a court approved search warrant of his residence. When officers arrived at Gaharan’s residence, they discovered a program running on his computer which was in the process of wiping the hard drive clean. At that point the wipe was 96% complete. Officers also found a jump drive in Gaharan’s book satchel. A subsequent forensic examination of the jump drive revealed over 1,500 child pornography images of mainly young, prepubescent children. Gaharan had downloaded these images from the internet.
The FBI and Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Luke Walker prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and 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.
Those concerned may leave tips with the FBI at tips.fbi.gov. Tips may be submitted anonymously.
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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.
Urologist Sentenced to Nearly Six Years in Prison for Fraudulent Billings of Nonexistent Patient Visits and Unnecessary TestsRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A urologist was sentenced today to 71 months in federal prison for submitting fraudulent billings totaling more than $700,000 to Medicare for medically unnecessary and nonexistent treatments, sometimes billing for purported patient visits miles apart and occurring at the exact same time.
Mark Wilfred Tamarin, 65, of Manhattan Beach, was sentenced by United States District Judge Dale S. Fischer, who also ordered him to pay nearly $345,000 in restitution.
After a seven-day trial in July 2019, a jury found Tamarin guilty of six counts of wire fraud and one count of attempted health care fraud. He has been in federal custody since the trial’s conclusion.
According to the evidence presented at trial, from 1987 until 2014, Tamarin was a partner at Advanced Urology Medical Offices (AUMO), which had offices in Torrance and West Los Angeles.
From January 2009 until January 2013, at AUMO, where the majority of the patients were covered by Medicare, Tamarin billed Medicare for services he did not and could not have performed and also ordered medically unnecessary tests. Tamarin covered Kindred Hospital, a sub-acute medical center in Ladera Heights, for AUMO. Kindred is a facility designed for patients with serious medical problems and in need of long-term care, but for whom a traditional hospital setting is unnecessary. There, he billed for numerous patient visits that never happened and for services he never provided. The evidence presented at trial showed that on multiple occasions between 2009 and 2013, Tamarin purportedly was in two places miles apart at the same time he was treating patients in both locations.
At his office at AUMO, Tamarin ordered medically unnecessary tests for his patients. In particular, he ordered two to three times the number of post-void residual (PVR) tests and renal ultrasounds for urology patients in comparison to his three medical partners. Tamarin ordered so many PVRs that the office’s medical assistants suggested that the office purchase a second PVR machine. Tamarin ordered these tests before speaking with or seeing a patient despite the fact that the tests themselves only were appropriate in limited medical circumstances.
In total, Tamarin caused more than $700,000 in fraudulent claims to be billed to Medicare, of which Medicare paid approximately $219,934 in fraudulent Kindred claims and $124,802 in medically unnecessary PVR and renal ultrasound claims.
This matter was investigated by the FBI and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Poonam G. Kumar of the Major Frauds Section.
U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider Announces Progress in Making our Communities Safer through Project Safe Neighborhoods Unveils Media Campaign Aimed at Raising AwarenessRead the Press Release
Federal prosecution against felons and violent offenders with guns in the Eastern District of Michigan increased 10% in 2019. The strong partnership we have with our state and local law enforcement agencies, particularly the Detroit Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, and Federal Bureau of Investigation enabled us to identify the most significant violent offenders in our district for federal prosecution.
“Ensuring that guns stay out of the hands of prohibited people is critical to the mission of preventing violent crimes,” stated United States Attorney Matthew Schneider. “We are working hard to identify and target the most violent offenders in our communities in an effort to reduce and prevent further violence.”
“By utilizing ATF’s Crime Gun Intelligence Center and NIBIN technology, investigators are using crime gun intelligence to quickly identify serial shooters, firearms traffickers, and other violent offenders and hold them accountable for the violence their actions cause throughout our community,” said Special Agent in Charge James Deir. “When you add in the great collaboration of our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, the community benefits with safer streets.”
“Ensuring the safety and security of our residents in the city of Detroit is our number one priority. Project Safe Neighborhood is yet another example of how we can work collaboratively to create safe neighborhoods and will continue our efforts in targeting violent offenders that pose a threat to the quality of life for the residents”, said Chief James Craig.
Through advances in technology, we have been able to identify offenders who are driving violent crime rates in certain areas of Detroit. In 2019, Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction strategy, began operating in the 9th Precinct of Detroit. During that year, we saw a 28% decrease in the number of non-fatal shootings and a 10% drop in homicides.
In an effort to continue this downward trend, the United States Attorney’s Office, in partnership with the Detroit Police Department and the City of Detroit, have created billboards and public service announcements to spread the message that gun crimes come with tough federal prison sentences.
The billboards, which will go up this week and run through the week of March 9, are located at:
Harper Road east of Park Drive (this week - March 22)
Gratiot Avenue north of Waltham (this week - March 22)
Gratiot Avenue north of Fairport (March 9-April 5)
E. McNichols Road west of Hamburg (March 9-April 5)
The public service announcements can be found at:
https://youtu.be/Dgp8Xg6kfkE
https://youtu.be/KEDvhRVAeu4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0iQ27wz4wk&feature=youtu.be
This awareness campaign was developed as part of Attorney General William Barr’s signature anti-gun violence initiative, Project Guardian. This initiative is designed to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws across the country. Specifically, Project Guardian focuses on investigating, prosecuting, and preventing gun crimes and serves as a complementary effort to the success of PSN.
In reaffirming our commitment to PSN, the United States Attorney’s Office’s Major Crimes Unit expanded prosecution guidelines to include domestic violence offenders, straw purchasers, offenders who possess guns with positive NIBIN hits (forensically linking guns to crime scenes), and offenders with gang affiliations. Some of those cases include:
- Derrell Hayes and Mohammad Karkash, both convicted felons who were on federal supervised release, violated their terms of release by committing a domestic violence offense. Hayes received a term of incarceration of 24 months in federal prison and Karkash received a sentence of 21 months in federal prisonn.
- Eight individuals were charged in a firearms straw buyer trafficking ring. It is alleged these individuals made false statements during the purchase of firearms, indicating that they were purchasing the firearms for themselves, when they were purchasing the firearm for a multi-convicted felon. This is otherwise known as a “straw purchase,” which is a violation of federal law. The firearm purchases were made at numerous stores in the metro Detroit area.
- A Detroit man was charged and convicted of illegally possessing a firearm while on probation and fleeing from law enforcement. ATF began investigating the defendant after receiving a NIBIN (National Integrated Ballistic Information Network) lead connecting firearms in the defendants’ possession to two separate shooting incidents in Detroit.
Through our partnership with the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office we have accepted for federal prosecution nearly 40 percent of all the cases referred by their office. This partnership has allowed us to remove some of the worst repeat offenders from our streets. Those offenders include:
- Tyrone Vannoy, an armed career criminal with seventeen prior convictions on his record. Vannoy was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison following his conviction for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and using a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking offense.
- Denver Lee, a seven-time convicted felon, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison following his conviction for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
- Danny Woods, a multi-convicted felon and armed career criminal, was arrested for selling drugs in a park in Detroit. He received a 20 year sentence in federal prison.
We realize that we can’t simply prosecute our way out of violent crime and that prevention is an essential part of the equation. Part of the prevention component is Ceasefire Detroit. Ceasefire Detroit is a partnership between law enforcement, church leaders, and community members that speaks directly to those individuals who are driving the violence in our communities. Ceasefire Detroit focuses on a key group of gang members: trigger pullers. Ceasefire Detroit requires gang members who are on probation or parole to report to a “Call In” a meeting with U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider, Mayor Mike Duggan, Police Chief James Craig, and community partners such as Goodwill Industries and Flip the Script. Gang members in attendance are warned about the harsh prosecutorial and incarceration ramifications they will face if anyone of their members is involved a future shooting. They are warned that all of the state and federal law enforcement partners will pool resources in an effort to prosecute and dismantle the entire gang. At the “Call In,” they are offered an opportunity to sign up for job skills, G.E.D., and other services if they want to get out of the gang lifestyle.
Project Safe Neighborhoods works. It works because of the ongoing cooperation and commitment from our partners. While progress has been made, the fight is not over. We will continue to work together to fight violent crime in our communities.
Stockton Man Sentenced to More Than 7 Years in Prison for Fentanyl DistributionRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Manuel Felix-Rivera, 34, of Stockton, was sentenced today to seven years and three months in prison for conspiring to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.
According to court documents, between September 2018 and March 18, 2019, Felix-Rivera conspired with others to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine. During the conspiracy, Felix-Rivera sold fentanyl to an undercover source five times. When agents executed a search warrant at Felix-Rivera’s house, they found fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine. Felix-Rivera distributed and possessed with intent to distribute 1,157 grams of actual fentanyl. Studies indicate that just 3 milligrams of fentanyl can be fatal.
“Fentanyl can kill and has killed. Felix-Rivera possessed enough fentanyl to potentially kill over 380,000 people and sold highly dangerous drugs to multiple buyers,” stated U.S. Attorney Scott. “Felix-Rivera’s disregard for the lives of others warrants today’s sentence. Fortunately, law enforcement was able to stop the streets of Stockton from being flooded with thousands of doses of this potentially lethal opioid.”
“Just a few grains of fentanyl can have deadly consequences. Felix-Rivera was in possession of more than two and a half pounds of the substance at the time of his arrest, creating a potentially fatal situation for thousands of people,” stated DEA Special Agent in Charge Daniel C. Comeaux. “Today’s sentence sends the message that DEA and our law enforcement partners will not tolerate those whose conduct represents a danger to the community.”
This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S Attorney Ross Pearson prosecuted the case.
This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The OCDETF program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s drug supply.
RipleyWoman Sentenced to 14 Years in Federal Prison for Conspiracy to Distribute over 50 grams of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Jackson, TN – Connie Stephens, 43, a Ripley, Tennessee resident, has been sentenced to 168 months imprisonment for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute actual methamphetamine. D. Michael Dunavant, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee announced the sentence today.
According to information presented in court, beginning in late 2018 until Stephens’ arrest on January 25, 2019, investigators with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), and the Dyersburg Police Department investigated multiple individuals transporting and distributing actual methamphetamine to the Western District of Tennessee. Stephens distributed actual methamphetamine to an undercover confidential informant on three separate occasions at a residence in Dyersburg. Stephens obtained different quantities from her supplier, a co-defendant, for distribution.
On January 25, 2019, Stephens distributed 13.5 grams of methamphetamine/ice to a confidential informant (CI). During the transaction, Stephens’s source of supply was present and after Stephens distributed the 13.5 grams of methamphetamine/ice to the CI, the source then sold Stephens an additional 42 grams of methamphetamine/ice.
After the distribution by the source of supply to Stephens, investigators arrested the parties. Found in the source of supply’s backpack was an additional 306.18 grams of methamphetamine/ice and a .45 caliber Hi-Point pistol. Stephens was held responsible for distributing over 150 grams of methamphetamine/ice.
Agents used confidential sources, search warrants and other investigative techniques to dismantle this drug trafficking organization.
On February 21, 2020, U.S. District Court Chief Judge Thomas Anderson sentenced Stephens to 168 months in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said, "Drug distribution conspiracies are NOT victimless crimes. Methamphetamine causes significant human pain, loss, and destruction in countless ways, including addiction, injuries, and deaths. Individuals who distribute harmful drugs into our rural communities can no longer hide, and those who choose to engage in such lawlessness will pay the price with a long prison sentence."
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Jackson Residence Agency Safe Streets Task Force, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Dyersburg Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jerry Kitchen prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
Rhode Island Man Pleads Guilty to Somerville Armed Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Rhode Island man pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston in connection with the May 1, 2019, armed bank robbery in Somerville that resulted in shots fired.
Daniel Rosado, 32, of Providence, R.I., pleaded guilty to one count of armed bank robbery, one count of brandishing and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin scheduled sentencing for June 15, 2020. Rosado was arrested and charged by criminal complaint on May 23, 2019, and has been in custody since.
On May 1, 2019, a man, later identified as Rosado, entered the Middlesex Federal Savings Bank in Somerville, brandished a handgun, fired a shot into the ceiling, and pointed the firearm at customers and bank employees. Rosado yelled: “Get down!,” “Everybody on the ground!,” “Second Drawer,” “Hurry Up!” and “Give me money or I’ll shoot!” Customers and bank employees laid on the floor, while the robber approached a teller window, threw a backpack at the teller, and demanded money.
While the teller filled the backpack with money, a customer exited the bank and flagged down a marked police cruiser. The police officer entered the bank, pointed his gun at the robber, and ordered him to freeze. In response, Rosado faced the officer, pointed his gun in the officer’s direction, and fired one shot. The officer shot back. During the exchange of gunfire, Rosado exited the bank and the officer chased after him on foot.
As Rosado fled down College Avenue in Somerville, a bystander, noticing that Rosado was being pursued by a police officer, attempted to tackle Rosado, which caused Rosado to drop his backpack. Rosado kept running, and witnesses eventually lost sight of him. Upon review of the backpack, law enforcement found a Webley revolver, loaded with four unfired rounds of ammunition, and two cartridge casings, as well as more than $500.
Further investigation, including forensic analysis of the backpack, linked the DNA profile found on the backpack to Rosado. A subsequent review of Rosado’s driver’s license photo matched the images of the robber captured on video surveillance at the bank.
According to court records, Rosado has prior felony convictions, such as negligent operation of a motor vehicle, larceny from a person and witness intimidation, and assault by means of a dangerous weapon. Due to these prior convictions, Rosado is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition.
The charge of armed bank robbery provides for a sentence of up to 25 years in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000; the charge of brandishing and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence provides for a mandatory minimum of seven years and up to life in prison for brandishing and a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life for discharging, to be served consecutive to any other sentence imposed, and a fine of $250,000. The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Office; Colonel Christopher Mason, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; and Somerville Police Chief David Fallon made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island and the Providence (R.I.) Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey E. Weinstein of Lelling’s Criminal Division is prosecuting the case.
Repeat Offender Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison for Possessing Thousands of Images of Child Sexual AbuseRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that BRIAN HERNDON, 45, of New Britain, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 84 months of imprisonment, followed by 10 years of supervised release, for possession child pornography and for violating the conditions of his supervised release from a prior federal conviction.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on January 12, 2009, Herndon was sentenced in New Haven federal court to 72 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for possessing child pornography. He was released from federal prison in May 2014. On September 1, 2015, U.S. Probation officers searched Herndon’s residence and seized a laptop. Subsequent forensic examination of the laptop revealed approximately 2,269 images and 74 videos depicting the sexual abuse of children.
Herndon pleaded guilty to the offense on November 21, 2019.
Judge Shea ordered Herndon to pay a total of $5,000 to two victims whose images he possessed.
Herndon, who had been released on bond, was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service at the conclusion of today’s court proceeding.
This investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter S. Jongbloed.
This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.
Palm Beach County Tax Return Preparer Sentenced to Prison for Filing False Returns and Theft of Government FundsRead the Press Release
A West Palm Beach tax return preparer was sentenced to 90 months in prison on Friday for aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns and theft of government funds, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Ariana Fajardo Orshan for the Southern District of Florida.
According to the evidence presented at trial, from at least 2012 to 2016, Paul Senat was the owner and operator of multiple tax return preparation businesses in Palm Beach and surrounding areas. Through the businesses, Senat falsified his clients’ returns by reporting fictitious business losses and education credits in order to fraudulently inflate their refunds. Senat also stole a federal tax refund check worth nearly $10,000.
A federal jury in Fort Lauderdale, Florida convicted Senat on Nov. 6, 2019. Following the jury verdict, Senat was taken into custody.
At sentencing, U.S. District Judge Rodolfo A. Ruiz found that Senat caused a tax loss of more than $3.5 million to the United States.
In addition to the term of imprisonment, U.S. District Judge Ruiz ordered Senat to serve three years of supervised release and to pay $9,779 in restitution to the United States.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Zuckerman and U.S. Attorney Fajardo Orshan commended special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, who conducted the investigation, and Trial Attorneys Alexander Effendi and Lauren Archer of the Tax Division, who prosecuted the case.
Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the Division’s website.
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.
Pain Doctor Sentenced to Prison for Illegally Prescribing OpiatesRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Henrico man was sentenced today to 57 months in prison for unlawfully prescribing Oxycodone and Tramadol to patients at a Richmond-area pain management practice.
According to court documents, Dr. Zeljko Stjepanovic, 59, worked in a pain management practice, initially in Fredericksburg and later in Henrico County. Stjepanovic admitted that between 2014 and 2018 he wrote prescriptions for several patients without assessing the individual needs of those patients, and that his prescribing practices were outside the usual course of his professional practice and were without any legitimate medical purpose.
Authorities opened an investigation of Stjepanovic following numerous complaints from area pharmacies about his prescribing practices. As part of that investigation, two undercover officers, Patient 1 and Patient 2, made a total of four visits to Stjepanovic.
On at least two of those occasions, Stjepanovic prescribed Tramadol for Patient 1, but put the prescription in the name of Patient 2. Before the first instance, Stjepanovic notified both Patient 1 and Patient 2 that he knew what he was doing was illegal, but he proposed doing it nonetheless. On one of these occasions, Patient 1 was not even present when Stjepanovic wrote the Tramadol prescription. At no point did Stjepanovic or anyone working on his behalf ever obtain a medical history for Patient 1, conduct any physical examination or range of motion test for the patient, discuss causes of pain or what might alleviate it, consider any non-medicine based alternative treatments, or obtain or analyze any urine samples. Stjepanovic maintained no records for his treatment of Patient 1 on these two occasions.
On both of the occasions when Stjepanovic wrote a prescription for Patient 1 in the name of Patient 2, Stjepanovic also wrote a prescription for Oxycodone for Patient 2. As was the case with Patient 1, at no point did Stjepanovic or anyone working on his behalf ever obtain a medical history for Patient 2, conduct any physical examination or range of motion test for the patient, discuss causes of pain or what might alleviate it, consider any non-medicine based alternative treatments, or obtain or analyze any urine samples. Nonetheless, Stjepanovic falsely reported in his records for Patient 2 that he had done these things.
In addition, because Stjepanovic was concerned that writing prescriptions for Tramadol and Oxycodone for the same person might alert others to his scheme, he instructed Patient 2 what to tell the pharmacy if questioned about the two prescriptions.
Numerous other patients explained that their encounters with Stjepanovic were much the same as the ones he had with the undercover officers. Thus, patients stated that Stjepanovic performed either no or perfunctory examinations, changed medications because of concerns he would be caught by DEA rather than for legitimate medical reasons, steered these patients from certain pharmacies for fear he would get in trouble for his prescriptions, and made knowingly false entries in his files for the patients.
G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Jesse R. Fong, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Field Division, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen W. Miller and Janet Jin Ah Lee prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:19-cr-027.
Operation Shutdown Corner Update: Three More Defendants Enter Guilty Pleas to Federal Drug CrimesRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – Three men pled guilty today for their participation in a drug trafficking operation in Raleigh County, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart. Nick Attilli, 38, of Beaver, pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of a substance containing methamphetamine and a quantity of heroin. Timmy Lawson, 40, and Timmy Lawson II, 18, a father and son, both of Beckley, also entered guilty pleas to conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of a substance containing methamphetamine and a quantity of heroin. All three were charged as a result of a long-term investigation known as Operation Shutdown Corner.
“We owe a debt of gratitude to law enforcement for shutting down this organization that was peddling a significant amount of meth and heroin throughout our southern counties,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “Taking down large networks of drug traffickers is a top priority of my office.”
Attilli admitted that between June 2018, and September 17, 2019, he worked with other members of a drug trafficking organization (DTO) operating in Raleigh County, West Virginia to distribute methamphetamine and heroin. Attilli admitted that during this time period he was supplied with methamphetamine and heroin from other members of the drug trafficking organization. Attilli admitted that during this time period he had telephone conversations that were intercepted by law enforcement. Attilli admitted that it was clear that these conversations were involving drug activity. He admitted that at times he was “fronted” with drugs, meaning the drugs were provided without making full payment for them, then he would sell the drugs and with the proceeds, pay back his suppliers. He admitted to being supplied by several members of the DTO. Attilli faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 40 years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000,000 when he is sentenced on July 6, 2020.
Timmy Lawson admitted that between June 2018 and September 17, 2019, he participated in the drug trafficking organization by working with other members of the DTO to distribute methamphetamine and heroin within the Southern District of West Virginia. During this time period, Lawson admitted to obtaining more than 50 grams of methamphetamine and a quantity of heroin from various suppliers within the drug trafficking network that he intended to re-distribute.
Timmy Lawson, II, admitted that he too participated in the same drug trafficking network. He admitted that between June 2018 and September 17, 2019, he participated in the drug trafficking network by distributing more than 50 grams of methamphetamine and a quantity of heroin. At the plea hearing, Lawson II admitted that each week during a two-month period he obtained between one-quarter ounce to one-half ounce of methamphetamine and a quantity of heroin from other members of the DTO. He admitted that he then re-distributed those drugs within the Southern District of West Virginia. He also admitted that at times the drugs were “fronted” to him, and that he would pay his supplier after the drugs were sold.
Both of the Lawsons face a mandatory minimum period of five years and up to forty years in prison and a $5,000,000 fine when they are sentenced on July 7, 2020.
Stuart commended the cooperative investigative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), the Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force, the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office, the Beckley Police Department, and the West Virginia State Police.
Assistant United States Attorney Timothy D. Boggess is in charge of the prosecutions. The plea hearings were held before United States District Judge Frank W. Volk.
Follow us on Twitter: SDWVNews and USAttyStuart
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Omaha Man Convicted of Theft of Mail by a Postal EmployeeRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Joe Kelly announced that Tristen Stoker, 21, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced in federal court in Omaha on February 21, 2020, for Theft of Mail by a Postal Employee. United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Stoker to time served. There is no parole in the federal system. Stoker will begin a 3-year term of supervised.
On June 2, 2019, Stoker, a rural mail carrier with the United States Postal Service, was stopped by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office for a traffic infraction in his vehicle. Stoker allowed the deputies to search his vehicle. During the search of his vehicle, the deputies found a backpack containing a large quantity of mail that was not addressed to Stoker. Stoker told the deputies that he had the mail since he was a rural mail carrier and he had not been able to deliver it on Saturday, June 1, but would be delivering it on Monday, June 3. The deputies noticed that some of the mail had been opened. The deputies noted that most of the mail opened were envelopes that appeared to contain birthday cards, wedding invitations, or thank you cards, which would typically include money. Deputies also observed four opened envelopes, which contained credit or debit cards. Deputies also found an opened envelope that contained a check. The mail in Stoker’s vehicle was from his assigned mail route, which is an area where mail thefts had been reported.
This case was investigated by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Postal Service – Office of the Inspector General.
Off-Site Manager of Marijuana Grow in Shasta-Trinity National Forest Sentenced to 10 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Dimas Ortiz, 26, of Michoacán, Mexico, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller to 10 years in prison and ordered to pay $10,000 in restitution to the U.S. Forest Service for growing marijuana on the National Forest and for depredation of Public Lands and Resources, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.
According to court documents, Ortiz oversaw the marijuana growing operations of several other men in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest to the west of Weaverville, near Limedyke Mountain, at an elevation of approximately 2,500 feet. On Aug. 7, 2017, law enforcement officers executed a search of the grow and eradicated more than 2,500 marijuana plants. A camp site was found where the on-site workers had camped. Ortiz oversaw the operation from a distance. He helped finance the operation, provided the supplies for the grow site, and directed the activities of his co-defendants. Ortiz expected the operation to yield 800 pounds of processed marijuana, worth $500,000, of which he was to receive 25%. In 2016, Ortiz was the driver for the same grow site and he and others harvested approximately 800 pounds of processed marijuana.
The environmental damage to the forest was analyzed and documented by Integral Ecology Research Center, a non-profit organization dedicated to the research and conservation of wildlife and their ecosystems that has examined over 100 public land marijuana grow sites.
According to the report of the investigation filed with the court, at this grow site, a half-full 33.8‑oz. bottle of carbofuran was found hidden among the fertilizer bags and a bag containing an estimated 20 pounds of suspected powder carbofuran. Carbofuran is a toxic pesticide that is banned in the United States. A food bottle found at the site had been reused and contained a mixture of refried beans and carbofuran (suspected bait for animals). The environmental assessment concluded that the carbofuran and other pesticides and fertilizer at the grow site likely posed a significant direct risk to a number of endangered species, including the bald eagle, the northern spotted owl, and the coho salmon. Four cisterns were discovered with water diverted from mountain streams for use in the marijuana grow’s irrigation system with an estimated 4,500 feet of plastic irrigation lines for water and over 2,200 pounds of soluble fertilizer. The report estimates that the operation used over 15,000 gallons of water per day. Open campsite latrines were also found in proximity to waterways that would cause watershed contamination from the latrines’ fecal matter after the next substantial rain. About 1,000 pounds of trash and 500 pounds of plastic irrigation lines were hauled out of the site. Tests on samples of the marijuana plants determined that carbofuran was present in the plant material.
This case was the product of an investigation by the U.S. Forest Service with the assistance of agents from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the North State Marijuana Investigation Team and deputies of the Trinity County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney David W. Spencer prosecuted the case.
Sebastian Martinez Arreola, of Michoacán, Mexico, who had been in the grow site approximately 11 days at the time of his arrest, pleaded guilty to marijuana cultivation charges, and on Feb. 28, 2018, was sentenced to 20 months in prison. Carlos Gutierrez Gonzalez, 25, of Michoacán, Mexico, was sentenced to 50 months in prison. On Dec. 17, 2018, Armando Mayorga Garcia pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on March 30.
North Platte Man Sentenced for Distributing MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Joe Kelly announced that Ronald Garnett, 49, of North Platte, Nebraska, was sentenced on February 24, 2020, to 84 months in prison by Senior United States District Judge Laurie Smith Camp for distribution of 5 grams or more of actual methamphetamine. There is no parole in the federal system. Upon his release from prison, Garnett will serve four years of supervised release.
On October 25, 2017, Garnett sold an ounce of methamphetamine to a cooperating individual working for law enforcement in North Platte for $1,200. The lab result was 25 grams of actual methamphetamine.
This case was investigated by the North Platte Police Department.
Mother and Son Sentenced for Conspiracy to Obstruct JusticeRead the Press Release
The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that Donna Mahar, 61, of Danvers, Massachusetts, was sentenced today for conspiracy to obstruct justice. District Judge Christina Reiss ordered defendant Mahar to a time-served (one day) incarcerative sentence, a six-month term of home detention, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $10,000 fine. Mahar’s son, Derek Spilman, 45, of Winooski, Vermont, was sentenced December 16, 2019 to a 29-month term of incarceration for his convictions stemming from a conspiracy to distribute marijuana, his unlawful possession of firearms, and the conspiracy to obstruct justice. As part of his plea agreement, defendant Spilman agreed to the entry of a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $50,000, half of which Spilman had paid prior to his sentencing hearing.
According to Court records, in the late summer of 2018, defendant Spilman began distributing marijuana and THC-infused edibles from his Church Street business, “Goodtimes Gallery.” In December of 2018, following complaints from the community, Spilman’s marijuana inventory was confiscated by an investigator with the Vermont Department of Liquor and Lottery. Defendant Spilman continued to sell marijuana from the business. As a result, the Burlington Police Department and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) conducted a joint investigation that included controlled purchases of marijuana from Spilman’s business. On January 29, 2019, law enforcement executed a federal search warrant at the business, during which agents seized approximately $11,000 of drug proceeds, a half kilogram of marijuana, a Ruger 9mm handgun, and ammunition. Additional investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) revealed that Spilman also had possessed a Panther AR rifle, a Smith & Wesson .40 caliber pistol, and a Ruger .22 caliber rifle.
After his arrest, defendant Spilman vandalized the storefront of another Church Street business, which was owned by a government witness. The vandalism resulted in the government filing a motion to revoke defendant Spilman’s pretrial release. Prior to the revocation hearing, defendants Spilman and Mahar attempted to pressure a friend of Spilman’s to obstruct the proceeding. When those efforts failed, defendants Spilman and Mahar enlisted a family member in the scheme. Defendant Mahar cut the man’s hair to better match Spilman’s; defendant Spilman gave the man funds to purchase a jacket to match the one that Spilman wore during the vandalism; and defendant Spilman coached the man on what to say to defense investigators. During the revocation hearing before a United States Magistrate Judge, the man committed perjury in furtherance of the conspiracy to obstruct justice, falsely claiming responsibility for the vandalism. Subsequent investigation by the DEA confirmed the perjury, and that defendants Mahar and Spilman had procured the perjury. The investigation also revealed that after the unlawful interference with the revocation hearing, defendant Spilman continued to distribute marijuana while on court-ordered location monitoring.
United States Attorney Christina E. Nolan commended the investigative efforts of the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Burlington Police Department; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives; and the Department of Liquor and Lottery Office of Compliance and Enforcement, in the successful arrests and prosecution of defendants Spilman and Mahar.
Defendant Mahar was represented by Frank J. Twarog, Esq. Defendant Spilman was represented by Lisa Shelkrot, Esq. The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt.
Mexican National Pleaded Guilty to Illegal Use of a Social Security NumberRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Peter Strasser announced today that HECTOR SILVA-TOLENTINO, age 29, pleaded guilty on February 18, 2020 to a one-count Bill of Information for illegal use of a social security number in violation of Title 42, United States Code, Section 408(a)(7)(B).
According to the bill of information, HECTOR SILVA-TOLENTINO (“SILVA”), presented a false identification document in order to obtain a Louisiana Driver’s License in Napoleonville, Louisiana. SILVA used the driver’s license to obtain employment on offshore oilrigs.
SILVA faces a maximum term of imprisonment of five years, a maximum fine of $250,000, a maximum term of supervised release of one year, and a mandatory $100 special assessment. Judge Jane Triche Milazzo scheduled sentencing for March 18, 2020.
U.S. Attorney Strasser praised the work of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General and the United States Border Patrol in investigating this matter. Assistant U. S. Attorney Spiro G. Latsis is in charge of the prosecution.
Metro Denver Man Agrees to Community Service and $500 Charitable Donation After Failing to Appear for Federal Jury DutyRead the Press Release
DENVER – United States Attorney Jason R. Dunn announced that Emil Francis Ozaraga has agreed to perform 50 hours of community service and pay $500 to charity as a consequence of failing to show up after being selected as a juror in U.S. District Court in Denver. This was part of a Diversion Agreement entered between the U.S. Attorney and Ozaraga. If Ozaraga fails to perform as per the agreement he could face a criminal charge and potential incarceration.
According to court records, Emil Francis Ozaraga was summoned to jury duty on October 21, 2019, in U.S. District Court in Denver. On that date, he was selected to sit on the jury in a civil case. Ozaraga was sworn in as a juror, heard opening statements of the parties, and heard testimony from the plaintiff’s first witness. At the end of the day on October 21, 2019, the jury was released, but before they left all jurors were told that they were required by the Court to return the following day, Tuesday, October 22, 2019, in time for court proceedings to resume at 9:00 a.m.
On that following morning, Ozaraga neither appeared for the court proceedings nor called to advise as to why he did not appear. All other jurors were present and prepared to proceed with trial. A later review of the jury questionnaire found that Ozaraga expressed disdain for the jury system. As a result, the court initiated criminal contempt proceedings against Ozaraga.
“Jury service is a civic right and an important obligation,” said U.S. Attorney Jason Dunn. “Our system of justice requires the participation of every citizen, and we will seek to hold accountable those that deliberately shirk their duty.”
Melrose Park, IL man Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Federal Kidnapping and transporting his victim from Wisconsin to IllinoisRead the Press Release
Matthew D. Krueger, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on February 21, 2020, Wayne Grills (age 57), Melrose Park, IL was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release. The Court further imposed a restitution order for $8,515.80 and a special assessment of $100.00.
The sentence imposed by United States District Judge J.P. Stadtmueller, was the result of a guilty plea entered by the defendant on November 16, 2019. Grills pled guilty to unlawfully and willfully seizing, kidnapping, abducting, and carrying away the victim from Wisconsin to Illinois, and holding her for purposes of retaliation, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1201(a)(1).
Despite a history of Domestic Violence which caused the victim to end their relationship in September, 2017, Grills tried repeatedly to contact the victim but she blocked his calls, and filed a complaint with the Greenfield Police Department for which Grills was ticketed for harassing behavior. After not having contact with Grills for ten months, on June 9, 2018, the victim awoke in the middle night to find Grills at the foot of her bed after he broke into the home she shared with her three children. He forced her into his van and took her, by gun point, from Milwaukee to Chicago. Along the way, he stopped her from escaping and raped her. Through the heroic efforts of the Greenfield Police Department, the victim was found, held against her will, in the defendant’s garage in Melrose Park, IL.
In sentencing the defendant, Judge Stadtmueller stated “Mr. Grills learned very little when it comes to respect of the law, to respecting family and to respecting the community.” He also said, “There is no excuse at all for what the defendant did.” He commented that he had a very lengthy record compromised of 16 criminal convictions that counted under the guidelines and many that did not and also had 32 arrests.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office, and the Greenfield Police Department. It was prosecuted by United States Assistant United States Attorneys Megan J. Paulson and Benjamin A. Wesson.
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Man Sentenced to 292 Months in Prison for Enticing a Minor on Social MediaRead the Press Release
A man illegally residing in the United States was sentenced in federal court Monday for attempting to persuade an 11-year-old online to engage in sexual activity. Two years earlier, the defendant also molested the child while she stayed at a friend’s house.
U.S. District Judge Claire V. Eagan sentenced Agustin Nieto Regalado, 47, of Tulsa, to 292 months in federal prison for attempted coercion and enticement of a minor and for possession of a false lawful permanent resident card. Following his prison sentence, Nieto will be removed from the United States.
“Augustin Nieto Regalado sexually abused multiple children while in the United States on a fake green card. The United States asked the court for a sentence of life imprisonment because we believed a life sentence was the only way to ensure Regalado could never hurt another child. We take solace, however, knowing he is headed to prison for a long time and that a jury held him accountable for his despicable acts,” said U.S. Attorney Trent Shores. “During this trial, an eleven-year-old sexual abuse victim took the witness stand and courageously faced her abuser, Regalado. It was a powerful moment to see and a reminder that the American justice system gives a voice to victims of crime. I am humbled by the efforts of law enforcement, victim advocates, and prosecutors who worked tirelessly on this case.”
“Investigating, prosecuting and eradicating perpetrators of these horrendous crimes from our communities is one of our highest priorities,” said Ryan L. Spradlin, special agent in charge of HSI Dallas. “HSI special agents are resilient and committed to relentlessly defending the most vulnerable among us from child predators.”
In April 2019, the victim’s mother grew suspicious of a Facebook message her daughter received from a man she knew as “Marcos Diaz.” The mother conversed with Diaz, pretending to be her daughter. Diaz acknowledged the child’s age and described sexual acts he wanted to engage in with the victim. He further offered to pay for the sex acts, asked for explicit pictures and described how he had previously molested the child. Marcos Diaz, who was really Agustin Nieto Regalado, also took sexually explicit photos of himself and sent them to the girl. The mother reported the encounter to authorities.
During the trial, Lieutenant Jeremy Noland of the Tulsa Police Department’s Cyber Crimes Unit explained that detectives took over the girl’s Facebook account once the mother reported Regalado. He described how the defendant continued to message the girl, not knowing that he was actually messaging detectives. A meeting location was set by the parties. When Regalado arrived at the location, he was taken into custody by detectives. The defendant was found in possession of a forged permanent resident card with the alias of Marcos Diaz and immigration documents with the name Agustin Nieto Regalado.
During the trial, testimony was heard that Regalado was also caught several times engaging in suspicious activity with other children.
The Tulsa Police Department’s Cyber Crimes and Child Crisis Units and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) and Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO) are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Nassar and Edward Snow prosecuted the case.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Lowcountry Men Plead Guilty in Federal Court to Distributing Heroin and Fentanyl Causing DeathRead the Press Release
Charleston, South Carolina ---- Acting United States Attorney A. Lance Crick announced today that Carlos Ravenel, 37, of North Charleston, and Gordon William Brock, 49, of Mount Pleasant, have each pleaded guilty in federal court to Distribution of Heroin and Fentanyl Resulting in Death.
Evidence presented to the court showed that on November 20, 2018, EMS, Mount Pleasant Police Department, and members of the Charleston DEA Task Force responded to a 911 call regarding an opioid overdose in Mount Pleasant. When EMS arrived, they discovered the male victim had already died. Toxicology and autopsy reports showed that heroin and fentanyl toxicity caused his death.
While officers were at the home, they were notified that a woman had also overdosed from opioids and was at a nearby hospital. Law enforcement met with the woman, who was recovering from an overdose from the same drugs. A swift investigation ensued to find both the dealer and the deadly batch of drugs.
The evidence led law enforcement to conduct a search at the home of Gordon William Brock, where officers found heroin and fentanyl. Further investigation revealed that the day before the two overdoses, Carlos Ravenel sold a heroin-fentanyl mix to one of his sub-distributors. The sub-distributor then sold the drugs to Brock. The following day, Brock distributed the lethal drugs to the male victim, who was with the female victim at the time.
United States District Judge Richard M. Gergel of Charleston accepted the guilty pleas and will impose sentences after he has received and reviewed sentencing reports prepared by the United States Probation Office. The maximum penalty for Distribution of Heroin and Fentanyl Resulting in Death is imprisonment for Life and/or a fine of $1,000,000.
The case was investigated by agents of the Mount Pleasant Police Department and the Charleston DEA Task Force, with assistance provided by Charleston Police Department, North Charleston Police Department, and Charleston County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Jamie Lea Schoen of the Charleston is prosecuting the case.
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In 2018, Charleston County had the second highest number of opioid-involved deaths in the state. Fentanyl can be 50 times more potent than heroin, significantly increasing the risk for overdose, and a person who obtains drugs illegally may not know the substance contains fentanyl. If you or a loved one are struggling with substance misuse, you can find treatment options in your area at http://www.daodas.sc.gov/treatment/local-providers/.
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.
Local man sentenced to 60 years in prison for sexually abusing toddlers while registered as a sex offenderRead the Press Release
DAYTON – A Dayton registered sex offender was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 720 months in prison and a lifetime of supervised release for producing child pornography through the sexual abuse of two toddlers.
Tyler Ulm, 25, created child pornography by sexually abusing a 2-year-old boy and a 3-year-old boy over the course of a year. He abused the two-year-old on at least five occasions at various locations in the Dayton area and the three-year-old at least twice at Ulm’s Dayton residence.
Ulm produced at least seven videos and 58 pictures of the sexual abuse.
“Ulm raped a 2 year old on five occasions and a 3 year old on two occasions,” said U.S. Attorney David M. DeVillers. “Even worse, he recorded the assaults with his phone and then freely distributed videos and images of the acts of torture. Every day he spends in prison is a safer day for our children.”
The defendant pleaded guilty on Oct. 28, 2019.
The plea was a global resolution that also involved state charges arising out of Montgomery County Common Pleas Court.
Federally, Ulm pleaded guilty to two counts of producing and one count of distributing child pornography, as well as committing a felony offense involving a minor while being required to register as a sex offender. He also accepted responsibility for his state charges, including two counts of rape of a person under 10 years of age, two counts of rape of a person under 10 years of age by force and two counts of gross sexual imposition of a person under 13 years of age.
David M. DeVillers, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Chris Hoffman, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Dayton Police Chief Richard S. Biehl; and Montgomery County Prosecutor Mathias H. Heck, Jr. announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Walter H. Rice.
Assistant Deputy Criminal Chief Laura I. Clemmens is representing the United States in the federal case and Montgomery County Assistant Prosecuting Attorneys Kelly D. Madzey and Jonathan W. Sauline are handling the state charges.
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Local Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Multiple Business Robberies; Two Co-Defendants also SentencedRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN –Artavius Burnett, 21, has been sentenced to 180 months in federal prison for the armed robbery of two businesses, theft from a Federal Firearms Licensee, the disposing and selling of stolen firearms, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant announced the sentence today.
According to information presented in court, on November 20, 2017, Artavius Burnett, together with a juvenile accomplice, robbed the Pawn Plus on 5851 Winchester, which is a Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL). Both Burnett and his accomplice wore hoodies and red bandannas over their faces. Burnett pointed a pistol at the two employees and demanded they put handguns in his backpack while the juvenile stood as a lookout. The employees complied and Burnett took 17 handguns from the store, and then fled.
On November 27, 2017, Artavius Burnett, again together with a juvenile accomplice, robbed the Family Dollar at 9109 Highway 64. This robbery followed the same pattern as the first robbery, with Burnett pointing a pistol at multiple employees and the juvenile standing at the door as a lookout. One of the store clerks gave Burnett $1,783 and they fled the store.
Burnett was developed as a suspect based upon a Crime Stoppers tip. He later admitted to law enforcement to being a member of the Vice Lords gang, to robbing both businesses, and to selling some of the stolen firearms "on the street."
On November 25, 2019, U.S. District Court Judge Sheryl H. Lipman sentenced Jasmine Meabon, a co-defendant who served as the getaway driver during both robberies and who also sold and distributed some of the stolen firearms, to 168 months in federal prison followed by 3 years supervised release.
On August 1, 2019, U.S. District Court Judge Sheryl H. Lipman sentenced Breanna Shields, a co-defendant who assisted Meabon by hiding and disposing some of the stolen firearms and later threatened a potential witness, to 24 months in federal prison followed by 3 years supervised release.
On February 21, 2020, U.S. District Court Judge Sheryl H. Lipman sentenced Artavius Burnett to 180 months in federal prison followed by 3 years supervised release.
U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said, "Armed business robbery that threatens and harms store owners must be dealt with swiftly and certainly. Likewise, the theft of multiple firearms is especially dangerous, and threatens the lives of countless citizens when stolen guns hit the streets. Any robbery of a FFL will be met with aggressive federal prosecution in order to protect public safety, and these sentences are just punishment that will incapacitate these violent offenders."
The Memphis Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the FBI’s Safe Street Task Force investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney J. William Crow prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
Lebanon Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Lebanon, Missouri, man was sentenced in federal court today for producing child pornography.
Michael Brannon, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 15 years in federal prison without parole.
On Aug. 5, 2019, Brannon pleaded guilty to producing child pornography.
According to court documents, Facebook submitted a CyberTipline report to law enforcement in June 2018 regarding an online conversation between Brannon and the 16-year-old victim, identified in court documents as “Jane Doe #1.” During the course of the chat, which was sexual in nature, Jane Doe #1 transmitted pornographic images to Brannon at his request.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Lebanon, Mo., Police Department, and the Lake Area Cyber Crimes Task Force.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."Leader of Guatemalan Drug Trafficking Organization Sentenced to 23 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
A leader of a Guatemalan drug trafficking organization was sentenced today to 23 years in prison for his participation in an international drug trafficking conspiracy, announced Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Special Agent in Charge Wendy Woolcock of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Operations Division.
Waldemar Lorenzana-Lima was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly in the District of Columbia following an Aug. 18, 2014, guilty plea to his participation in an international drug trafficking conspiracy. The court also ordered Lorenzana-Lima to forfeit $50,949,000.
As Lorenzana-Lima admitted in connection with his guilty plea, from March 1996 to November 2007, Lorenzana-Lima was a member of a drug trafficking organization that would receive, inventory, and store large quantities of cocaine from Colombia at Lorenzana-Lima’s properties in Guatemala, for eventual importation into Mexico and the United States. The court concluded at sentencing that Lorenzana-Lima’s conduct qualified him as an “organizer or leader” of the drug trafficking organization within the meaning of the applicable sentencing guidelines.
On April 27, 2010, the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control designated Lorenzana-Lima and his sons, Eliu Lorenzana-Cordon and Waldemar Lorenzana-Cordon, as specially designated narcotics traffickers. Pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, this designation applied as a result of their significant roles in international narcotics trafficking, their significant ties to the Sinaloa Cartel, and their use of family business and agricultural holdings in Guatemala as a front to aid in the northbound movement of illegal drugs through Central America.
The DEA Special Operations Division’s Bilateral Investigations Unit and Guatemala City Country Office led the investigation, which was supported by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force program and the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs. In particular, the Justice Department wishes to convey its gratitude to the government of Guatemala for its steadfast commitment, collaboration, and assistance in the investigation, extradition, and prosecution of this case.
Trial Attorneys Brett Reynolds and Anthony Aminoff of the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section and Trial Attorney Emily Cohen of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section are prosecuting the case.
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.
Leader of Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods Sentenced to 17 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that ALJERMIAH MACK, a/k/a “Nuke,” was sentenced to 204 months in prison in connection with his participation in the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods (“Nine Trey”) and the distribution of narcotics, including heroin and fentanyl. MACK was convicted following a three-week jury trial in October 2019 before U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer, who imposed today’s sentence.
U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “Aljermiah Mack was a leader of the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods, a violent gang that wreaked havoc across New York City. Now, thanks to the outstanding work of our partners at the NYPD, HSI, and ATF, he will spend the next 17 years in federal prison.”
According to court documents and the evidence presented at the trial of MACK and co-defendant Anthony Ellison:
Nine Trey was a criminal enterprise involved in committing numerous acts of violence, including shootings, robberies, and assaults in and around Manhattan and Brooklyn. Members and associates of Nine Trey engaged in violence to retaliate against rival gangs, to promote the standing and reputation of Nine Trey, and to protect the gang’s narcotics business. Members and associates of Nine Trey enriched themselves by committing robberies and selling drugs, such as heroin, fentanyl, furanyl fentanyl, MDMA, dibutylone, and marijuana.
The leadership structure of Nine Trey is divided into two parts: the Prison Lineup, which consists of incarcerated members, and the Street Lineup, which consists of members who are not incarcerated. MACK was one of the highest-ranking members of the Street Lineup.
MACK was found guilty after trial of racketeering conspiracy for his participation in the Nine Trey enterprise and conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute one kilogram and more of mixtures and substances containing heroin.
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In addition to the prison term, MACK, 34, of Brooklyn, New York, was sentenced to five years of supervised release.
Mr. Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of the New York City Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Mr. Berman also praised the New York City Department of Correction, Correction Intelligence Bureau, and the Kings County District Attorney’s Office for their assistance in the investigation.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Michael Longyear, Jacob Warren, and Jonathan Rebold are in charge of the prosecution.
Kaiser Permanente Agrees to Settle Americans with Disabilities Act Claims and to Improve Access for Deaf or Hard of Hearing PatientsRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – Southern California Permanente Medical Group and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals have agreed to resolve allegations that they violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by failing to provide a qualified sign language interpreter or other appropriate form of assistance to a deaf patient. Separately, a Riverside County doctor has agreed to settle similar claims involving a deaf patient.
The Kaiser settlement agreement ensures that individuals with disabilities at its West Los Angeles Medical Center receive appropriate auxiliary aids and services necessary for effective communication. Southern California Permanente Medical Group and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals have agreed to provide equipment and services free of charge to ensure that people who are deaf or hard of hearing have full and equal access to medical appointments, treatments, and emergency visits at this medical center. The complainant alleged he was not provided effective communication on a regular basis during visits to this medical center from 2012 through 2016.
The entities, which fully cooperated with the government’s investigation, have agreed to:
- Provide appropriate auxiliary aids and services, including qualified interpreters, when necessary to ensure effective communication with patients who are deaf or hard of hearing and their companions;
- Advertise the availability of auxiliary aids and services;
- Designate a diversity coordinator to ensure access to appropriate auxiliary aids and services necessary for effective communication;
- Provide training on auxiliary aids and services, including qualified interpreters, for the diversity coordinator, Medical Center personnel, and telephone operators; and
- Pay compensation to the complainant and civil penalties to the United States.
In a separate matter, Dr. Javier Rios, a Lake Elsinore-based physician, also agreed to comply with the ADA by providing appropriate auxiliary aids and services free of charge so people who are deaf or hard of hearing have full and equal access to appointments and treatment at his office. The settlement resolves allegations that Rios, during more than a dozen appointments from 2016 to 2018, failed to provide such services for a patient who is deaf, telling her instead that she or her insurance company should provide them. The ADA requires providers, not patients, to ensure effective communication for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Rios fully cooperated with the government’s investigation.
“Communicating with medical professionals not only is a right under federal law, it also can be a matter of life and death,” said United States Attorney Nick Hanna. “My office will take the necessary measures to ensure that health care providers comply with the ADA and provide equal treatment for the deaf and hard of hearing.”
Assistant United States Attorney Acrivi Coromelas of the Civil Division’s Civil Rights Section handled the Kaiser matter. Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Nickell, also of the Civil Division’s Civil Rights Section, handled the Rios matter.
Copies of the settlement agreements can be found here and here. For more information on the ADA, please call the toll-free ADA Information Line at (800) 514-0301 or (800) 514-0383 (TDD) or access the ADA website at http://www.ada.gov.
The claims resolved by the settlements are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
This year marks the ADA’s 30th anniversary. The Department of Justice – including the U.S. Attorney’s Office – plays a central role in advancing the nation’s goal of equal opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for people with disabilities. The Justice Department will continue to use its enforcement and technical assistance tools to eliminate unlawful discrimination against people with disabilities.
Jacksonville Man Arrested and Charged with Attempting to Entice and Meet A 12-Year-Old Child to Engage in Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces that Wayne Dale Epps, Jr. (35, Jacksonville) has been arrested and charged with using the internet to attempt to entice a 12-year-old child to engage in sexual activity. Epps faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years, and up to life, in federal prison. Epps is currently in federal custody and has been ordered detained pending trial.
According to court documents, on February 14, 2020, an undercover FBI agent who was posing online as the family member of a 12-year-old child, was contacted by the user “ksaber2040,” who was later identified as Epps. The same undercover agent had previously engaged in online conversation with Epps in October 2019. Over the next several days, Epps and the undercover agent engaged in online conversation in which Epps expressed his desire to meet the 12-year-old “child” to engage in sexual activity. Epps provided the undercover agent with details about the sexual acts that he wished to perform on the child. On the afternoon of February 18, 2020, Epps drove to a prearranged location in Jacksonville to meet the child for sex and was arrested by FBI agents.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Jacksonville. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Jackson Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Trafficking MethemphetamineRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – Kelvin Watkins, 43, of Jackson, was sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Judge David C. Bramlette III to 10 years in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Brad L. Byerley with the Drug Enforcement Administration. Watkins was also ordered to pay a $1,500 fine.
From February 2017 to January 2019, Watkins was involved in a methamphetamine trafficking organization. On multiple occasions, Watkins delivered methamphetamine to a confidential source. In total, he delivered approximately 188 grams of methamphetamine, which was tested and found to be between 96-99% pure. Watkins was indicted on January 25, 2019 and pled guilty before Judge Bramlette on August 13, 2019.
This case is the result of an extensive investigation, dubbed “Drama Queen,” targeting illegal methamphetamine distribution in central Mississippi, by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Marshals Service, Hinds County Sheriff’s Office, Jones County Sheriff’s Office, Jackson Police Department, Pearl Police Department, Biloxi Police Department and Richland Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Chris Wansley.
Horseshoe Bend Woman Sentenced to 41 Months for Wire Fraud for Defrauding Saint Alphonsus Health SystemRead the Press Release
BOISE – Lois Soito, 60, of Horseshoe Bend, was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison for wire fraud U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced today. Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye also ordered Soito to serve three years of supervised release following her release from prison and to pay $1,483,963.82 in restitution. Soito pleaded guilty on November 13, 2019.
According to court records, for 22 years, Soito was employed by the Saint Alphonsus Health System (SAHS) in Boise. In her job, Soito had access to money raised at the Festival of Trees. Beginning in January 2005, Soito devised a scheme to defraud SAHS to obtain money and property. Beginning in January 2005, Soito kept checks intended for SAHS instead of depositing them in the appropriate account. She then fraudulently deposited some of the checks into a bank account used to reimburse SAHS vendors. From that account, Soito wrote checks payable to herself and deposited them into a credit union account she controlled. Soito also used some of the checks that she kept to conceal her theft of funds from the Festival of Trees from 2014 through 2018. Soito used similar methods with other accounts connected to the SAHS between approximately 2014 and 2019 to embezzle additional funds.
This case was investigated by FBI and Boise Police Department.
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Guilford Hotel to Permit Service Animals and Make Architectural Changes to Comply with the ADARead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that the U.S. Attorney’s Office has reached a settlement agreement with the Comfort Inn in Guilford, to resolve allegations that the hotel was not in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ADA”).
The settlement agreement resolves an ADA complaint filed by an individual with disabilities alleging that the Comfort Inn refused to allow him to stay at the hotel with his service animal and that the Comfort Inn was not accessible for individuals with mobility disabilities who use wheelchairs. The hotel is in the process of making the changes required by the settlement agreement, which includes the implementation of a new policy prohibiting staff members from requiring documentation or certification for service animals. The policy permits service animals in all areas of the hotel where guests and members of the public are allowed to go. The Comfort Inn will train its staff on the new policy and will post signs indicating that service animals are welcome at the hotel. Additionally, the Comfort Inn will make changes to its facility to increase accessibility, including designating accessible parking spaces, creating an accessible route to the designated accessible entrance, adding accessible seating in the hotel’s breakfast area, modifying the lobby toilet rooms, and adding accessible features to its accessible guest rooms.
Under federal law, private entities that own or operate places of “public accommodation,” including hotels and inns, are prohibited from discriminating on the basis of disability. The ADA authorizes the Justice Department to investigate complaints and undertake periodic reviews of compliance of covered entities. The Justice Department is also authorized to commence a civil lawsuit in federal court in any case that involves a pattern or practice of discrimination or that raises issues of general public importance, and to seek injunctive relief, monetary damages, and civil penalties.
U.S. Attorney Durham thanked the owners of the Comfort Inn for their cooperation and their willingness to improve accessibility at their hotel without the need for litigation.
This matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney David C. Nelson and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica H. Soufer of the District of Connecticut in coordination with the Disability Rights Section of the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.
Any member of the public who wishes to file a complaint alleging that any place of public accommodation or public entity in Connecticut is not accessible to persons with disabilities may contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at 203-821-3700.
Additional information about the ADA can be found at www.ada.gov, or by calling the Justice Department’s toll-free information line at (800) 514-0301 and (800) 514-0383 (TTY). More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt.
Gaithersburg Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Federal Prison for Receipt of Child Pornography and Extortion by Threat to Ruin the Reputation of AnotherRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – On Friday, February 21, 2020, U.S. District Judge Peter J. Messitte sentenced Zhi Tian Lang, age 24, of Gaithersburg, Maryland, to 14 years in federal prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release, for receipt of child pornography and to extortion by threat to ruin the reputation of another. Judge Messitte also ordered that Lang must register as a sex offender in the places where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). Lang is also required to pay a special assessment of $5,200. Lang admitted that he threatened to post revealing photos of his victims on social media and other Internet platforms if they did not send him sexually explicit photographs and/or videos of themselves.
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 Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department.
According to his guilty plea, between at least January and October 2014 Lang communicated with minor female victims ranging in age from 13 to 17 years old and located throughout the United States, including South Dakota, Wisconsin, and New Jersey. Lang used an Internet messaging application and used the name “Seth” when contacting his victims. Lang would obtain pictures of minor victims from their social media accounts or through direct flirtation. The pictures often depicted the victims in their underwear. Lang would then demand that unless the victim provided him with nude pictures, he would post the initial pictures on a public Internet account or send them directly to one or more of the victim’s acquaintances.
As detailed in his plea agreement, Lang threatened at least eleven minor victims to provide him with sexually explicit photos and/or videos of themselves and only a few refused to do so. Lang admitted that he posted photographs of some of the minor victims to coerce them and sent at least one photo to another individual.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the "Resources" tab on the left of the page.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI and the Montgomery County Police Department for their work in the investigation, and thanked law enforcement agencies in New Jersey and South Dakota for their assistance. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph R. Baldwin, who prosecuted the federal case.
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Four Men Indicted for Huntsville Jewelry Store RobberyRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A federal grand jury in January indicted four men in connection to an armed robbery of a local jewelry store in Huntsville, announced U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Explosives and Firearms Special Agent in Charge Marcus Watson.
A four-count indictment filed in U.S. District Court charges Alexander Langford, 26, Huntsville, Nakeel Darrel Davis, 34, Huntsville, Tre Michael Smith, 26, Harvest, and Tyrus Rashad Ray, 26, Huntsville, of crimes under the Hobbs Act, a federal robbery statute, as well as federal firearms charges. According to the indictment, the defendants entered the Loring and Company jewelry store armed and brandishing firearms in broad daylight and stole luxury watches.
“These defendants are yet another example that my office and our district’s law enforcement community will be relentless in the pursuit of violent criminals,” Town said. “Let those considering acts of violence and any brazen disregard for the safety of our community know that we will use any and all federal tools available to us to ensure they are dealt with swiftly and justly. Our community demands this, and we will deliver.”
“Law enforcement partnerships instrumental on the arrests of this crew that endangered the community by committing an armed robbery during business hours,” ATF Special Agent in Charge Marcus Watson stated. Law enforcement resources were effective in the capture despite that the criminal element knows no geographical boundaries.”
The Hobbs Act prohibits actual or attempted robbery that affects interstate commerce and that involves the taking of property from another person by means of actual or threatened force or violence. The maximum penalty for Hobbs Act robbery is 20 years in prison. Brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a violent crime carries a mandatory seven years in prison per count, to be served consecutively to any other sentence imposed for the crime.
ATF investigated the cases along with United States Marshal Service, Madison County Sheriff’s Office and Huntsville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Sanchez 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.
Former federal and local law enforcement officer sentenced to ten years in prison for stealing drugs and falsifying a police reportRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – Former Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Deputy Antione Riggins has been sentenced to ten years in federal prison following his guilty plea to drug trafficking and making a false statement to cover up his drug crimes. Riggins committed these crimes while employed as a federal and local law enforcement officer.
“Riggins put dangerous drugs back on the street after they had been seized by law enforcement,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “He violated the most basic oath of officers to protect the public. His conviction and sentence is a victory for the rule of law, and it shows that there are severe consequences for abusing the public’s trust.”
“Instead of enforcing the laws he swore to uphold, Riggins abused his position by stealing drugs and falsifying evidence reports,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “This case is a reminder that no officer is above the law. The FBI would like to thank our state and local law enforcement partners, as well as the US Attorney’s Office, for bringing this corrupt officer to justice.”
“Riggins’ crimes extend beyond his lies and the drugs he stole, he also stole the public’s trust when he betrayed his oath to enforce the law,” said acting Special Agent in Charge Robert Hammer, who oversees HSI operations in Georgia and Alabama. “Removing this corrupt officer from our midst helps restore public confidence in our strong law enforcement team. HSI Atlanta will continue to work with our great local, federal and state partners to make our communities safer.”
“This former officer violated his oath of office and the public’s trust. Corruption within the law enforcement ranks will not be tolerated. The GBI is committed to working with local and federal partners to investigate these types of crimes to ensure the public trust of officers is upheld,” said Vic Reynolds, Director, Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges, and other information presented in court: in 2017, Riggins was a federally-deputized task force officer with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), while also employed as a deputy sheriff with the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office (GCSO). In these roles, Riggins was responsible for investigating drug trafficking cases and transporting seized drugs from HSI crime scenes to the GCSO evidence room.
On February 23, 2017, HSI seized three kilograms of cocaine following a high-speed car chase and crash on I-285. HSI identified the suspected owner of the cocaine, even though he fled from the crash and was not apprehended. HSI agents tasked Riggins with transporting the cocaine to the GCSO evidence vault. The next day, however, Riggins checked only one kilogram of cocaine into evidence, not three, and he failed to secure a warrant for the arrest of the cocaine trafficker. Riggins also made a false document to cover up his cocaine theft. In particular, Riggins created and submitted a falsified evidence form claiming that the identity of the drug trafficker was unknown, and that only one kilogram of cocaine was seized at the scene.
On July 14, 2017, HSI seized approximately six kilograms of methamphetamine from an Atlanta hotel room. An HSI agent tasked Riggins with transporting the methamphetamine to the GCSO evidence vault; however, none of the methamphetamine was subsequently checked into evidence.
Three days later, on July 17, 2017, HSI seized approximately four kilograms of heroin and 172 oxycodone pills from a metro-Atlanta stash house. Once again, Riggins was made responsible for transporting the drugs to the evidence room. Riggins stole all but 96 grams of the heroin.
Riggins’s role at HSI ended in early 2018, and his employment with the GCSO ended after these alleged actions came to the attention of law enforcement in May 2018.
Antione Riggins, 41, of Loganville, Georgia, has been sentenced to ten years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. Riggins pleaded guilty to these charges on November 25, 2019.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security - Office of the Inspector General, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation investigated the case, with the assistance of the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Trevor C. Wilmot prosecuted the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Former assistant basketball coach charged with sexual exploitation of childRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS – A former assistant basketball coach at Stonechild College on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation was arraigned today on an indictment accusing him of crimes involving sexual exploitation of a child, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Christopher Brown, 31, of Box Elder, pleaded not guilty to sexual exploitation of a child, transportation of child pornography and sexual abuse of a minor.
If convicted of the most serious crime, Brown faces a mandatory minimum 15 years to 30 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and at least five years to life of supervised release.
The indictment is merely an accusation. Brown is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
U.S. Magistrate Judge John T. Johnston presided. Brown is detained pending further proceedings.
Brown, who worked as an assistant basketball coach at Stonechild College, initially was charged by a criminal complaint with sexual abuse of a minor.
The indictment alleges that in January in Hill County and on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation, Brown sexually exploited a child and used a cell phone to transport an image of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The indictment also alleges that between July 2018 and January 2020, Brown engaged in a sexual act with a minor.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Cobell is prosecuting the case, which was investigated by the FBI and Rocky Boy’s Police Department.
Pacer case reference. 20-12.
If the above case is of interest to your media organization and the community it serves, we encourage you to monitor its progress through the U.S. District Court calendar and the PACER system.
To establish a PACER account, which will allow you to review documents filed in the case, please go to, http://www.pacer.gov/register.html. To access the district court’s calendar, please go to https://ecf.mtd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/PublicCalendar.pl.
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Former University Tennis Coach Sentenced in College Admissions CaseRead the Press Release
BOSTON – The former head coach of the men’s tennis team at the University of Texas at Austin (U-Texas) was sentenced today in federal court in Boston in connection with accepting a $100,000 bribe to secure the admission of a purported student-athlete to the university.
Michael Center, 55, of Austin, Texas, was sentenced to six months in prison, one year of supervised release and ordered to forfeit $60,000.
The government recommended a sentence a six months in prison, one year of supervised release, payment of a $20,000 fine and forfeiture in the amount of $60,000. In April 2019, Center pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud.
Beginning in 2014, Center agreed with William “Rick” Singer and Martin Fox, the former president of a private tennis academy in Texas, to accept a $100,000 bribe in exchange for designating the child of one of Singer’s clients as a recruited student athlete at U-Texas. On Nov. 23, 2014, Singer emailed the student’s high school transcript and application essays to Fox, who forwarded them to Center. Center emailed the materials to the administrator in the U-Texas athletics department so that the student, who did not actually play tennis competitively, would be coded as a student-athlete. In March 2015, Center informed the student’s father that U-Texas would be sending the student a letter of intent for a “books” scholarship, which provides funding for a student’s textbooks, as part of the athletic recruitment process. In April 2015, the student returned a signed “letter of intent” to play tennis for U-Texas, and, at Center’s instruction, was added to the team roster and then admitted to U-Texas. The student’s father made three separate donations of stock totaling $631,564 to Singer’s sham charitable organization, the Key Worldwide Foundation (KWF). Singer paid Center $60,000 in cash and $40,000 to the U-Texas tennis program.
In November 2019, Fox pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 14, 2020.
Case information, including the status of each defendant, charging documents and plea agreements are available here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/investigations-college-admissions-and-testing-bribery-scheme.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; and Kristina O’Connell, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eric S. Rosen, Justin D. O’Connell, Leslie A. Wright, and Kristen A. Kearney of Lelling’s Securities and Financial Fraud Unit are prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the court documents are allegations and the remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Former Regions Bank Employee Sentenced for Theft of Funds from Elderly CustomerRead the Press Release
Montgomery, Alabama – On Friday, February 21, 2020, a former Regions Bank employee was sentenced to 37 months in prison for theft of funds, announced Louis V. Franklin, Sr., U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama. After completing his prison sentence, he will be on supervised release for three years.
Montreal Holley, 28, from Montgomery, Alabama, pleaded guilty to theft of funds by a bank employee in November of 2019. According to court documents, Holley became the manager of a Regions Bank branch in Montgomery in May of 2018. Around December of 2018, Regions discovered he had wired $188,000.00 from an elderly customer’s account to his own account at another bank. Regions began to investigate, with the assistance of the United States Secret Service. The elderly customer passed away shortly after the investigation began.
Regions Bank and the Secret Service discovered that Holley had convinced the elderly customer that she could trust only him to handle her money and he took a total of $313,448.83 from the customer’s account over a matter of months. He issued cashier’s checks, made wire transfers, and even issued a debit card on one of her accounts and used it to make ATM withdrawals. According to statements made during his sentencing hearing, Holley paid off loans for himself, his wife, his girlfriend, and other family members. In one example, he transferred $23,266.00 from the customer’s account to pay off a car loan. He initially told investigators that the elderly victim directed him to make the transaction, but the investigation revealed that the loan paid off a car driven by Holley’s girlfriend.
After he was caught, Holley returned $188,000.00 of the stolen funds. At his sentencing hearing on Friday he was also ordered to pay the remaining $125,448.83 in restitution to Regions Bank, who had previously credited the stolen funds back into the victim’s account.
“This case is upsetting in many ways, and it serves as a reminder that criminals are targeting some of the most vulnerable people in our society,” stated U.S. Attorney Franklin. “Holley selected his victim because of her advanced age and illness. He thought he would get away with stealing her money because no one would notice. Fortunately, Regions Bank discovered the suspicious activity in her account. We must all be vigilant and take action when necessary to protect our senior family members and friends from being exploited.”
“Montreal Holley, working in his position of trust and authority as a Branch Manager for Regions Bank, took advantage of an elderly client to steal over $300,000 from her,” said Patrick Davis, Special Agent in Charge with the United States Secret Service, Birmingham Field Office. “Regions Bank investigators should be commended in this case. Their investigators quickly identified suspicious account transactions and brought it to the attention of the U.S. Secret Service Montgomery Resident Office. Their quick response and thorough investigative support stopped this defendant from further financially exploiting the elderly victim in this case.”
Don White, head of Corporate Security for Regions, said the bank has a continuous focus on detecting and preventing elder financial abuse. “While we remain heartbroken for the family affected by this crime, we are grateful to the investigators and prosecutors who worked tirelessly with us in pursuing justice,” White said. “Regions Bank is steadfastly committed to protecting the people we serve, and this case reflects our determination to identify and combat any instance of elder financial exploitation. We appreciate the teams that worked together to thoroughly investigate this matter and take appropriate action.”
White stated that Regions consistently trains its associates on ways to detect, prevent and stop elder financial abuse. He said the bank also shares prevention information with the public through its website.
U.S. Attorney Louis V. Franklin, Sr. would like to thank the United States Secret Service and Regions Bank Corporate Security for investigating this case, and the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Inspector General for their assistance. Assistant United States Attorney Megan Kirkpatrick prosecuted this case.
Former Newark Police Officer Found Guilty of Conspiracy to Defraud Newark Watershed Conservation and Development Corporation, Mail Fraud, and Extortion ConspiracyRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A former Newark police officer was found guilty by a federal jury today of conspiring to defraud the Newark Watershed Conservation and Development Corporation (NWCDC) and giving kickbacks to its former executive director, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Janell Robinson, 42, of Newark, was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to defraud the NWCDC facilitated by use of mails and wire transmissions, two counts of mail fraud, and one count of conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right affecting interstate commerce following a 10-day trial before U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton.
According to documents filed in this case and the evidence at trial:
Between March 2010 and May 2013, while Robinson was a Newark police officer, she controlled Protected and Secured Services LLC (P&S), a company that purported to provide security consulting services to its only client, the NWCDC. Robinson conspired with Linda Watkins Brashear of West Orange, New Jersey, the former executive director of the NWCDC, to pay Brashear a stream of concealed and undisclosed kickbacks from the proceeds that P&S received from the NWCDC. In exchange for Brashear’s assistance in securing P&S a contract with the NWCDC and approving completely fraudulent or inflated invoices that Robinson submitted, Robinson paid Brashear cash kickbacks from the proceeds of the fraud.
In total, the NWCDC paid P&S approximately $289,000 during the scheme, approximately $50,000 of which was used by Robinson to pay Brashear kickbacks.
The wire and mail fraud conspiracy, mail fraud, and conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right charges each carry a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is set for June 8, 2020.
Brashear pleaded guilty to her role in the scheme and was sentenced Sept. 21, 2017, to 102 months in prison.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie in Newark; and special agents of IRS – Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge John R. Tafur, with the investigation leading to today’s conviction.
The government is represented by Senior Trial Counsel Leslie F. Schwartz and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacques S. Pierre of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Special Prosecutions Division.