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Wednesday 5 February 2020
Luzerne County Man Sentenced to 80 Months’ Imprisonment for Distribution of “Bath Salts”Read the Press Release
SCRANTON—The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that David Popish, age 41, of Pittston, was sentenced on February 4, 2020, by Senior U.S. District Court Judge James M. Munley, to 80 months’ imprisonment followed by three years on supervised release for his role in a Luzerne County-based drug conspiracy that obtained and distributed large quantities of alpha-pvp, commonly known as “bath salts,” during 2014 and 2015.
According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Popish previously pleaded guilty to participating in the conspiracy by selling alpha-pvp to customers in Luzerne County. Popish was responsible for distributing approximately 300 grams of the drug.
Popish was one of seven people charged by a grand jury in August 2016. That indictment was the fourth wave of arrests connected to alpha-pvp distribution in Luzerne County. In all, 18 people have been charged in the case since July 2013, including two Texas-based suppliers of the bath salts.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the United States Postal Inspection, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Pennsylvania State Police, and local police from Luzerne County. Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis P. Sempa prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
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Leader of Family-Run Heroin-Trafficking Ring SentencedRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Portsmouth man was sentenced today to 22 years in prison for conspiring to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin; and for distributing heroin, fentanyl, and Acetyl fentanyl.
“Malcolm Jones turned armed drug trafficking into a family business, relying on his brother, sons, and others to help run multiple drug properties from which they injected deadly substances such as heroin, fentanyl, and crack cocaine into the Hampton Roads community,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Thanks to the coordinated work of federal, state, and local law enforcement, Operation High Tide has been a success in apprehending individuals who have deprived our neighborhoods of peace and security through the dangerous combination of drugs and guns. Neutralizing individuals, like Jones, who have committed serious offenses and endangered our communities has been and remains the goal of this highly coordinated and targeted law enforcement operation.”
According to court documents, Malcolm Dominique Jones, 45, was the leader and patriarch of a family-run heroin-trafficking operation in Portsmouth. The Jones operation ran at least three drug properties. One of these properties was the “Court,” a residence serving as the distribution point for Jones’s drugs such as heroin, fentanyl, Acetyl fentanyl, crack, and powder cocaine. Between 2017 and 2019, the “Court” served 50 to 100 customers a day. During that time, Jones arranged for his brother and three sons to live at the “Court.” He had them manage drug-trafficking efforts and stockpile firearms to protect their drug trade, until authorities shut down the operation in September 2019. Jones also admitted to knowingly marketing fentanyl and Acetyl fentanyl-laced products as heroin.
“Drug dealing alone brings danger into communities, but adding firearms into the mix as a means to enforce and expand territory makes it exponentially more dangerous, even lethal,” said Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division. “ATF’s priority is reducing violent crime and this investigation focused on the most violent offenders in the Chesapeake, Norfolk, and Portsmouth communities. We are committed to our law enforcement partnerships and fulfilling the mission of Project Guardian to help keep our cities safe.”
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. Click here for more information about Project Guardian.
G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Washington Field Division; and Col. K.L. Wright, Chief of Chesapeake Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson. Assistant U.S. Attorney William B. Jackson and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristin G. Bird 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. 2:19-cr-155.
Leader of Atlantic City Drug Trafficking Organization and Coconspirator Plead GuiltyRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – Two members of an Atlantic City drug-trafficking organization, including the leader of the organization, pleaded guilty today to distributing large amounts of heroin throughout Atlantic City, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said.
Khalif Toombs, 30, of Egg Harbor Township, NJ, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Robert B. Kugler in Camden federal court to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than one kilogram of heroin.
Nasir Brown, 27, of Atlantic City, NJ, also pleaded guilty to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 100 grams of heroin.
Eight other members of the drug trafficking conspiracy – Wilbert Toombs, Quadir Stanley, Dean Johnson, Khalif Davis, Joseph Aversa, Thomas Randall, Mayda Hernandez, and Sarah Taliaferro – previously have pleaded guilty. The charges against twelve other defendants remain pending.
According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court:
Toombs, Brown, and other members of the drug conspiracy trafficked heroin from Paterson, New Jersey and into Atlantic City, New Jersey throughout the course of the investigation. Toombs admitted in court to conspiring with others to traffic between three and ten kilograms of heroin during this time and to being a manager and supervisor of the drug trafficking conspiracy which operated throughout Atlantic County. An investigation led by the FBI used physical and video surveillance, confidential informants, consensual recordings, and two court authorized wiretaps to uncover the operations of Toombs and his many coconspirators. The investigation tracked multiple stamps of heroin being distributed by Toombs and others, including, “AK-47,” “Apple,” “Fortnite,” “Rolex,” “Frank Lucas,” “Bentley,” “Pandora,” and “9 ½.” Between January 1, 2017 and June 21, 2019, these stamps have accounted for 48 deaths and 84 non-fatal overdoses in the State of New Jersey.
The count to which Toombs pleaded guilty carries a mandatory penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum potential penalty of a life in prison, and up to a $10 million fine. His sentencing is scheduled for May 12, 2020.
The count to which Brown pleaded guilty carries a mandatory penalty of 5 years in prison, a maximum potential penalty of 40 years in prison, and up to a $5 million fine. His sentencing is scheduled for May 12, 2020.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI’s Safe Streets South Jersey Violent Incident and Gang Task Force, Atlantic City Resident Agency, and FBI-Newark, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie; officers of the Atlantic City Police Department, under the direction of Chief Henry White; the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Damon Tyner; the Atlantic County Sheriff’s Department, under the direction of Sheriff Eric Scheffler; and the Pleasantville Police Department, under the direction of Chief Sean Riggin, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty pleas. He also thanked the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations; the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Drug Enforcement Administration; and the N.J. State Police for their assistance.
This case is being conducted under the auspices of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Martha K. Nye of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Trenton.
For the twelve defendants whose charges remain pending, the charges and allegations are merely accusations, and they are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Defense counsel:
Toombs: Jerome Ballarotto Esq., Trenton, New Jersey
Brown: Mark Catanzaro Esq., Mount Holly, New JerseyLast Defendant Sentenced for Methamphetamine Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The last defendant in a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy was sentenced today to 10 years and one month in prison, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas A. Trutanich for the District of Nevada.
Kareen Anderson, also known as Webb, 55, of Las Vegas, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. In addition to the term of imprisonment, U.S. District Judge Kent J. Dawson also sentenced Anderson to five years of supervised release.
According to court documents, Anderson conspired with his co-defendants to sell methamphetamine. On several occasions between August 2016 and October 2016, Anderson negotiated the sale of and/or sold methamphetamine at a supermarket, an apartment complex, and a fast food restaurant. He sold a total of at least 150 grams of methamphetamine.
Anderson was previously convicted of possession of a firearm by a felon and has numerous arrests in California for assault with a firearm, carjacking, robbery, and burglary.
This case was the product of an investigation by the FBI.
Co-conspirators Londa Lynette Gates and Melanie Lowe both pleaded guilty and were sentenced to prison. Robert Smith, a separately charged co-conspirator, was sentenced to 14 years. Co-conspirator Derrick James Haywood was also charged separately and sentenced to 10 years in prison.
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Las Vegas Man Pleads Guilty to Selling Firearms Without A Federal Firearms LicenseRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – George Stone, 70, of Las Vegas, pleaded guilty today to one count of dealing in firearms without a Federal Firearms License (FFL), announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas A. Trutanich for the District of Nevada.
According to court documents, Stone, an unlicensed firearms dealer, admitted that he sold dozens of firearms without an FFL. Stone sold some of those firearms to undercover law enforcement officers. A subsequent search warrant executed at Stone’s residence resulted in the seizure of 32 firearms, many bearing price tags and marked for sale.
The case was the product of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Burton is prosecuting the case.
Stone is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge James C. Mahan on May 5, 2020. Stone faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
This case is part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the ATF when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities.
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Justice Department Announces Investigation into Conditions in Four Mississippi PrisonsRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division announced today that it has opened an investigation into conditions of confinement in four of Mississippi’s prisons. The investigation will examine conditions at the Mississippi State Penitentiary (Parchman), Southern Mississippi Correctional Institute, Central Mississippi Correctional Facility, and the Wilkinson County Correctional Facility. The State of Mississippi is responsible for all four facilities. The investigation will focus on whether the Mississippi Department of Corrections adequately protects prisoners from physical harm at the hands of other prisoners at the four prisons, as well as whether there is adequate suicide prevention, including adequate mental health care and appropriate use of isolation, at Parchman.
The Department has not reached any conclusions regarding the allegations in this matter. The investigation will be conducted under the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA). Under CRIPA, the Department has the authority to investigate violations of prisoners’ constitutional rights that result from a “pattern or practice of resistance to the full enjoyment of such rights.” The Department has conducted CRIPA investigations of many correctional systems, and where violations have been found, the resulting settlement agreements have led to important reforms.
The Civil Rights Division’s Special Litigation Section is conducting this investigation, with support from the United States Attorney’s Offices for the Northern and Southern Districts of Mississippi. Individuals with relevant information are encouraged to contact the Department via phone at 1-833-591-0288 or by email at [email protected].
Additional information about the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department is available on its website at www.justice.gov/crt.
Justice Department Alleges Conditions at South Carolina’s Broad River Road Complex Violate the ConstitutionRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina today concluded that there is reasonable cause to believe that the conditions at the Broad River Road Complex in Columbia, South Carolina, violate the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution. Specifically, the Department concluded that there is reasonable cause to believe that the Broad River Road Complex fails to protect youth from youth-on-youth violence and places youth in punitive, prolonged isolation.
As required by the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA), the Department provided the facility with written notice of the supporting facts for these alleged conditions and the minimum remedial measures necessary to address them.
“Youth held in custody for rehabilitation are protected by the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution, which guarantees reasonable safety from harm,” said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband for the Civil Rights Division. “Our investigation found reasonable cause to conclude that youth in the facility are at substantial risk of serious physical harm from other youth and that youth are regularly subjected to harmful isolation. The Justice Department hopes to continue to work with South Carolina to resolve the Department’s concerns.”
The Civil Rights Division and the United States Attorney’s Office for District of South Carolina initiated the investigation in September 2017 under CRIPA, which authorizes the Department to take action to address a pattern or practice of deprivation of constitutional rights of individuals confined to state or local government-run correctional facilities. The investigation was also initiated under the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994.
This investigation was conducted by attorneys with the Special Litigation Section of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina.
Additional information about the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department is available on its website at www.justice.gov/crt.
Jackson Man Sentenced to 15 Months in Federal Prison Under Project EJECT for Illegally Possessing a GunRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – Arthur L. Flowers, 35, of Jackson, was sentenced today by U.S. District Daniel P. Jordan III to fifteen months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for illegally possessing a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Michelle Sutphin with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Mississippi.
On September 11, 2018, officers with the Jackson Police Department were dispatched to the McDowell Road and I-55 underpass in Jackson on a shooting complaint. They found Arthur Flowers laying on his back stating that he had been shot. Upon questioning, Flowers admitted to accidentally shooting himself in the leg while trying to holster a pistol. Flowers was transported to UMMC for treatment of the gunshot wound.
Because Flowers has grand larceny convictions in Copiah County in 2004 and Hinds County in 2005, it is illegal for him to possess a firearm. He pleaded guilty before Judge Jordan on November 8, 2019.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lynn Murray.
This case is part of Project EJECT, an initiative by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi under the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) and Project Guardian. EJECT is a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach to fighting and reducing violent crime through prosecution, prevention, re-entry and awareness. EJECT stands for “Empower Justice Expel Crime Together.” PSN is bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities.
Hoboken-Based Accountant Sentenced to 12 Months for Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Hoboken-based accountant was sentenced to a year and a day in prison for evading more than $914,000 in taxes on income he earned from his accounting practice and various rental properties he owned, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced today.
Louis Picardo, 64, of Hoboken, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty to an information charging him with four counts of income tax evasion. U.S. District Judge Stanley R. Chesler imposed the sentence on Feb. 4, 2020 in Newark federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Picardo served as the Tax Collector in Hoboken between 1973 and 2008 and was a partner in Cannarozzi & Picardo LLC, a Hoboken-based accounting firm. Picardo also was a member of multiple entities (the “Picardo Entities”) that managed both commercial and residential properties in Hudson County. Picardo failed to report approximately $3,725,853 in taxable income that he collected from Cannarozzi & Picardo and the Picardo Entities on federal income tax returns he filed with the IRS for the tax years 2012 to 2015, resulting in a tax loss to the United States of approximately $914,908.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Chesler sentenced Picardo to two years of supervised release and ordered him to pay restitution to the IRS in the amount of $914,908.
U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito credited special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge John R. Tafur, with the investigation leading to the sentence.
The government is represented by Assistant United States Attorney Sean Farrell of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Special Prosecutions Division and Rahul Agarwal, Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division.
Defense counsel: Peter Willis, Esq., Jersey City
Hayward Resident Sentenced to More Than Ten Years for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
OAKLAND – Joseph Daniel Sandoval was sentenced to 130 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, announced United States Attorney David L. Anderson and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Special Agent in Charge Rayfield Roundtree. The sentence was handed down by the Honorable Jeffrey S. White, U.S. District Judge.
Sandoval, 34, of Hayward, Calif., pleaded guilty to the charge on November 5, 2019. According to the plea agreement, Sandoval admitted to possessing 917.6 grams (approximately two pounds) of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute the drugs. Sandoval also admitted to possessing items related to drug trafficking, including $3,200 cash, a digital scale, and two boxes of clear plastic baggies.
A criminal complaint was filed on August 26, 2019, charging Sandoval with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1). An information was later filed on September 12, 2019, charging Sandoval with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(C). The defendant pleaded guilty to the charge in the information.
According to the complaint, the Gang Suppression Unit of the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office began investigating Sandoval for suspected drug trafficking in June 2019. At the time, Sandoval had two outstanding warrants for his arrest. On July 31, 2019, the Gang Suppression Unit traced Sandoval to a room at the Quality Inn in Hayward, California, where he was arrested. Law enforcement seized 917.6 grams of methamphetamine, one digital scale, two boxes of clear plastic baggies, $3,200 cash, and one taser in connection with the arrest.
In addition to the prison term, Judge White sentenced Sandoval to a three-year period of supervised release to begin at the conclusion of his prison term. Sandoval will begin serving his federal sentence in April 2020 after he finishes serving a separate, unrelated sentence in Santa Clara County.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Briggs is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Kay Konopaske and Katie Turner. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office.
Hattiesburg Man Sentenced under Project EJECT to Two Years in Federal Prison for Being a Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
Hattiesburg, Miss. – Marcus Foster, 30, of Hattiesburg, was sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Judge Keith Starrett to 24 months in federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Kurt Thielhorn with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
On February 11, 2019, Foster was found in possession of two firearms during the search of an apartment in Forrest County. He has prior felony convictions in Forrest County for burglary of a dwelling and receipt of stolen property. On July 24, 2019, he was indicted for being a felon in possession of a firearm. He pled guilty before Judge Starrett on October 3, 2019.
This case is part of Project EJECT, an initiative by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi under the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) and Project Guardian. EJECT is a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach to fighting and reducing violent crime through prosecution, prevention, re-entry and awareness. EJECT stands for “Empower Justice Expel Crime Together.” PSN is bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Hattiesburg Police Department investigated the case. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Andrew W. Eichner.
Hattiesburg Man Sentenced to over 3 Years in Federal Prison under Project EJECT for Illegally Possessing a Firearm as a Convicted Felon While on State ProbationRead the Press Release
Hattiesburg, Miss. – Alfred McCaskill, 25, of Hattiesburg, was sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Judge Keith Starrett to 41 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Kurt Thielhorn with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
McCaskill has previous convictions in Forrest County for possession of a stolen firearm and possession of cocaine. On February 27, 2019, while still on state probation, McCaskill was found in possession of a firearm during a traffic stop in Forrest County. He fled on foot and evaded law enforcement until his arrest in April 2019.
McCaskill was indicted on July 24, 2019, for being a felon in possession of a firearm. He pled guilty before Judge Starrett on October 3, 2019. In adjudicating McCaskill’s sentence, Judge Starrett specifically indicated that his federal confinement would run consecutive to whatever confinement he receives related to his state charges.
This case is part of Project EJECT, an initiative by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi under the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) and Project Guardian. EJECT is a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach to fighting and reducing violent crime through prosecution, prevention, re-entry and awareness. EJECT stands for “Empower Justice Expel Crime Together.” PSN is bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Hattiesburg Police Department investigated the case. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Andrew W. Eichner.
Hattiesburg Man Gets over Ten Years in Federal Prison under Project EJECT for Multiple, Violent Armed RobberiesRead the Press Release
Hattiesburg, Miss. – Christian Jamal Martin, 20, of Hattiesburg, was sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Judge Keith Starrett to 126 months in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, for his involvement in multiple armed robberies in Hattiesburg, as well as possessing ammunition while being an unlawful user of a controlled substance, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Kurt Thielhorn with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Martin was also ordered to pay restitution to the victims of the robberies.
Martin was involved in the robberies of two gas stations in Hattiesburg, Mississippi on the morning of March 4, 2019, as well as a third attempted robbery at a Captain D’s restaurant on March 26, 2019. Firearms were discharged at all three locations. Martin functioned as the getaway driver during the incidents. On March 28, 2019, when Martin was apprehended by law enforcement, he was found in possession of ammunition and admitted during a subsequent interview to be an unlawful user of a controlled substance at the same time as the possession.
Martin was indicted on April 16, 2019 and pled guilty before Judge Starrett on October 3, 2019. In adjudicating Martin’s sentence, Judge Starrett discussed the dangerous nature of the crimes Martin committed.
This case is part of Project EJECT, an initiative by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi under the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) and Project Guardian. EJECT is a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach to fighting and reducing violent crime through prosecution, prevention, re-entry and awareness. EJECT stands for “Empower Justice Expel Crime Together.” PSN is bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Hattiesburg Police Department investigated the case. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Andrew W. Eichner.
Hartford Man Sentenced to 57 Months in Federal Prison for Role in Latin Kings Drug Trafficking RingRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that BRIAN MATOS, also known as “Buddha,” 30, of Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford to 57 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for trafficking cocaine and fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, this matter stems from an investigation conducted by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes Gang Task Force and Hartford Police Department’s Vice and Narcotics Division into the trafficking of narcotics and associated violence in Hartford’s South End by members and associates of the Almighty Latin Kings Nation (“Latin Kings”). The investigation, which included court-authorized wiretaps, physical surveillance and controlled purchases of narcotics, revealed that two alleged members of the Latin Kings operated separate drug trafficking organizations that distributed fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine. The organizations used multiple locations to process, package, store and distribute narcotics, and possessed firearms in furtherance of their drug trafficking activities. Matos helped broker transactions with a cocaine supplier for one of the drug trafficking organizations, and also assisted in the packaging and delivery of fentanyl for street sale.
During the investigation, on June 10, 2018, City of Hartford surveillance cameras captured another member of the organization, Hector Santiago, pistol-whipping a victim. Santiago was eventually located and arrested by Hartford Police, but no gun was located. After the incident, intercepted communications revealed that Matos helped to locate, recover and stash the gun used during the assault.
Matos has been detained since his arrest. On November 7, 2019, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and distribution of, cocaine, heroin and fentanyl.
Matos’ criminal history includes state convictions for firearm and narcotics.
Santiago, also known as “Bebo,” pleaded guilty to related federal charges and, on November 18, 2019, was sentenced to 69 months of imprisonment.
This matter is being investigated by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes Gang Task Force and the Hartford Police Department. The Task Force includes members of the Hartford Police Department, East Hartford Police Department, Connecticut State Police and Connecticut Department of Correction. The Hartford Police Department’s Vice and Narcotics Division and Shooting Task Force have provided valuable assistance to the investigation.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian P. Leaming.
Harrison County woman sentenced for firearms chargeRead the Press Release
ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA – Danielle Lynn McCarty, of Shinnston, West Virginia, was sentenced today to five years probation and 125 hours of community service for a firearms charge, U.S. Attorney Bill Powell announced.
McCarty, age 32, pled guilty to one count of “Aiding and Abetting Possession of a Stolen Firearm” in August 2019. McCarty admitted to having a stolen .45 caliber pistol in June 2018 in Lewis County.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon S. Flower prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the West Virginia State Police, and the Weston Police Department investigated.
U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
Habitual drug trafficker sentenced to more than 14 yearsRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 46-year-old woman has been ordered to federal prison for following her conviction of importing a large quantity of 97% pure meth, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.
Elizabeth Garcia, Houston, pleaded guilty Nov. 21, 2019.
Today, U.S. District Judge Randy Crane ordered Garcia to serve 175 months in federal prison to be followed by five years of supervised release. In handing down the sentence, the court noted Garcia was a habitual drug trafficker and cited her extensive criminal record, which included trafficking 10 kilograms of cocaine, possessing more than 30 kilograms of marijuana, her involvement in an alien transporting conspiracy and engaging in organized criminal activity.
On July 22, 2019, Garcia attempted to enter the United States through the Hidalgo Port of Entry. She was referred to secondary inspection where authorities discovered a total of 37 packages with 32.6 kilograms of meth concealed within her BMW.
Lab tests revealed a 97% purity rate.
Garcia has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with assistance from Customs and Border Protection. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Redavid prosecuted the case.
Grundy County Businessman Charged with Operating Ponzi SchemeRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A Grundy County businessman has been charged with fraud for allegedly orchestrating a Ponzi scheme that raised at least $75 million from more than 500 investors.
KENNETH D. COURTRIGHT owned and operated Today’s Growth Consultant Inc., a Minooka-based business that purported to build or acquire websites for investors. TGC also did business through a division known as The Income Store, which had an office in Lancaster, Penn. From at least January 2017 to October 2019, Courtright falsely promised to provide investors with a guaranteed income stream of up to 20% of their initial investment or 50% of the website revenues, whichever was higher, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court in Chicago. TGC backed these guarantees through fraudulent claims that the companies were financially healthy, the complaint states.
In reality, the payment of returns to investors was primarily funded through a Ponzi scheme, with Courtright paying early investors with money raised from later investors, the charges allege. Courtright also spent some of the investor funds to pay his mortgage and the school tuition of a family member, the complaint states. By December 2019 the scheme had become unsustainable, and TGC notified investors of a “moratorium” on payments of returns purportedly due to unspecified “challenges and headwinds,” the complaint states.
The complaint charges Courtright, 49, of Minooka, with one count of wire fraud. Courtright was arrested this morning and made an initial court appearance this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey I. Cummings in Chicago. Judge Cummings ordered Courtright released on bond.
The complaint was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the FBI. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jason Yonan and Saurish Appleby-Bhattacharjee. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission provided valuable assistance. The SEC previously filed a civil enforcement action and obtained a temporary restraining order and asset freeze against Courtright and TGC.
Wire fraud carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines. The public is reminded that a criminal complaint is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Greeneville Man Sentenced for Federal Gun OffenseRead the Press Release
Greeneville, Tenn. – On February 3, 2020, Brandon David Meacham, 37, of Kenosha, Wisconsin, was sentenced by the Honorable J. Ronnie Greer, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Greeneville.
As part of the plea agreement, Meacham pled guilty to one count of being a convicted felon in the unlawful possession of a firearm. Meacham was sentenced to 63 months in the Federal Bureau of Prisons, followed by three years’ supervised release.
Meacham was arrested in 2018, following a traffic stop by a Washington County Sheriff’s deputy. Meacham, who had been convicted of armed robbery in Wisconsin, was found to be in possession of a loaded .380 caliber, semi-automatic pistol.
The prosecution resulted from an investigation by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).
Assistant United States Attorney J. Gregory Bowman represented the United States.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a comprehensive national strategy that creates local partnerships with law enforcement agencies to effectively enforce existing gun laws. It provides more options to prosecutors, allowing them to utilize local, state, and federal laws to ensure that criminals who commit gun crime face tough sentences. PSN gives each federal district the flexibility it needs to focus on individual challenges that a specific community faces.
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Fourth Rural King Robber Pleads Guilty in Federal CourtRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – Christopher Louis Hooker (25, Orlando) today pleaded guilty to interference with commerce by robbery. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison. Last week, three co-defendants, Carlos Eduardo Hampton, Jr. (22, Tampa), Quintin Eugene Augustus (18, Cocoa), and Jonathan Arthur Floyd (21, of Cocoa), entered guilty pleas in connection with the 2019 robberies of two central Florida Rural King stores.
According to the plea agreements, on July 26 and August 16, 2019, Hampton, Augustus, and Floyd used a sledgehammer to break into two Rural King locations in Ocala and Zephyrhills. The men then used the sledgehammer to smash open display cases and steal a total of 28 firearms. Hooker served as the group’s getaway driver for the Zephyrhills robbery. Immediately following that robbery, law enforcement officers stopped Hooker’s car, arrested the four men, and recovered numerous firearms stolen from the Zephyrhills Rural King store.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the City of Ocala Police Department, and the Zephyrhills Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Bodnar, Jr.
This is another case prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. It involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the Middle District of Florida, U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.
Four sentenced for intricate $1M counterfeiting scamRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – The leaders and two others have been ordered to federal prison after passing more than $1.3 million in counterfeit checks in Houston and Louisiana, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.
A jury convicted Harold Chaney, 49, Missouri City, Oct. 3, 2019, following a three-day trial and approximately four hours of deliberation. Also sentenced today were Charmine Godine, 46, and Marcus McNeal, 40, both of Missouri City, along with Frank Chaney, 55, Houston, who had all previously pleaded guilty for their roles in the scheme.
Today, U.S. District Judge David Hittner ordered Harold Chaney, one of the leaders, to serve a 235-month sentence. The other leader – Godine - received a 240-month-term of imprisonment, while Frank Chaney and McNeal received respective terms of 85 and 160 months. All will also serve three years of supervised release following their sentences.
At the hearing, the court heard evidence that showed the group was responsible for attempting to steal more than $6 million in merchandise and passing over $1.3 million in counterfeit checks.
Harold Chaney and Godine headed the group who purchased expensive goods from retail stores using a sophisticated counterfeiting scheme.
McNeal provided stolen checking account information, which he obtained as a courier for a legitimate business. Harold Chaney and Godine used the stolen account information and stolen identities to create counterfeit checks using a special computer program and special printer paper.
Other members of the group, such as Frank Chaney, used the counterfeit checks to purchase computers, appliances and construction materials at retail stores. The group then sold the items to customers on the black market.
Authorities also found them with hundreds of stolen identifications, which they used to establish criminal identities.
All four Harold Chaney, Frank Chaney and McNeal have been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Secret Service, Houston Police Department and Harris County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation as part of the Houston Area Fraud Task Force.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim McAlister is prosecuting the case.
Four plead guilty in a failed human smuggling attempt that left six people deadRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The final defendant has admitted her guilt in the human smuggling conspiracy that left six people dead in Robstown in June 2019, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.
Mayra Chaver, 32, of Honduras, pleaded guilty today to assisting an undocumented immigrant to evade arrest. The three others charged in relation to the crime – Mexican citizens Agustin Gutierrez-Gonzalez, 33, and Ivan Dario Puga-Moreno, 30; and Elena Ruiz, 35, of Corpus Christi – had previously entered their guilty pleas to conspiracy to transport undocumented aliens into the United States causing death or serious bodily injury.
On June 5, 2019, authorities discovered a wrecked Chevrolet Suburban in a ditch in Robstown. Six people were found deceased at the scene with 12 more requiring hospitalization due to their significant injuries.
Puga-Moreno was the driver of the wrecked vehicle and had been attempting to smuggle 18 undocumented immigrants. Further investigation revealed Puga-Moreno fled the scene of the accident with the assistance of his girlfriend and friends Ruiz, Chaver and Gutierrez-Gonzalez.
At the time of his plea, Puga-Moreno admitted he was driving the vehicle that crashed. He also acknowledged that when the accident occurred, he was evading police, confirming he was a citizen from Mexico and fled to Houston in an attempt to avoid arrest.
Chaver, Ruiz and Gutierrez-Gonzalez admitted they helped Puga-Moreno flee the scene and evade arrest after the crashed occurred.
U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos will impose sentencing April 22. At that time, Puga-Moreno, Ruiz and Gutierrez-Gonzalez face up to life in prison. Chaver received time served for her role in the offense.
Puga-Moreno and Gutierrez-Gonzalez have been and will remain in custody pending sentencing. Ruiz was permitted to remain on bond pending her hearing.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, Border Patrol, Corpus Christi Police Department and Nueces County Sherriff’s Office conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Cody Barnes and Jeremy Carl Fugate are prosecuting the case.
Former Manager of Long Island Catering Hall Pleads Guilty to Forced Labor and Forced Labor ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Earlier today, in federal court in Central Islip, Roberto Villanueva pleaded guilty before United States Magistrate Judge Anne Y. Shields to forced labor conspiracy and forced labor of employees at the Thatched Cottage, a former catering and wedding venue in Centerport, New York. When sentenced, Villanueva faces up to 20 years in prison, as well as restitution and a fine of up to $250,000 on each count.
Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Peter C. Fitzhugh, Special Agent-in-Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), New York; Michael Mikulka, Special Agent-in-Charge, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, New York (DOL-OIG); and Patricia A. Menges, Director, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, New York Asylum Office (USCIS), announced the guilty plea.
Villanueva formerly worked as a recruiter and manager for the Thatched Cottage. At today’s plea proceeding, Villanueva admitted that workers were brought from the Philippines to the United States on H-2B visas that expired shortly after their arrival. Once their H-2B visas expired, Villanueva coached workers how to apply for student visas by fraudulently representing that they intended to attend school full-time and had sufficient resources to support themselves during school. Villanueva admitted that at times he deposited funds in the workers’ bank accounts to give the appearance of ample resources, and then withdrew the funds once the student visas were approved. When workers objected to performing certain jobs, working consecutive shifts or not being paid promptly, Villanueva threatened to report them to immigration authorities. Villanueva admitted that his actions were in concert and agreement with Ralph Colamussi, the former owner of Thatched Cottage. Colamussi pleaded guilty in September 2018 to forced labor of employees and is awaiting sentencing.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Long Island Criminal Division. Assistant United States Attorney Charles P. Kelly is in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Assistant United States Attorney Madeline O’Connor from the Office’s Long Island Civil Division.
The Defendant:
ROBERTO VILLANUEVA
Age: 64
Huntington, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Criminal Docket No. 17-0592 (DRH)
Former LEO sent to prisonRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A South Texas law enforcement officer now finds himself behind prison bars following his conviction on multiple drug trafficking charges, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.
A federal jury in Houston convicted Hector Beltran, 44, Edinburg, on July 22, 2019, for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine. Beltran was a former Edinburg Police Department K-9 officer.
Today, U.S. District Judge Keith P. Ellison imposed a total 120-month sentence to be followed by five years of supervised release. In handing down the sentence, the court noted Beltran abused his position of trust as a law enforcement officer (LEO) and used a possessed a firearm during the commission of the offense.
During the two-week trial, the jury heard that the investigation began in 2011 when authorities targeted a drug trafficking organization involved in the transportation and distribution of cocaine and marijuana. During the course of the investigation, agents learned the organization was stealing cocaine and marijuana from the source of supply with the assistance of LEOs. The scheme was to pose as drug transporters. However, instead of transporting the cocaine and marijuana, they sold the drugs and told the source of supply that law enforcement had seized the narcotics.
In their effort to cover up the theft, the drug trafficking organization created fake bundles of cocaine and marijuana and used LEOs to seize it. Once authorities seized the fake cocaine and marijuana, the drug trafficking organization provided law enforcement seizure documents to the source of supply.
During the course of the investigation, agents discovered Beltran, while an Edinburg police officer, conducted more than 10 seizures of fake drugs. Most involved the drug trafficking organization leaving the fake drug bundles in abandoned vehicles, giving Beltran the vehicle’s location and having him seize them. Since the seizures did not involve any arrests, the fake drugs were not tested and put in evidence lockers.
Upon discovery of the scheme, a review of Beltran’s drug seizures revealed bundles of suspected marijuana contained hay, while bundles of suspected cocaine contained only trace amounts of cocaine hydrochloride.
Testimony at trial showed Beltran personally conducted and assisted other law enforcement agencies with the seizure of approximately 600 kilograms of fake marijuana and 168 kilograms of fake cocaine. The jury also heard the drug trafficking organization paid Beltran for his participation in each seizure of fake drugs.
Beltran testified at trial and denied participating in the scheme. The jury did not believe his claims and ultimately found him guilty.
Previously released on bond, Beltran was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The investigation has led to the arrest and prosecution of 20 individuals including Beltran and five other LEOs – two BP agents; officers with the Houston and Edcouch Police Departments and Harris County Constable’s Office; and a former chief of the LaJoya Police Department.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations
and Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Investigation dubbed Operation Blue Shame. Assistant U.S. Attorney Casey N. MacDonald and Anibal J. Alaniz prosecuted the case.
Former Employee of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Facing Federal Indictment in MarylandRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – A federal grand jury has indicted David Laufer, age 63, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, formerly of Bethesda, Maryland, on five counts of the federal charge of making false statements. The indictment was returned on December 16, 2019, and was unsealed upon his arrest on January 28, 2020. Laufer had his initial appearance yesterday in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt and was released pending trial.
The indictment 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; and Special Agent in Charge Maureen Dixon, Office of Investigations, Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services.
According to the indictment, until May 2019, Laufer worked as the Chief of the Prosthetics and Orthotics Department at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, the largest joint military medical center in the United States. Walter Reed is located in Bethesda and provides medical services, including orthotic and prosthetic services to U.S. service members and their dependents, including wounded soldiers. Laufer’s job required him to complete annual Confidential Financial Disclosure forms which required him to report: all sources of outside income greater than $200; any business outside the U.S. Government in which Laufer or his spouse was an employee or consultant, whether or not compensated; any agreements or arrangements concerning past, current, and future employment; and travel-related reimbursement or other gifts totaling more than $350 from any one source during the reporting period.
The indictment alleges that Laufer failed to report financial benefits he received from Person B and Company B, located in Germantown, Maryland and owned, operated, and controlled by Person B. Company B provided prosthetics and orthotics materials to Walter Reed in return for payments from the government. According to the indictment, Person B regularly interacted with Laufer about Company B’s business with Walter Reed. Further, the indictment alleges that Laufer falsely told federal agents that he had never received money, gifts, or sporting event tickets from any vendor doing business before the Prosthetics and Orthotics Department when in fact Laufer had received financial benefits, including travel and sporting event tickets, from Person B and Company B.
In a related case that was recently unsealed, Timothy Hamilton, age 58, of Columbia, Maryland, and an employee in the Walter Reed Prosthetics and Orthotics Department from 1991 to 2017, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and to acts affecting a financial interest. Hamilton admitted that beginning in 2009, he allowed Person A to use his Orthotist certification for Person A’s business, Company A. Hamilton was aware that Company A used his certification to obtain national accreditation and as part of its documentation for Medicare credentialing, which allowed Company A to bill insurers for medical treatment that required the involvement of a certified Orthotist, even though Hamilton was not providing those services in the vast majority of cases. Hamilton admitted that he received monthly financial payments from Company A from 2009 until October 2015, totaling more than $45,000. From 2011 to 2015, Company A used Hamilton’s credentials to submit more than 225 fraudulent insurance claims of more than $150,000.
Further, Hamilton admitted receiving more than $15,000 in gift cards, checks, and other benefits such as tickets and lodging, from Company B, which was run by Person B and which had business with Walter Reed’s Prosthetic and Orthotics Department. During the time that Hamilton was receiving payments from Company A and Company B, Hamilton ordered products on behalf of Walter Reed from both companies.
Hamilton faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for conspiracy to commit health care fraud and a maximum of one year in prison for acts affecting a financial interest. Hamilton is awaiting sentencing.
If convicted, Laufer faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison for each of the five counts of making a false statement. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the DCIS and HHS OIG for their work in the investigation and thanked the FBI, the Veterans Administration Office of Inspector General, the Army CID Major Procurement Fraud Unit, and the Office of Personnel Management Office of Inspector General for their assistance. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Harry M. Gruber and Dana Brusca, who are prosecuting these cases.
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Former Delta Homes & Lending Inc. Employees Sentenced for Mortgage Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez sentenced two Sacramento residents each to two years in prison for conspiring to commit wire fraud, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. Ruben Rodriguez, 43, and Jaime Mayorga, 41, were convicted at a jury trial in April 2019.
According to court documents, between October 2004 and May 2007, Rodriguez and Mayorga were employees of Delta Homes and Lending Inc., a now-defunct Sacramento-based real estate and mortgage lending company that was founded by co-defendant Moctezuma “Mo” Tovar. Rodriguez, Mayorga, Tovar, and other Delta Homes employees and co-defendants Manuel Herrera, Sandra Hermosillo, Jun Michael Dirain, and Christian Parada Renteria agreed to commit fraud to obtain home loans from mortgage lenders. As part of the scheme, Rodriguez and Mayorga submitted fraudulent mortgage loan applications and supporting documents, which falsely represented the borrowers’ assets and income, liabilities and debts, employment status, citizenship status, and intent to occupy the property. Rodriguez and Mayorga also provided money to the borrowers in order to inflate their bank account balances. Once the loans were secured, the borrowers returned the money. The aggregate sales price of the homes involved in the overall conspiracy was in excess of $10 million. As a result of the conspiracy, mortgage lenders and others suffered losses of at least $4 million.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian A. Fogerty and Justin L. Lee prosecuted the case.
Co-defendant Moctezuma Tovar, 50, of Sacramento, was sentenced to 4 ½ years in prison. Co‑defendant Manuel Herrera, of Davis, was sentenced to one year in prison. Co-defendant Jun Michael Dirain, 47, of Antelope, was sentenced to six months in prison, followed by six months of home detention. Co-defendant Sandra Hermosillo, 57, of Woodland, was sentenced to 9 months of home detention. Co-defendant Christian Parada Renteria, 43, formerly of Sacramento, pleaded guilty to 2 counts of concealing felonies related to the wire fraud conspiracy, and was previously sentenced to serve 1 year in prison.
Former Corrections Officer Sentenced to 84 Months in Prison for Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – An Ocean County, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 84 months in prison for distributing images and videos of child sexual abuse, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Michael A. Ruggiero, 38, of Lacey Township, New Jersey, a former corrections officer, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Peter G. Sheridan to an information charging him with one count of distribution of child pornography. Judge Sheridan imposed the sentence today in Trenton federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:From April 16, 2016, to April 19, 2016, Ruggiero used a mobile chat application to distribute and share over the internet images and videos of child sexual abuse. Some of the images and videos were of prepubescent children or children who had not attained the age of 12. Ruggiero also received over the same mobile chat application other images and videos of child sexual abuse, and he possessed additional depictions of child sexual abuse on his cellular telephone at the time of his arrest in June 2017.
In addition to the prison sentence, Judge Sheridan sentenced Ruggiero to five years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Brian A. Michael; inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Postal Inspector in Charge Daniel B. Brubaker, Philadelphia Division; and members of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elisa T. Wiygul of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Trenton.
Defense counsel: Telesforo Del Valle, Jr., Esq., New York, NY
Former Cohoes Mayor Sentenced for Stealing Campaign ContributionsRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Shawn Morse, age 52, the former Mayor of Cohoes, New York, was sentenced today to two years of probation, 200 hours of community service, a $3,000 fine, and forfeiture of $12,250, for defrauding his supporters by stealing campaign contributions for his personal benefit.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Tina Fuerholzer, Supervisory Special Agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
During his guilty plea on August 20, 2019, Morse admitted that he and his campaign treasurer, Ralph Signoracci, solicited and received contributions to his political committee the “Friends of Shawn Morse” and a political action committee. Signoracci then provided some of those funds to Morse for his personal use including an August 2015 contribution of $500 Morse used to pay a personal bill. In total, as part of the scheme, Morse personally obtained $12,250 in political contributions from at least 10 victims to pay personal expenses at hotels, restaurants, and retailers.
As part of the scheme, Signoracci concealed the nature of the fraudulent expenditures by falsely reporting their purpose or by not reporting or disclosing them on campaign disclosure reports, as was required of local candidates for public office. Signoracci pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and was sentenced to a one-year term of probation and 100 hours of community service.
This case was investigated by the FBI, and was prosecuted by former Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Kinsella Kistler and Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Hanlon.
Former Airport Official Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison in Record Setting Bribe and Kickback SchemeRead the Press Release
United States District Judge Victoria A. Roberts sentenced convicted former Wayne County airport official, James Warner, 52, of Commerce Township, to 10 years’ imprisonment today. A federal jury convicted Warner last June of ten counts of conspiracy, federal program bribery, federal program theft, money laundering and obstruction of justice, in connection with maintenance and repair contracts for runways and parking structures at Detroit Metropolitan Airport, United States Attorney Matthew Schneider announced today.
Schneider was joined in the announcement by Steven M. D'Antuono, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Detroit Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Andrea M. Kropf, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Midwestern Region of the United States Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General.
According to the evidence provided during the three-week trial, from May of 2010, through August of 2014, while employed as a field inspector at the Wayne County Airport Authority (WCAA), Warner used his position of trust at the airport to direct more than $43 million in airport infrastructure projects to three coconspirators—William Pritula, Douglas Earles and Gary Tenaglia—in exchange for more than $6 million in kickbacks. This amount represents the highest bribe totals in the Eastern District of Michigan’s history, and one of the largest in the country.
On one occasion, Warner falsified the square footage and asphalt depth on an airport roadway project, creating and later approving a $938,000 bill from Pritula’s company for work which Pritula’s subcontractor only invoiced $275,000. Warner and Pritula then split the profits evenly. On another occasion, Earles’s company submitted two separate invoices—one for $13,429.63, and another for $18,055.26—for the replacement of backflow preventers at the airport. However, as the evidence revealed at trial, the backflow preventers listed in these invoices were neither purchased nor installed at the airport. Since Warner was the public official responsible for verifying these falsified invoices, he was able to conceal this fraud from the airport and authorize the airport to pay Earles for work that was never completed—a percentage of which was ultimately kicked back to Warner.
Each of Warner’s coconspirators, Pritula, 69, of Romulus, Earles, 60, of White Lake, and Tenaglia, 65, of Commerce Township have all pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery and theft.” To date, the government has seized $11 million from Warner and his co-conspirators.
United States Attorney Schneider stated, “This case is yet another example of our office’s commitment to vigorously prosecute corrupt public officials who elevate their own greed over the best interests of the people of Michigan.”
“Through bribery, fraud, and kickbacks, Mr. Warner stole the hard-earned money of the men and women who fund the services provided at Detroit Metropolitan Airport,” said SAC D’Antuono. “I am incredibly proud of the hard work of agents from the FBI and the US Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General, and attorneys from the United States Attorney’s Office, whose collective efforts helped bring a measure of justice to this defendant."
“With one of the largest bribes prosecuted to date in the Eastern District of Michigan, today’s sentencing reinforces our commitment to rooting out egregious infrastructure fraud,” stated Andrea M. Kropf, DOT-OIG Regional Special Agent-In-Charge. “It sends a message to public officials who may be motivated by greed to abuse their positions that they will be met with the full force of the criminal justice system.”
The investigation of this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eaton P. Brown and Mark Chutkow.
Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Bank Fraud, Mail Theft, Id TheftRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Florida man pled guilty in U.S. District Court in Providence today to bank fraud, ID theft, and mail theft charges, admitting that he executed a scheme to order then steal debit cards and PINs from mailboxes in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, then used them at ATMs in both states to withdraw funds from individuals’ bank accounts without their knowledge.
Stacy Moore, 48, of Miami Beach, FL, admitted that as part of the scheme replacement debit cards were ordered with the use of stolen personal identifying information belonging to bank account holders. The new debit cards and PINs were sent to the account holders, then stolen from the account holders’ mailboxes upon delivery by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). The fraudulently obtained debit cards and PINs were used to make unauthorized bank withdrawals.
Account holders were unaware that replacement debit cards and PINs had been requested.
According to court documents and information presented to the court, from December 11, 2018, to February 10, 2019, Moore used fraudulently obtained debit cards and PINs to make multiple withdrawals from at least six individuals’ personal bank accounts in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
As part of the scheme, replacement debit cards and PINs were ordered via telephone without the knowledge of bank account holders. They were delivered via the United States Postal Service to the account holders’ homes. An Informed Delivery account through the USPS website was established for each account holder’s address, allowing for notification when the replacement debit cards and PINs would be delivered. After delivery, the debit cards and PINs were stolen.
In court today, Moore admitted that among his fraudulent activities were 17 unauthorized ATM withdrawals on December 11 and 12, 2018, at ATMs in Boston. Withdrawals totaling $9,600 were made with the use of two fraudulently obtained debit cards and PINs, both in the name of the same bank customer. Moore also admitted that he made 10 unauthorized withdrawals totaling $6,000 on February 12 and 13, 2019, from ATMs in Middletown and Newport with the use of fraudulently obtained debit cards and PINs in the name of another bank customer.
Appearing today before U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith, Moore pled guilty to two counts of bank fraud and one count each of aggravated identity theft and theft of mail, announced United States Attorney Aaron L. Weisman, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Boston Division Joseph W. Cronin, and Craig A. Marech, Resident Agent in Charge of the Providence Office of the United States Secret Service.
Moore is scheduled to be sentenced on May 7, 2020.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise M. Barton.
United States Attorney Aaron L. Weisman thanks the East Greenwich, West Warwick, Barrington and Middletown Police Departments, and the Rhode Island Department of Corrections for their assistance in the investigation of this matter.
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Flooring Executive Charged in Antitrust and Money Laundering ConspiraciesRead the Press Release
Carter Brett, an account executive for a large flooring manufacturer, has been charged for conspiring to rig bids and fix prices for commercial flooring products and services, and for his role in a money laundering conspiracy involving kickbacks, the Department of Justice announced.
“The bid-rigging and money laundering schemes charged today cheated a state-funded school out of competitive bids and lined the defendant’s pockets with kickbacks,” said Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division. “This latest charge in the ongoing investigation demonstrates the Antitrust Division’s commitment to bringing to justice those in the commercial flooring industry who have victimized Chicago-area schools, hospitals, charities, and businesses.”
“When businesses rig bids to increase their own profits illegally, it is our citizens who suffer,” said Special Agent in Charge Emmerson Buie Jr. of the FBI’s Chicago Field Division. “Today’s charges illustrate our ongoing efforts to protect Americans from price fixing and other dishonest business practices.”
According to a two-count felony charge filed today in U.S. District Court in Chicago, Illinois, Brett engaged in a conspiracy to suppress and eliminate competition in the commercial flooring market by initiating and orchestrating a bid rotation conspiracy among three commercial flooring installation companies so that the designated company would win the bidding for jobs at a suburban community college. According to the charge, Brett and his co-conspirators carried out the conspiracy from at least as early as 2013 until as late as June 22, 2017.
The second count filed today charges Brett with engaging in a money laundering conspiracy wherein Brett solicited and accepted kickbacks from his co-conspirators in exchange for offering those co-conspirators unlawfully low pricing. The charge alleges that Brett established a shell corporation for the sole purpose of receiving the illegal kickback payments. According to the charge, Brett and his co-conspirators carried out this conspiracy from at least as early as 2013 until late 2017.
A violation of the Sherman Act carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $1 million criminal fine for individuals. The maximum fine may be increased to twice the gain derived from the crime or twice the loss suffered by the victims of the crime, if either of those amounts is greater than the statutory maximum fine.
Conspiring to commit money laundering carries maximum penalties of a $500,000 criminal fine and 20 years in prison. The maximum fine may be increased to twice the value of the property involved in the money laundering transactions, if that amount is greater than the statutory maximum fine.
The information charging Brett is merely an accusation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The charges are the result of an ongoing federal antitrust investigation into bid rigging, price fixing, and other anticompetitive conduct in the commercial flooring industry, conducted by the Antitrust Division’s Chicago Office and the FBI’s Chicago Field Division. Brett is the fifth individual to be charged in the investigation; one corporation has also been charged to date.
Anyone with information on bid rigging, price fixing, or other anticompetitive conduct related to the commercial flooring industry should contact the Antitrust Division’s Chicago Office at 312-984-7200, contact the Antitrust Division’s Citizen Complaint Center at 888-647-3258, or visit http://www.justice.gov/atr/report-violations.
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.
Financial Adviser Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for Defrauding Clients in Fake Investment SchemeRead the Press Release
Geoffrey S. Berman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that ELIAS HERBERT HAFEN, a former financial adviser at two investment banks with offices in New York, New York, was sentenced yesterday to 30 months in prison for having defrauded his clients out of more than $1.6 million. HAFEN previously pled guilty to one count of investment adviser fraud before United States District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein, who imposed yesterday’s sentence.
U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “Elias Hafen promised to invest his clients’ money in a high-yield fund with guaranteed returns, and propped up his fraud with fake account statements. He never invested his clients’ money, instead using it to line his pockets.”
According to allegations in the Information, other documents filed in federal court, and statements made in public court proceedings, including during HAFEN’s guilty plea:
From 2011 until 2018, HAFEN engaged in a scheme to defraud 11 of his financial advisory clients into believing that HAFEN had access to a high-yield investment fund with guaranteed returns, which was not affiliated with the investment bank at which HAFEN worked. On HAFEN’s advice, these clients transferred approximately $1.6 million directly to HAFEN’s personal bank account for investment in the purported investment fund over the years that HAFEN engaged in his fraudulent scheme. HAFEN also created fictitious “Investor’s Statements” bearing the name of a non-existent investment company purporting to detail the status of his victims’ investments. In reality, however, there was no investment fund at all; HAFEN was using the victims’ funds to pay for personal expenses.
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In addition to the prison term, HAFEN, 64, was also sentenced to three years of supervised release, ordered to pay $745,000 in restitution, and ordered to forfeit $806,750.
Mr. Berman praised the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and thanked the Securities and Exchange Commission, which has filed civil charges in a separate action.
This case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant United States Attorney Jacob R. Fiddelman is in charge of the prosecution.
Felon admits to illegal weapons chargeRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 33-year-old resident of Houston has admitted he illegally possessed firearms and ammunition, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.
Joffre Cross III surrendered to federal authorities today and entered a plea of guilty.
On Feb. 20, 2019, authorities executed a federal search warrant at the Cross residence. Upon entry, they located an AK-style rifle and approximately 2200 rounds of ammunition.
Having been convicted in April 2008 in North Carolina federal court for distribution of controlled substances, he is prohibited per federal law of possessing any firearms or ammunition.
At the time of the search they also found a homemade pistol and three homemade rifles.
Sentencing is set before Chief U.S. District Judge Rosenthal for May 27. At that time, Cross faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 fine.
He will remain in custody pending that hearing.
The FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Schammel is prosecuting the case.
Federal Jury Convicts Roseboro Man of Carjacking and Firearm Charges After Multi-Victim Robbery SpreeRead the Press Release
RALEIGH — United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr., announced that yesterday in federal court, DEMERY BERNARD MCLYMORE, a resident of Roseboro, North Carolina, was convicted in a two-day jury trial before United States District Judge James C. Dever, III. The jury found MCLYMORE guilty of each of four charged counts: Carjacking, Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of the Carjacking, Possession of a Stolen Firearm, and Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition by a Felon.
The evidence at trial showed that beginning in the afternoon of Saturday, September 3, 2016, and running into the early morning hours of the next day, the defendant DEMERY MCLYMORE committed a series of armed robberies, involving a dozen total victims. At trial, three of the victims were able to identify MCLYMORE based on having previously met him. Those victims and several others were able to identify him in court.
The events presented at trial began at around 8:00 p.m. on that Saturday night, when MCLYMORE and another man, Ambrose Lassiter, approached a group of six boys who were in a car that had just parked at the Brantwood Court apartments in Roseboro. The boys, the oldest of which was 18, had gotten together to go to a party that evening. MCLYMORE pulled out a silver handgun and ordered them out of the car. Lassiter tried to intervene and push him away from the boys, but backed away when MCLYMORE threatened to kill everyone. MCLYMORE then proceeded to rob the boys, holding the firearm to neck of one boy, and against the torso of two more. He collected a few dollars, a cell phone, and also took one boy’s shoes. MCLYMORE then ordered the driver to drive him and Lassiter to Clinton, North Carolina. The boy did so as MCLYMORE sat in the passenger seat with the gun on his lap.
Not long after being dropped off in Clinton, MCLYMORE approached a woman who was walking down the street in an area of Clinton known as “the Block.” He showed her that he was carrying the silver handgun, and after walking with her for a few minutes, he pulled out the gun and walked her at gunpoint into an apartment where she had been headed. MCLYMORE proceeded to rob the resident of a wristwatch at gunpoint, but the woman was able to run out of the front door.
MCLYMORE next appeared about a mile away at the Spirit convenience store in Clinton. There, he encountered two young men in a truck in the parking lot, who were stopping by the store on their way out of town for a party. MCLYMORE asked for a ride to his girlfriend’s residence on the Block, and the men agreed. Once at the girlfriend’s residence, MCLYMORE claimed to have lost a pistol. As the men looked for the pistol, MCLYMORE pulled out a shotgun belonging to the driver that had been on a rack in the truck. He pointed the gun at both men and then forced the passenger, at gunpoint, to walk down the road with him.
A couple blocks down the road, MCLYMORE spotted two young boys, 13 and 16 years old, and approached them with the shotgun. He pointed the shotgun at the boys’ chin and chests, then forced the passenger of the truck to check the boys’ pockets for money. MCLYMORE then ordered the boys to strip to their underwear, before running back in the direction of his girlfriend’s house.
Clinton Police Department officers at this time were investigating the earlier residential robbery, and one officer spotted MCLYMORE walking with a shotgun behind a house. With a tip from a neighbor, law enforcement tracked MCLYMORE to the residence he had identified as his girlfriend’s house. They found him in a bedroom with a wristwatch, wadded up money, a shotgun shell, and over three dozen .380 caliber bullets in his pockets. Behind the house, officers found the stolen shotgun, loaded with three shotgun shells that matched the one found in MCLYMORE’s pocket.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Since 2017, the United States Department of Justice has reinvigorated the PSN program and has targeted violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
That effort has been implemented through the Take Back North Carolina Initiative of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina. This initiative emphasizes the regional assignment of federal prosecutors to work with law enforcement and District Attorney’s Offices in those communities on a sustained basis to reduce the violent crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement.
The Clinton Police Department, Sampson County Sheriff’s Office, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Jake D. Pugh and Aakash Singh represented the government.
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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.
Federal Jury Convicts Lincoln County Man of Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A federal jury sitting in Charleston has found a Lincoln County man guilty of illegally possessing a firearm, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart.
The jury found that the defendant, James Owen Adkins, was a convicted felon who was prohibited from possessing a firearm. Adkins was previously convicted four times from 2012 through 2017 for subsequent offenses of driving on a license that was revoked for DUI, each conviction being a felony in West Virginia. On June 4, 2019, Adkins removed a Springfield XD 9mm pistol from a truck that drove away from St. Albans police officers during an attempted a traffic stop. Adkins took the pistol from the truck, climbed out and ran off through a residential neighborhood as police pursued him on foot with a K-9. Prior to being apprehended by police, Adkins discarded the firearm under a shrub next to a residence where young children resided. Police officers recovered the firearm at the scene. Adkins admitted in an interview with officers that he was a felon, that he ran from police with the firearm, and that he discarded it.
“Guilty by a jury of his peers. By enforcing our federal firearms laws, we keep guns out of the wrong hands,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “By virtue of his four previous felony convictions, Adkins is prohibited from possessing firearms. The 2nd Amendment is a sacred right for all Americans and it is a right that I hold as paramount. But felons have forfeited that right. I commend the work of the St. Albans Police Department and the work of my entire team in bringing Adkins to justice.”
Adkins faces up to ten years in prison when sentenced on April 30, 2020.
The St. Albans Police Department conducted the investigation. United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the trial. Assistant United States Attorneys Kristin F. Scott and Steven I. Loew are in charge of the prosecution and tried the case before the federal jury.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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Federal Inmate Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Distribute Synthetic CannabinoidsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH – Quoc Boa Trinh pleaded guilty today to conspiring to distribute Schedule I synthetic cannabinoid controlled substances between 2017 and 2019, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
Trinh, age 40, pled guilty before United States District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan. Judge Ranjan scheduled sentencing to occur on July 7, 2020, at 10:00 a.m. Trinh was serving a prior federal prison sentence when he committed the crime to which he pled guilty.
The law provides for a maximum sentence of up to 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $2,000,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Craig W. Haller is prosecuting this case on behalf of the United States.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, the federal Bureau of Prisons, and the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General led the multi-agency investigation that also included the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Beaver County District Attorney’s Office, the Department of Homeland Security/Homeland Security Investigations, the Pittsburgh Police Department, the United States Marshals Service, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Munhall Police Department, the Robinson Township Police Department, the McKees Rocks Police Department, the Stowe Township Police Department, the Etna Police Department, and the Erie County District Attorney’s Office.
The investigation was funded by the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Program (OCDETF). 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.
Evans City Man Pleads Guilty to Robbing NexTier Bank in ZelienopleRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA- A former resident of Evans City, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to a bank robbery charge, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
Chad Vaughan, 33, pleaded guilty to one count before United States District Judge Cathy Bissoon.
In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was informed that Vaughan robbed the NexTier Bank, located at 226 South Main Street, in Zelienople, on October 23, 2018, of $2,065.00. Vaughan was dressed in all black, including a ski mask and gloves, and demanded "big bills" from the bank tellers. After receiving money from the tellers, he placed the money into a shopping bag before and ran out of the bank. An eye witness observed Vaughan getting into a Ford sedan, which law enforcement later located and searched. During the search of the vehicle, law enforcement found the same black clothing, ski mask and gloves worn by Vaughan when he robbed the bank. Vaughan admitted, during the hearing, that before he robbed the bank, he used his cell phone to search the internet for "what is the jail time for a bank robbery" and "how easy is it to rob a bank." A few days after the bank robbery, Vaughan also admitted that he searched for and viewed an article on a local news website about the NexTier Bank robbery.
Judge Bissoon scheduled sentencing for July 7, 2020, at 2:15 PM. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant. Vaughan remains incarcerated pending sentencing.
Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca L. Silinski is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Borough of Zelienople Police Department conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.
Elmer, New Jersey, Man Sentenced for Illegally Storing Hazardous Waste at Former Glassboro Drum Reconditioning CompanyRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – The former President and owner of a Glassboro, New Jersey, drum reconditioning company was sentenced today to 30 days’ imprisonment for illegally storing hazardous waste, U.S Attorney Craig Carpenito, and Deputy Assistant Attorney General Jean E. Williams of the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, announced.
Thomas Toy, 75, of Elmer, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before Judge Renee M. Bumb to one count of storing hazardous waste at Superior Barrel and Drum Company, Inc.’s Glassboro, New Jersey, facility, in violation of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Judge Bumb imposed the sentence today in Camden federal court.
According to court documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
RCRA was enacted in 1976 to address a growing nationwide problem with industrial and municipal waste. RCRA was designed to protect human health and the environment and provided controls on the management and disposal of hazardous waste. RCRA prohibits the treatment, storage or disposal of any hazardous waste without a permit.
Superior received drums from various industrial customers, cleaned and processed those drums, and then resold them. As the President and owner of Superior, Toy’s responsibilities included making decisions about the storage and disposal of waste, including hazardous waste, at Superior’s facility. Superior did not have a permit to store hazardous waste at Superior’s facility.
Between on or about September 27, 2013, and on or about September 25, 2014, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducted a removal action of waste stored at Superior’s facility. In total, approximately 1,800 containers of waste were removed from Superior’s facility. Much of the waste was found to be hazardous. The direct cost to EPA of the removal action was over $4.2 million.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Bumb sentenced Toy to three years of supervised release, with a special condition of 30 days’ home confinement. She also ordered him to pay $4.2 million in restitution.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Tyler C. Amon, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.
The Government is represented by Senior Environmental Counsel Kathleen P. O'Leary and Special Assistant United States Attorney Jason Garelick of the U.S. Attorney's Office Government Fraud Unit in Newark, and Trial Attorney Adam Cullman of the Environmental Crimes Section of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Eight Individuals Charged in Alleged Scheme to Get Money, Assets from 80-Year Old Widow in Washington, UtahRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY – A federal grand jury returned a 10-count indictment Thursday afternoon charging eight individuals in connection with an alleged fraud scheme to obtain money and assets from an 80-year-old widow who lives in Washington, Utah. The indictment was unsealed Tuesday afternoon.
The indictment alleges the defendants, who have family relationships, conspired to obtain money and assets from the victim in exchange for false promises to perform work on her property. To further advance the scheme, one of the defendants engaged in romance fraud by enticing the victim to enter into a romantic relationship. He used the romantic relationship to manipulate the victim into giving him money and assets.
The indictment includes one count of wire fraud conspiracy, five counts of money laundering conspiracy – spending, two counts of destruction or concealment of records and tangible objects in a federal investigation, one count of concealment of a document or object, and one count of tampering with a witness or victim.
“We prioritize investigations and prosecutions where seniors are targeted for victimization,” U.S. Attorney John W. Huber said today. “We revere our elders, we do not defraud them.”
Individuals charged in the indictment are Frank Gene Powell, age 51, of Hurricane, Bubby Mern Shepherd, age 58, of Lodi, California, Gloria Jean Powell, age 74, of St. George, Faye Ann Renteria, age 42, of Hurricane, Terrence Quincy Powell, age 23, of St. George, Rocky James Powell Mott, age 40, of Hurricane, Martell Taz Powell, age 25, of Cedar City, and Angela Ruth McDuffie, age 53, of Lehi.
Seven of the eight defendants are in custody. Shepherd will have an initial appearance on the indictment in California Wednesday.
Frank Powell, Faye Ann Renteria, Gloria Powell, Rocky Mott, Taz Powell and Angela McDuffie will have an initial appearance on the indictment at 9 a.m. Thursday in St. George, Utah, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul Kohler. A summons was issued to Terrence Quincy Powell to appear at the hearing.
The indictment alleges that starting around March 2019 through October 2019, several of the defendants began soliciting payments from L.N. by offering to perform routine repairs and odd jobs on her property. L.N. created a list of requested repairs, such as painting the exterior of the house, resurfacing the driveway, doing yard work, hammering protruding nails on the roof, fixing a door handle on a car, removing grease spots on the driveway, and installing carpet on an outdoor deck.
According to the indictment, most of the jobs they promised to do were never completed or the quality of work was extremely poor and fell well below any expectation of professionally done work. The victim paid the defendants at least $273,849.20, both indirectly and directly, for this work.
Frank Powell engaged in the romance fraud scam with the victim and told L.N. that he intended to marry her while maintaining a domestic partnership with Renteria. According to the indictment, he is legally married to another woman not involved in the conspiracy.
The money laundering counts allege four defendants, Frank Powell, Gloria Powell, Renteria, and Taz Powell, used money derived from their alleged unlawful activity to buy cars, a Polaris Razor, and a trailer.
Frank Powell and Renteria are charged with two counts of destruction of records or tangible objects in a federal investigation – specifically cell phones – in an effort to impede the investigation of the case. They are also charged with tampering with a victim in an effort to avoid prosecution. Powell and Renteria, according to the indictment, contacted L.N. through written correspondence and phone calls in which they made misleading statements and attempted to persuade L.N. to withhold information from law enforcement and help them avoid prosecution. Frank Powell and Faye Renteria were arrested on a federal complaint in November charging them with tampering with a victim or witness.
The potential maximum penalty for each count of wire fraud conspiracy, destruction or concealment of records or tangible objects in a federal investigation, concealment of a document or object, and tampering with a witness is 20 years in federal prison. The money laundering counts are up to 10 years per count.
Indictments are not findings of guilt. Individuals charged in indictments are presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty in court.
Combatting elder abuse and financial fraud targeted at seniors is a key priority of the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Utah. Elder abuse is a serious crime against some of our nation’s most vulnerable citizens, affecting at least 10% of older Americans every year. Together with federal, state, local and tribal partners, the Department of Justice is committed to combatting all forms of elder abuse and financial exploitation through enforcement actions, training and resources, research, victim services, and public awareness. This holistic and robust response demonstrates the Department’s unwavering dedication to fighting for justice for older Americans.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys in Utah are prosecuting the case. The FBI is investigating the case. Agents with Utah Adult Probation and Parole have made signification contributions to the investigation.
Delaware Man Sentenced to 12 Months' Incarceration for Defrauding Federally-Funded Job Placement Program in Wire Fraud CaseRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, Del. David C. Weiss, United States Attorney for the District of Delaware, announced that William A. Brown (“Brown”) was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Leonard P. Stark to 12 months’ incarceration for wire fraud on January 29, 2020.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Brown, age 52, of Felton, Delaware, was previously a job placement counselor at Connections Community Support Programs, Inc. (“Connections”). During 2015 and 2016, Connections contracted with the Delaware Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (“DVR”) to help that organization provide employment counseling and job placement services to individuals recovering from drug and alcohol addiction. The federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act provides funding for DVR and sets programmatic goals; DVR receives 80% of its funding through federal government programs.
As part of a multi-year fraud on DVR, Brown submitted falsified client paperwork and created bogus client paystubs so that DVR would pay Connections for completed client services. By submitting more than thirty false documents over a two-year period, Brown not only caused the payment of excess funds to Connections, he made Connections’ services appear more successful than they actually were and so improved his own job security.
In sentencing the defendant, Chief Judge Stark expressed that the defendant’s “actions contribute to undermining public support in these types of programs.”
U.S. Attorney Weiss stated, “The Division of Vocational Rehabilitation performs an important service for Delaware citizens, and its mission is undermined when a self-interested contractor like the defendant commits fraud. By falsifying client paperwork in a way that boosted his own performance numbers and triggered payments by DVR to Connections, the defendant put his own job security above the job prospects of the clients that Connections was contracted to assist. The defendant’s sentence of incarceration sends an important message that fraud on government programs will not be tolerated by the criminal justice system.”
“This defendant perpetrated a fraud against the government, against his employer, and against a public program that supports Delaware citizens, for his own personal gain. When programs funded by the government are victimized by fraud, the FBI will work relentlessly with our local, state and federal law enforcement partners to root out the individuals responsible. Such fraud victimizes not only public programs but also the taxpayers who fund these programs,” said Special Agent in Charge Jennifer C. Boone of the FBI’s Baltimore Division.
“William Brown defrauded the Delaware Division of Vocational Rehabilitation by submitting false documentation for employment counseling and job placement services intended for clients in drug and alcohol recovery. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to protect the integrity of federally-funded job placement programs,” said Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Derek Pickle, Philadelphia Region, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General.
“This case is an example of our commitment to protecting Federal funds from fraud, waste, and abuse, and stop those who seek to enrich themselves at the expense of taxpayers," said Geoffrey Wood, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General’s Eastern Regional Office. "The Office of Inspector General and our partners will continue to work tirelessly to safeguard Federal education dollars.”
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI Baltimore Division’s Wilmington Office, U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General, and the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, with help from the Delaware Department of Justice. The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Whitney Cloud.
Couple from Honduras and El Salvador Indicted for Transporting Nine Illegal AliensRead the Press Release
LAKE CHARLES, La. – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment against Julio Francisco Lindo, 30, of Honduras, and Maria Yajaira Urias-Cordova, 26, of El Salvador, both illegally present in the United States, charging them with one count of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens and nine counts of illegal alien transportation, announced David C. Joseph, United States Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana.
According to the indictment, on January 14, 2020, Border Patrol agents conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle traveling east on Interstate 10 in Lake Charles. Julio Lindo, the driver of the vehicle, and Maria Urias-Cordova, a passenger in the vehicle, were transporting nine individuals that they knew to be illegally present in the United States: five from Guatemala, three from Mexico, and one from El Salvador. Agents located five of the nine individuals piled on top of each other in the rear cargo area of the Honda Pilot, and four individuals in the back passenger seat, one of whom was an unaccompanied minor, lying on the floor face up underneath another’s feet.
If convicted, Julio Francisco Lindo and Maria Yajaira Urias-Cordova both face up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine, for each count.
U.S. Border Patrol investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Ayo is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and 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.
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Colombian National Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Distribute CocaineRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Colombian national pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to his role in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine.
Fredi Catano, a/k/a “Leonardo Favio Gonzalez-Patino,” 35, a Columbian national previously residing in Revere, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, and one count each of distribution of 500 grams or more of cocaine and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor scheduled sentencing for June 5, 2020. Catano was indicted in May 2019.
Between November 2017 and May 2019, Catano and co-defendant Wilson Acevedo conspired to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. During that period, Catano supplied Acevedo with approximately one ounce of cocaine on multiple occasions, which Acevedo subsequently sold to a cooperating witness. On May 2, 2019, in a drug deal arranged by Acevedo, Catano sold 500 grams of cocaine to the same cooperating witness. Catano and Acevedo were arrested immediately thereafter. A search of Catano’s Revere residence resulted in the seizure of an additional half-kilogram of cocaine, drug distribution paraphernalia and approximately $13,000 in U.S. currency.
In December 2019, Acevedo pleaded guilty and is set to be sentenced on April 6, 2020.
The charges of conspiring to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, distribution of 500 grams or more of cocaine, and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine each carries a sentence of up to 40 years in prison, a mandatory minimum of five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $5 million. Catano will be subject to deportation proceedings following his sentence. 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 Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Division, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Estes of Lelling’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.
Buffalo Photographer Pleads Guilty to Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Delshawn K. Trueheart, 43, of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. to production of child pornography. Production of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles M. Kruly, who is handling the case, stated that on March 20, 2019, investigators reviewed an SD memory card seized from Trueheart’s residence during the execution of a federal search warrant. The SD card contained a video shot by the defendant which showed Victim 1 naked in the defendant’s East Delavan Avenue photography studio.
In 2019, Victim 1 reported to the Buffalo Police Department that Trueheart had a sexual relationship with her while she was between approximately 15 and 17 years of age.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Byron Lockwood, and the Buffalo Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Gary Loeffert.
Sentencing is scheduled for June 8, 2020, at 3:00 p.m. before Judge Sinatra.
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Bucks County Man Known as the “Straw Hat Bandit” Sentenced to 71 Years in Prison for String of Armed Bank Robberies, Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney William M. McSwain announced that Richard Boyle, a/k/a the “Straw Hat Bandit,” 60, of Doylestown, PA, was sentenced today to 852 months’ imprisonment, five years’ supervised release and ordered to pay $495,000 restitution by United States District Court Judge Gene E.K. Pratter for committing 11 bank robberies, using a firearm during the commission of 10 of those robberies, and laundering the stolen proceeds.
During a brazen string of 11 separate bank robberies across Bucks and Montgomery counties between 2012 and 2016, the defendant stole a total of $495,686. A serial bank robber, sometimes referred to as the “Straw Hat Bandit” due to his preferred disguise, Boyle stole that stunning total by using threats of violence, including forcing bank employees to open their vaults and cash-rich ATM machines at gunpoint. He made careful plans to avoid apprehension, utilizing disguises, gloves, and even spreading bleach on the floor of the banks to conceal his DNA. Immediately prior to some of the robberies, the defendant attempted to slow the police response time to the bank robbery alarms by calling police or security about false reports, including a bomb threat at a country club, a planned attack at a mall, and a man with a gun at Temple University. After the robberies, the defendant laundered the stolen money by routing the funds through his photography business, Sky Eye View, in an attempt to conceal the source of this income.
“The days of the ‘Straw Hat Bandit’ terrorizing the Philadelphia suburbs are over,” said U.S. Attorney McSwain. “He will no longer be stealing, playing games with the police, or putting innocent lives at risk. Instead, he will be spending the rest of his life in prison – something that he richly deserves.”
“Richard Boyle served time in prison for a prior string of bank robberies,” said Tara McMahon, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “Once out, he not only picked up where he’d left off, he escalated his crimes – carefully plotting diversions and disguises, and arming himself with a gun. For terrorizing the employees of nearly a dozen banks and putting people’s lives at risk, he’s back behind bars, and this lengthy sentence ensures the so-called ‘Straw Hat Bandit’ won’t ride again anytime soon.”
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Plymouth Township Police Department with assistance from the Pennsylvania State Police, the Montgomery County Department of Public Safety, the Horsham Police Department, the Lower Makefield Township Police Department, the Montgomery Township Police Department, the Middletown Police Department, the Philadelphia Police Department, the Newtown Township Police Department, the Upper Dublin Police Department, the Upper Providence Township Police Department, the Whitpain Township Police Department, the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, and the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Robert J. Livermore and Sean P. McDonnell.
Bapchule Man Sentenced to Prison for Domestic AssaultRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. Last week, Deshaun Lee Humeyumptewa, 25, of Bapchule, Arizona, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Dominic W. Lanza to 18 months in prison. Humeyumptewa previously pleaded guilty to Assault Resulting in Substantial Bodily Injury to Intimate or Dating Partner. After release from imprisonment, Humeyumptewa will be on supervised release for three years.
Humeyumptewa physically assaulted the victim while at a residence on the Gila River Indian Community, where both were members. Judge Lanza increased Humeyumptewa’s sentence beyond the applicable guidelines range, stating that the conduct was “extraordinarily serious” and showed a “troubling pattern of behavior.” Judge Lanza further ordered that the 18-month sentence be served consecutive to Humeyumptewa’s 12-month sentence for violating his supervised release in an unrelated case.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the Gila River Police Department. The prosecution was handled by Christine D. Keller, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix.
Bank robberies get local man significant federal prison timeRead the Press Release
GALVESTON, Texas - A 26-year-old Houston man is headed to federal prison following his convictions related to the 2019 robberies of a BBVA Compass Bank in Friendswood and Texas First Bank in Galveston, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.
Tremaine Venters pleaded guilty Oct. 30, 2019, to two counts of aiding and abetting bank robbery and aiding and abetting brandishing of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
Today, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Brown handed Venters a 57-month sentence for the robbery. He also received an additional 168 months for the firearms charge which must be served consecutively to the other sentence imposed for a total 225-month term of imprisonment. At the hearing, the court noted his prior felony offenses and criminal history as well as the necessity of keeping society safe from individuals committing offenses with guns.
On Jan. 3, 2019, Venters entered the BBVA Compass Bank in Friendswood along with Jordan Johnson. Both men approached the counter, placed guns in front of tellers and demanded money. The tellers complied and Venters and Johnson exited the bank.
Less than two weeks later, Venters and Johnson also robbed the Texas First Bank in Galveston with a firearm. Venters walked up to the teller counter and tossed bag on the counter. Simultaneously, Johnson placed a gun on the counter and demanded “hundreds and fifties” from a teller.
He then walked over to another teller station and said “I need hundreds.” That teller mistakenly believed he just wanted to make a withdrawal and reached for a withdrawal slip. At that time, Johnson said “no” and tapped his gun on the teller counter. She then opened her cash drawer, at which time Johnson told her to just give him the whole drawer. He put the money in a plastic grocery bag, and both men left.
Bank employees were able to get a vehicle description and a license plate number. Authorities then saw a car matching the description traveling across the causeway from Galveston.
They were soon arrested. Inside the vehicle, law enforcement found a firearm and cash belonging to First Texas Bank.
Jordan Johnson, 27, Houston, also pleaded guilty and is pending sentencing June 24.
Both men have been and will remain in custody.
The FBI Violent Crime Task Force and the Houston Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jill Stotts is prosecuting the case.
Baltimore Man Sentenced to Five Years in Federal Prison for Possession of FentanylRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced Devron Lasha Young, Jr., age 22, of Baltimore, Maryland, yesterday to five years in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute approximately 75 grams of fentanyl and acetyl fentanyl—enough to kill 37,500 people. Young was charged in federal court as part of a federal-state initiative announced in December 2018 to combat the fentanyl crisis in Maryland.
Under this new initiative, titled the “Synthetic Opioid Surge,” or “SOS” for short, every arrest involving distribution of fentanyl made by law enforcement in Baltimore is reviewed jointly by the State’s Attorney’s Office for Baltimore City, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to determine whether the case will be handled in the state or federal system. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will prosecute more cases involving fentanyl as a result of this new program. The use of federal resources and statutes, which carry significant terms of imprisonment, is necessary to prosecute those individuals who pose the greatest threat to public safety in distributing lethal doses of fentanyl.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Orville O. Greene of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.
“As a result of the combined efforts of local, state, and federal law enforcement partners, Devron Young now faces five years in federal prison, where there are no suspended sentences and no parole, ever. Drug dealers should be aware that in Baltimore City we are teaming up to arrest and prosecute those who peddle the deadly poison of fentanyl on our streets and in our neighborhoods,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur. “We must do everything we can to reduce overdose deaths from this drug and from all opioids.”
According to his guilty plea, on February 22, 2019, Young hailed an illegal taxi at the intersection of North Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue in northwest Baltimore, the location of an open-air drug market. Young offered the driver $10 to drive him a few blocks away, wait while he went into a building, and drive him back to the corner of North and Pennsylvania. Shortly after Young entered the vehicle, a Baltimore police officer stopped the car for a traffic violation. The officer asked the driver and Young where they were going. Young answered that the driver was a friend from school and that she was giving him a ride home. Neither statement was true.
When the officer asked the driver for her license and registration, she stated that they were in her wallet, which was located in a bag behind the driver’s seat. With the officer’s permission, she retrieved the bag. The officer saw that, aside from the driver’s wallet and some personal items, the bag contained only children’s diapers. The driver then returned the bag to the rear driver-side floor.
The driver produced a learner’s permit, but Young was unable to provide any form of identification. Young provided his personal information to the officer, who then advised Young and the driver that he was going to tow the vehicle because it was unregistered and uninsured. The officer returned to his vehicle to run law enforcement database inquiries on the driver and Young.
While the officer was in his patrol car, he observed Young reaching toward the rear passenger floor. The officer walked back to the vehicle and asked the driver to step out. He asked if there was anything illegal in the vehicle, and the driver told him there was not, then consented without hesitation to a search of the vehicle.
While the driver stayed outside the vehicle, the officer radioed for backup, and returned to the car to speak with Young. The officer asked Young if he had anything illegal on his person, which Young denied. Young then agreed to the officer’s request to perform a protective pat-down outside the vehicle. However, when the officer opened the door, Young tried to run away. Before Young could escape, the officer grabbed Young and placed Young under arrest.
Once Young was in custody, the officer searched the vehicle. He discovered that the bag had been moved to the middle of the vehicle’s back row. The officer seized the bag and noticed that, on top of the diapers, there was now a brown plastic bag that had not been there before. The brown plastic bag contained 30 separate packs holding a total of 752 capsules. The Baltimore Police Department’s Laboratory Section subsequently analyzed the capsules and determined that each contained both fentanyl and acetyl fentanyl.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the DEA and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation and thanked Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby and her office for their assistance. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey J. Izant, who prosecuted the case.
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Assault on elderly woman sends Busby man to prisonRead the Press Release
BILLINGS—A Busby man who admitted assaulting an elderly woman in her 80s as she tried to break up a fight was sentenced today to five years and three months in prison, three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $26,599 restitution for Medicare, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Calvin Lee Lamewoman, 38, pleaded guilty in September to assault resulting in serious bodily injury.
U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided. Judge Watters ordered the sentence to run consecutively to another sentence.
The assault occurred on May 5, 2016 in Busby on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, the prosecution said in court records. The victim was in her 80s at the time and has since died, but her death was not from injuries suffered in the assault. The victim suffered bruises to her chest, broken ribs, a broken jaw and other fractures and bruises.
Lamewoman was fighting with another person at a Busby residence when the victim entered the living room to try to break up the argument. Lamewoman turned on the victim and repeatedly hit and kicked her, knocking her down.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lori Suek prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI.
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Alleged Members of Jersey City Gang Charged with Shooting Five PeopleRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – Two alleged members of a Jersey City gang have been charged with the June 30, 2018, shooting of five people, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced today.
Jalil Holmes, a/k/a “Broadday,” 20, of East Orange, New Jersey, and Jidon Rogers, 37, of Jersey City, New Jersey, made their initial appearances today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cathy L. Waldor in Newark federal court. They each are charged by complaint with five counts of assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering activity and five counts of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.
According to the documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Holmes and Rogers are allegedly both associated with a street gang known to operate in the area of the Marion Gardens Housing Complex in Jersey City. While paying homage to a fellow gang member who was murdered on June 30, 2013, Holmes, Rogers, and two other gang members traveled from the Marion Gardens Housing Complex to the area where their fellow gang member had been murdered five years prior, with the intention of shooting rival gang members. Upon arriving in that area, Holmes and the two other gang members exited the car that Rogers drove, brandished handguns, and fired multiple shots into a crowd of people. “Victim One” sustained one gunshot wound to his left thigh; “Victim Two” sustained one gunshot wound to his right calf; “Victim Three” sustained one gunshot wound to his right leg; “Victim Four” sustained two gunshot wounds to her upper right shoulder; and “Victim Five” sustained a gunshot wound to his left wrist.
Each count of assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering activity is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Each count of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence carries a mandatory minimum term of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison, which must run consecutively to any terms imposed on the other counts. Holmes also has separate pending charges for a January 9, 2019 shooting of rival gang members.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents with the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie in Newark; the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Esther Suarez; and the Jersey City Police Department, under the direction of Public Safety Director James Shea, with the investigation leading to the charges.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Desiree Grace Latzer of the Organized Crime and Gangs Unit in Newark.
The charges and allegations in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Defense counsel:
Holmes: Mark Berman, Esq., Hackensack, New Jersey
Rogers: Victor Afanador, Esq., Newark, New JerseyAlexandria Man Indicted for Extortion Scheme Involving ExplosivesRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, La. – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment against Daniel Dewayne Aikens, 37, of Alexandria, charging him with one count of making a threat by telephone, announced David C. Joseph, United States Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana.
According to the indictment, on January 2, 2020, Aikens used a cell phone to contact an employee of PayDay Today and made a threatening demand for $10,000 in cash. He initially spoke to the employee about a set of lost keys. While the employee was in the parking lot looking for the keys, a device exploded in a trash can near the building. Aikens told the employee that he had caused the explosion and threatened another explosion if he was not given $10,000 in cash. Aikens was discharged from his position as a commissioned officer in the Louisiana National Guard shortly after his arrest in connection with this incident.
If convicted, Daniel Aikens faces up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), FBI, Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office, Alexandria Police Department, U.S. Marshal’s Service, Louisiana State Police, and the Alexandria Fire Department investigated the case, with the assistance of the Alexandria Public Safety Commissioner and the City of Alexandria Mayor’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamilla A. Bynog is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and 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.
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Agawam Man Charged with Defrauding VA Hospitals by Failing to Inspect Medical Gas SystemsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A vendor for several Veterans Affairs medical facilities was charged yesterday in connection with a scheme to profit by billing for, but failing to perform, critical medical gas inspections at VA facilities.
Chester Wojcik, 49, of Agawam, Mass., was charged with one count of wire fraud.
It is alleged that from May 29, 2014, through March 5, 2015, Wojcik, as the owner of Alliance Medical Gas Corporation, engaged in a scheme to defraud the VA by creating false invoices and reports for medical gas inspections that never took place. Medical gas supply systems deliver piped gases, including compressed air, oxygen, nitrous oxide, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide, to operating rooms, recovery rooms and patient rooms. Medical gas supply systems must be inspected and maintained regularly to ensure the safety of patients and medical professionals. Wojcik allegedly failed to perform, and then lied about, scheduled inspections of medical gas systems at VA facilities in Sioux Falls, SD, Tuskegee AL, and Montgomery, AL. Wojcik was allegedly paid $8,981 by the VA for services that his company did not perform.
The charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. 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; Jeffrey Stachowiak, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Field Office; and Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elysa Q. Wan of Lelling’s Health Care Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.