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Friday 6 December 2019
Denver Jury Finds Husband and Wife Guilty of Large-Scale Black Market Marijuana GrowRead the Press Release
DENVER – United States Attorney Jason R. Dunn announced today that Huanyu Yan, age 54, and wife You Lan Xiang, age 50, both of Aurora, Colorado, were found guilty of marijuana cultivation following a four-day jury trial before U.S. District Court Judge Raymond P. Moore. Both defendants appeared at the trial free on bond. After the guilty verdicts were handed down both defendants were taken into custody and were remanded pending sentencing, which is scheduled for February 24, 2020.
According to court documents as well as evidence presented at trial, on October 10, 2018, the Drug Enforcement Administration, North Metro Task Force, and the Aurora Police Department executed a federal search warrant at 20050 East Doane Drive in Aurora, Colorado. A search of the house revealed a large-scale illicit marijuana grow operation in the basement of the house, with 878 marijuana plants. The basement also contained 9.72 pounds of finished marijuana product. According to testimony at trial, the yield of all the plants in the basement would have been enough to create approximately 150,000 marijuana joints. Both defendants were convicted of 1) conspiracy to manufacture and possess with intent to distribute 100 or more marijuana plants; 2) possessing with intent to distribute 100 or more marijuana plants; and 3) using and maintaining a drug-involved premises. They now face mandatory minimum 5-year sentences.
“This is an important verdict for the people of Colorado, who’ve been overrun by black market marijuana,” said U.S. Attorney Jason Dunn. “This verdict sends a strong signal to anyone growing black market marijuana in Colorado that they can’t hide.”
This case was investigated by the DEA, North Metro Task Force and the Aurora Police Department. The defendants were prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aaron Teitelbaum and Peter McNeilly.
Cocaine Supplier for Local Bloods Gang Sentenced to PrisonRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A California man was sentenced today to 16 years in prison for supplying cocaine and other controlled substances to individuals in Virginia.
According to court documents, from 2015 until early 2019, Chad Stewart, 44, of Anaheim, supplied cocaine and other controlled substances to multiple drug distribution cells located in Northern Virginia. Most notably, Stewart supplied cocaine to associates and members of the Imperial Gansta Bloods, a criminal street gang. His customers would compile and return tens of thousands of dollars of drug proceeds to him, sometimes via shipments of bulk cash, and sometimes by hand carrying bulk cash to California and delivering it to Stewart in person. Stewart admitted to shipping nearly 150 kilograms of cocaine, along with at least one kilogram of heroin.
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 Jesse R. Fong, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Field Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael P. Ben’Ary 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. 1:19-cr-208.
Chicago Man Sentenced to 14 Years for Possession of Methamphetamine in Tractor-Trailer Fuel TankRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – ENRIQUE LARA, 37, of Chicago, Illinois, has been sentenced to fourteen years in prison for possessing with intent to distribute liquid methamphetamine concealed in the fuel tank of a tractor-trailer, announced U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Downing.
On the morning of October 22, 2018, a detective with the Norman Police Department’s Special Investigations Section, Criminal Interdiction Unit, noticed that a tractor-trailer parked at a Norman motel bore a U.S. Department of Transportation number inconsistent with that agency’s numbering system. When the detective asked the driver, Lara, for paperwork and his driver’s license, he noticed an odor of marijuana. The detective also became suspicious because the paperwork appeared to be fake and because Lara was inexplicably hauling pallets in a refrigerated trailer. Further checking revealed that the supposed shipper and receiver of the pallets had had no contact with Lara or his truck and that the trucking company had fired Lara in April.
With the consent of Lara and his passenger, JASMINE MORALES, 22, of McAllen, Texas, the detective took the tractor-trailer to the Norman city garage. During his inspection, he found that one of the gas tanks was full of a cloudy liquid with small crystals that tested positive for methamphetamine. According to an affidavit in support of a criminal complaint, the fuel tank contained approximately 1,260 pounds—or approximately 150 gallons—of liquid methamphetamine, with an estimated value in the Oklahoma City area that could exceed $3,000,000.
The Drug Enforcement Administration responded to the scene immediately with a laboratory clean-up team and tested the liquid to confirm that it was methamphetamine. Lara and Morales were arrested and taken to Cleveland County Jail. Lara has remained in custody since that time.
A federal grand jury indicted Lara and Morales on November 7, 2018, for conspiracy and possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. On March 4, 2019, Morales pleaded guilty to the lesser offense of misprision of a felony. She was sentenced on August 22, 2019, to one year and one day in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release.
Lara pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute on March 11, 2019. Today, Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy D. DeGiusti sentenced Lara to fourteen years in prison. At the end of his term, he must serve five years on supervised release.
This case is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the District 21 Drug Task Force, and the Norman Police Department. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Oklahoma pursued this case with the assistance of, and in partnership with, Cleveland County District Attorney Greg Mashburn and his office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas J. Patterson, David P. Petermann, and Brandon Hale prosecuted the case.
Reference is made to court filings for further information.
Chemist Sentenced for Illegally Abandoning Laboratory Full of Hazardous Chemicals in St. Clair CountyRead the Press Release
Lawrence D. Rutledge, 57, of Belleville, Illinois, has been sentenced to five years of federal
probation and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $335,934.87 to the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (“U.S. EPA”) for clean-up expenses associated with his illegal storage of
hazardous waste in St. Clair County, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Steven D.
Weinhoeft, announced today. Rutledge pleaded guilty to the charge in July.In 1997, Rutledge started a business called Advanced Asymmetrics, Inc., to synthesize specialty
chemicals for the pharmaceutical industry. The business was located inside a commercial building at
109 South Kossuth Street in Millstadt, Illinois, in close proximity to a residential area and a
senior living home. Over time, Rutledge accumulated numerous containers of chemicals and chemical
waste at the Millstadt facility. Sometime around 2011, Rutledge stopped paying the county property
taxes on the Millstadt facility, and over the next few years, the electrical service and the water
service (both water supply and sewer) to the facility were shut off.In August 2015, employees of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (“Illinois EPA”) and the
U.S. EPA entered the facility and discovered hundreds of containers with labels indicating the
presence of acids, caustics, and other chemicals, as well as hazardous waste. Some of the metal
containers had rusted, and crystallization had started to occur on metal surfaces. Some had even
fallen over and broken open. Sodium cyanide, which is extremely toxic, was stored within one inch
of a container containing acid, presenting the potential formation of cyanide gas. Investigators
also discovered a container labelled as a shock-sensitive picric acid, which is highly explosive.“The defendant’s abandonment of hazardous chemicals created a highly dangerous situation,” said
Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Martinez of EPA’s criminal enforcement program in Illinois.
“Companies should take notice that EPA and our law enforcement partners will enforce our hazardous
waste laws that protect our communities and the environment.”The investigation was conducted by the U.S. EPA – Criminal Investigation Division and the Illinois
EPA – Collinsville Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney William E. Coonan and U.S.
EPA Regional Criminal Enforcement Counsel David P. Mucha prosecuted the case.
Carolina Liquid Chemistries, Inc., Sentenced to Pay $50,000 for Developing and Marketing Drug Tests Without FDA ApprovalRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO – Carolina Liquid Chemistries, Inc. (CLC), was sentenced today to pay $50,000 for selling adulterated medical devices, announced United States Attorney David L. Anderson and Food and Drug Administration-Office of Criminal Investigations (FDA-OCI) Special Agent in Charge Special Agent in Charge Los Angeles Field Office Lisa Malinowski. The sentence was handed down by U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph C. Spero. Magistrate Judge Spero also ordered CLC to serve a two-year period of probation during which time CLC will be required to develop and submit to the court an effective compliance and ethics program.
CLC, based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and Brea, Calif., pleaded guilty to the charge on September 3, 2019. According to the plea agreement, CLC admitted that it developed systems for testing human urine for drugs of abuse and then, from 2010 to 2014, marketed the systems, all without FDA approval.
“FDA's device approval requirements are designed to ensure the safety and effectiveness of devices used by Americans,” said Special Agent in Charge Malinowski. “Today’s announcement serves as a reminder of the FDA’s continued focus on taking action against companies that put profits ahead of the public health.”
CLC admitted that it purchased devices, referred to as reagents, from a company in the Northern District of California, and that it purchased automated photometric chemistry analyzers from a Japanese company and a Chinese company. CLC admitted that it combined the reagents with the chemistry analyzers and then marketed the combined test system as a product for testing human urine for drugs of abuse. CLC acknowledged that such a test system required approval by the FDA before being marketed, and that, to obtain approval from the FDA, the sponsor of an application to the FDA for approval would need to demonstrate that there were specific medical indications for which these devise were useful and that the test systems could safely and effectively perform these analyses. CLC admitted it did not file for FDA approval for its system.
CLC was charged by an information on August 26, 2019. The company was charged with one count of marketing adulterated medical devices, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 331(a) and 333(a)(1). CLC pleaded guilty to that charge.
In addition to the $50,000 fine and the order to develop a compliance and ethics program, Magistrate Judge Spero’s sentence included additional terms that CLC must follow during the two-year probation period. Among the terms of probation CLC must follow are: (1) to refrain from committing another federal, state, or local crime; (2) to notify the court or probation officer immediately upon learning of any civil litigation, criminal prosecution, or administrative proceeding against the organization; and (3) to submit to unannounced examinations of its books and records by the probation officer or experts engaged by the court.
This case is being prosecuted by the Special Prosecutions Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District in California. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FDA-OCI with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General.
Canadian seafood wholesaler sentenced for illegally importing fish into U.S.Read the Press Release
Seattle – Seven Seas Fish Company, Ltd., of Richmond, B.C., Canada, and a company owner, JOHN HERAS, 78, of Delta, B.C., were sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to significant monetary fines and periods of probation for importation of previously refused food. The company and HERAS admit that, between October 2014 and August 2015, they imported more than 9,000 pounds of potentially adulterated fish into the U.S. The fish had previously been refused entry into the U.S., because the FDA judged samples of the fish too decomposed and putrid. At the sentencing hearing, Magistrate Judge Mary Alice Theiler said, “this activity leads consumers to be concerned about food safety.”
“On two prior occasions, this company put its financial success over the food import regulations and the safety of consumers,” said U.S. Attorney Brian T. Moran. “Now, with a third strike, it is appropriate that the company and its part-owner face a federal criminal conviction and its consequences.”
According to records filed in the case, in June 2014, Seven Seas purchased 12,100 pounds of frozen corvina, a white fish similar to sea bass. The fish was purchased for $36,375 from a seafood company in Mexico. Seven Seas attempted to have the fish imported into the U.S. at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry. However, when Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Consumer Safety Officers examined the fish, they determined that one-third of the samples from the shipment were more than 20 percent spoiled. The shipment was refused entry to the U.S. However, Seven Seas arranged for the fish to be lawfully shipped through the U.S. to its plant in Richmond, B.C., claiming that the product would be distributed in Canada.
After the fish arrived in B.C., HERAS cooked and ate some of the fish and claimed he found nothing wrong with it. Despite his knowledge that the fish had been refused entry to the U.S., HERAS encouraged others within Seven Seas to sell the fish to customers in Washington State and elsewhere. Some 9,020 pounds of the fish were imported into the U.S. without the required notice to the Secretary of Health and Human services.
The FDA has not found any illness linked to those who consumed the fish.
The company was ordered to pay a $150,000 fine within six months of today. For three years, the company will be on probation with increased scrutiny and surveillance of its imports into the U.S.
HERAS will pay a $2,000 fine and will be on probation for one year. The company claims he no longer has a leadership role at Seven Seas.
The company has a tarnished record regarding its compliance with import regulations. In 2008, Canadian salmon owned by the company was seized because it was sold in violation of Canadian law and the Lacey Act. The fish, worth nearly $100,000, had been caught by illegal gill netting. Just one year later, in 2009, Seven Seas was fined $50,000 for selling salmon without notifying regulators after the fish had been detained because it was found unfit for human consumption. The fish was sold for mink feed, but without the required notice to the agency that had issued the detainer.
The case was investigated by the FDA Office of Criminal Investigation, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and Homeland Security Investigations. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Diggs.
California Man Pleads Guilty to Role in Million Dollar Scheme Targeting Thousands of U.S. Servicemembers and VeteransRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice announced today that Trorice Crawford, 32, of San Diego, California, admitted his role in an identity-theft and fraud scheme that victimized thousands of U.S. servicemembers and veterans.
Appearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Richard Farrer yesterday afternoon, Crawford pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. By pleading guilty, Crawford admitted that from May 2017 to July 2019, he conspired with Robert Wayne Boling Jr. (a U.S. citizen), and others to steal money belonging to U.S. Servicemembers and veterans. By pleading guilty, Crawford admitted to recruiting at least 30 individuals (aka money mules) who provided their bank account information to receive funds stolen from military affiliated individuals. On average, each unauthorized transfer from a victim’s accounts ranged from between $8,000 to $13,000. Crawford kept a percentage of the withdrawn funds for himself and oversaw the transmission of the remaining amounts by means of international money remittance services to Boling and others in the Philippines.
Crawford faces up to 20 years in federal prison. He remains in federal custody awaiting sentencing scheduled for 10:30am on March 5, 2020, before Chief U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia in San Antonio.
In October, co-defendant Frederick Brown, age 38 of Las Vegas, Nevada, pleaded guilty to federal charges in connection with this scheme. Brown, a former civilian medical records administrator for the U.S. Army at the 65th Medical Brigade, Yongsan Garrison, South Korea, admitted that while logged into the Armed Forces Health Longitudinal Technology Application, he illegally captured on his cell phone personal identifying information (PII) of thousands of military members, including names, social security numbers, DOD ID numbers, dates of birth, and contact information. Brown further admitted that he subsequently provided that stolen data to Boling so that Boling and others could exploit the information in various ways to access Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs benefits sites and steal millions of dollars.
As asserted in the federal grand jury indictment, Boling, together with his Philippines-based co-defendants Allan Albert Kerr (Australian citizen) and Jongmin Seok (South Korean citizen), specifically used the stolen information to compromise a Department of Defense portal designed to enable military members to access benefits information online. Once through the portal, the defendants are alleged to have accessed benefits information. Access to these detailed records enabled the defendants to steal or attempt to steal millions of dollars from military members’ bank accounts. The defendants also stole veterans’ benefits payments. Evidence of the defendants’ scheme was detected earlier this year, advancing the investigation that led to the indictment.
Boling, Kerr and Seok are charged with multiple counts of conspiracy, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft. Boling, Kerr and Seok are in custody in the Philippines awaiting transfer to the Western District of Texas. Brown remains in federal custody awaiting sentencing scheduled for Feb. 6, 2020, before Chief U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia in San Antonio.
It is important to note that an indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs are coordinating with the Department of Justice to notify and provide resources to the thousands of identified victims. Announcements also will follow regarding steps taken to secure military members’ information and benefits from theft and fraud.
The United States is represented by Trial Attorneys Ehren Reynolds and Yolanda McCray Jones of the Department of Justice’s Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Blackwell of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas. The matter was investigated by agents of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and counsel Matthew Freund, along with substantial investigative support from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, and the Veterans Benefits Administration’s Benefits Protection and Remediation Division. The U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, Philippine law enforcement partners, and the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the District of Nevada, the Southern District of California, and the Eastern District of Virginia also provided assistance. Resources from the Department of Justice’s Servicemembers and Veterans Initiative and its Transnational Elder Fraud Strike Force aided in the matter’s investigation and prosecution.
Since President Trump signed the bipartisan Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act (EAPPA) into law, the Department of Justice has participated in hundreds of enforcement actions in criminal and civil cases that targeted or disproportionately affected seniors. In particular, this past March the Department announced the largest elder fraud enforcement action in American history, charging more than 260 defendants in a nationwide elder fraud sweep. The Department has likewise conducted hundreds of trainings and outreach sessions across the country since the passage of the Act. More information about the Department of Justice’s Elder Fraud Initiative is available at www.justice.gov/elderjustice.
Additional information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts can be found at www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas, visit its website at https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdtx. Information about the Department of Justice’s Elder Fraud Initiative is available at www.justice.gov/elderjustice; information on the Servicemember and Veterans Initiative is at https://www.justice.gov/servicemembers.
Brownfield Doctor Sentenced to Five Years in Federal Prison for Prescribing Without Legitimate Medical PurposeRead the Press Release
A Brownfield doctor who prescribed drugs without legitimate medical purpose was sentenced today to five years in federal prison and ordered to pay $70,000 in restitution following an investigation by the DEA, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox.
Dr. Dennis D. Tedford, a 59-year-old family medicine doctor, pleaded guilty in May to distributing or dispensing a Schedule IV controlled substance by a practitioner.
In plea papers, Dr. Tedford admitted that he intentionally dispensed alprazolam, a Schedule IV benzodiazepine, and carisoprodol, a Schedule IV muscle relaxer, to an individual identified as “R.M.” for reasons other than for a legitimate medical purpose and in the usual course of his professional practice.
“Texans expect their doctors to prescribe drugs only when they’re medically necessary,” said U.S. Attorney Nealy Cox. “This defendant took advantage of his medical license to spread drugs throughout his community. We are grateful to the analysts and investigators who were able to identify his criminal behavior and put a stop to it.”
“A physician who is board certified in family practice should never prescribe pain medicine at the levels Dennis Tedford was prescribing, many for non-medical purposes,” said Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Dallas Field Division Clyde E. Shelley, Jr. “Addiction destroys people and families.
Dr. Tedford’s factual resume states that in January 2018, a source of information (SOI) at a pharmacy in Lubbock contacted the DEA to express concerns about Dr. Tedford’s prescribing practice. The SOI stated that Dr. Tedford prescribed high quantities of hydrocodone, as well as alprazolam and carisoprodol. According to the SOI, individuals were driving from Lubbock to Brownfield – located approximately 45 minutes southwest of Lubbock – to see Dr. Tedford and then returning to Lubbock to fill the prescriptions. The SOI said that Dr. Tedford’s patients would frequently ask for early refills.
In March 2018, DEA diversion investigators requested an analysis from the Texas Commissioned Online Prescription System (TXCOPSRX), comparing Dr. Tedford’s prescribing to all physicians located in Terry County (est. population 12,739) and Lubbock County (est. population 299,453) over a two year period. According to TXCOPSRX, Dr. Tedford ranked ninth for total number of prescriptions issued for hydrocodone in Lubbock and Terry Counties combined, having prescribed 524,777 doses of hydrocodone to 341 patients between March 2016 and March 2018. Dr. Tedford was ranked first in the total number of prescriptions issued for carisoprodol in Lubbock and Terry Counties combined, having prescribed 96,763 doses of carisoprodol during this time period to 102 patients.
The investigators knew that it was highly unusual for a family medicine physician that specializes in obstetrics and who is not registered with the State of Texas as a pain management clinic to be ranked this high for hydrocodone prescriptions.
They requested an second TXCOPSRX analysis of Dr. Tedford’s prescribing and learned that between January 2016 and December 2017, the top three controlled substance prescriptions written by Dr. Tedford were for hydrocodone, carisoprodol, and alprazolam. Specifically, according to what was reported to the Texas Department of Public Safety, Dr. Tedford wrote prescriptions totaling 539,637 hydrocodone tablets, 96,519 carisoprodol tablets, and 33,955 alprazolam tablets in this two-year time period. Most notably, of the hydrocodone tablets prescribed by Dr. Tedford, approximately 98 percent of these tablets contained the highest two dosage strengths available (7.5 mg or 10 mg). Approximately 99.9 percent of the carisoprodol tablets contained the highest dosage strength (350 mg) available.
In July 2018, DEA requested that a doctor who is board certified in family medicine and a clinical professor at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine review some of Dr. Tedford’s patient files to determine whether Dr. Tedford prescribed certain controlled substances for a legitimate medical purpose and in the usual course of his professional practice.
This medical expert reviewed patient files for a dozen of Dr. Tedford’s patients and found that, in 10 of those 12 cases, Dr. Tedford prescribed controlled substances for no legitimate medical purpose, that his prescribing was far outside the usual course of legitimate professional medical practice, and that there were multiple departures from the Standard of Care.
The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey R. Haag led the prosecution. United States District Judge James Wesley Hendrix handed down the sentence.
Bronx Man Sentenced in Manhattan Federal Court to 22 Years in Prison for Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISISRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice announced today that Sajmir Alimehmeti, aka “Abdul Qawii,” 26, was sentenced to 22 years in prison based on convictions for attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), and attempting to fraudulently procure a U.S. passport to facilitate an act of international terrorism. Alimehmeti pleaded guilty on Feb. 21, 2018, before U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer, who imposed today’s sentence.
“Alimehmeti was determined to support ISIS. He attempted to travel overseas to support the terrorist group, he assisted another person he believed to be a fellow ISIS supporter to prepare to purportedly travel to join ISIS, he lied on his passport application so he could get a clean passport to ease his efforts to travel overseas to join ISIS, and while in pretrial detention, he conspired with another terrorist to spread ISIS propaganda. With today’s sentence, he is being held accountable for his crimes,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers. “The National Security Division will continue to work with our partners to identify, disrupt and hold accountable those who seek to provide material support to designated foreign terrorist organizations. I want to thank the agents, analysts, and prosecutors who are responsible for this case.”
“Bronx resident Sajmir Alimehmeti took the position of an adversary to the United States and its values. Alimehmeti’s contempt for the U.S. led him to travel overseas to support ISIS’s terror campaign, eventually purchasing military-type weapons and assisting another to get travel documents, equipment, and encryption technology to fight with ISIS in Syria,” said U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman for the Southern District of New York. “Even after his incarceration, Alimemehti continued his supportive conduct for ISIS by working with convicted Chelsea bomber Ahmad Khan Rahimi, to distribute ISIS propaganda in prison. I sincerely commend our law enforcement partners for their commitment to detecting and apprehending those who support the disruption of American life through brazen acts of terrorism.”
“Sajmir Alimehmeti was so committed to supporting and furthering the ISIS agenda, that when his multiple attempts to travel overseas raised enough red flags to deny him entry, he turned to assisting someone he thought shared his same objective. Unbeknownst to him, however, that someone was an undercover employee,” said FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William F. Sweeney Jr. “Today’s sentencing is a welcome end to this case, and another successful outcome for the many agents, detectives, and analysts on FBI’s JTTF in New York. Their work and our extensive partnerships are essential to keeping New York City and the nation safe.”
“Sajmir Alimehmeti betrayed the country he called home by trying to travel overseas to join ISIS, a brutal terrorist group at war with the United States,” said NYPD Police Commissioner Dermot F. Shea. “When that failed, Alimehmeti deliberately assisted another individual he believed was traveling to join ISIS. At the same time, the investigation revealed he was acquiring tactical knives, handcuffs and equipment indicative of efforts to prepare for an attack here in New York City. This case is another example of the relentless efforts of the Joint Terrorism Task Force and the NYPD’s Intelligence Bureau to prevent terrorism before it occurs.”
As reflected in the criminal Complaint, Superseding Indictment, court filings, and statements during court proceedings:
In October 2014, Alimehmeti attempted to enter the United Kingdom but was denied entry after U.K. authorities found camouflage clothing and nunchucks in his luggage. About two months later, in December 2014, Alimehmeti was again denied entry into the United Kingdom, this time after U.K. authorities found that his cellphone contained images of ISIS flags. Further forensic examination of the contents of the cellphone and Alimehmeti’s laptop computer showed numerous indicia of Alimehmeti’s support for ISIS, including a photograph of Alimehmeti with an ISIS flag in the background, images of ISIS fighters in the Middle East, a photograph of Alimehmeti making a gesture of support for ISIS, various files relating to jihad and martyrdom, and an online messaging exchange in which Alimehmeti attempted to assist another ISIS supporter to travel to Syria to join ISIS, by providing contact information for an ISIS affiliate who could facilitate the travel.
After returning to the United States, Alimehmeti continued to support ISIS. Among other things, Alimehmeti displayed an ISIS flag in his apartment in the Bronx and, in the course of recorded meetings with undercover law enforcement employees, Alimehmeti played multiple pro-ISIS propaganda videos on his computer and his cellphone, including videos of ISIS fighters decapitating prisoners, and Alimehmeti also indicated that he was interested in radicalizing other individuals in the Bronx area. Alimehmeti also made repeated purchases of combat knives and other military-type equipment, including masks, handcuffs, a pocket chainsaw, a wire pocket saw, and a rucksack designed for tactical combat. Alimehmeti stockpiled such equipment at his apartment in the Bronx.
In October 2015, Alimehmeti applied for a U.S. passport, falsely claiming in the application that his previous passport had been lost. Alimehmeti later told an undercover law enforcement employee that his prior passport had not been lost and, instead, that he was applying for a new passport because he believed the rejection stamps in his existing passport resulting from his attempted entries into the United Kingdom would make it difficult to travel to ISIS territory.
In May 2016, Alimehmeti attempted to assist an individual who was purportedly traveling from New York to Syria to train and fight with ISIS but who was actually an undercover law enforcement employee (the “UC”). On May 17, 2016, Alimehmeti met with the UC in Manhattan. Alimehmeti helped the UC locate stores so the UC could purchase supplies to use while traveling to, and fighting with, ISIS, including a cellphone, boots, a compass, a bag, and a flashlight, among other items. Alimehmeti then brought the UC to a hotel in Queens so the UC could purportedly meet with an individual who was preparing travel documents that the UC would use to travel to Syria to join ISIS. Alimehmeti gave the UC a piece of paper with his name and contact information, and asked the UC to provide that information to the purported document facilitator. Alimeheti explained that he wanted to travel to Syria and join ISIS, stating “I’m ready to . . . go with you man . . . you know I would. I’m done with this place.” After leaving the hotel in Queens, Alimeheti brought the UC to JFK Airport, via public transportation, so the UC could begin the purported journey to ISIS.
Following Alimehmeti’s arrest on the charges in this case in May 2016, the FBI executed a search of Alimehmeti’s Bronx apartment pursuant to a judicially authorized search warrant. The FBI found in the apartment, among other things, an ISIS flag that was displayed on a wall in the apartment.
In 2017, while Alimehmeti was incarcerated and awaiting trial, law enforcement learned that Alimehmeti had worked with Ahmad Khan Rahimi inside the prison to aggregate and distribute terrorist propaganda that was part of the evidence in their respective cases and produced to them during discovery. Rahimi was sentenced to life in prison, in February 2018, for planting a series of bombs in New York and New Jersey in September 2016. Law enforcement also intercepted a letter that Alimhemeti sent to Rahimi, after their propaganda-distribution scheme inside the jail was thwarted, in which Alimehmeti referred to himself as the “ISIS balla,” indicated that he had destroyed evidence of their propaganda distribution efforts, and expressed hope that both convicted terrorists would ultimately achieve so-called martyrdom through another act of terrorism.
In addition to the prison term, Alimehmeti was also sentenced to five years supervised release.
Assistant Attorney General Demers and Mr. Berman praised the outstanding efforts of the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, which principally consists of agents from the FBI and detectives from the New York City Police Department, the NYPD’s Intelligence Division, the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, the Albania State Police, and the Metropolitan Police Service’s Counter Terrorism Command of London, United Kingdom.
This prosecution is being handled by the Office’s Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emil J. Bove III and George D. Turner are in charge of the case, with assistance from Trial Attorney Joseph Attias of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
Bronx Man Sentenced in Manhattan Federal Court to 22 Years in Prison for Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISISRead the Press Release
Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, John C. Demers, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, William F. Sweeney Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), and Dermot F. Shea, Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), announced today that SAJMIR ALIMEHMETI, a/k/a “Abdul Qawii,” was sentenced to 22 years in prison based on convictions for attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (“ISIS”), and for attempting to fraudulently procure a U.S. passport to facilitate an act of international terrorism. ALIMEHMETI pled guilty on February 21, 2018, before U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer, who imposed today’s sentence.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “Bronx resident Sajmir Alimehmeti took the position of an adversary to the United States and its values. Alimehmeti’s contempt for the U.S. led him to travel overseas to support ISIS’s terror campaign, eventually purchasing military-type weapons and assisting another to get travel documents, equipment, and encryption technology to fight with ISIS in Syria. Even after his incarceration, Alimemehti continued his supportive conduct for ISIS by working with convicted Chelsea bomber Ahmad Khan Rahimi, to distribute ISIS propaganda in prison. I sincerely commend our law enforcement partners for their commitment to detecting and apprehending those who support the disruption of American life through brazen acts of terrorism.”
Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers said: “Alimehmeti was determined to support ISIS. He attempted to travel overseas to support the terrorist group, he assisted another person he believed to be a fellow ISIS supporter to prepare to purportedly travel to join ISIS, he lied on his passport application so he could get a clean passport to ease his efforts to travel overseas to join ISIS, and while in pretrial detention, he conspired with another terrorist to spread ISIS propaganda. With today’s sentence, he is being held accountable for his crimes. The National Security Division will continue to work with our partners to identify, disrupt and hold accountable those who seek to provide material support to designated foreign terrorist organizations. I want to thank the agents, analysts, and prosecutors who are responsible for this case.”
FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William F. Sweeney Jr. said: “Sajmir Alimehmeti was so committed to supporting and furthering the ISIS agenda, that when his multiple attempts to travel overseas raised enough red flags to deny him entry, he turned to assisting someone he thought shared his same objective. Unbeknownst to him, however, that someone was an undercover employee. Today’s sentencing is a welcome end to this case, and another successful outcome for the many agents, detectives, and analysts on FBI’s JTTF in New York. Their work and our extensive partnerships are essential to keeping New York City and the nation safe.”
NYPD Commissioner Dermot F. Shea said: “Sajmir Alimehmeti betrayed the country he called home by trying to travel overseas to join ISIS, a brutal terrorist group at war with the United States. When that failed, Alimehmeti deliberately assisted another individual he believed was traveling to join ISIS. At the same time, the investigation revealed he was acquiring tactical knives, handcuffs and equipment indicative of efforts to prepare for an attack here in New York City. This case is another example of the relentless efforts of the Joint Terrorism Task Force and the NYPD’s Intelligence Bureau to prevent terrorism before it occurs.”
As reflected in the criminal Complaint, Superseding Indictment, court filings, and statements during court proceedings:
In October 2014, ALIMEHMETI attempted to enter the United Kingdom but was denied entry after U.K. authorities found camouflage clothing and nunchucks in his luggage. Approximately two months later, in December 2014, ALIMEHMETI was again denied entry into the United Kingdom, this time after U.K. authorities found that his cellphone contained images of ISIS flags. Further forensic examination of the contents of the cellphone and ALIMEHMETI’s laptop computer showed numerous indicia of ALIMEHMETI’s support for ISIS, including a photograph of ALIMEHMETI with an ISIS flag in the background, images of ISIS fighters in the Middle East, a photograph of ALIMEHMETI making a gesture of support for ISIS, various files relating to jihad and martyrdom, and an online messaging exchange in which ALIMEHMETI attempted to assist another ISIS supporter to travel to Syria to join ISIS by providing contact information for an ISIS affiliate who could facilitate the travel.
After returning to the United States, ALIMEHMETI continued to support ISIS. Among other things, ALIMEHMETI displayed an ISIS flag in his apartment in the Bronx and, in the course of recorded meetings with undercover law enforcement employees, ALIMEHMETI played multiple pro-ISIS propaganda videos on his computer and his cellphone, including videos of ISIS fighters decapitating prisoners, and ALIMEHMETI also indicated that he was interested in radicalizing other individuals in the Bronx area. ALIMEHMETI also made repeated purchases of combat knives and other military-type equipment, including masks, handcuffs, a pocket chainsaw, a wire pocket saw, and a rucksack designed for tactical combat. ALIMEHMETI stockpiled such equipment at his apartment in the Bronx.
In October 2015, ALIMEHMETI applied for a U.S. passport, falsely claiming in the application that his previous passport had been lost. ALIMEHMETI later told an undercover law enforcement employee that his prior passport had not been lost and, instead, that he was applying for a new passport because he believed the rejection stamps in his existing passport resulting from his attempted entries into the United Kingdom would make it difficult to travel to ISIS territory.
In May 2016, ALIMEHMETI attempted to assist an individual who was purportedly traveling from New York to Syria to train and fight with ISIS but who was actually an undercover law enforcement employee (the “UC”). On May 17, 2016, ALIMEHMETI met with the UC in Manhattan. ALIMEHMETI helped the UC locate stores so the UC could purchase supplies to use while traveling to, and fighting with, ISIS, including a cellphone, boots, a compass, a bag, and a flashlight, among other items. ALIMEHMETI then brought the UC to a hotel in Queens so the UC could purportedly meet with an individual who was preparing travel documents that the UC would use to travel to Syria to join ISIS. ALIMEHMETI gave the UC a piece of paper with his name and contact information, and asked the UC to provide that information to the purported document facilitator. ALIMEHETI explained that he wanted to travel to Syria and join ISIS, stating “I’m ready to . . . go with you man . . . you know I would. I’m done with this place.” After leaving the hotel in Queens, ALIMEHETI brought the UC to JFK Airport, via public transportation, so the UC could begin the purported journey to ISIS.
Following ALIMEHMETI’s arrest on the charges in this case in May 2016, the FBI executed a search of ALIMEHMETI’s Bronx apartment pursuant to a judicially authorized search warrant. The FBI found in the apartment, among other things, an ISIS flag that was displayed on a wall in the apartment.
In 2017, while ALIMEHMETI was incarcerated and awaiting trial, law enforcement learned that ALIMEHMETI had worked with Ahmad Khan Rahimi inside the prison to aggregate and distribute terrorist propaganda that was part of the evidence in their respective cases and produced to them during discovery. Rahimi was sentenced to life in prison, in February 2018, for planting a series of bombs in New York and New Jersey in September 2016. Law enforcement also intercepted a letter that ALIMHEMETI sent to Rahimi, after their propaganda-distribution scheme inside the jail was thwarted, in which ALIMEHMETI referred to himself as the “ISIS balla,” indicated that he had destroyed evidence of their propaganda distribution efforts, and expressed hope that both convicted terrorists would ultimately achieve so-called martyrdom through another act of terrorism.
* * *
In addition to the prison term, ALIMEHMETI, 26, of the Bronx, was also sentenced to five years of supervised release.
Mr. Berman praised the outstanding efforts of the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, which consists of investigators and analysts from the FBI, the NYPD, and over 50 other federal, state and local agencies; the NYPD’s Intelligence Division; the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs; the Albania State Police; and the Metropolitan Police Service’s Counter Terrorism Command of London, United Kingdom. Mr. Berman also thanked the Counterterrorism Section of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division.
This prosecution is being handled by the Office’s Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emil J. Bove III and George D. Turner are in charge of the case, with assistance from Trial Attorney Joseph Attias of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
Brainerd Man Charged with Shooting and Killing 700 Pound Black Bear on the Red Lake Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced a misdemeanor information charging BRETT JAMES STIMAC, 40, with wildlife trafficking and trespassing on Indian lands after shooting and killing a bear on the Red Lake Indian Reservation. STIMAC will make his initial appearance before Magistrate Judge Leo I. Brisbois in U.S. District Court at a later date.
According to the allegations in the information, on the evening of September 1, 2019, STIMAC, who is not an enrolled member of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians, willfully, knowingly and without authorization or permission, entered the Red Lake Indian Reservation for the purposes of hunting a bear. Using a compound bow, STIMAC shot and killed a large American black bear near the Reservation’s garbage dump.
According to the allegations in the information, on September 2, 2019, STIMAC posed for photographs with the bear’s carcass and later shared the photographs on Facebook. Because of the bear’s large size, STIMAC was unable to move the bear from the Reservation, and instead removed the bear’s head and paws, and harvested a small portion of the meat. STIMAC left the remainder of the carcass on the Reservation.
The Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians does not permit non-Indians to hunt bear, a clan animal, within the boundaries of the Red Lake Indian Reservation, due to the bear’s spiritual importance to the Band.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the Red Lake Department of Public Safety, the Red Lake Department of Natural Resources, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, with assistance from the Beltrami County Attorney’s Office.
Assistant United States Attorneys Gina L. Allery and Emily A. Polachek are prosecuting the case.
Defendant Information:
BRETT JAMES STIMAC, 40
Brainerd, Minn.
Charges:
- Lacey Act wildlife trafficking, 1 count
- Trespass on Indian lands, 1 count
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United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota: (612) 664-5600
Appleton Resident Sentenced to Prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and Gun PossessionRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Matthew D. Krueger of the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that Yia Yang (age: 27) of Appleton, Wisconsin was sentenced on December 5, 2019, by the Honorable Judge William C. Griesbach for possessing with the intent to distribute in excess of 500 grams of methamphetamine, contrary to 21 U.S.C. Section 841. Yang was also convicted of possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, contrary to 18 U.S.C. Section 924(c). Yang received a 101 month prison term on the drug charge and a consecutive 60 month prison term on the gun charge. Yang also was ordered to serve a five year term of supervised release following the prison term.
According to the plea agreements and other court documents, on May 9, 2018, U.S. Postal Inspectors intercepted a package destined for Yang’s residence in Appleton that had been mailed from Fresno, California. The package was searched and found to contain approximately 921 grams of methamphetamine. Yang arrived at his residence shortly after law enforcement made a controlled delivery of the package. Law enforcement arrested Yang, searched his car, and recovered a loaded Glock 27 Gen 4, 40 caliber handgun in the console. A search of the residence revealed additional firearms and approximately three pounds of marijuana.
In imposing sentence, Judge Griesbach stressed the dangerous combination of drugs and guns, the importance of deterring others from engaging in that type of conduct, and need to protect the community. Judge Griesbach also cited the need for a significant prison term because Yang committed these violations after being recently released from prison following a conviction in Calumet County for discharging a firearm towards a person.
This case was investigated by the Lake Winnebago Area Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Group, Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation, and U.S. Postal Service. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney William Roach.
For Additional Information Contact:
Public Information Officer Kenneth Gales 414-297-1700
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Annapolis MS-13 Member Sentenced to 38 Years in Federal Prison for a Racketeering Conspiracy and for Discharging a Firearm Related to His MS-13 Gang ActivitiesRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Chief U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar sentenced Marlon Cruz-Flores, age 24, of Annapolis, Maryland, today to 38 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise and for using, carrying, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, in connection with his MS-13 gang activities.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Assistant Attorney General Brian Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Special Agent in Charge John Eisert of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore Office; Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; Chief Timothy J. Altomare of the Anne Arundel Police Department; Chief Edward Jackson of the Annapolis Police Department; and State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess of the Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney Office.
“MS-13 is terrorizing and preying upon entire communities,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur. “We need the community’s help to end the fear and violence. Please, if you have information about MS-13, call the FBI’s nationwide tipline at 1-866-STP-MS13 (1-866-787-6713). Your identity will be protected.”
MS-13 is a gang composed primarily of immigrants or descendants of immigrants from El Salvador, with members operating in the State of Maryland, including Anne Arundel County, Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, and Frederick County, and throughout the United States. Branches or “cliques” of MS-13 often work together cooperatively as “Programs,” with the purpose of increasing the gang’s levels of organization, violence, extortion, and other criminal activity, and to assist one another in avoiding detection by law enforcement. In Maryland and the surrounding area, these cliques include Hempstead Locos Salvatruchas (“HLS”), Parkview Locos Salvatrucha (“PVLS”), Normandie Locos Salvatrucha (“NLS” or “Normandie”), Sailors Locos Salvatrucha Westside (“SLSW” or “Sailors”), Langley Park Salvatrucha (“LPS”), Weedoms Locos Salvatrucha (“Weedoms”), and Cabanas Locos Salvatruchas (“Cabanas”). A person within the participating cliques is selected as the Program leader.
To protect the gang and to enhance its reputation, MS-13 members and associates are expected to use any means necessary to force respect from those who show disrespect, including acts of intimidation and violence. MS-13’s creed is based on one of its mottos, “Mata, roba, viola, controla,” which translates to, “kill, steal, rape, control.” One of the principal rules of MS-13 is that its members must attack and kill rivals, known as “chavalas,” whenever possible.
According to Cruz-Flores plea agreement, from about 2015 through 2017, he was a member and associate of the Hempstead clique of MS-13, and participated in a racketeering conspiracy that included assaults, murder, attempted murder, robbery, and drug trafficking. Specifically, Cruz-Flores admitted that he participated in the murder of a suspected rival gang member, and conspired and attempted to murder two victims in Annapolis. In addition, between January 2016 and February 2017, Cruz-Flores and other MS-13 members/associates sold marijuana to raise funds for the gang. The drug proceeds were used for, among other purposes, the purchase of more narcotics, weapons, and to send to MS-13 members and associates in other states and in El Salvador.
As part of the racketeering conspiracy, Cruz-Flores admitted that on March 11, 2016, he and other MS-13 members and associates planned and agreed to murder Victim-1, whom the gang suspected of being a rival gang member. Two MS-13 members/associates lured Victim-1 to Quiet Waters Park in Annapolis, Maryland, and once Victim-1 arrived at the park, members of the gang struck Victim-1 in the head with a branch or stick. Cruz-Flores and the members and associates of MS-13, then stabbed Victim-1 repeatedly, killing Victim-1. While Cruz-Flores and other members of the gang stabbed Victim-1, Co-conspirator 1 and other MS-13 members/associates stood watch outside of the park to ensure no one entered or left the park, and to watch for police presence, so that the gang could complete the murder of Victim-1. During this time, Co-conspirator 1 communicated by phone and through text messages with Cruz-Flores and at least one other MS-13 member/associate inside the park, to let them know no one entered the park and they could complete the murder. After Victim-1 was killed, Cruz-Flores and other MS-13 members and associates involved in the murder buried Victim-1 in a shallow grave inside the park.
As detailed in his plea agreement, on October 23, 2016, Cruz-Flores and other MS-13 members met at Quiet Waters Park to discuss the plan to murder Victim 2, an unlicensed cab driver who was believed to be a member of a rival gang. At the meeting, each member of the conspiracy was assigned a task to complete the murder and dispose of the evidence. The group planned to use machetes, knives, and guns to kill the victim. Cruz-Flores and another co-conspirator each had a firearm and all the members of the conspiracy were aware that guns would be used in the murder.
Cruz-Flores admitted that he called Victim 2 using another member’s cell phone to arrange for an unlicensed taxi ride. Victim 2 arrived with another passenger, Victim 3. Cruz-Flores asked Victim 2 to drive to the area of the 700 block of Annapolis Neck Road in Annapolis. When they arrived, another MS-13 member approached the vehicle and pointed a gun at the victims and Cruz-Flores also produced a gun and pointed it at the victims. Victim 3 attempted to run away and Cruz-Flores shot Victim 3 in the leg, while another MS-13 member repeatedly attacked Victim 3 with a machete. Victim 2 also tried to run. Co-defendant Manuel Martinez-Aguilar and another MS-13 member took Victim 2’s vehicle and attempted unsuccessfully to run him over with the car. Two MS-13 members chased Victim 2 and repeatedly struck Victim 2 with a sharp instrument, causing stab wounds. The conspirators fled when they heard police sirens. Both victims were transported to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center with life threatening injuries. Both victims survived but have permanent injuries as a result of the attack.
Co-defendants Manuel Martinez-Aguilar, a/k/a “El Lunatic” and “Zomb,” age 20, and Fermin Gomez-Jimenez, age 22, both of Annapolis, Maryland, previously pleaded guilty to the racketeering conspiracy and gun charge. Martinez-Aguilar was subsequently sentenced to 24 years in federal prison. Co-defendant David Diaz-Alvarado, age 20, also of Annapolis, pleaded guilty to murder in aid of racketeering in connection with their MS-13 gang activities. A fourth co-defendant, Juan Carlos Sandoval-Rodriguez, age 21, of Annapolis was convicted on October 31, 2019, of murder in aid of racketeering and conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering after an 11-day jury trial. The final defendant is scheduled to go to trial next year. All of the defendants remain detained.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended HSI, ATF, Anne Arundel Police Department, the Annapolis Police Department, and Anne Arundel State’s Attorney Office. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Stendig, Trial Attorney Matthew Hoff of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section, as well as Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Samantha Mildenberg, who are prosecuting this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.
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35 Indicted Federally for Methamphetamine Conspiracies Directed from Prisons as Part of Larger InvestigationRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – As a result of a year-long investigation targeting the drug-trafficking activities of the Southside Locos Gang and members of its leadership who are currently incarcerated, thirty-five individuals have been charged in federal indictments unsealed yesterday for drug trafficking offenses, announced U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Downing. A number of these defendants have been charged with attempting to distribute multiple kilograms of methamphetamine, as well as heroin, from sources in Mexico, coordinated by individuals in prison who were communicating on contraband cell phones. Additional individuals have been charged federally as a result of this investigation, and others will be subject to state prosecution. As of today, federal, state, and local law enforcement officers have arrested a majority of the defendants, a portion of which were already in the custody of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections or local jails.
United States Attorney Downing commented: "This investigation illustrates the threat that contraband cell phones in prisons pose. All levels of government have been working to reduce and ultimately eliminate this threat. For the time being, we will continue to pursue drug traffickers both on the streets and behind prison walls."
"The FBI continues to work closely with our law enforcement partners to combat illegal gang activity and drug trafficking throughout Oklahoma and in the state prison system," said Melissa Godbold, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Oklahoma City Division. "These arrests should remind those who prey on our communities, even while incarcerated, that the FBI and law enforcement will not tolerate your behavior and you will be brought to justice."
Two federal indictments were unsealed yesterday. According to one of those (No. CR-19-373-F), incarcerated members of the conspiracy, including Gonzalo Baeza, Jose Hernandez, Eduardo Rosales, Douglas Smart, and John Heavener, served as the organizational hub of illegal drug activity. They allegedly used cell phones to instruct couriers to store drugs for them in the couriers’ vehicles or homes and to deliver distribution quantities to buyers. They are also alleged to have used cell phones to direct third parties to collect and store proceeds of their drug trafficking. According to the indictment, Baeza and Rosales were trafficking kilogram quantities of methamphetamine into the United States directly from their contacts in Mexico. Methamphetamine was allegedly stored at the home of Christian Baeza in Oklahoma City. The indictment explains that law enforcement uncovered the structure and details of the conspiracy through judicially authorized wiretaps on contraband cell phones being used in Oklahoma Department of Corrections penal institutions.
A second indictment unsealed yesterday (No. CR-19-372-F), also the result of wiretaps, describes a similar distribution network coordinated through contraband prison cell phones belonging to Ramon Dominquez, Douglas Smart, and Jose Hernandez. This conspiracy allegedly used the structure of the Southside Locos Gang to facilitate drug distribution by members and affiliates of the gang who were not incarcerated and who functioned as couriers. According to the indictment, some conspirators conducted “enforcement” work by committing acts of violence to collect drug debts, acquire new drugs, or protect assets. Conspirators stored methamphetamine and heroin at three residences in Oklahoma City.
Each of yesterday’s indictments charges one count of conspiracy, dozens of counts of distribution or possession with intent to distribute, multiple counts of using a communication facility to facilitate drug distribution, and one or more counts of maintaining drug-involved premises. Sharlene Cash is also charged with possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. If found guilty of conspiracy, each defendant faces up to life in prison and a minimum mandatory sentence of ten years, as well as supervised release of up to life and a fine of up to $10,000,000. Convictions on counts charging distribution or possession with intent to distribute would carry maximum sentences of 20 years, 40 years, or life, depending on the drug amounts alleged in each count. Each count of using a telephone to facilitate a drug felony would carry a maximum sentence of four years. Conviction on the counts charging maintaining a drug-involved premises would carry a maximum sentence of 20 years. A finding of guilt on the firearm count would carry a mandatory term of imprisonment of five years, to be served in addition to any other imprisonment imposed.
Additional federal indictments in this investigation include CR-19-153-PRW, CR-19-183-PRW, CR-19-202-HE, and CR-19-203-G.
In addition to those previously arrested, officers from a variety of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies executed a coordinated series of arrests and searches throughout Oklahoma City and Red Oak, Oklahoma, on the morning of December 5th. Including first responders, more than 100 personnel were involved in the operation. This takedown resulted in the arrest of 25 federal and state defendants. Some of the federal defendants were arraigned during the afternoon of December 5 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Shon T. Erwin.
Defendants Deany Nava, Ema Chavez, Hannah Shemberger, Jackie Knight, Jennifer Dawn Cuccaro, Rhiannon Faith Jones, Sharlene Cash, Shawn Lyons, and Willie Potter have not been apprehended and are considered fugitives.
Throughout the course of arresting defendants during various operations, law enforcement officers seized a total of more than 111 pounds of methamphetamine, approximately eight pounds of heroin, 216 grams of cocaine, 34 firearms, and approximately $200,000 in U.S. currency. Furthermore, coordination with the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, Office of Inspector General, resulted in the seizure of approximately nine contraband cell phones and five dangerous weapons from incarcerated individuals associated with the charged conspiracies.
The following agencies assisted in bringing these defendants into custody and searching locations associated with them:
- Federal Bureau of Investigation—Oklahoma City Field Office
- Internal Revenue Service—Criminal Investigations
- Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation
- Oklahoma Department of Corrections, Office of Inspector General
- Oklahoma City Police Department
- Latimer County Sheriff’s Office
- Midwest City Police Department
- Moore Police Department
- University of Oklahoma Police Department
- Norman Police Department
This indictment is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation—Oklahoma City Field Office; the Oklahoma City Police Department; the Internal Revenue Service—Criminal Investigations; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, Office of Inspector General. The case is part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (“OCDETF”), which coordinates the investigation and federal prosecution of the highest priority drug trafficking organizations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jason M. Harley and David McCrary.
The public is reminded that these charges are merely allegations and that each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Reference is made to public filings for more information.
12 Charged with Narcotics Trafficking OffensesRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury recently returned a 13-count indictment against 12 individuals for drug trafficking offenses, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. The defendants are:
Carlos Javier Felix Lopez, 42, of Fresno,
David Michael Marin, 61, of Fresno,
Angel Delgadillo Sr., 62, of Fresno,
Ronal Van Warsinger, 35, of Fresno,
Demar Edward Marshall, 32, of Fresno,
Quintin Brown, 45, of Fresno,
Kenneth Lorenzo Pratt, 28, of Seattle, Washington
Armando Acosta Toro, 62, of Fresno,
Rodrigo Savalza, 54, of Salinas,
Jose Guadalupe Bojorquez, 40, of Fresno,
Monica Gutierrez, 37, of Mendota,
Julio Cesar Moreno Garcia, 42, of Hesperia.
According to court documents, Lopez was a large-scale broker and distributor of controlled substances operating in the Fresno area. Lopez utilized a network of drug trafficking associates throughout California (including in Fresno County, Los Angeles County, San Bernardino County, and Monterey County) and in Mexico to source, transport, and distribute controlled substances on his behalf.
Lopez conspired with two drug traffickers based in Mexicali, Mexico to supply him with kilogram quantities of narcotics for further distribution to his wholesale customers, including Marin, Toro, and Savalza, in Fresno County, Monterey County, and elsewhere. Lopez conspired with Gutierrez to store and distribute narcotics on his behalf in Fresno County and utilized Bojorquez to transport narcotics from Southern California to the Central Valley of California for further resale by Lopez. Moreno Garcia conspired with Lopez and one of the Mexican sources of supply to distribute narcotics to Gutierrez and Savalza.
Marin, a wholesale distributor of methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, and prescription pain pills (including oxycodone), obtained narcotics from a variety of sources, including Lopez, Delgadillo, and Toro, and distributed them to drug dealers based in Fresno, Washington and elsewhere. Marin conspired with Warsinger and Marshall to distribute cocaine in Fresno, and conspired with Brown, Pratt, and others to distribute prescription pills, including Oxycodone, in Washington and elsewhere.
This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Fresno Police Department’s Major Narcotics Unit with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, Customs and Border Protection, the United States Marshals Service, the California Department of Justice HIT Team, the Kings County Sheriff’s Department, the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department, the Salinas Police Department, and the El Monte Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey A. Spivak is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, the defendants face a range of maximum sentences, including up to life in prison. Several of the defendants also face a range of mandatory-minimum sentences ranging from between five to 10 years in prison. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The OCDETF Program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s drug supply.
Thursday 5 December 2019
“SCO” Gang Associate Admits Trafficking HeroinRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA – A former resident of Allegheny County pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of narcotics trafficking, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
Justin Law, age 30, formerly of Wilkinsburg, PA, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin before United States District Judge Arthur J. Schwab.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that the Greater Pittsburgh Safe Streets Task Force conducted a long-term investigation of drug trafficking occurring in and around the Braddock section of Pittsburgh. Law and other individuals were identified as members or associates of a neighborhood based street gang, self-titled "SCO", which illegally distributed controlled substances in the Greater Pittsburgh Region. In January of 2019, investigators obtained authorization to conduct a federal wire investigation, which continued through May of 2019.
As to Law, the Court was informed that intercepted communications confirmed that Law was conspiring with others to possess with intent to distribute and distribute controlled substances. Law admitted, in conjunction with his guilty plea, that he is an associate of one of the main members of the conspiracy and of "SCO." The Court was further informed that Law was a fugitive from June 12, 2019, when law enforcement executed numerous federal arrest and search warrants, until October 3, 2019, when he was arrested by the United States Marshals Western District of Pennsylvania Fugitive Task Force. Law accepted responsibility for the distribution of at least 100 but not less than 400 grams of heroin.
Judge Schwab scheduled sentencing for Wells on May 11, 2020, at 9:00 AM. The law provides for a sentence of not less than 5 years and not more than 40 years in prison, a fine of not more than $5,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant. Law remains detained pending sentencing.
Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca L. Silinski is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation led the multi-agency investigation of this case, which also included the Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, United States Marshals Fugitive Task Force, Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, Allegheny County Police Department, Pennsylvania State Police, Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office Bureau of Narcotics, and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police. Other assisting agencies include the Monroeville Police Department, Penn Hills Police Department, Wilkinsburg Police Department, and Allegheny County Adult Probation.
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.
Waterbury Grocery Store Worker Sentenced to 33 Months for Defrauding Federal Food Stamp Fraud ProgramRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that MUHAMMAD SHAHBAZ, 50, a citizen of Pakistan last residing in Jersey City, New Jersey, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford to 33 months of imprisonment for defrauding the federal food stamp program.
The federal Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program (“SNAP”) is administered by the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service and utilizes federal tax dollars to subsidize low-income households to provide them with the opportunity to achieve a more nutritious diet by increasing their food-purchasing power. SNAP recipients purchase eligible food items at retail food stores through the use of an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card, and SNAP benefits may be accepted by authorized retailers only in exchange for eligible items. Items such as alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, paper goods and soaps are not eligible for purchase with Food Stamp benefits, and it is a violation of the rules and regulations governing the food stamp program to allow benefits to be used to purchase ineligible items. SNAP benefits may not lawfully be exchanged for cash under any circumstances. The program is designed so that the total amount of each purchase is electronically transferred to the retailer’s designated bank account.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Shahbaz worked at WB Trade Fair Grocery, located at 43 Willow Street in Waterbury. Shahbaz was related to the store owner and often worked shifts later in the day. In 2015 and 2016, Shahbaz and others illegally allowed customers to redeem their food stamp benefits for cash and other ineligible items, including cigarettes, a tall glass bong and other items. Shahbaz charged the customers’ food stamp cards approximately double the value for these illegal transactions.
Given the stock of eligible food items at the store, the number of registers and the customer amenities, it is estimated that WB Trade Fair Grocery could lawfully redeem, at most, between $120,000 to $240,000 per year in food stamp benefits. However, during an approximately 18-month period in 2015 and 2016, food stamp redemptions at the store totaled approximately $3.2 million.
Judge Bryant ordered Shahbaz to pay approximately $1.5 million in restitution
Shahbaz was arrested on July 31, 2017. On June 14, 2019, he pleaded guilty to one count of food stamp fraud.
Shahbaz, who was released on bond, was remanded to custody of the U.S. Marshals Service at the conclusion of the sentencing proceeding. He faces immigration proceedings when he completes his prison term.
Raul Carlos Monarca-Gonzalez, Tallat Mahmood and Tahir Shahzad, who all who worked at WB Trade Fair Grocery, previously pleaded guilty to charges related to their participation in this scheme. Monarca-Gonzalez and Mahmood were each sentenced to 30 months of imprisonment and restitution of approximately $1.5 million. Shahzad awaits sentencing.
This matter has been investigated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anastasia King and Neeraj Patel.
Warwick Fugitive Arrested in CaliforniaRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Warwick man convicted in June 2010 on federal drug and firearm charges and sentenced in September 2010 to 151 months in federal prison has been arrested by members of the United States Marshals Service San Diego Fugitive Task Force on a federal arrest warrant issued in Rhode Island for allegedly violating the terms of his federal supervised release.
It is alleged that on November 26, 2019, Derrick Watters, 42, assaulted his girlfriend and prevented her from using her cell phone to call police for assistance. A subsequent investigation by Warwick Police resulted in the seizure of a firearm and ammunition from the residence allegedly belonging to Watters. Watters fled the residence prior to the arrival of Warwick Police.
Members of the Rhode Island Violent Fugitive Task Force and Warwick Police worked through the Thanksgiving holiday into this week and tracked Watters to Oceanside, CA. On Wednesday, members of the San Diego Fugitive Task Force apprehended Watters in Oceanside. He is being held at the Western Region Detention Center Facility in San Diego, CA.
Watters is scheduled to be arraigned in federal court in San Diego later today.
Watters is charged by Warwick Police with domestic assault - strangulation, refusal to relinquish a telephone, simple assault, disorderly conduct, and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.
A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Watters’ arrest is announced by United States Attorney Aaron L. Weisman, United States Marshal Wing Chau, Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police Colonel James M. Manni, and Warwick Police Chief Colonel Rick Rathbun.
The Rhode Island Violent Fugitive Task Force is co-led by the United States Marshal Service and the Rhode Island State Police, and includes members of the Warwick, Pawtucket, Coventry, Cranston, Providence, Portsmouth, Middletown, and East Providence Police Departments.
The matter of Watters allegedly violating the terms of his federal supervised is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ly T. Chin.
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Waco Tax Return Preparer Sentenced to Prison for Defrauding the United StatesRead the Press Release
A Waco, Texas, tax return preparer was sentenced to 27 months in prison today for her role in a conspiracy to defraud the United States, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division.
According to the indictment and information provided to the court, Janell Lightner and her co-defendant Stacey Anderson conspired to defraud the United States by preparing false tax returns for clients of Anderson’s tax return preparation business, Anderson Professional Tax Services. Anderson operated the business out of her residence in Waco, but she and Lightner prepared tax returns for clients in Texas, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. From 2013 through 2014, Lightner assisted Anderson in preparing fraudulent returns that inflated deductions and claimed false education credits in order to increase client refunds. Lightner’s conduct caused a tax loss of more than $1.3 million to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
In addition to the term of imprisonment, U.S. District Judge Alan D. Albright ordered Lightner to serve three years of supervised release and to pay restitution to the United States in the amount of $1,337,800.88. Anderson was previously sentenced on Oct. 9, 2019, and ordered to serve 87 months in prison and to pay more than $8 million in restitution to the United States.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Zuckerman commended special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation and the Inspector General of the Social Security Administration, who conducted the investigation, and Tax Division Trial Attorneys Robert Kemins and David Zisserson, who prosecuted the case. Mr. Zuckerman also thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas (Waco Division) for their substantial assistance.
Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the division’s website.
Virginia Man Indicted for Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISISRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice announced the indictment of Romeo Xavier Langhorne, 30, of Roanoke, Virginia, who has been charged with attempting to provide material support and resources to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, or ISIS, a designated foreign terrorist organization. Langhorne was arrested in Roanoke, Virginia, on Nov. 15, 2019, pursuant to a criminal complaint, and he has been ordered detained pending trial.
According to an affidavit supporting the criminal complaint, Langhorne has been a follower of ISIS since 2014 and has recently publicly reaffirmed his support for ISIS. Beginning in February 2019, Langhorne began communicating with an undercover employee (UCE) with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) who was posing as someone working on behalf of ISIS. Langhorne told the UCE about his plans to create and disseminate an instructional video on making a deadly explosive – triacetone triperoxide, also known as “TATP” – and sought the UCE’s assistance in creating the video. Langhorne told the UCE that, in order to ensure that the video was not removed from the internet by service providers, the video should include disclaimers advising that it was intended for educational purposes. However, Langhorne informed the UCE that his true purpose in making and distributing the video was to arm ISIS adherents and others with knowledge of how to make TATP and use it for terrorism-related purposes in support of ISIS.
The FBI produced a video in accordance with Langhorne’s instructions, but – unbeknownst to Langhorne – it featured an inert chemical formula for TATP that would not produce an explosion. In November 2019, the UCE provided versions of the TATP video to Langhorne, and Langhorne distributed the video by uploading it to a video-sharing website.
An indictment is merely a charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty. If convicted, Langhorne faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.
This case was investigated by the FBI, including agencies participating in the Northeast Florida Joint Terrorism Task Force. Investigative support was provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Border Patrol, and the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Laura Cofer Taylor and Trial Attorney D. Andrew Sigler of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
Virginia Man Indicted for Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISISRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, FL – The Department of Justice announced the
indictment of Romeo Xavier Langhorne, 30, of Roanoke, Virginia, who has been charged with attempting to provide material support and resources to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, or ISIS, a designated foreign terrorist organization. Langhorne was arrested in Roanoke, Virginia, on Nov. 15, 2019, pursuant to a criminal complaint, and he has been ordered detained pending trial. If convicted, Langhorne faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.According to an affidavit supporting the
criminal complaint , Langhorne has been a follower of ISIS since 2014 and has recently publicly reaffirmed his support for ISIS. Beginning in February 2019, Langhorne began communicating with an undercover employee (UCE) with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) who was posing as someone working on behalf of ISIS. Langhorne told the UCE about his plans to create and disseminate an instructional video on making a deadly explosive – triacetone triperoxide, also known as “TATP” – and sought the UCE’s assistance in creating the video. Langhorne told the UCE that, in order to ensure that the video was not removed from the internet by service providers, the video should include disclaimers advising that it was intended for educational purposes. However, Langhorne informed the UCE that his true purpose in making and distributing the video was to arm ISIS adherents and others with knowledge of how to make TATP and use it for terrorism-related purposes in support of ISIS.The FBI produced a video in accordance with Langhorne’s instructions, but – unbeknownst to Langhorne – it featured an inert chemical formula for TATP that would not produce an explosion. In November 2019, the UCE provided versions of the TATP video to Langhorne, and Langhorne distributed the video by uploading it to a video-sharing website.
An indictment is merely a charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the FBI, including agencies participating in the Northeast Florida Joint Terrorism Task Force. Investigative support was provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Border Patrol, and the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Laura Cofer Taylor and Trial Attorney D. Andrew Sigler of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
U.S. Attorney Announces Charges Against West Point Staff Sergeant for Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced the arrest of PATRICK EDWIN GORYCHKA for distributing child pornography. GORYCHKA was arrested yesterday and presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Judith McCarthy in White Plains federal court and released on bail.
According to the Complaint[1] filed yesterday in White Plains federal court:
In October 2019, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) received information from an FBI Online Undercover Employee (“UC-1”) concerning UC-1’s communications with an individual using the Kik user name “epg84” (“User-1”) in a Kik chat room known to be frequented by individuals with a sexual interest in children. UC-1 identified himself as a 48-year-old uncle who had engaged in sex acts with his niece. User-1, who identified himself as “Eric G.,” asked UC-1 for photos of UC-1’s niece. UC-1 told User-1 that UC-1 had met a “pedo mom” (“UC-2”) in New York. UC-1 told User-1 that “she keeps kids of illegals while they work for a couple weeks” and “makes some $ on the side.” User-1 stated, “Omg that’s hot” and asked UC-1 to connect him to UC-2.
Thereafter, UC-2, going by the name “Jane,” and User-1 engaged in numerous communications from in or about October 31, 2019, through in or about November 16, 2019. During these communications, User-1 said he was interested in “preteens” and told UC-2, “I heard that you could potentially facilitate certain things.” User-1 said that he was interested in a “similar setup” as UC-1 and told UC-2, “I have money.”
On November 2, 2019, User-1 transmitted two links to Mega, a New Zealand-based cloud storage platform that permits users to store and share ESI, including images and videos. [2] Both links contained numerous images and videos of children engaging in sexually explicit activity.
* * *
GORYCHKA, 37, of New Windsor, New York, is charged with one count of distribution and receipt of child pornography, which carries a minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The statutory minimum and maximum sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Berman praised the efforts of the FBI, West Point’s Criminal Investigation Division, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Town of New Windsor Police Department, in connection with this investigation. He added that the investigation is ongoing.
The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant United States Attorney Marcia S. Cohen is in charge of the prosecution.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the description of the Complaint set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
[2] With respect to Mega, a user can send a link to a Mega cloud account to another person. Once the link to the Mega cloud account is transmitted, the person who clicks on the link to the cloud account can access, view, and download the files contained in that Mega cloud account.
Two Plead Guilty to Smuggling More Than $1 Million in to St. ThomasRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI –United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert for the District of the Virgin Islands announced that Jose Ernesto Vazquez Colon and Abnel Belordo Colon pleaded guilty to attempting to smuggle over $1 million into St. Thomas by boat.
According to court documents filed in the case, late in the evening of September 20, 2019 CBP Marine Unit agents noticed a boat traveling without navigational lights about three miles north of Savana Island. When CBP attempted to initiate a stop, the two individuals on the boat began throwing bags overboard, and these were later found to contain over $1 million in cash. After CBP agents disabled the boat’s motor they boarded and found, in addition to the two defendants, multiple dumbells with ropes attached. According to the affidavit filed in the case, these are often used to ensure that any contraband materials thrown overboard will sink to the bottom, so that they can be picked up later using GPS.
This case is being investigated by the Department of Homeland Security. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Adam Sleeper and Nathan Brooks. The defendants will be sentenced at a later date.
Twelve Members of Drug Trafficking Organization Charged in Federal IndictmentRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO – Twelve defendants were indicted on narcotics trafficking charges, announced United States Attorney David L. Anderson, Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge John F. Bennett, and Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Tatum S. King. The indictment follows the arrest of several defendants on November 19, 2019, and the execution of search warrants at eleven locations, including ten residences in Sonoma County.
In addition to the arrests and execution of search warrants, law enforcement officials seized more than approximately 25 kilograms of methamphetamine over the course of the investigation.
Eleven of the 12 defendants named in the indictment originally were charged by complaint. According to the now-unsealed complaints, law enforcement agencies have been investigating the drug trafficking activities of a drug trafficking organization (DTO) headed by Eduardo Guzman, who was arrested on November 19, 2019. The complaints describe the controlled purchases of drugs from the conspirators by an undercover officer and an informant acting under law enforcement supervision and telephone communications intercepted pursuant to court orders. The complaints allege that law enforcement officials made seizures of drugs, including the seizure of approximately 11 ½ pounds of methamphetamine on October 15, 2019. According to the complaints, communications were intercepted revealing that customers ordered and received drugs from the DTO and sometimes complained about the quality and quantity of the drugs they had purchased.
The following defendants were charged in the indictment:
Defendant
Age/Residence
Charges
Maximum Penalties
EDUARDO GUZMAN TORRES,
a/k/a “Miguel” a/k/a “Mikey” a/k/a “Michael” a/k/a “Ramon Guzman-Jimenez” a/k/a “Fortino” a/k/a “Ramon Jimenez” a/k/a “Fabian Cisneros” a/k/a “Hernan Torres Garcia” a/k/a “Potes” a/k/a “Alex”
33 / Winton, California
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances (Count 1)
21 U.S.C. § 846
Not less than 10 years imprisonment and up to life
$10 million fine
Distribution of and Possession with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances (Counts 2-4, 6-9, 11-13, 17, 21-23)
21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1)
Not less than 5 years imprisonment and up to life
$5 million
JUAN DIEGO GALLEGOS-MOYA
23 / Santa Rosa, California
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances (Count 1)
21 U.S.C. § 846
Not less than 10 years imprisonment and up to life
$10 million fine
Distribution of Controlled Substances (Counts 2-4, 6-7)
21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1)
Not less than 5 years imprisonment and up to life
$5 million
ERNESTO OCHOA
33 / Sacramento, California
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances (Count 1)
21 U.S.C. § 846
Not less than 10 years imprisonment and up to life
$10 million fine
Distribution of Controlled Substances (Counts 5, 14-15)
21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1)
Not less than 5 years imprisonment and up to life
$5 million
ALFREDO TAPIA SANDOVAL,
a/k/a “Fredi Tapia-Sandoval” a/k/a “Fredi”
20 / Windsor, California
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances (Count 1)
21 U.S.C. § 846
Not less than 10 years imprisonment and up to life
$10 million fine
Distribution of and Possession with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances (Counts 8-9, 11, 17)
21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1)
Not less than 5 years imprisonment and up to life
$5 million
MARCOS ALVAREZ CORONA
20 / Sacramento, California
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances (Count 1)
21 U.S.C. § 846
Not less than 10 years imprisonment and up to life
$10 million fine
Distribution of Controlled Substances (Counts 10, 16, 18-19)
21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1)
Not less than 5 years imprisonment and up to life
$5 million
ANTONIO RAMIREZ-JIMENEZ
36 / Santa Rosa, California
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances (Count 1)
21 U.S.C. § 846
Not less than 10 years imprisonment and up to life
$10 million fine
Distribution of Controlled Substances (Count 20)
21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1)
Not less than 5 years imprisonment and up to life
$5 million
JUAN CARLOS GUZMAN,
a/k/a “Jose Rosa-Perez”
30 / Winton, California
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances (Count 1)
21 U.S.C. § 846
Not less than 10 years imprisonment and up to life
$10 million fine
Distribution of and Possession with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances (Counts 21-22)
21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1)
Not less than 5 years imprisonment and up to life
$5 million
ANGEL RINCON-MENETA
27 / Winton, California
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances (Count 1)
21 U.S.C. § 846
Not less than 10 years imprisonment and up to life
$10 million fine
Distribution of and Possession with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances (Counts 21-23)
21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1)
Not less than 5 years imprisonment and up to life
$5 million
MARIO LAST NAME UNKNOWN
Unknown / Unknown
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances (Count 1)
21 U.S.C. § 846
Not less than 10 years imprisonment and up to life
$10 million fine
Distribution of Controlled Substances (Count 23)
21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1)
Not less than 5 years imprisonment and up to life
$5 million
ADILENE RAMIREZ
27 / Keyes, California
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances (Count 1)
21 U.S.C. § 846
Not less than 10 years imprisonment and up to life
$10 million fine
Distribution of Controlled Substances (Count 24)
21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1)
Not less than 5 years imprisonment and up to life
$5 million
ERICA LAGUNAS
36 / Stockton, California
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances (Count 1)
21 U.S.C. § 846
Not less than 10 years imprisonment and up to life
$10 million fine
Distribution of Controlled Substances (Count 24)
21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1)
Not less than 5 years imprisonment and up to life
$5 million
TERESA GUZMAN-RODRIGUEZ,
a/k/a “Mono” a/k/a “Monos”
38 / Winton, California
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances (Count 1)
21 U.S.C. § 846
Not less than 10 years imprisonment and up to life
$10 million fine
The indictment and complaints merely allege that crimes have been committed, and each defendant must be presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. These prosecutions are the result of investigations by the FBI in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office, and Martinez Police Department. Additional assistance was provided by the U.S. Marshals Service, California Highway Patrol, California Counterdrug Task Force, Milpitas Police Department, and the Sheriff’s Offices of Marin, Contra Costa, and Merced Counties.
This case was investigated and prosecuted by member agencies of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, a focused multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force investigating and prosecuting the most significant drug trafficking organizations throughout the United States by leveraging the combined expertise of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.
Torrington Financial Advisor and Securities Broker Admits Misappropriating Client FundsRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Brian C. Turner, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, today announced that LESTER BURROUGHS, 60, of Torrington, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in Bridgeport to one count of wire fraud related to his misappropriation of approximately $575,000 from investment clients.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Burroughs was a registered securities broker with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. Prior to November 2019, he was the owner of Burroughs Investment Group, a full-service financial consulting firm based in Torrington. Beginning in at least 2012 and continuing through 2019, Burroughs misrepresented to certain clients that their money would be invested in legitimate guaranteed investment contracts. Instead, he used his clients’ money to pay business expenses and other clients’ “guaranteed” investment returns.
Through this scheme, Burroughs defrauded three clients of a total of approximately $575,000.
When he is sentenced, Burroughs faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. As part of his plea, he has agreed to pay restitution in the amount of $575,000 to the victims of his crime.
Burroughs is released on a $100,000 bond pending sentencing, which is not yet scheduled.
This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather L. Cherry.
The Securities and Exchange Commission has filed related civil charges against Burroughs. (Securities and Exchange Commission v. Lester Burroughs, 3:19-cv-1913).
Three Men Charged with Drug-Trafficking Conspiracy, Agents Seize 14 Kilos of MethRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Three men were charged in federal court today for their roles in a drug-trafficking conspiracy after federal agents seized 14 kilograms of methamphetamine.
Jose Alvarado, 26, Victor Gomez-Rendon, 28, and Enrique Antonio Herrera-Saucedo, 21, were charged in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Missouri.
Today’s federal criminal complaint alleges that Alvarado, Gomez-Rendon, and Herrera-Saucedo participated in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine from Aug. 15 to Dec. 4, 2019.
According to an affidavit filed in support of today’s criminal complaint, Alvarado met with an undercover special agent on seven separate occasions and sold the undercover agent a total of approximately 925 grams of methamphetamine and 30 firearms. Alvarado agreed to sell a larger quantity of methamphetamine and more firearms, the affidavit says, telling the undercover agent that his supplier would be able to obtain 10 kilograms or more of methamphetamine.
On Dec. 4, Alvarado and the undercover agent met at a residence in the 2600 block of Cypress Avenue in Kansas City. Gomez-Rendon and Herrera-Saucedo arrived at the residence and delivered 14 kilograms of methamphetamine.
The charge contained in this complaint is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charge must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Caleb Aponte, who is a cross-designated prosecutor from the Missouri Attorney General’s office as part of the Safer Streets Initiative to combat violent crime. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Project Safe Neighborhoods
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is partnering with federal, state, and local law enforcement to specifically identify criminals responsible for significant violent crime in the Western District of Missouri. A centerpiece of this effort is Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Safe Neighborhoods is an evidence-based program that identifies the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develops comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, Project Safe Neighborhoods focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.Suspected Colombian cartel leader lands in US to answer international drug chargesRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – An alleged ranking member of the Clan Del Golfo has been extradited to the United States to face numerous drug trafficking and money laundering charges, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick along with FBI Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Perrye K. Turner and DEA Acting SAC Steven S. Whipple.
Joaquin Guillermo David-Usuga aka “Guillermo,” 41, is set to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christina Bryan at 2 p.m. today.
A federal grand jury returned an indictment against him and others Aug. 16, 2018. Colombian authorities took him into custody in November 2018. He was extradited and landed in Houston yesterday
“Arrests like these are a direct result of what the president has reiterated we must do to immediately attack organizations that traffic narcotics and other criminality into the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick. “Executive Order 13773 - Enforcing Federal Law with Respect to Transnational Criminal Organizations and Preventing International Trafficking – prioritizes the need to increase cooperation and information sharing with foreign counterparts to dismantle transnational criminal organizations including drug cartels.”
David-Usuga is believed to be a ranking member of the Clan Del Golfo. The indictment alleges he is the cousin of Dairo Antonio Usuga David – the known supreme commander of the Clan Del Golfo and designated as one of DEA’s most wanted fugitives.
“David-Usugal is alleged to be the Clan del Golfo's chief drug trafficker and money launderer, but couldn’t escape the U.S. arm of justice. No one is untouchable, even in Clan del Golfo controlled-territory in rural Colombia,” said SAC Perrye K. Turner. “His arrest, and now extradition, fulfills the FBI and DOJ's permanent pledge to identify and disrupt the top suspected transnational criminal groups potentially threatening the health, safety and prosperity of the American people and its allies. Today's extradition is a result of the outstanding relationship and collaboration between FBI Houston, DEA and our international partners including the Colombian Army, Police and Prosecutor’s Office.”
“The arrest and extradition of David-Usuga is just another example of the highly effective cooperation between law enforcement in the United States and Colombia,” said Whipple. “DEA continues our global pursuit of suspected major drug traffickers who are believed to be profiting from the sale of dangerous drugs to our citizens and potentially threatening the security of our country.”
The indictment alleges David-Usuga was involved in the importation of kilogram quantities of cocaine into the United States. He is charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine internationally and one count of international cocaine distribution.
David-Usuga was allegedly involved in an ongoing five-year conspiracy to distribute cocaine from Colombia to the United States. In May 2019, he and others participated in distributing approximately 20 kilograms of cocaine in Colombia knowing it was to be imported into the United States, according to the allegations.
The Department of Justice designated Clan Del Golfo as one of the most serious transnational organized criminal organizations that threatens the United States.
The FBI and DEA led the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF is a partnership that brings together the combined expertise and unique abilities of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. OCDETF’s principal mission is to identify, disrupt, dismantle and prosecute high level members of drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations and enterprises.
The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance in the extradition. The Justice Department also extends its gratitude to the government of Colombia for its cooperation and assistance.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Casey N. MacDonald and Anibal Alaniz are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence.
A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.Stoneham Man Sentenced for Fentanyl TraffickingRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Stoneham man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for drug trafficking involving fentanyl.
Alexis Baez, 52, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Rya W. Zobel to four years in prison and three years of supervised release. In August 2019, Baez pleaded guilty to three counts of distribution of, and possession with intent to distribute, fentanyl, two counts of distribution of, and possession with intent to distribute, more than 40 grams of fentanyl, and one count of possession with intent to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl.
According to court records, between February and April 2019, prior to Baez’s arrest, he engaged in six separate drug sales of fentanyl powder to an undercover law enforcement agent.
The operation was conducted by a multi-agency task force through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply. More information on the OCDETF program is available here: https://www.justice.gov/ocdetf/about-ocdetf.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Jason Molina, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Homeland Security Investigations in Boston, made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Woburn, Stoneham, Milton, and Boston Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen W. Hassink of Lelling’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.
St. Louis County Man Sentenced for Possessing Fentanyl and a FirearmRead the Press Release
St. Louis –Jeremy L. Dickerson, 25, of St. Louis County, was sentenced to 72 months in prison for possessing fentanyl and a firearm in furtherance of a drug crime. Dickerson appeared today in front of United States District Judge John A. Ross.
According to court documents, Dickerson was involved in two separate instances where he possessed illegal drugs and firearms. On March 17, 2017, officers of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department observed Dickerson violate a stop sign. As the officers attempted to pull Dickerson’s vehicle over, he accelerated in an attempt to flee the officers, losing control of the vehicle and stroking cement barriers. He was taken into custody and had $1,086 in U.S. currency on his person. A 9mm semi-automatic pistol and plastic baggies with 124 clear capsules containing heroin were found in his vehicle.
On March 13, 2018, officers of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department identified a vehicle being driven by Dickerson that had been used to conduct illegal drug activity. Officers attempted to pull over the vehicle, but Dickerson drove in a reckless manner and collided with another vehicle which then went airborne into a third vehicle. Dickerson was arrested and had $1,968 in U.S. currency on his person. Search of the vehicle revealed a .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol and 173 clear capsules containing fentanyl.
These charges are a result of an investigation by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant United States Steven Muchnick handled the case.
St. Croix Man Intercepted with Two Kilos Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Possess Cocaine at Henry E. Rohlsen AirportRead the Press Release
St. Croix, USVI – Zion Hazel, 22, of St. Croix, pled guilty on December 4, 2019, in District Court to one count of Conspiracy to Possess Cocaine with Intent to Distribute, United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced.
This federal offense carries a possible sentence of incarceration of 5 to 40 years, a maximum fine of up to $250,000 dollars, and a term of supervised release for at least 4 years. Sentencing is set for April 3, 2020.
According to court documents, on April 12, 2018, Zion Hazel, along with co-defendant Don-Luke George, conspired to bring 2010 grams of cocaine (2.01 kilograms) into the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport with the intent to transport the cocaine to Miami via American Airlines flight #2227. Specifically, George, who was employed at the airport, smuggled four bricks of cocaine into the passenger waiting area of the airport, and delivered them to Hazel in the handicap stall of the men’s restroom. Hazel was a passenger on the outgoing American Airlines flight, but was intercepted with the cocaine prior to boarding his flight by Customs and Border Protection officers.
The case was investigated by Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations. The cocaine was analyzed by the DEA Southeast Laboratory in Miami. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel H. Huston prosecuted the case.
St. Croix Man Apprehended with 19 Kilos at St. Thomas Airport Sentenced to 51 Months for Cocaine TraffickingRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI – Mikhail Munoz, 32, originally of St. Croix, was sentenced today for possessing with the intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced.
District Court Judge Curtis V. Gomez sentenced Munoz to 51 months’ imprisonment, followed by a five-year term of supervised release, during which he must complete 300 hours of community service.
According to court documents, on May 20, 2019, Munoz checked himself and a suitcase in for a flight bound from St. Thomas to Miami. When Munoz’s checked luggage passed through inspection with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), it set off an alarm, leading to the discovery of 18 "brick like" items, each of which was wrapped in aluminum foil, plastic wrap, and vacuum-sealed. Each of the brick-like bundles contained a white powdery substance that field-tested positive for cocaine. Collectively, the bricks weighed approximately 19 kilograms.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the TSA, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Meredith J. Edwards.
South Florida Man Sentenced to over Eleven Years in Prison in Connection with Torture and Kidnapping PlotRead the Press Release
Justin Boccio, 33, of Deerfield Beach, was sentenced today to more than 11 years in prison and ordered to pay $83k in restitution for his involvement in a torture and kidnapping plot. Boccio previously pled guilty to conspiracy to commit kidnapping and kidnapping.
Ariana Fajardo Orshan, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida and George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, FBI’s Miami Field Office made the announcement.
According to court records, Boccio and co-defendant Serge Nkorina (“Nkorina”), along with others, plotted to kidnap and torture a victim in an attempt to obtain tens of thousands of dollars from him. To facilitate the kidnapping, on or about December 30, 2018, Nkorina and Boccio purchased supplies at a Home Depot in Broward County, Florida. On or about January 5, 2019, the two rented a van from Budget with Florida tag number GHPT19. Then, on January 14, 2019, Boccio entered the victim’s office and made false representations on paperwork inside of the victim’s office. Later that same day, January 14, 2019, Nkorina and Boccio intercepted the victim in a Walmart parking lot in Broward County, Florida. Nkorina and Boccio blindfolded the victim and forced the victim into the rental van. The kidnappers then transported their victim to a storage facility in Margate, Florida, in which they burned the victim’s hands with a blowtorch while threatening to kill him with a firearm and other weapons. The kidnappers demanded information about the victim’s home address, including access codes to the victim’s residence. On or about January 15, 2019, Nkorina visited the premises of the victim’s home while carrying a firearm. Ultimately, also on January 15, 2019, Nkorina and Boccio left the victim, with his hands and feet bound, in his vehicle, which they relocated to the parking lot of Cheetah Gentlemen’s Club in Broward County, Florida.
During today’s hearing U.S. District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga stated, “[Boccio] forgot his decency and his values when he participated in the torture of this innocent human being.” Judge Altonaga sentenced Boccio to a concurrent term of 135 months in prison, on each count of conviction, to be followed by 5 years of supervised release. She also ordered that the defendant pay the victim $83,056.80 in restitution (Case No. 19-cr-20261).
Nkorina has not yet made his appearance in the South Florida case and is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
U.S. Attorney Fajardo Orshan commended the investigative efforts of the FBI’s Miami Field Office in this matter. She thanked the Hallandale Beach Police Department for their assistance. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa H. Miller in the Southern District of Florida.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
Seven Ohio men sentenced to prison for crimes related to sexually abusing children, creating child pornographyRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The lead defendant in a network of men charged federally for crimes related to the sexual abuse of two 10-year-old children was sentenced in U.S. District Court today.
William G. Weekley, 35, of Newark, was sentenced to 480 months in prison for producing and distributing child pornography and attempting to coerce or entice a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity.
The investigation began when Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations Special Agent/FBI Task Force Officer Larry McCoy communicated undercover with Weekley online. From that initial investigation into Weekley, investigators were able to discover the additional defendants.
According to court documents, the defendants made online contact with each other and others who shared, or whom they believed to share, their sexual interest in minors, incest and child pornography.
After making initial contact through Craigslist, Weekley communicated with each of the other defendants on an ongoing basis through text and various other apps, including Wickr.
Weekley had access to a female child (Jane Doe), who was approximately 10 to 11 years old during the offenses detailed. Weekley sexually abused Jane Doe and created images and videos of the molestation, which he shared with others, including some of the co-defendants.
“The sentence Weekley received today is substantial and just,” U.S. Attorney David M. DeVillers said. “Weekley committed one of the worst crimes one human can inflict upon another, and this district is now a safer place with him in prison.”
Others charged in this and related cases include:
Name
Age
City of residence
Offense
Sentence imposed
Timothy F. Sullivan
51
Canal Winchester
coercion/enticement
138 months in prison, seven years supervised release
Franklin Eugene Perry
64
Columbus
coercion/enticement
288 months in prison, seven years supervised release
Brian S. Perkins
43
Mt. Vernon
activities related to child pornography material
138 months in prison, seven years supervised release
Grant D. Michalski
30
Columbus
activities related to child pornography material
100 months in prison, 10 years supervised release
Eric A. Zevely
35
Columbus
production of child pornography
250 months in prison, 15 years supervised release
Jordan I. Makowski
33
Greenville
activities related to child pornography material
132 months in prison, 15 years supervised release
Weekley and Perry discussed sexually abusing Jane Doe together, and made plans for Perry to join Weekley in the sexual abuse of Jane Doe. Perry encouraged Weekley to continue abusing the victim and did eventually sexually abuse the victim together with Weekley.
Investigators found that Weekley discussed various sexual topics with Zevely. Further investigation revealed that Zevely sexually abused a different 10-year-old victim, who was not Jane Doe, and then took and sent photographs of that abuse.
Weekley and Sullivan communicated when Weekley responded to Sullivan’s online classified ad titled, “I AM LOOKING TO PRIVATELY MEET AN INCEST FAMILY. Mom son brother sister.” Weekley detailed his abuse of Jane Doe to Sullivan, and Sullivan repeatedly requested to join in the abuse and received pictures of the abuse.
Weekley and Perkins communicated when Weekley responded to Perkin’s online classified ad titled, “Dirty emails.” Weekley described to Perkins how he abused Jane Doe, and Perkins requested and received photographs from Weekley of that abuse.
Weekley also responded to a Craigslist ad posted by Makowski, which was titled “Perv guy.” Further investigation was initiated based on Makowski’s statement to Weekley that his sexual interest was “Younger the better. 0-9.” That investigation revealed that Makowski sought out and traded child pornography involving infants.
Weekly and Michalski also connected following a Craigslist ad that Michalski posted and thereafter communicated about interests in sexual topics like “family, forced” and “K9 and more.” Michalski possessed more than 1400 child pornography images, some involving children as young as two years. He had also communicated with others online about sexually abusing children.
“The investigation and prosecution of these seven men show the tremendous work that can be accomplished through the collaboration of all of our law enforcement partners,” DeVillers added “For people who commit crimes like these, this case shows that we will do whatever it takes to find you, and, when you are found, we will punish you accordingly.”
“I couldn’t be prouder of BCI agents like Larry McCoy who wade through the muck every day to intercept these predators and prevent further exploitation of innocent children,” Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said. “Monsters like these aren’t hiding in the bushes, they are infiltrating our homes through the internet - and all parents need to be vigilant against these online threats.”
“While no amount of prison time can undo the serious harm inflicted by this defendant, today’s sentence should send a clear message to those who engage in such heinous acts that they will be punished to the fullest extent of the law,” said Vance Callender, HSI special agent in charge for Michigan and Ohio.
DeVillers was joined by Joseph M. Deters, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); Cincinnati Division; Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost; Vance Callender, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin; Westerville Police Chief Charles Chandler and other members of the FBI Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force in announcing the sentences imposed by U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. Assistant United States Attorneys Heather A. Hill and S. Courter Shimeall are representing the United States in these cases.
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Scheme to Purchase New Cars Using Stolen Identities Results in Two-Year Prison Term for Belleville WomanRead the Press Release
Kyetia M. Hines, 36, of Belleville, Illinois, has been sentenced to two years in prison on her
convictions for conspiracy, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft, announced Steven D.
Weinhoeft, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois. The charges arise from a
scheme to purchase new automobiles using stolen identities of other individuals.In October 2018, Hines submitted an online credit application, under the name of an individual
whose identity had been stolen, to Jansen Chevrolet in Germantown, Illinois. Then, on Nov. 1, 2018,
Hines went to Jansen Chevrolet and purchased a new Chevy Malibu using that stolen identity. For
purposes of obtaining financing to purchase the vehicle, Hines provided the dealership with
fraudulent documents containing the stolen names. One such document was a fake temporary Illinois
driver’s license bearing Hines’ picture and the stolen name.Co-defendant Tamecia C. Buckley, 36, of Belleville, Illinois, has also pleaded guilty to charges of
conspiracy, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft. At her plea hearing, Buckley admitted that
she also purchased a car from Jansen Chevrolet using a stolen identity. Buckley is set to be
sentenced on Jan. 23, 2020.Both the charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud carry maximum sentences of
twenty years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Aggravated identity theft carries a mandatory
sentence of two years of imprisonment.The investigation was conducted by agents from the FBI’s Springfield Division – Fairview Heights
Resident Agency, the Illinois Secretary of State Police, and the Germantown, Illinois, Police
Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Scott A. Verseman.Investigators recovered both of the fraudulently purchased vehicles and returned them to Jansen
Chevrolet. Employees of Jansen Chevrolet cooperated and assisted law enforcement
officials during the investigation.
Russian National Charged with Decade-Long Series of Hacking and Bank Fraud Offenses Resulting in Tens of Millions in Losses and Second Russian National Charged with Involvement in Deployment of “Bugat” MalwareRead the Press Release
The United States of America, through its Departments of Justice and State, and the United Kingdom, through its National Crime Agency (NCA), today announced the unsealing of criminal charges in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Lincoln, Nebraska, against Maksim V. Yakubets, aka online moniker, “aqua,” 32, of Moscow, Russia, related to two separate international computer hacking and bank fraud schemes spanning from May 2009 to the present. A second individual, Igor Turashev, 38, from Yoshkar-Ola, Russia, was also indicted in Pittsburgh for his role related to the “Bugat” malware conspiracy. The State Department, in partnership with the FBI, announced today a reward of up to $5 million under the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Yakubets. This represents the largest such reward offer for a cyber criminal to date.
Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady for the Western District of Pennsylvania, U.S. Attorney Joseph P. Kelly for the District of Nebraska, FBI Deputy Director David Bowdich, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary James A. Walsh of the State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), and Director Rob Jones of the Cyber Crime Unit at the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency (NCA) made the announcement.
“Maksim Yakubets allegedly has engaged in a decade-long cybercrime spree that deployed two of the most damaging pieces of financial malware ever used and resulted in tens of millions of dollars of losses to victims worldwide,” said Assistant Attorney General Benczkowski. “These two cases demonstrate our commitment to unmasking the perpetrators behind the world’s most egregious cyberattacks. The assistance of our international partners, in particular the National Crime Agency of the United Kingdom, was crucial to our efforts to identify Yakubets and his co-conspirators.”
“For over a decade, Maksim Yakubets and Igor Turashev led one of the most sophisticated transnational cybercrime syndicates in the world,” said U.S. Attorney Brady. “Deploying ‘Bugat’ malware, also known as ‘Cridex’ and ‘Dridex,’ these cybercriminals targeted individuals and companies in western Pennsylvania and across the globe in one of the most widespread malware campaigns we have ever encountered. International cybercriminals who target Pennsylvania citizens and companies are no different than any other criminal: they will be investigated, prosecuted and held accountable for their actions.”
“The Zeus scheme was one of the most outrageous cybercrimes in history,” said U.S. Attorney Kelly. “Our identification of Yakubets as the actor who used the moniker ‘aqua’ in that scheme, as alleged in the complaint unsealed today, is a prime example of how we will pursue cyber criminals to the ends of justice no matter how long it takes, by tracking their activity both online and off and working with our international partners to expose their crimes.”
“Today’s announcement involved a long running investigation of a sophisticated organized cybercrime syndicate,” said FBI Deputy Director Bowdich. “The charges highlight the persistence of the FBI and our partners to vigorously pursue those who desire to profit from innocent people through deception and theft. By calling out those who threaten American businesses and citizens, we expose criminals who hide behind devices and launch attacks that threaten our public safety and economic stability. The actions highlighted today, which represent a continuing trend of cyber-criminal activity emanating from Russian actors, were particularly damaging as they targeted U.S. entities across all sectors and walks of life. The FBI, with the assistance of private industry and our international and U.S. government partners, is sending a strong message that we will work together to investigate and hold all criminals accountable. Our memory is long and we will hold them accountable under the law, no matter where they attempt to hide.”
“Combatting cybercrime remains a top national security priority for to the United States,” said INL Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Walsh. “The announcements today represent a coordinated interagency effort to bring Maksim Yakubets to justice and to address cybercrime globally.”
“This is a landmark for the NCA, FBI and U.S. authorities and a day of reckoning for those who commit cybercrime,” said NCA Director Jones. “Following years of online pursuit, I am pleased to see the real world identity of Yakubets and his associate Turashev revealed. Yakubets and his associates have allegedly been responsible for losses and attempted losses totaling hundreds of millions of dollars. This is not a victimless crime, those losses were once people’s life savings, now emptied from their bank accounts. Today the process of bringing Yakubets and his criminal associates to justice begins. This is not the end of our investigation, and we will continue to work closely with international partners to present a united front against criminality that threatens our prosperity and security.”
Yakubets and Turashev Indicted in Relation to “Bugat” Malware
A federal grand jury in Pittsburgh returned a 10-count indictment, which was unsealed today, against Yakubets and Turashev, charging them with conspiracy, computer hacking, wire fraud, and bank fraud, in connection with the distribution of “Bugat,” a multifunction malware package designed to automate the theft of confidential personal and financial information, such as online banking credentials, from infected computers. Later versions of the malware were designed with the added function of assisting in the installation of ransomware.
According to the indictment, Bugat is a malware specifically crafted to defeat antivirus and other protective measures employed by victims. As the individuals behind Bugat improved the malware and added functionality, the name of the malware changed, at one point being called “Cridex,” and later “Dridex,” according to the indictment. Bugat malware was allegedly designed to automate the theft of confidential personal and financial information, such as online banking credentials, and facilitated the theft of confidential personal and financial information by a number of methods. For example, the indictment alleges that the Bugat malware allowed computer intruders to hijack a computer session and present a fake online banking webpage to trick a user into entering personal and financial information.
The indictment further alleges that Yakubets and Turashev used captured banking credentials to cause banks to make unauthorized electronic funds transfers from the victims’ bank accounts, without the knowledge or consent of the account holders. They then allegedly used persons, known as “money mules,” to receive stolen funds into their bank accounts, and then move the money to other accounts or withdraw the funds and transport the funds overseas as smuggled bulk cash. According to the indictment, they also used a powerful online tool known as a botnet in furtherance of the scheme.
Yakubets was the leader of the group of conspirators involved with the Bugat malware and botnet, according to the indictment. As the leader, he oversaw and managed the development, maintenance, distribution, and infection of Bugat as well as the financial theft and the use of money mules. Turashev allegedly handled a variety of functions for the Bugat conspiracy, including system administration, management of the internal control panel, and oversight of botnet operations.
According to the indictment, Yakubets and Turashev victimized multiple entities, including two banks, a school district, and four companies including a petroleum business, building materials supply company, vacuum and thin film deposition technology company and metal manufacturer in the Western District of Pennsylvania and a firearm manufacturer. The indictment alleges that these attacks resulted in the theft of millions of dollars, and occurred as recently as March 19, 2019.
Yakubets Charged in Relation to “Zeus” Malware
A criminal complaint was also unsealed in Lincoln today charging Yakubets with conspiracy to commit bank fraud in connection with the “Zeus” malware. Beginning in May 2009, Yakubets and multiple co-conspirators are alleged to have a long-running conspiracy to employ widespread computer intrusions, malicious software, and fraud to steal millions of dollars from numerous bank accounts in the United States and elsewhere. Yakubets and his co-conspirators allegedly infected thousands of business computers with malicious software that captured passwords, account numbers, and other information necessary to log into online banking accounts, and then used the captured information to steal money from victims’ bank accounts. As with Bugat, the actors involved with the Zeus scheme were alleged to have employed the use of money mules and a botnet.
Yakubets and his co-conspirators are alleged to have victimized 21 specific municipalities, banks, companies, and non-profit organizations in California, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, and Washington, identified in the complaint, including multiple entities in Nebraska and a religious congregation. According to the complaint, the deployment of the Zeus malware resulted overall in the attempted theft of an estimated $220 million USD, with actual losses of an estimated $70 million USD from victims’ bank accounts. According to the complaint, Yakubets’ role in the Zeus scheme was to provide money mules and their associated banking credentials in order to facilitate the movement of money, which was withdrawn from victim accounts by fraudulent means.
An individual charged as John Doe #2, also known as “aqua,” was indicted in District of Nebraska in case number 4:11-CR-3074. The indictment in that case charges that individual and others with conspiracy to participate in racketeering activity, conspiracy to commit computer fraud and identity theft, aggravated identity theft, and multiple counts of bank fraud related to the Zeus scheme. As alleged, the complaint unsealed today associates use of the moniker “aqua” in the Zeus scheme to Yakubets.
In case number 4:11-CR-3074, two of the co-conspirators of “aqua,” Ukrainian nationals Yuriy Konovaleko and Yevhen Kulibaba, were extradited from the United Kingdom to the United States. Konovalenko and Kulibaba both pleaded guilty in 2015 to conspiracy to participate in racketeering activity and have completed prison sentences that were imposed. Konovalenko and Kulibaba were previously convicted in the United Kingdom, after an investigation conducted by the Metropolitan Police Service, for their role in laundering £3 million GBP on behalf of the group responsible for the Zeus malware.
State Department $5 million USD Reward
The U.S. Department of State’s Transnational Organized Crime (TOC) Rewards Program is offering a reward of up to $5 million for information on Yakubets. Cyber threats are a top national security threat to the United States, and the Department of State’s TOC Rewards Program is one of the many tools used by U.S. authorities to bring significant cybercriminals to justice. Congress established the TOC Rewards Program in 2013 to support law enforcement efforts to dismantle transnational criminal organizations and bring their leaders and members to justice. The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs manages the program in coordination with other U.S. federal agencies.
In addition to NCA, the law enforcement actions taken related to these two prosecutions were assisted by the efforts of law enforcement counterparts from The Netherlands, Germany, Belarus, Ukraine, and the Russian Federation.
The FBI’s Pittsburgh and Omaha Field Offices led the investigations of Yakubets and Turashev with assistance by the FBI’s Major Cyber Crimes Unit and Global Operations and Targeting Unit. The prosecution in Pittsburgh is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shardul S. Desai of the Western District of Pennsylvania, and the prosecution in Lincoln is being handled by Senior Counsel William A. Hall, Jr., of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven A. Russell of the District of Nebraska. The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance throughout the criminal investigations. The Department’s National Security Division also provided investigative assistance.
The details contained in the indictment, criminal complaint and related pleadings are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Rochester Man Sentenced for Selling Fentanyl That Led to A DeathRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Tyler Taylor, 28, of Rochester, NY, who was convicted of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, was sentenced to serve 180 months in prison by U.S. District Judge David G. Larimer.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Cassie Kocher, who is handling the case, stated that the defendant was arrested after law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at 70 Texas Street in Rochester. During the search, officers recovered approximately 655 decks of fentanyl, materials consistent with the packaging of narcotics, and a firearm, among other contraband.
On May 3, 2018, Taylor sold fentanyl that led to the overdose death of an individual identified as S.M.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Monroe County Heroin Task Force, under the direction of Sheriff Todd Baxter, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge John B. Devito, New York Field Division.
The case was brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office as part of its Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative. PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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Repeat Offender Pleads Guilty to Gun and Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Shaiquan Moran-Stenson, 23, of Lewiston, Maine, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of marijuana. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 13 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Katelyn Hartford, who is handling the case, stated that on July 8, 2019, Moran-Stenson, a three-time convicted felon, was found in possession of marijuana as well as a .22 caliber revolver loaded with five rounds of ammunition following a traffic stop in Rochester’s Marketview Heights neighborhood. As a convicted felon, Moran-Stenson is prohibited from legally possessing firearms. This is the defendant’s fourth felony conviction – his second gun felony, and his third drug felony.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Violent Crime Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge John B. Devito, New York Field Division; the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief La’Ron Singletary.
Sentencing is scheduled for March 12, 2020, at 11:00 a.m. before Judge Siragusa.
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Readout of U.S. Attorney General William P. Barr's Visit to MexicoRead the Press Release
Earlier today, U.S. Attorney General William P. Barr traveled to Mexico. Together with U.S. Ambassador Christopher Landau, Attorney General Barr met with Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Minister of Foreign Relations Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon, Secretary of Defense Luis Crescencio Sandoval Gonzalez, Secretary of the Navy Admiral Jose Rafael Ojeda Duran, Security Minister Alfonso Durazo Montaño and Attorney General Alejandro Gertz Manero to continue strengthening their bilateral law enforcement cooperation. Attorney General Barr also accompanied Ambassador Landau in a visit to Mexico’s National Shrine, Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Attorney General Barr with Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon at the Mexican Foreign Ministry ahead of their bilateral meeting
Attorney General Barr and Mexican Government counterparts discussed a broad range of issues including their shared commitment to protecting the security and safety of the citizens of both the United States and Mexico from transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) as well as how our countries work together to combat drug, human, and arms trafficking. They talked about the importance of targeting illicit financial networks and disrupting the illicit movement of cash, weapons, and drugs, combatting corruption, and strengthening cooperation on bringing members of TCOs to justice.
Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon, Attorney General Barr and U.S. Ambassador Landau
Attorney General Barr thanked the Mexican government for a number of recent matters, including the arrests of individuals suspected in the Nov. 4 murder of nine U.S. citizens in Northern Mexico and Mexico’s partnership in combatting illegal immigration at our shared border.
Secretary of the Navy Admiral Jose Rafael Ojeda Duran, Security Minister Alfonso Durazo Montaño, Attorney General Barr and Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon
The U.S. law enforcement relationship with Mexico is one of our most important partnerships to combat trans-border crime. Continued collaboration and successful joint law enforcement programs between the United States and Mexico on justice matters remain a priority for the U.S. Government. Attorney General Barr looks forward to further dialogue on these important matters. He will brief President Trump tomorrow on the trip and make recommendations for next steps.
US Ambassador Landau, Attorney General Barr, Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon, Secretary of the Navy Admiral Jose Rafael Ojeda Duran and Security Minister Alfonso Durazo Montaño
Attorney General Barr signs the guest book at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Attorney General Barr receiving a gift from Monsignor Salvador Martinez Avila, the Rector of the Sanctuary of the Basilica.
Queens Man Pleads Guilty to Trafficking Heroin and Oxycodone in AlbanyRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Eric Soto, age 37, of Queens County, New York, pled guilty today to distributing and possessing with intent to distribute over 800 grams of heroin, as well as Oxycodone pills, in June 2018 in Albany County.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith, and Special Agent in Charge Ray Donovan of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Field Division.
In pleading guilty, Soto admitted that in June 2018, he travelled from New York City to the Capital Region on three occasions for the purpose of distributing both heroin and Oxycodone at various locations in the Capital Region, including in Colonie, Guilderland and Watervliet. On June 22, 2018, Soto was arrested in the parking lot of the Crossgates Mall in possession of 583 grams of heroin and 99 Oxycodone pills, which he intended to sell. He has remained in custody since his arrest.
Soto faces at least 5 years and up to 40 years in prison, a term of supervised release of at least 4 years and up to life, and a maximum fine of $5 million, when he is sentenced on June 11, 2020 by Senior United States District Judge Fredrick J. Scullin, Jr. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
This case was investigated by the DEA with assistance from the Albany County Sheriff’s Office, and the Police Departments of Colonie, Guilderland and Watervliet. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emmet O’Hanlon.
Portland Man Sentenced for Possessing Child Pornography and Violating Supervised ReleaseRead the Press Release
Portland, Maine: A Portland man was sentenced today in federal court in Portland for possessing child pornography and violating his supervised release, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.
U.S. District Judge George Z. Singal sentenced Joseph Holland, 33, to a total of 65 months in prison—51 months for possessing child pornography, and 14 months for violating the conditions of supervised release to which he was subject following a prior federal conviction. He pleaded guilty and admitted the supervised release violation on May 15, 2019.
According to court records, in January of this year, Holland was on supervised release after completing an 82-month sentence for drug and firearm offenses. Another individual on supervised release admitted to a U.S. Probation Officer that he had been using Holland’s cell phone, and that he had seen images of nudes that he thought could be minors on the phone. A review of Holland’s phone revealed numerous child pornography images.
The Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case, with assistance from U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services.
Pensacola Jury Convicts Man for Federal Theft of Trade Secrets and Online Extortion of Local CompanyRead the Press Release
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Timothy J. Smith, 42, of Mobile, Alabama, was found guilty by a federal jury
late Tuesday evening in the United States District Court in Pensacola of charges of theft of trade
secrets and interstate extortionate communications. Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the
Northern District of Florida, announced the verdict today.During trial, the jury received evidence that Smith was a software engineer in Mobile, Alabama.
StrikeLines, the victim in the case, is a Pensacola based company that uses commercial side scan
sonar equipment to locate fishing reefs in the Gulf of Mexico and sells the coordinates using an
interactive map on their website. StrikeLines also provides public coordinates for free to those
interested in finding valuable spots to fish in the Gulf.The evidence showed that, between April and November 2018, Smith obtained private information
valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars from the local company by using sophisticated cyber
techniques in order to gain the trade secrets and decrypt information of the company from its
website. After hearing how Smith stole private sonar coordinates of reefs, the jury received
testimony and exhibits showing how Smith then tried to extort the two owners of StrikeLines for
more valuable fishing coordinates. During this entire time frame, the victims did not even know who
Smith was or why he was trying to harm them.U.S. Attorney Keefe said: “The U.S. Attorney’s Office takes very seriously cyber crimes of all
kinds, ranging from protecting our national security to the secrets of private companies. In our
increasingly online society, cyber security is vital to all of us as we conduct Internet
transactions and conversations so that we can be confident our identities and personal information
are protected. Our office is pleased that the jury held the defendant to account for victimizing a
small local business.”The maximum penalties Smith now faces are up to 10 years in prison for the theft of trade secrets,
and up to 2 years in prison for interstate extortionate communications. The sentencing is
scheduled for February 18, 2020, at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola.This case resulted from an investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Federal
Bureau of Investigation, and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney
David L. Goldberg is prosecuting the case as he is the Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property
Coordinator and National Security Cyber Specialist for the Northern District of Florida.The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that
serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access
public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of
Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern
District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.Passaic County Man Charged with Distribution, Receipt, and Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Passaic County, New Jersey, man has been indicted on charges of distributing, receiving, and possessing images of child sexual abuse, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced today.
Vaughn Tiedeman, 46, of West Milford, New Jersey, is charged by indictment, returned by a federal grand jury on Dec. 4, 2019, with one count of distributing child pornography, one count of receiving child pornography, and one count of possessing child pornography. Tiedeman was initially charged by complaint in April 2019.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Between July 2018 and January 2019, Tiedeman used the BitTorrent peer-to-peer file-sharing network to distribute more than 50 video files and 100 image files containing images of child sexual abuse. On April 1, 2019, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Tiedeman’s home and found approximately 6,800 unique still images and 120 unique videos containing images of child sexual abuse.
The distribution and receipt charges each carry a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The charge of possession of child pornography carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
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 Michael, with the investigation leading to the charges.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah A. Sulkowski of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Cybercrime Unit in Newark.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Defense counsel: Michael A. Orozco Esq., Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey
Oxnard Man Indicted for Stealing Mail Truck from Kern County Post OfficeRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned an indictment today against Ryan James Taylor, 34, of Oxnard, charging him with burglary of a U.S. Post Office, mail theft, and theft of government property, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.
According to court documents, on Aug. 26, 2018, Taylor forcibly broke into the Mojave Post Office in Kern County and stole mail that had been deposited at the post office as well as a U.S. Mail Truck.
This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Vincente Tennerelli and Joseph Barton are prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Taylor faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each of the burglary and stolen mail charges, and 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the stolen mail truck charge. Any sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Owners of popular Thai restaurant group sentenced to prison for using “zapper” software to cheat on state and federal taxesRead the Press Release
Seattle – A Kent, Washington, couple were sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to prison terms for their use of a tax zapper software to hide cash sales and reduce the taxes owed at their chain of Thai restaurants, announced U.S. Attorney Brian T. Moran. CHADILLADA LAPANGKURA, 40, was sentenced to six months in prison, and PORNCHAI CHAISEEHA, 42, was sentenced to four months in prison after pleading guilty in August 2019 to conspiracy to defraud the government by hiding more than $1 million in income. At the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge James L. Robart said, “They came to this country, a land of opportunity… and then didn’t pay their taxes, and got rich.”
“Use of this ‘tax zapper’ software not only cheats on state and federal taxes, it gives a business an unfair advantage over competitors who play by the rules,” said U.S. Attorney Moran. “These cases are time intensive to investigate, and I commend federal and state investigators for their work. These defendants thought with a computer key stroke they could get away with this fraud. They were wrong.”
According to records filed in the case, CHAISEEHA and LAPANGKURA were part owners of the chain that has Thai restaurants in Washington, Oregon, and Hawaii. Some of the restaurants operated under the name “Bai Tong,” and some were called “Noi.” The restaurants used a point-of-sale computer system that included a “cash suppression” or “Zapper” software program that modifies the sales records by removing cash sales from the business records. Between 2010 and 2016, the two had the “Zapper” software operating at their Redmond and Tukwila, Washington, restaurants and at their Bend, Oregon, restaurant. The restaurants earned $1,034,750 in cash income that was never reported on state or federal tax returns, resulting in an agreed tax loss of $299,806. The pair also used the unreported cash to pay employees under the table, avoiding state and federal employment taxes. Finally, some of the cash proceeds were siphoned off to bank accounts in Thailand, and the existence of those accounts was not reported on their income tax returns.
“Ms. Lapangkura and Mr. Chaiseeha’s actions cheated their fellow taxpayers and community members,” said IRS-Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Justin Campbell. “IRS-Criminal Investigation stands behind the honest business owners and other taxpayers in the community that pay their fair share. Today, Ms. Lapangkura and Mr. Chaiseeha were held accountable for their shameful conduct.”
LAPANGKURA was ordered to pay a $10,000 fine, and CHAISEEHA must pay a $7,500 fine. Both must perform 80 hours of community service during a two-year period of supervised release following their prison terms. Because the couple has young children, the prison terms will be staggered so that one parent remains with the children.
The defendants have paid $299,806 in state and federal taxes as part of the criminal case. The IRS may also assess other taxes, penalties, and interest through its civil processes.
The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), with assistance from the Washington State Department of Revenue (DOR). The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Diggs.
Over 60 Members of Latin Kings ChargedRead the Press Release
BOSTON – The East Coast and Massachusetts leadership of the Almighty Latin Kings and Queen Nation (Latin Kings), including more than 60 members and associates, face federal charges.
This morning, over 500 federal, state and local law enforcement officers arrested dozens of Latin Kings members and associates and executed 31 search warrants at 24 locations.
According to court documents, the Eastern Region of the Latin Kings encompasses local chapters in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, and various other states along the eastern seaboard from Maryland to Florida. There are 11 active Latin Kings Chapters operating in Massachusetts: D5K (Boston), Morton Street Bricks (Boston), New Bedford, Springfield, Lynn/Salem, Chelsea, Lowell, Lawrence, Worcester, Fitchburg and within the Department of Corrections.
Criminal activity in the Eastern Region is led by Michael Cecchetelli, a/k/a “King Merlin, 40, of Springfield, who holds the title of Supreme East Coast Regional Overseer. Cecchetelli is alleged to be the conduit between each of the Eastern Region states and the Latin Kings national leadership in Chicago. He developed a leadership approach to the gang which has become a model for other Latin Kings regions of the country.
The Latin Kings adhere to a national manifesto, employ an internal judiciary, and use a sophisticated system of communication to maintain the hierarchy of the criminal organization. As alleged in court documents, the gang uses drug distribution to generate revenue, and is motivated by a desire to further its influence and to protect its turf from rival gangs. This has fostered a culture of institutional violence and secrecy.
During the four-year investigation, law enforcement developed evidence that the Latin Kings trafficked drugs, conspired to murder more than 10 victims, and committed violent crimes including numerous incidents of robbery, shootings, stabbings and witness intimidation.
The RICO conspiracy charge provides a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Depending on the drug quantity, the drug trafficking conspiracy and distribution charges provide for a sentence of up to 20 years, 40 years, or life, a minimum of three, four or five years of supervised release and fines of $1 million, $5 million and $10 million. The charge of felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition provides a sentence of up to 10 years, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; and Commissioner Carol Mici of the Massachusetts Department of Correction made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was also provided by the FBI North Shore Gang Task Force, Bristol County and Suffolk County District Attorney’s Offices.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily Cannon and Philip Mallard of Lelling’s Organized Crime and Gang Unit are prosecuting the cases.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
###
Addendum
The following defendants have been charged:
Number Defendant Role1
Michael Cecchetelli, King Merlin
East Coast Team,
East Coast Overseer
2
Esther Ortiz, Queen India
Meriden, CT
East Coast Team,
East Coast Crown Council Chairwoman
3
Hector Manuel Vega, King Demon
Britian, CT
East Coast Team,
Crown Council Member, CT
4
Jorge Rodriguez, King G
State Team, Cacique
Enforcer (Former)
5
Michael Marrero, King Clumsy
State Team, Enforcer
Regional Officer (Former)
6
Francisco Lopez, King Cisco
Chelsea, Mass.
State Team, Treasurer/Secretary
7
Gregory Peguero-Colon, King Trece
Springfield, Mass.
State Team,
Crown Council Chairman
8
Juan Liberato, King Prodigy
Haverhill, Mass.
State Team, Inca (Former)
9
Angel Roldan, King Big-A and Nelty
Lowell, Mass.
State Team, Cacique (Former)
Enforcer (Former)
10
Frutuoso Barros, King Fruity
DOC, Supreme Regional Officer
11
Sandra Correa, Queen Dream
Peabody, Mass.
DOC, Secretary (Former)
12
Shaun Harrison Rev
DOC, Member
13
Vincent Dzierwinski, King Vice
DOC, Member
14
Wilson Peguero, King Dubb
Dorchester, Mass.
D5K, Inca
15
Alexis Peguero, King Lexi/Looney
Dorchester, Mass.
D5K, Cacique
16
Matthew Palacios, King Nene
D5K, Enforcer
17
Steven Familia-Valdez, King Haze
Mattapan, Mass.
D5K, Member
18
Dante Lara, King Nasty
Providence, RI
D5K, Member
19
Robert Lara, King Rizz
Chelsea, Mass.
D5K, Member
20
Angel Abymael Ortiz, King Abby
Randolph, Mass.
D5K, Member
21
Angel Rodriguez, King Ace
Dorchester, Mass.
D5K, Member
Crown Council Chairman for Boston
22
Alexis Velasquez, King Booboo
Dorchester, Mass.
MSB, Inca
23
Angel Calderon, King Bam
MSB,
(Former) State Team Head of Security
24
Oscar Pena, King O-Block
D5K, Member
25
Jose Rodriguez, King Stutter
New Bedford, Mass.
New Bedford, Inca
26
Orlando Santiago-Torres, King Landi
New Bedford, Cacique
27
Robert Avitabile a/k/a Bobby
New Bedford, Associate
28
Taliyah Barboza, Queen Taliyah
New Bedford, Mass.
New Bedford, Member
29
Josue Carrasquillo, King Playboy
Springfield, Mass.
New Bedford, Member
30
Michael Cotto, King Gordo
New Bedford, Mass.
New Bedford, (Former) Regional Officer
31
Juan Figueroa, King Pun
Dorchester, Mass.
New Bedford, Member
32
Issac Felix-Rivera, King Izzy
New Bedford, Member
33
Kevin Guadalupe, King Milly
New Bedford, Mass.
New Bedford, Member
34
Shelton Johnson, King Shells
New Bedford, Mass.
New Bedford, Member
35
Tyson Jorge, King Music
New Bedford, Member
36
Emanuel Lopez-Velez, King Manny
New Bedford, Probationary Member
37
Luis Mendez, King Primo
New Bedford, Member, Incarcerated
38
Raekwan Paris, King D-Bo
New Bedford, Member
39
Jayco Reyes-Smith, King Javy
Former New Bedford Member, now in North Carolina
40
Luis Santiago, King Tiny
New Bedford, Member, Incarcerated
41
Roberto Vargas, King Royalty
New Bedford, Member
42
Jose Vasquez, King Fearless
New Bedford, Member
43
Natanel Velazquez, King Nael
New Bedford, Mass.
New Bedford, Member
44
Israel Rodriguez, King Imperial
Lynn, Mass.
North Shore, Inca
45
Alfred Nieves, King Alfy
Lowell, Mass.
Lowell, Inca
46
Marlon Rivera, King Pluto
Fitchburg, Member
D5K, Founder
47
Ines Lugo, Queen China
New Bedford, Mass.
New Bedford, Secretary
48
Jeremia Medina, King Sweepy
New Bedford, Mass.
New Bedford, Enforcer
49
Bienvenido Nunez, King Apache
Enfield, CT
State Team, Inca
50
Tanairy Ruiz, Queen Tanairy
New Bedford, Mass.
New Bedford, Member
51
Xavier Valentin-Soto, King X
New Bedford, Member
(Former) Cascique, Incarcerated
52
Joel Francisco, King Casper
Rhode Island, Member
53
Eric Thomas, King E
Rhode Island, Inca
54
Alvin Mojica, King Humble
Worcester, Inca
55
Sophia Velasquez
56
Dairon Rivera, King Mafia
Fitchburg, Member
57
Hector Adorno, King Gordo
Springfield, Member
58
Jesus Diaz, King Kiko
N. Shore, Member
59
Henry Caribe, King 40cal
N. Shore, Member
60
Jonathan Cassiano, King Legend
Springfield, Member
61
Antoine Goodson
Associate, gun supplier to gang
62
Derek Southworth
Associate, gun supplier to gang
Omaha Man Sentenced for Role in Drug Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Joe Kelly announced that United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Dale Clayton Gaver III, 31, to a 60-month term of imprisonment today. Gaver, of Omaha, pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine and Marijuana. After completion of his prison term, Gaver will begin a four-year term of supervised release.
In early 2019, investigators determined that Gaver was distributing cocaine, marijuana, and tetrahydrocannabinol (“THC”) cartridges used in vaping devices. During the search of his residence, investigators seized quantities of cocaine and marijuana, as well as $44,202.00 stashed in various places throughout the house. The cash was ordered forfeited to the United States at sentencing.
Gaver was interviewed and admitted to receiving multi-ounce quantities of cocaine on multiple occasions, which he then distributed to customers within the Omaha metropolitan area.
The case was primarily investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Omaha Field Division, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Omaha Police Department.
Old Orchard Beach Woman Sentenced to Prison for Social Security Fraud and Theft of Public MoneyRead the Press Release
Portland, Maine: An Old Orchard Beach woman was sentenced today in federal court in Portland for Social Security fraud and theft of public money, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.
U.S. District Judge George Z. Singal sentenced Kelly L. McCabe, 36, to 12 months and one day imprisonment and three years of supervised release. She was also ordered to pay $101,400 in restitution to the Social Security Administration (SSA). She pleaded guilty on April 25, 2019.
According to court records, McCabe applied for Supplemental Security Income (“SSI”) on behalf of her two daughters, who were found eligible to receive such benefits in 2006 and 2008, respectively. SSI benefits are paid to people with limited income who are blind, disabled, or elderly. Beneficiaries who are unable to care for themselves may seek the appointment of a representative payee who is responsible for spending the beneficiary’s benefits on their day-to-day needs. McCabe was appointed representative payee for her two daughters.
In 2012, McCabe lost custody of her daughters and they were placed into the custody of the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families. After losing custody, McCabe continued to collect her daughters’ SSI benefits until July 2017, by concealing from the SSA her daughters’ absence from her home and her personal use of their benefits. McCabe was also a recipient of SSI benefits and her use of her daughters’ benefits reduced her eligibility to receive SSI benefits, resulting in an additional loss to the benefit program.
SSA’s Office of the Inspector General and the Fraud, Investigation and Recovery Unit of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services investigated the case.
Norwich Man Sentenced to 4 Years in Federal Prison for Distributing Cocaine and CrackRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JOEL HALL, also known as “Slugz,” 30, of Norwich, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford to 48 months of imprisonment, followed by one year of supervised release, for distributing narcotics.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in 2018, the FBI, Norwich Police Department and other law enforcement agencies began investigating a drug trafficking organization that was distributing heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine in southeastern Connecticut. The investigation, which included court-authorized wiretaps and controlled purchases of narcotics, revealed that Hall received cocaine from a co-conspirator and then sold cocaine and crack cocaine to his own customers.
On March 5, 2019, a grand jury returned an indictment charging Hall and 12 other individuals with narcotics trafficking offenses.
Hall has been detained since his arrest on April 28, 2019. On August 14, he pleaded guilty to one count of using a telephone to facilitate a narcotics trafficking offense.
This investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Connecticut State Police and Norwich, Town of Groton and Waterford Police Departments, with the assistance of the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office, Baltimore Police Department and Delaware State Police. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Natasha M. Freismuth.
North Carolina Resident Sentenced to 19.5 Years in Prison for Sex Trafficking a MinorRead the Press Release
MIAMI, FL - Willie Dishon Matthew Obadiah, 32, of Charlotte, North Carolina, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom to 235 months in prison today for sex trafficking a minor.
Ariana Fajardo Orshan, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Miami Field Office, and Juan J. Perez, Director of the Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD) made the announcement.
According to the court record, including the factual proffer in support of the defendant’s guilty plea, in February 2019, Obadiah met the minor victim through Facebook, and communicated with her via Facebook Messenger and text messages. At the time, both Obadiah and the minor victim lived in North Carolina, where he was already prostituting women. Through his communications with the victim, Obadiah learned that she was a minor. In fact, he asked her to send a photograph of her identification card to him. When he saw her age on the photograph, he sent her a message stating that he wished she had a “fake id” instead. Obadiah continued to communicate with the minor victim online, and learned that she was a runaway. While she was on the run, Obadiah agreed to pick up the minor victim. Shortly thereafter, he began prostituting the minor victim at various hotels, initially in North Carolina and then in Miami. Obadiah told the minor victim how much to charge for sex acts, how to deal with customers or “johns,” and what rules to abide by. Obadiah posted advertisements online for the minor victim, to which customers responded. Obadiah drove the minor victim to South Florida after a few days, where he prostituted her at hotels in Miami. The minor victim ran away from Obadiah, who returned to North Carolina, where he continued to prostitute women. He was arrested on April 19, 2019 by the Charlotte-Mecklenberg Police Department.
In rendering the sentence imposed, Judge Bloom considered the significant mental and physical trauma incurred by the minor victim as a result of Obadiah’s crime. A restitution hearing has been scheduled for February 28, 2020.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force investigated this case in partnership with the Federal South Florida Human Trafficking Task Force, which includes the Miami-Dade Police Department’s Human Trafficking Squad, International Rescue Committee, and Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF). FBI Charlotte, Charlotte-Mecklenberg Police Department, Polk County Sheriff’s Office, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina assisted with the case.
U.S. Attorney Fajardo Orshan commended the investigatory efforts of the FBI Miami Child Exploitation Task Force, MDPD, International Rescue Committee, DCF, and all those who assisted in this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Vanessa Singh Johannes prosecuted this case.
To report suspected human trafficking or to obtain resources for victims, please call 1-888-373-7888; text “BeFree” (233733), or live chat at HumanTraffickingHotline.org. The toll-free phone, SMS text lines, and online chat function are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Help is available in English, Spanish, Creole, or in more than 200 additional languages. The National Hotline is not managed by law enforcement, immigration or an investigative agency. Correspondence with the National Hotline is confidential and you may request assistance or report a tip anonymously.
To learn more about the National Resource Hotline visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. To learn more about the U.S. Department of Justice’s efforts to combat human trafficking visit www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
New Orleans Man Pleads to Five Counts of ArsonRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser announced that ARCHIE MORRIS, age 42, of New Orleans, pled to five counts of arson on December 3, 2019, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, 844(i).
According to court documents, MORRIS started five fires at an apartment located at 2260 North Prieur Street, New Orleans, Louisiana. On or about April 2, 2018, at two different times of the day, MORRIS started fires at this apartment. Then, on or about April 7, 2018, MORRIS set fire to this same residence at three different times of the day.
For each count of arson, MORRIS faces a minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum of twenty years, a fine of $250,000, three years of supervised release after imprisonment, and a $100 special assessment, per count. U.S. District Judge Jay C. Zainey set sentencing for March10, 2020.
U. S. Attorney Strasser praised the work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the New Orleans Fire Department, and the New Orleans Police Department in investigating this matter. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Maria M. Carboni.