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Thursday 3 October 2019
Fayetteville Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Fayetteville man was sentenced to federal prison for heroin, fentanyl, and methamphetamine trafficking, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart. Jason Dean Treadway, 36, was sentenced to 200 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, along with quantities of heroin and fentanyl. Upon completing his prison sentence, Treadway will serve an additional term of four years of supervised release.
“200 months. Over 16 years in federal prison,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “Treadway was on supervised release at the time he was selling meth, heroin and fentanyl in house with multiple guns. It will be quite a while before he has another opportunity re-offend while on supervised release.”
Treadway previously admitted that he sold heroin and fentanyl to an informant on January 14, 2019 at his residence on Deepwater Mountain Road. On January 15, 2019, members of the Central West Virginia Drug Task Force executed a search warrant at the residence and seized 446 grams of methamphetamine, 89.95 grams of heroin, 90.82 grams of fentanyl and three handguns. Treadway’s girlfriend, Jessica Lynn Hall, 29, was sentenced to 71 months in prison after pleading guilty to her role in the offense.
The Central West Virginia Drug Task Force conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Joshua Hanks handled the prosecution. United States District Judge Irene C. Berger imposed the sentence.
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False Statement on Firearms Form Lands Cedar Rapids Man in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
A man who falsified ATF forms in order to purchase firearms was sentenced October 2, 2019, to more than a year in federal prison.
Joseph Lamont Thompson, age 24, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a May 2, 2019 guilty plea to one count of making a false declaration during the purchase of a firearm.
In a plea agreement, Thompson admitted that between May 2017 and March 2018, he was an unlawful user of heroin. Thompson also admitted that, between November 2016 and May 2018, he purchased at least 11 firearms in Iowa. Law enforcement eventually recovered at least four of those guns in the possession of people other than Thompson. Thompson admitted that he repeatedly falsified ATF forms while purchasing guns. At sentencing, Thompson admitted that he had sold two of the guns he purchased to a heroin dealer, and that he had purchased one of the guns for another heroin dealer.
Thompson was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Thompson was sentenced to 12 months and one day of imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Thompson was released on the bond previously set and is to surrender to the United States Marshal on October 16, 2019.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dan Chatham.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 19-CR-00009-CJW-MAR.
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Ex-manager of Wibaux oil processing plant that exploded sentenced for Clean Air Act violationRead the Press Release
BILLINGS—The former project manager of an oil processing plant that exploded in Wibaux in 2012, injuring three employees and extensively damaging the facility, was sentenced today to two years of probation and fined $5,000, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Mark Hurst, 44, of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, pleaded guilty on Feb. 27 to Clean Air Act-negligent endangerment.
On Sept. 27, a jury in Billings convicted co-defendant Peter Margiotta, 62, of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, of all three counts related to the plant explosion. The jury found Margiotta guilty of conspiracy, Clean Air Act-general duty and Clean Air Act-knowing endangerment. Margiotta was president and director of Custom Carbon Processing, Inc., a Wyoming company that constructed the Michels Disposal Well and Oil Processing facility in Wibaux in 2012. Hurst testified against Margiotta at trial.
“As project manager, the defendant was aware of the danger to the employees and the public at the facility, notified management, and yet the plant continued to operate. Today’s sentence holds the defendant accountable for his actions. Compliance with environmental regulations is required and violators will be prosecuted,” U.S. Attorney Alme said. “I want to thank Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Dake, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric E. Nelson, the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General for their work in prosecuting and investigating this case.”
“We believe today’s sentencing sends a strong message to those responsible for properly handling hazardous material,” said Jeffrey Dubsick, Regional Special Agent in Charge for the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General. “Working with our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners, we will continue our vigorous efforts to protect against those who would risk the safety of the public and the environment for personal gain.”
“By knowingly operating an oil processing facility without appropriate safeguards, the defendant endangered workers and the public,” said Jeff Martinez, Special Agent in Charge of the Environmental Protection Agency’s criminal enforcement program. “Today’s sentencing reflects the egregious nature of the defendant’s actions.”
At Margiotta’s trial, the prosecution presented evidence that Custom Carbon constructed the plant in ways that allowed hydrocarbon vapors, extremely hazardous substances and hazardous air pollutants to be released into the air. The plant opened on July 4, 2012 before appropriate electrical wiring, ventilation and other safety measures were installed.
The prosecution in court documents presented evidence that Hurst, who was the project manager, was aware of the ventilation and electrical problems. In a July 4, 2012 email from Hurst to Margiotta, Hurst noted the risks posed at the plant because of its design and construction. Referring to the electrical panels, Hurst wrote, “We also run the risk of killing someone, not only our operators but also customers.”
In a November 2012 email Hurst sent to Custom Carbon management, he again noted “outstanding deficiencies” at the Wibaux plant, including issues with venting, and wrote, “I wanted all things venting into the building to be vented out the building.” Hurst continued to work at the plant as its project manager and the plant remained open.
On Dec. 29, 2012, the plant accepted a delivery of highly volatile and flammable natural gas condensate or “drip gas.” During the offloading of the material at the plant, hazardous and flammable vapors from the natural gas condensate filled the plant building and spread out the open bay doors where the truck delivering the condensate was located. The vapors reached an ignition source, causing an explosion that injured three employees and extensive damage to the plant, the truck and trailer involved in the delivery.
AUSA Bryan Dake and SAUSA Eric Nelson prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General.
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East Idaho Meth Dealer Sentenced to 210 Months in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
POCATELLO - Steven Tobin, 47, of Blackfoot, Idaho, was sentenced this week in U.S. District Court to 210 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced. Tobin was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye. Tobin pled guilty to the federal drug offense on November 8, 2018.
According to court records, between May 2016 and August 2017, Tobin conspired to distribute methamphetamine in Idaho. Tobin was the leader and organizer of a drug distribution conspiracy. Tobin imported methamphetamine into Idaho and directed other dealers to distribute it. Between May 2016 and August 2017, Tobin distributed over two hundred pounds of methamphetamine. These activities culminated in a search of Tobin’s residence on June 12, 2017, where officers found 6.7 pounds of methamphetamine, $30,632, and 49 firearms.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Idaho State Police.
The indictment is the result of a joint investigation by the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies. 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. Program participants include the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations; Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation; and the U.S. Marshals Service.
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Drug Trafficker Sentenced to Federal Prison for Distributing HeroinRead the Press Release
Spokane – William D. Hyslop, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Jose Manuel R. Andrade, age 43, of Parker, Washington, was sentenced today after having pleaded guilty on June 13, 2019, to distributing heroin. Chief United States District Judge Thomas O. Rice, sentenced Andrade to a 24-month term of imprisonment, to be followed by a 2-year term of court supervision after he is released from federal prison.
According to information disclosed during court proceedings, in December 2012, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) agents observed Andrade distributing 133 grams of heroin to another individual in the parking lot of a truck stop off I-90 near Medical Lake, Washington. Andrade was subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Washington, and an arrest warrant was issued. On March 25, 2019, Andrade was arrested in California by U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection officers at the San Ysidro Port of Entry when he sought admission to the United States from Tijuana, Mexico.
United States Attorney Hyslop said, “The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington is committed to prosecuting aggressively and seeking just punishment for individuals who distribute drugs in our communities. I commend the DEA, U.S. Marshals Service and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection officers, for their commitment to this successful prosecution.”
This case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. This case was prosecuted by George J.C. Jacobs, III, an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.
Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 84 Months in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Spokane – William D. Hyslop, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Daniel Alfredo Coreas, Jr., age 28, of Soap Lake, Washington, was sentenced today after having pleaded guilty on July 2, 2019, to possession with the intent to distribute 5 grams or more of methamphetamine. Chief United States District Judge Thomas O. Rice sentenced Coreas to an 84-month term of imprisonment, to be followed by a 4-year term of court supervision after he is released from federal prison.
According to information disclosed during court proceedings, on June 12, 2018, while executing a warrant to search Coreas’s residence, the Grant County Interagency Narcotic Enforcement Team (INET) seized over 18 grams of methamphetamine and multiple rounds of ammunition.
United States Attorney Hyslop said, “This prosecution was made possible by the diligent work of agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”) and the Grant County INET. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington is committed to prosecuting aggressively and seeking appropriate punishment for drug traffickers.”
This case was prosecuted under the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program. PSN is a federal, state, and local law enforcement collaboration to identify, investigate, and prosecute individuals responsible for violent crimes in our neighborhoods. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is partnering with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement to specifically identify the criminals responsible for violent crime in the Eastern District of Washington and pursue criminal prosecution.
This case was investigated by the Spokane Resident Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Grant County Interagency Narcotics Enforcement Team. This case was prosecuted by Patrick J. Cashman, an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.
Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Possessing with Intent to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Spokane – William D. Hyslop, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Jose Manual Mendoza, age 30, of Pasco, Washington, was sentenced after having pleaded guilty on July 18, 2019, to possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. United States District Judge Salvador Mendoza, Jr., sentenced Jose Manual Mendoza to a 10-year term of imprisonment, to be followed by a 5-year term of court supervision after he is released from federal prison.
According to information disclosed during court proceedings, the METRO Drug Task Force and Benton County Sheriff’s Office identified Jose Manual Mendoza as he was leaving a residence in a pickup truck. At the time, Mendoza was under the supervision of the Washington State Department of Corrections (“DOC”) and there were felony warrants for his arrest. When officers initiated a traffic stop on the truck, Mendoza tried to conceal his identity by providing the officers with a false identification document and an alias name. After confirming his true identity, the officers arrested Mendoza and applied for a warrant to search his truck. While searching Mendoza’s truck, officers found a half pound of methamphetamine, two loaded 9mm firearms and a digital scale.
United States Attorney Hyslop said, “The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington commends the law enforcement officers with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, METRO Drug Task Force and Benton County Sheriff’s Office who investigated this case. Their seamless partnership resulted in the successful outcome of this matter. The sentence imposed by the court removes a drug trafficker from our streets and sends a clear message to others who may choose to engage in such criminal activity.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Tri-cities Task Force, the METRO Drug Task Force, the Benton County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. This case was prosecuted by Stephanie Van Marter, an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.
Dominican National Sentenced for Identity TheftRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Dominican national previously residing in Lawrence was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for Social Security fraud and aggravated identity theft.
Yonelin Manuel Baez Soto, 24, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge George A. O’Toole Jr. to two years and one day in prison and two years of supervised release. In June 2019, Baez Soto pleaded guilty to three counts of false representation of Social Security numbers and three counts of aggravated identity theft. Baez Soto will be subject to deportation proceedings upon completion of his sentence.
On Oct. 15, 2014, Oct. 17, 2014, and Aug. 4, 2015, Baez Soto applied for a Massachusetts learner’s permit and/or a Massachusetts identification card using the name, date of birth and Social Security number of a Puerto Rican born United States Citizen. In September 2018, law enforcement agents encountered Baez Soto when he was serving a sentence at Essex County Correctional Facility for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl in the Puerto Rican man’s identity. Baez Soto was identified from, among other things, a fingerprint match with a Dominican Republic identification document issued to him and bearing his photo.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Jason Molina, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; and Scott Antolik, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey E. Weinstein of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
Dominican National Convicted of Identity Theft OffensesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Dominical national who has been arrested numerous times under a false identity for heroin offenses pleaded guilty today to identity theft charges.
Marlon Suazo Santos, 31, a Dominican national who resided in Dorchester, pleaded guilty to two counts of false representation of a Social Security number and one count of aggravated identity theft. U.S. Senior District Court Judge Mark L. Wolf scheduled sentencing for Jan. 14, 2020.
Suazo Santos used the identity of a U.S. citizen on more than a dozen applications submitted to the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles for driver’s licenses and other identification documents. Suazo Santos also used this identity on applications for MassHealth benefits and during booking when arrested for numerous heroin-related offenses and other crimes.
The charge of false representation of a Social Security number provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of aggravated identity theft provides for a mandatory sentence of two years in prison, to be served consecutive to any other sentence imposed, one year of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Jason Molina, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Abely, Deputy Chief of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit, is prosecuting the case.
Dominican National Charged with Unlawful ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Dominican national was charged today in federal court in Boston with one count of unlawful re-entry of a deported alien.
Reymond Arias Valdez, 25, who resided in Providence, RI, was indicted on one count of unlawfully re-entering the United States after being deported. According to the indictment, Arias Valdez was removed in April 2019 and subsequently re-entered the United States without permission.
Arias Valdez faces a sentence of up to two years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Marcos D. Charles, Acting Field Office Director of U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations, New England Field Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Abely, Deputy Chief of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit, is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Doddridge County woman sentenced for methamphetamine distributionRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Kelly Wright-Meyers, of West Union, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 34 months incarceration for distributing methamphetamine, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Wright-Meyers, age 36, pled guilty to one count of “Distribution of Methamphetamine” in April 2019. Wright-Meyers admitted to selling methamphetamine in December 2017 in Harrison County.Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda E. Wesley prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Greater Harrison Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated. The United States Marshal Service assisted in the arrests.
The investigation was funded in part 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.
U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
Denver Doctor Pleads Guilty to Illegally Prescribing Controlled SubstancesRead the Press Release
DENVER – United States Attorney Jason R. Dunn announced that Dr. Andrew Mark Ho, age 54, of Denver, pled guilty yesterday to illegally dispensing or illegally causing to be dispensed oxycodone, a controlled substance. Ho pled guilty before Chief U.S. District Court Judge Philip B. Brimmer. Judge Brimmer is scheduled to sentence Ho on January 10, 2020. The defendant appeared at the change of plea hearing free on bond. The bond was continued at the conclusion of the hearing.
According to the stipulated facts contained in Ho’s plea agreement, Andrew Mark Ho is a medical doctor licensed to practice in the State of Colorado. Ho was registered with the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) until approximately December 13, 2016, authorizing him to write prescriptions for controlled substances on Schedules II through V. He is an owner of and practices at Harvard Avenue Internal Medicine LLC. Dr. Ho stipulated that between 2014 and 2016, he prescribed controlled substances comprising the so-called “Holy Trinity,” outside the scope of accepted medical practice.
The “Holy Trinity” is a colloquial term to describe the prescription of a combination of drugs comprised of a benzodiazepine, an opioid, and a muscle relaxant, which while highly sought out on the street, is especially dangerous because each of those medications depress the central nervous system and the ability to breathe.
“Overprescribing controlled substances, especially prescribing the “Holy Trinity” of prescription drugs is dangerous, and there is no acceptable medical reason to do so,” said U.S. Attorney Jason Dunn. “In this case, it’s simply flat-out drug dealing and is being treated accordingly.”
“The DEA is committed to identifying the sources of illicit prescribing and will continue to hold providers and distributors accountable for their actions that denigrate this community,” said DEA Denver Division Acting Special Agent in Charge Deanne Reuter. “By Dr. Ho relinquishing his ability to prescribe controlled substances, there will be fewer people in this state being provided highly addictive controlled substances for no legitimate medical reason, which in this case resulted in abuse and illegal distribution.”
This case was investigated by the DEA. The defendant was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Hetal J. Doshi and Bryan D. Fields.
Dennis Port Man Indicted on Child Pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Dennis Port man was indicted today in federal court in Boston on charges of receipt and possession of child pornography.
Sean Gleason, 35, was indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. An arraignment date has not yet been scheduled. On Sept. 10, 2019, Gleason was arrested and charged by criminal complaint and has been in custody since.
Following an investigation into the use of a messaging application in the exchange of child pornography, a federal search warrant was executed at a residence in Dennis Port. A preliminary forensic review of Gleason’s cell phone revealed hundreds of images of child pornography.
The charges of receipt and possession of child pornography each carry a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, and the charge of receipt of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison. Both charges provide for a mandatory minimum of five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Jason A. Molina, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam W. Deitch of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.
The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Convicted felon who threatened residents with a gun sentenced for possessing firearm, ammunitionRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – Dayvon Cook, 25, of Cincinnati, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 64 months in prison for possessing a firearm and ammunition after being convicted of a felony crime.
Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Jonathan McPherson, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot K. Isaac announced the sentence handed down today by U.S. District Judge Michael R. Barrett.
According to court documents, in September 2018, Cincinnati Police received a 911 call regarding a male carrying a gun and threatening to rob people in the parking lot of the Stanley Rowe Tower apartment complex.
Cincinnati Police officers responded to the scene and identified a suspect matching the call, who was later identified as Cook. Cook ran from the officers and threw a semi-automatic pistol under a car. The firearm was loaded with sixteen rounds of ammunition in an extended magazine.
Cook had previously been convicted of a felony crime. He is currently in state custody for a separate firearms crime and will serve his federal sentence after his current 24-month state sentence that was imposed on Feb. 27, 2019.
Cook pleaded guilty in his federal case in April 2019.
This case is being prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. 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.
U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the cooperative investigation by the Cincinnati Police Department and ATF, as well as Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Brucato, who is representing the United States in this case.
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Columbia Man Sentenced in Federal Court for Dumping Hazardous Waste into CreekRead the Press Release
Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon announced today that Michael Greene, age 45, of Columbia, was sentenced to 90 days in federal prison and fined $25,000, after pleading guilty to violating the Clean Water Act. United States District Court Judge J. Michelle Childs presided.
Facts presented to the court showed Greene worked for an environmental company offering hazardous waste disposal services. Greene’s job was to transport the liquid runoff from solid waste at an Eastover landfill to the Florence Wastewater Management Facility. Instead, he illegally dumped the liquid runoff, or ‘leachate,’ into the Leesburg Branch Creek on multiple occasions in mid-2017.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC), and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (DNR) investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Winston David Holliday, Jr., of the Columbia office prosecuted the case.
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Cincinnati Man Sentenced to 130 Months for Trafficking Heroin in Pulaski CountyRead the Press Release
LONDON, Ky. - Stephen Ushery, Jr., of Cincinnati, was sentenced Wednesday to 130 months in federal prison, by United States District Judge Robert E. Wier, for conspiracy to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin.
The conviction followed a two and a half year investigation that established Ushery as a drug supplier, who traveled from his home in Cincinnati to distribute multi-ounce quantities of heroin to several other local drug dealers in the Pulaski County area. In his plea agreement, Ushery admitted that between 2015 and 2018, he was responsible for distributing over one kilogram of heroin into the Eastern District of Kentucky. Ushery’s heroin distribution conspiracy ended in September of 2018, when law enforcement arrested him and raided the apartment he was using as his base of drug distribution in Somerset, finding nearly 50 grams of heroin and over $5,000 in drug proceeds.
Several of Ushery’s co-conspirators have also been sentenced in connection with their heroin trafficking activities, including Chad Puchalski (sentenced to 180 months), Sonie Meatchem, Jr. (sentenced to 70 months), Diana Chiree Sullivan (47 months), Samantha Pointer (39 months), Kimberly Ann Sweeten (33 months), and Tyler Hargis (20 months).
Under federal law, Ushery must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence and will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for five years following his release.
“Combatting the trafficking of dangerous drugs, particularly heroin, is a fundamental priority for our Office,” said United States Attorney Robert M. Duncan, Jr. “The defendant’s transportation and distribution of significant quantities of heroin adversely impacted the lives of many in the Pulaski County area. I commend the work of the federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies involved in helping hold this defendant, and his co-defendants, accountable for their actions.”
Robert M. Duncan, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Dan Dodds, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA; Sheriff Greg Speck, Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office; Chief Tony Duncan, Somerset Police Department; Director Wayne Conn, Lake Cumberland Drug Task Force; Commissioner Richard Sanders, Kentucky State Police; and Chief Brian Carter, Mt. Vernon Police Department, collectively announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by the DEA, the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office, the Somerset Police Department, the Kentucky State Police, the Lake Cumberland Drug Task Force, and the Mount Vernon Police Department. The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew H. Trimble.
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Christopher Hasson Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges of Illegal Possession of Silencers, Possession of Firearms by an Addict to and Unlawful User of A Controlled Substance, and Possession of A Controlled SubstanceRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland –Christopher Paul Hasson, age 50, of Silver Spring, Maryland, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Maryland to four federal charges, including unlawful possession of unregistered silencers, unlawful possession of firearm silencers unidentified by serial number, possession of firearms by an addict to and unlawful user of a controlled substance, and possession of a controlled substance. Hasson was arrested on related charges on February 15, 2019, and has been detained since his arrest.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Jennifer C. Boone of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Art Walker of the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service; and Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division.
“I am grateful for the hard work of the agents and prosecutors to obtain this guilty plea. I look forward to the opportunity for the government to present additional evidence to the Court at sentencing,” said United States Attorney Robert K. Hur.
According to his plea agreement, Hasson was a Lieutenant in the United States Coast Guard. Prior to June 2016, Hasson owned a residence and lived in Currituck, North Carolina. In approximately June 2016, Hasson moved to a residence in Silver Spring, Maryland, and worked at Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Hasson admitted that from at least March 2016 through early February 2019, he used various e-mail accounts, including an overseas encrypted e-mail account, to order Tramadol, which is an opioid, from various illegal Internet-based distributors. Hasson usually paid for the Tramadol by using MoneyGram or Western Union to send money to individuals in Mexico, at the direction of the Mexico-based distributor. The distributor then had the Tramadol shipped to Hasson, typically in 100mg pills, at addresses Hasson provided, including his North Carolina and Maryland residences. Hasson admitted that he then concealed the Tramadol in other packaging at his residence and work. Hasson ordered at least 4,650 Tramadol pills and personally took the pills, usually daily, including while he was at work. Hasson knew that he did not have a lawful prescription for Tramadol and that his possession of the drug was illegal. During the time of his use of Tramadol, Hasson also conducted Internet searches and visited websites that discussed addiction and Tramadol withdrawal.
As detailed in his plea agreement, at the time of Hasson’s arrest on February 15, 2019, agents recovered 196 Tramadol pills from Hasson’s backpack. Search warrants executed the same day recovered 106 Tramadol pills from Hasson’s desk at Coast Guard Headquarters and 122 Tramadol pills from Hasson’s residence. From Hasson’s residence, law enforcement also recovered the following firearms: seven rifles; two shotguns; four pistols; two revolvers; an assembled firearm silencer; and a disassembled firearm silencer. In close proximity to the guns, agents found multiple magazines that could accept more than 15 rounds of ammunition, as well as hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
According to the plea agreement, Hasson ordered the components of the firearm silencers from a company in California and used a drill to complete and assemble one firearm silencer. Hasson knew the firearm silencers were not registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, and that they did not have serial numbers, as required by law.
Hasson faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for each of the three charges related to firearms and the firearm silencers, and a maximum of one year in prison for possession of tramadol. U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel has scheduled sentencing for January 31, 2020, at 9:30 a.m.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI, the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, and the ATF for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked his office’s national security prosecutors, who are handling the case.
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Charleston Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – A Charleston man was sentenced to federal prison for illegally possessing a firearm, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart. Harvery Booker, 54, was sentenced to 78 months in prison, to be followed by a 3 year term of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Booker previously admitted that on September 12, 2018 he broke into a house in St. Albans and stole 32 firearms, including a machine gun. At the time he stole the firearms, Booker had previously been convicted of at least three counts of breaking and entering, one count of aggravated robbery, and one count of escape.
“I believe in second chances but, sadly, this guy never learned from his prior lengthy history in the American justice system,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “He stole 32 firearms, including a machine gun. Incredibly dangerous activity and he was a felon to boot. This is an egregious case.”
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, and the West Virginia State Police conducted the investigation. United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Drew Inman handled the prosecution.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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Carrollton Man Sentenced to 30 Years for Child Sexual Exploitation ViolationsRead the Press Release
PLANO, Texas – A 50-year-old Carrollton, Texas man has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for child exploitation violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Joseph D. Brown today.
Joseph Patrick Mosher pleaded guilty on March 19, 2019, to two-counts of sexual exploitation of children and was sentenced to 360 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Sean D. Jordan on Oct. 2, 2019. Mosher must also pay a fine of $50,000 and an assessment pursuant to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of $10,000, and must forfeit $50,000 from the sale of his home.
According to information presented in court, in September of 2018, a teenager known to Mosher reported to school officials that he believed he had been secretly filmed in a bathroom of Mosher’s home. Carrollton Police Department detectives executed a search warrant at the home and seized a number of hidden cameras and electronic devices. A forensic review of those devices revealed a number of videos of males captured in private spaces within the home. It appeared that the males did not know they were being recorded or that Mosher had obtained footage of them engaged in private or personal activities. A total of five victims were identified in recordings from Mosher’s home. Mosher’s sentence also included a conviction for communicating with a minor online, persuading the minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct, and then filming the child – again without the child’s knowledge.
“This case is another warning to parents to be aware of who their children are communicating with, and to be careful about who they allow to be around their children,” said United States Attorney Joe Brown. “There are threats from so many different directions these days, and the internet makes it so much easier for offenders. We have to get the message to our kids to be aware of these threats.”
“This predator of children volunteered for a position of trust as a host parent for international foreign exchange students so that he could sexually exploit these children,” said Ryan L. Spradlin, special agent in charge of HSI Dallas. “For grossly abusing that trust, he has earned the 30-year prison sentence imposed upon him after victimizing at least five of these students.”
“On behalf of the Carrollton Police Department, I thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District for partnering with us to protect children from predators like Joseph Patrick Mosher,” said Carrollton Police Chief Derick Miller. “May this sentence bring peace to his victims and may it encourage others as yet unheard to speak out.”
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States 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.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Carrollton Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Marisa J. Miller.
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Cameron Collins and Stephen Zarsky Plead Guilty to Insider Trading Scheme Involving Former Congressman Christopher CollinsRead the Press Release
Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that CAMERON COLLINS, the son of former United States Congressman Christopher Collins, and STEPHEN ZARSKY, the father of CAMERON COLLINS’s fiancée, pled guilty to participating in a scheme to commit insider trading in the stock of Innate Immunotherapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company for which Christopher Collins served on the board of directors.
U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “Insider trading corrupts the integrity of our markets. The strength of our financial system depends on investors knowing that everyone is playing by the rules. Today’s guilty pleas reaffirm the commitment of this Office and our law enforcement partners to protecting and defending those values.”
The following facts are based on the allegations contained in the Superseding Indictment and statements made in related court filings and proceedings:
The Insider Trading Scheme
The Scheme
In or about June 2017, Christopher Collins, who, in addition to serving on Innate’s board of directors, was also one of Innate’s largest shareholders, participated in a scheme to commit insider trading. Specifically, on or about June 22, 2017, Christopher Collins learned that MIS416 – a multiple sclerosis drug that Innate was developing – had failed a critical drug trial that was meant to determine the drug’s clinical efficacy (the “Drug Trial”). The negative Drug Trial results were highly confidential, and, as an insider who owed duties of trust and confidence to Innate, Christopher Collins was obligated to keep the Drug Trial results secret until Innate publicly released them. Instead, in breach of those duties, Christopher Collins tipped his son, CAMERON COLLINS, who was also a substantial Innate shareholder, so that CAMERON COLLINS could make timely trades and tip others before Innate publicly released the Drug Trial results. CAMERON COLLINS traded on the inside information and passed it to the father of his fiancée, STEPHEN ZARSKY, as well as to three individuals not named in the Superseding Indictment (“Individual-1,” “Individual-2,” and “Individual-6”), so that they could utilize the information for the same purpose. ZARSKY, in turn, traded on the information and used it to tip three more individuals not named in the Superseding Indictment (“Individual-3,” “Individual-4,” and “Individual-5,”) so that they too could engage in timely trades in Innate stock. All of the trades preceded the public release of the negative Drug Trial results.
In total, these trades allowed CAMERON COLLINS and ZARSKY, and Individual-1 through Individual-6, to avoid over $768,000 in losses that they would have otherwise incurred if they had sold their stock in Innate after the Drug Trial results became public.
The Drug Trial Results
In or about October 2014, Innate initiated a Phase 2B clinical trial of its primary drug, MIS416. Successful completion of the Drug Trial was a necessary prerequisite to the commercialization of MIS416. Because Innate had no other significant products in development, its stock price was tied to the success of MIS416.
The Drug Trial was widely expected to be completed around the summer of 2017. For example, on or about June 9, 2017, Innate’s chief executive officer (“CEO”) sent various individuals, including Christopher Collins, an email stating that “the delivery date for [the] review and ‘verdict’” of the Drug Trial “will [] occur at COB on US Thursday June 22nd.” As the summer progressed, individuals within Innate remained optimistic that MIS416’s Drug Trial results would be positive. The initial Drug Trial results were made available by trial administrators to Innate’s CEO on June 22, 2017. These results established that MIS416 lacked therapeutic value in the treatment of multiple sclerosis. The results were not publicly released at that time. Instead, they were released publicly on June 26, 2017, after the U.S. markets had closed (the “Public Announcement”). Innate’s stock price subsequently crashed, dropping 92% on the first trading day following the Public Announcement.
Dissemination of the Drug Trial Results
On or about June 22, 2017, at approximately 6:55 p.m., Innate’s CEO sent an email describing the Drug Trial results to the company’s Board of Directors, including Christopher Collins. The email explained to Innate’s Board of Directors for the first time that the Drug Trial had been a failure. The email began, in part, “I have bad news to report,” and continued to explain that “the top line analysis of the ‘intent to treat’ patient population (ie every subject who was successfully enrolled in the study) would pretty clearly indicate[s] ‘clinical failure.’” The email continued, “Top-line 12-month data . . . show no clinically meaningful or statistically significant differences in [outcomes] between MIS416 and placebo,” and concluded by stating, “No doubt we will want to consider this extremely bad news. . . .”
At the time Christopher Collins received this email, he was attending the Congressional Picnic at the White House. At 7:10 p.m., Christopher Collins replied to the email, stating, in part, “Wow. Makes no sense. How are these results even possible???” After responding to the Innate CEO’s email, Christopher Collins called his son, CAMERON COLLINS. They traded six missed calls between 7:11 p.m. and 7:15 p.m.. At 7:16 p.m., Christopher Collins and CAMERON COLLINS spoke for more than six minutes. During that six-minute phone call, Christopher Collins told CAMERON COLLINS, in sum and substance, that MIS416 had failed the Drug Trial.
Trading and Tipping by CAMERON COLLINS and ZARSKY
CAMERON COLLINS began placing orders to sell his Innate shares the morning after he received inside information from Christopher Collins. Between the morning of Friday, June 23, 2017 and the close of the market on Monday, June 26, 2017, CAMERON COLLINS sold approximately 1,391,500 shares of Innate stock. These sales allowed CAMERON COLLINS to avoid approximately $570,900 in losses.
Furthermore, after learning the Drug Trial results from Christopher Collins, on or about the night of June 22, 2017, CAMERON COLLINS provided the Drug Trial results to at least the following three sets of individuals so that they could trade in advance of the Public Announcement: (1) his fiancée, Individual-1; (2) ZARSKY and ZARSKY’s wife, Individual-2; and (3) CAMERON COLLINS’s friend, Individual-6. Collectively, these individuals avoided approximately $186,620 in losses as a result of their trading on inside information.
On or about the morning of June 23, 2017, ZARSKY provided the negative Drug Trial results that he had learned from CAMERON COLLINS and Individual-1 to at least the following individuals, among others, or otherwise caused them to trade or attempt to trade in advance of the Public Announcement: (1) his brother, Individual-3; (2) his sister, Individual-4; and (3) his longstanding friend, Individual-5. Collectively, these individuals avoided approximately $10,900 in losses as a result of their trading on inside information.
* * *
CAMERON COLLINS, 26, and STEPHEN ZARSKY, 67, each pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the Judge.
Mr. Berman praised the outstanding work of the FBI and thanked the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for its assistance.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Scott Hartman, Max Nicholas, and Damian Williams are in charge of the prosecution.
Camden Men Indicted for Pine Bluff Robbery and MurderRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK— Two Camden men have been charged with robbing a gas station and attempting to rob a pawn shop and killing the shop’s owner. A federal grand jury has charged Daryl Strickland, Jr., 22, and Rodney Tyrone Henry, 22, following the November 2018 robbery of the Alon Gas Station and the attempted robbery of the Wise Buck Pawn Shop, both in Pine Bluff. The indictment alleges that Strickland and Henry caused the death of Brandon McHan, who owned the pawn shop.
According to the indictment, which was returned by a federal grand jury Thursday, Strickland and Henry conspired on November 12, 2018, to rob the Wise Buck Pawn Shop, which was a federally licensed firearms dealer. The indictment charges them with the attempted robbery of the pawn shop and with causing the death of McHan, a pawn shop employee, while carrying a firearm during the attempted robbery. The indictment also charges them with conspiring to rob the Alon Gas Station, robbing the gas station, and using a firearm during the robbery.
The penalty for conspiring to, attempting to, or interfering with commerce by robbery is not more than 20 years imprisonment, followed by a term of supervised release of not more than three years. The penalty for brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence is not less than seven years and not more than life imprisonment, and that term runs consecutively to any other term imposed. The penalty for murder while discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence is any term of years, up to life imprisonment, or death. Each crime charged carries a fine of up to $250,000.
Cody Hiland, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, and William McCrary, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives– New Orleans Field Division, announced the indictment. The investigation was conducted by the ATF, the Pine Bluff Police Department, the Camden Police Department, and Arkansas Community Corrections. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Benecia Moore and Kristin Bryant.
An indictment only contains allegations. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
# # #
This news release, as well as additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
Twitter:
@EDARNEWS
California Man Charged with Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Montclair, California, man was charged in federal court today for transporting more than four pounds of heroin and approximately five pounds of fentanyl aboard a bus enroute to New York City.
Daniel O. Villanueva, 20, was charged in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Missouri, with possessing heroin and fentanyl with the intent to distribute. Villanueva remains in federal custody pending a detention hearing, which has not yet been scheduled.
According to an affidavit filed in support of today’s federal criminal complaint, detectives with the MoWIN (Missouri Western Interdiction and Narcotics) Task Force contacted Villanueva at a local bus station when he disembarked from a bus originating from Los Angeles, California, en route to New York City. Villanueva was acting nervous, the affidavit says, and gave detectives permission to search his backpack in the overhead bin in the passenger compartment of the bus. No contraband was found in the backpack.
Near Villanueva’s backpack was a green backpack, which Villanueva claimed did not belong to him. Detectives removed the green backpack and a police service canine alerted to the presence of controlled substances inside the backpack. When passengers boarded the bus, detectives asked whether the backpack belonged to any of them. No one claimed the backpack, so detectives removed it from the bus and searched it. They found four bundles concealed within men’s clothing. Two bundles contained a total 2.022 kilograms (approximately 4.4 pounds) of heroin and 2.27 kilograms (approximately five pounds) of fentanyl.
Villanueva, who had been escorted off the bus, told detectives the green backpack was his, the affidavit says. Villanueva told detectives he was to be paid $5,000 to deliver the heroin and fentanyl to New York City.
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 Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashleigh Ragner and Jeffrey Q. McCarther. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.
Boston Man Charged with Being Felon in Possession of FirearmRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Boston man was indicted today in federal court in Boston for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Elvis R. Abinader, 20, was indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Abinader was initially charged by criminal complaint and has been in custody since Sept. 10, 2019.
The indictment alleges that Abinader possessed a Ruger .380 caliber pistol with an obliterated serial number and three rounds of ammunition on June 24, 2019, at the Mt. Pleasant Play Area, a playground in Boston. Federal law prohibits Abinader from possessing a firearm or ammunition due to a prior felony conviction for a narcotics distribution offense.
The charging statute provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Kelly Brady, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins; and Boston Police Commissioner William G. Gross made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney James R. Drabick of Lelling’s Criminal Division is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Bordentown Man Charged with Conspiracies go Commit Wire Fraud and Launder Money for Defrauding Internet DonorsRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. - A Burlington County, New Jersey, man has been charged in connection with his role in a GoFundMe scheme that collected money from donors on the Internet, purportedly to benefit a homeless man, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced today.
Mark D’Amico, 40, formerly of Bordentown, New Jersey, is charged by criminal complaint with one count each of conspiring to commit wire fraud and conspiring to commit money laundering. He is expected to appear later this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen M. Williams in Camden federal court.
On March 6, 2019, two conspirators – Katelyn McClure and Johnny Bobbitt Jr. – pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering, respectively, in connection with the same scheme.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
In November of 2017, D’Amico and McClure created a crowd source funding page on GoFundMe’s website entitled “Paying It Forward.” The campaign solicited donations from the public purportedly for the benefit of homeless veteran Bobbitt. On the website, D’Amico and McClure posted a story that McClure was driving home from Philadelphia on Interstate 95 and ran out of gas. Bobbitt acted as a Good Samaritan and rescued McClure by using his last $20 to buy gasoline for her. The website stated that funds were being solicited, with a goal of $10,000, to get Bobbitt off the streets and provide living expenses for him.
The story told by D’Amico and McClure was not true. McClure never ran out of gas and Bobbitt never spent his last $20 for her. D’Amico and McClure conspired to create the false story to obtain money from donors based on false information. The false story was quickly picked up by local and national news outlets and went viral. Approximately $400,000 from more than 14,000 donors throughout the country was raised in less than one month.
The donated funds were transferred by D’Amico and McClure from GoFundMe into accounts that they controlled. The majority of the money was quickly spent by D’Amico and McClure on personal expenses over the next three months, including significant amounts on D’Amico’s gambling addiction, vacations, a BMW automobile, clothing, handbags and other personal items and expenses.
In mid-November of 2017, when the donations had reached approximately $1,700, D’Amico and McClure told Bobbitt about the campaign and the false story. In December of 2017, after D’Amico helped open a bank account for Bobbitt, D’Amico and McClure deposited $25,000 of proceeds of the scheme into Bobbitt’s account.
The charge of wire fraud conspiracy carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge John R. Tafur, and special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s charges. He also thanked the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Scott Coffina; and officers of the Florence Township, New Jersey, Police Department for their work on the case.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jason M. Richardson and Jeffrey B. Bender of the U.S. Attorney's Office Criminal Division in Camden.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Billings woman sentenced to prison for meth traffickingRead the Press Release
BILLINGS—A Billings woman who admitted trafficking methamphetamine after law enforcement found meth, drug making materials and $10,000 in silver coins in a residence she shared with her father was sentenced today to five years in prison and five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Brittany Nicole Green, 40, pleaded guilty in March to possession with intent to distribute meth.
Green’s father, Gregory Paul Green, 64, was sentenced in August to three years in prison. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute meth and possession with intent to distribute.
U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided at both sentencings.
Prosecutors said in court records that law enforcement became aware of Gregory Green in December 2018 after a package that was addressed to Green was intercepted in Port Huron, MI. The package was labeled “Organic Fitness Vitamin” and opened by law enforcement. The package contained 1,471 Xanax pills. Investigators determined that 112 packages from various locations, including Canada, had been shipped to Green’s residence since December 2017.
Law enforcement executed a search warrant on Green’s house after the package was accepted by a person at the residence. Officers found meth, drugs and drug paraphernalia. In Green’s room was a computer displaying the “dark web” and a screen showing where the Greens were selling Xanax across the country. Agents also found meth totaling about 229 grams, or 8 ounces, along with packages and extensive packaging material, including hundreds of feet of glass tubing, glass beakers, a 100 pound butane tank and recipes for combining drugs. In addition, agents seized about $10,000 in silver coins.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Colin Rubich and Bryan Dake prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force, the FBI and the Billings Police Department.
The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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Berkeley County man sentenced for illegal firearms saleRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – William Loren Hoffman, III, of Falling Waters, West Virginia, was sentenced to six months incarceration for a firearms sales violation, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Hoffman, age 52, pled guilty to one count of “Making a False Entry in records by Federal Firearms Dealer” in August 2019. Hoffman sold a .45 ACP caliber Hi-Point rifle and knowingly failed to make an appropriate entry of the sale in his records. The crime took place in October 2018 in Berkeley County.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Attorney General’s Office has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority. In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, the Attorney General announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara K. Omps-Botteicher prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated.
Chief U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.
Berkeley County man admits to firearms chargeRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – William Ronald Monroe, of Martinsburg, West Virginia, has admitted to a firearms charge, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Monroe, age 39, pled guilty to one count of “Unlawful Possession of Firearm.” Monroe, having been previously convicted of a felony, admitted to having a 9mm pistol and a .380 caliber pistol in August 2017 in Berkeley County.
Monroe faces up to 10 years incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). Project Safe Neighborhoods 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.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney C. Lydia Lehman, also with the Berkeley County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Martinsburg Police Department investigated.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided.
Attorney General William P. Barr Announces Progress in Making our Communities Safer through Project Safe NeighborhoodsRead the Press Release
Two years ago, the Department of Justice announced the revitalization and enhancement of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the department’s violent crime reduction strategy. 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.
Throughout the past two years, the department’s United States Attorneys have partnered with all levels of law enforcement, local organizations, and members of the community to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.
According to FBI’s 2018 Crime in the United States Report released this week, for the second consecutive year, the estimated number of violent crimes in the nation decreased 3.3 percent from the 2017 number. The violent crime rate fell 3.9 percent when compared with the 2017 rate. The 2018 statistics show the estimated rate of violent crime was 368.9 offenses per 100,000 inhabitants.
“The revitalized Project Safe Neighborhoods program is a major success,” said Attorney General William P. Barr. “It packs a powerful punch by combining advanced data with local leadership, further reducing violence in communities across the country and improving overall public safety. U.S. Attorneys continue to focus their enforcement efforts against the most violent criminals and work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal police. The Justice Department’s relationships across the board have never been stronger.”
Attorney General Barr Signs Letter to Facebook from US, UK, and Australian Leaders Regarding Use of End-To-End EncryptionRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice today published an open letter to Facebook from international law enforcement partners from the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia in response to the company’s publicly announced plans to implement end-to-end-encryption across its messaging services.
The letter is signed by Attorney General William P. Barr, United Kingdom Home Secretary Priti Patel, Australia’s Minister for Home Affairs Peter Dutton, and Acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan.
Addressed to Facebook’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, the letter requests that Facebook not proceed with its end-to-end encryption plan without ensuring there will be no reduction in the safety of Facebook users and others, and without providing law enforcement court-authorized access to the content of communications to protect the public, particularly child users.
Facebook’s proposals would put at risk its own vital work that keeps children safe. In 2018, Facebook made 16.8 million reports of child sexual exploitation and abuse content to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), 12 million of which it is estimated would be lost if the company pursues its plan to implement end-to-end encryption.
The concerns highlighted in this letter to Facebook are at the core of the Department of Justice’s Lawful Access Summit that will take place on Friday, Oct. 4, 2019, on warrant-proof encryption and its impact on child exploitation cases.
The summit will feature a keynote address by Attorney General Barr along with remarks by Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and NCMEC co-founder John Walsh. The summit also includes a dialogue with Australian Minister Dutton and U.K. Home Secretary Patel, who will discuss international perspectives on the area of encryption and why Facebook must reconsider its plan to implement end-to-end encryption.
Use of end-to-end encryption, which allows messages to be decrypted only by end users, leaves service providers unable to produce readable content in response to wiretap orders and search warrants. This barrier allows criminals to avoid apprehension by law enforcement by limiting access to crucial evidence in the form of encrypted digital communications. The use of end-to-end encryption and other highly sophisticated encryption technologies significantly hinders, or entirely prevents serious criminal and national security investigations.
Many service providers, device manufacturers, and application developers who use encryption fail to implement technology that would allow the government to obtain electronic evidence necessary to investigate and prosecute threats to public safety and national security. Law enforcement believes it is crucial for technology companies to include lawful access mechanisms in the design of their products or services. The Department of Justice is committed to developing a coherent national and international policy that encourages responsible encryption, enhances public safety, while protecting privacy and cybersecurity.
Atlantic City Mayor Admits Defrauding Contributors to A Youth Basketball TeamRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – The mayor of Atlantic City today admitted to defrauding contributors to a youth basketball team of more than $87,000, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Frank Gilliam, 49, of Atlantic City, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Joseph H. Rodriguez to an information charging him with one count of wire fraud.
“Mayor Gilliam took advantage of his victims’ desire to assist underprivileged children by falsely representing that the money contributed to the AC Starz Basketball Club would go to pay for school supplies or to support youth basketball,” U.S. Attorney Carpenito said. “Instead, he spent the money on himself. When a public official like Gilliam abuses either a public or a private trust to commit a fraud, this Office and our agency partners will investigate and prosecute that official. The people of New Jersey are entitled to better.”
“When a scheme depletes charity for children, it's unconscionable,” Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie said. “But when the fraud is perpetrated by someone the public trusts, it damages the community's confidence in their public servants. This defendant betrayed the trust of his community and of people who wanted to improve the lives of children. The FBI is committed to uncovering fraud and corruption. If you break the law, no matter who you are, you will face the consequences.”
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Gilliam was the co-founder of AC Starz Basketball Club (AC Starz), a non-profit that he incorporated to operate a youth basketball team. While serving as a member of the Atlantic City Council and later, as mayor of Atlantic City, Gilliam solicited donations for AC Starz from various individuals and entities under the false pretense that the contributions were for a youth basketball team and/or school supplies for underprivileged children. In reality, Gilliam used most of the money for personal expenses – including luxury clothing, expensive meals, and trips – that were completely unrelated to the operation of a youth basketball team. Gilliam defrauded the contributors of $87,215.
The charge to which Gilliam pleaded guilty is punishable by a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a potential fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 7, 2020.
U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI-Newark Atlantic City Resident Agency’s Atlantic City Public Corruption Task Force, which includes the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office, Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office and the Atlantic City Police Department, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Ehrie; and special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge John R. Tafur, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Farrell of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Special Prosecutions Division.
Defense counsel: Harry H. Rimm Esq., New York
Aroostook County Man Pleads Guilty to Child Sexual Exploitation OffensesRead the Press Release
Bangor, Maine: A former Fort Fairfield resident pleaded guilty today in federal court in Bangor to sexually exploiting a child and possessing child pornography, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.
According to court records, Kyle Sirois, 28, produced video files depicting child pornography sometime between March 2015 and October 2017. Sirois also possessed other images and videos of children engaging in sexually explicit conduct, which he had purposefully sought out and received through the internet. These images and videos depicted the sexual exploitation of prepubescent children under the age of 12.
Sirois faces 15–30 years in prison for sexually exploiting a child, and up to 20 years in prison for possessing child pornography. He also faces a $250,000 fine and from five years to a lifetime of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.
The Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Fort Fairfield Police Department investigated the case. The 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. Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Antitrust Division Applauds Recognition of Attorney-Client Privilege by Mexico's Competition AgencyRead the Press Release
On Sept. 30, Mexico’s Federal Economic Competition Commission (COFECE) issued guidelines setting forth the agency’s procedures for treatment of attorney-client communications. Previously there had been no specific recognition of attorney-client privilege in Mexico. Protection of privileged material is an essential element of procedural fairness that is included both in the United States-Mexico-Canada-Agreement’s (USMCA’s) Competition Policy Chapter and in the Framework on Competition Agency Procedures (CAP) that the United States and over 60 other jurisdictions launched in May at the annual multilateral conference of the International Competition Network (ICN) in Cartagena, Colombia. The Antitrust Division applauds COFECE’s guidelines, issued after a public consultation.
“These guidelines will add to the due process rights of all firms operating in Mexico and help to harmonize the antitrust enforcement environment in North America,” said Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “They will also encourage firms to seek legal advice and thus contribute to a more effective compliance regime in Mexico.”
Amite Man Guilty of Providing False Statements to the Transportation Security AdministrationRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Peter G. Strasser announced that GERMIEL AUSTIN, age 35, a resident of Amite, Louisiana, pleaded guilty today to a one-count bill of information charging him with providing a document containing false statements to the Transportation Security Administration (“TSA”).
According to court documents, the Transportation Security Administration (“TSA”) is an agency of the United States government responsible for the issuance of Transportation Worker Identification Credential (“TWIC”) cards. TWIC cards are biometric credentials issued to individuals which allows unescorted access to security-sensitive transportation sectors such as airports, railroads, chemical plants, and maritime ports. TSA ensures that each applicant undergoes a security threat assessment to determine a person’s eligibility. Convictions for certain criminal offenses can either permanently or temporarily disqualify applicants from consideration. Applicants can sometimes be granted a waiver.
On July 25, 2014, AUSTIN composed and faxed a letter in his own name, to the “TSA TWIC Processing Center” explaining the facts surrounding a previous criminal conviction and indicated that he was not a “threat or risk” in an attempt to have a waiver granted. On the same day, AUSTIN faxed a second letter to the “TSA TWIC Processing Center” that falsely claimed to be from his probation officer. The letter falsely indicated that the defendant successfully completed probation and has demonstrated “his intention to maintain a law-abiding lifestyle.” An agent with the United States Coast Guard Investigative Service, later determined that no person having the name used by AUSTIN had ever been employed by his parole office.
AUSTIN faces a maximum term of imprisonment of not more than five (5) years, a fine of $250,000.00, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00. Sentencing has been set for January 9, 2020.
U.S. Attorney Strasser praised the work of United States Department of Homeland Security, Coast Guard Investigative Service agents in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Jon Maestri is in charge of the prosecution.
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Akron man sentenced to six years in prison for launching denial of service attacks that shut down web sites for the city of Akron and the Akron Police DepartmentRead the Press Release
An Akron man was sentenced to six years in prison for launching denial of service attacks that shut down web sites for the city of Akron and the Akron Police Department.
James Robinson, 33, previously pleaded guilty to damaging protected computers. U.S. District Judge Christopher Boyko also ordered Robinson to pay $668,684 in restitution.
According to court documents filed in the case:
Servers hosting web sites belonging to the city of Akron were victims of an active distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack on Aug. 1, 2017. Two website domains appeared to be the target of the attacks: akronohio.gov and akroncops.org.
The DDoS attack ultimately overwhelmed the web sites with network traffic and rendered them unavailable to users.
A tweet that same day from @AkronPhoenix420 took credit for targeting the Akron web sites, including a link to a youtube video and a screenshot showing akronohio.gov was not accessible. The tweet included hashtags #Anonymous and #TangoDown.
The video showed a static image of an individual in a Guy Fawkes mask making statements including “it’s time we teach the law a lesson,” “Akron PD abuses the law” and “this week the city of Akron experienced system failures on multiple domains including their emergency TCP ports.”
The subsequent investigation identified attacks coming from an Internet connection registered to James Robinson and that Robinson’s phone was associated with the Twitter account @AkronPhoenix420.
@AkronPhoenix420 also claimed credit for many other DDoS attacks including many in 2018 that bore similar characteristics to the Akron attacks. Targets of those attacks web site domains and servers hosted by the Ohio Department of Public Safety, the National Institutes of Health, the Defense Information Security Agency, the Department of Defense, the Department of Treasury and others. Multiple DDoS attacks have been claimed by AkronPhoenix420, including many in 2018.
Law enforcement authorities got a search warrant for Robinson’s house on Edison Avenue in Akron in May 2018. Agents located a Guy Fawkes mask and a cell phone with a cracked screen similar to a phone seen in tweets by @AkronPhoenix420. Robinson stated he was responsible for the DDoS attacks against the Department of Defense, city of Akron and others, according to court documents.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Defense Criminal Investigative Services, Akron Police Department, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Treasury investigated the case. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Om Kakani and Daniel J. Riedl.
Activity in the United States Attorney's OfficeRead the Press Release
Chief Federal District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl sentenced JEREMY LEE SESTAK, 38, of Cheyenne, Wyoming on September 30, 2019 for possession of child pornography and distribution of child pornography. Sestak was arrested in Cheyenne, Wyoming. He received one hundred eighty months of imprisonment, to be followed by one hundred twenty months of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $200.00 special assessment and $500.00 to the Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act.
In December 2018, Sestak came to the attention of the Wyoming Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force through the receipt of a Cybertip regarding the sharing of child pornography via Tumblr. Subsequent investigation indicated Sestak took sexually explicit photographs of a four year old. On July 19, 2019, Sestak plead guilty to Possession and Distribution of Child Pornography, both in violation of 18 U.S. Code 2252A, in the District of Wyoming. The Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), along with affiliated law enforcement agencies throughout the state of Wyoming work together as part of the Wyoming ICAC. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy J. Forwood prosecuted this case.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation an abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the 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.
A Man on Federal Supervised Release Sentenced for Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Charleston man was sentenced to federal prison for a gun crime, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart. Herman Lee James, 46, was sentenced to 40 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. James was on federal supervised release at the time of the gun offense. The Court revoked his supervised release and ordered him to serve 18 months in prison to run concurrently with the 40 month term of imprisonment imposed for the gun crime.
James admitted that he was found in possession of a Ruger P95 9 mm pistol near Piedmont and Slack Street in Charleston. James has three prior drug convictions.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Charleston Police Department conducted the investigation. United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Ryan A. Saunders is handling the prosecution.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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9 Indicted for Firearms, Drug and Robbery Offenses in Rocky Mount, NCRead the Press Release
RALEIGH – United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. announces the federal indictments of nine defendants from Rocky Mount, North Carolina on charges that include firearm, drug, and robbery offenses. All defendants are currently in the custody of law enforcement.
A federal grand jury sitting in the Eastern District of North Carolina returned Indictments against the following individuals for the listed offenses:
- Kelvin Jermaine Davis, 43, of Rocky Mount, NC (Felon in possession of a firearm)
- Joshua Lamont Deloach, 31 of Rocky Mount, NC (Felon in possession of a firearm)
- Calvin Grant, 40 of Rocky Mount, NC (Felon in possession of a firearm)
- Brandon Shane Reams, 40 of Rocky Mount, NC (Felon in possession of a firearm; possession of a stolen firearm)
- Cecil Terrance Reams, 40 of Rocky Mount, NC (Felon in possession of a firearm; possession of a stolen firearm)
- Darrell Demetrius Whitehead, 33 of Rocky Mount, NC (Felon in possession of a firearm)
- Terrence Rosario Wilson, 39 of Rocky Mount, NC (Felon in possession of a firearm)
- Aramis Wiggins, 40, of Rocky Mount, NC (Possession with the intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine)
- Emmanuel Marquise Morris, 25 of Rocky Mount, NC (Interference with commerce by robbery and brandishing a firearm during robbery)
United States Attorney Higdon commented, “For the last 18 months the United States Attorney’s Office has been working closely with federal, state and local law enforcement as we ‘Take Back North Carolina’ from drug traffickers and violent criminals all across the Eastern District. In the Rocky Mount area we have had strong support and outstanding cooperation among our law enforcement partners. These arrests are the results of that cooperation and are just the next step in our ongoing effort to reduce the crime rate in and around Rocky Mount. We look forward to presenting the cases against these defendants in federal court in short order.”
“I would like to cite the hard work of all the law enforcement agencies that contributed their efforts in this initiative to make the residents of Rocky Mount feel safe,” said Chief George Robinson of the Rocky Mount Police Department. “The successful round up of these violent offenders is an example of outstanding team work with our partners in the ATF, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Attorney's Office, and the District Attorneys Office, as well as U.S. Probation, Rocky Mount Probation and the NC DPS Special Operations.”
If convicted, Davis, Deloach, Grant, Whitehead and Wilson, would face a maximum of 10 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and a term of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.
If convicted, Brandon Reams and Cecil Reams would face a maximum of 10 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and a term of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.
If convicted, Morris would face a maximum of 10 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and a term of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.
If convicted, Wiggins would face a maximum of 20 years imprisonment, a $1,000,000 fine, and a term of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.
These cases are part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Since 2017, the United States Department of Justice has reinvigorated the PSN program and has targeted violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
That effort has been implemented through the Take Back North Carolina Initiative of The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina. This initiative emphasizes the regional assignment of federal prosecutors to work with law enforcement and District Attorney’s Offices on a sustained basis in those communities to reduce the violent crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement. For more information about this initiative click here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/tbnc.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictments are merely accusations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Rocky Mount Police Department, Wilson County Sheriff’s Office, United States Probation Office and United States Marshals Service conducted the investigations in these matters.
20 Defendants Charged with Crimes, Including Racketeering, Extortion, LoansharkingRead the Press Release
Three indictments were unsealed today in federal court in Brooklyn variously charging 20 defendants with racketeering, extortion, loansharking, stalking, attempted sports bribery and related offenses. Among those charged with racketeering were Joseph Amato, an alleged captain in the Colombo organized crime family of La Cosa Nostra (“the Colombo family”); Daniel Capaldo and Thomas Scorcia, alleged Colombo family members; and Joseph Amato, Jr. and Anthony Silvestro, alleged Colombo family associates. An additional alleged Colombo family member, Vincent Scura, was also indicted. The indictments relate to the defendants’ charged criminal activities in Staten Island and elsewhere since January 2014.
The defendants were arrested this morning, and are scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Vera M. Scanlon.
Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; William F. Sweeney, Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI); and James P. O’Neill, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the charges.
As alleged in the indictments and the government’s detention letters, the investigation began in November 2016 when a GPS tracking device was found concealed on an MTA bus. Amato had earlier obtained the device to surveil his then-girlfriend and boasted about the resources at his disposal to keep her under close surveillance. In one email, Amato stated, “This is my island. Not yours. I have eyes all over[.]” In another email, Amato stated, ‘I’m a MANS MAN!!!” His then-girlfriend discovered the device on her vehicle and removed it, and it was subsequently attached to and recovered from the MTA bus at a depot n Staten Island. Thereafter, the government obtained court-authorization to intercept communications over various cellular telephones used by the defendants.
As detailed in the government’s court filings, Amato and members of his crew used violence and threats of violence to earn illegal proceeds and solidify the crew’s reputation and standing. On one occasion, an individual confronted Amato Jr. for insulting a woman in a bar. Amato Jr. told the individual to back off, and threatened, “Do you know who my father is?” The following day, the individual was lured to a location where Amato, Amato Jr. and other members of Amato’s crew brutally beat the victim, leaving him bloodied and in need of staples in his scalp. On other occasions, court-authorized intercepts captured: (1) Scorcia boasting, “I told the guy sit in the car, and the kid had the tears,” (2) Silvestro advising Scorcia, “[Y]ou send him a smack. If he raises his hand back to you, we beat the bricks off him, that’s it” and (3) following the commission of one of the charged crimes of violence, Amato Jr. described the crime and the victim’s reaction, “[W]e abused him so bad. Yo I had, bro, me and Pap (Silvestro), bro, had him shaking bro. He was in tears, he was crying.”
The court-authorized wiretaps also captured the defendants’ scheme to fix an NCAA college basketball game. To further the scheme, defendant Benjamin Bifalco offered members of a college basketball team thousands of dollars to intentionally lose the game.
Two firearms, two stun guns, a canister of purported tear gas and thousands of dollars in U.S. currency were recovered during court-authorized searches of residences of Amato and Scorcia.
“The mafia is not the criminal threat it once was, but we remain vigilant and will vigorously investigate and prosecute members and associates who engage in violence and extortion to intimidate victims and enrich themselves and their crime family,” stated United States Attorney Donoghue. Mr. Donoghue extended his grateful appreciation to the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New York Drug Enforcement Task Force for its assistance during the investigation.
“One of the stunning things revealed in this investigation, it seems members of the mafia families that were once almost romanticized by Hollywood and pop culture, have resorted to acting like playground bullies. As alleged, they are still up to their old extortion and bribery schemes, and terrorizing their victims, but they are also still getting caught. The FBI New York Joint Organized Crime Task Force wants to send a clear message to members of the families in our communities who continue to operate, we will do all we can to stop a true resurgence from ever happening,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Sweeney.
“The successful outcome of this investigation shows our continued efforts to target and hold responsible organized criminal syndicates,” stated NYPD Commissioner O’Neill. “I thank our investigators and law enforcement counterparts whose cooperation was vital to bringing these individuals to justice.”
The charges in the indictments are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The government’s case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Organized Crime & Gangs Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Elizabeth A. Geddes and Megan E. Farrell are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendants:
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 19-CR-442 (S-1)(ILG)
JOSEPH AMATO
Age: 60
Colts Neck, New JerseyJOSEPH AMATO, JR.
Age: 26
Staten Island, New YorkJOHN CAHILL
Age: 27
Staten Island, New YorkDANIEL CAPALDO (also known as “The Wig” and “Shrek”)
Age: 54
Staten Island, New YorkPRIMO CASSARINO
Age: 31
Staten Island, New YorkCHRISTOPHER COFFARO
Age: 21
Staten Island, New YorkJOHN DUNN
Age: 30
Staten Island, New YorkPHILIP LOMBARDO
Age: 61
Staten Island, New YorkJOSEPH MARRA (also known as “Joe Fish”)
Age: 58
Brooklyn, New YorkALBERT MASTERJOSEPH
Age: 57
Brooklyn, New YorkDOMINICK RICIGLIANO (also known as “The Lion”)
Age: 30
Staten Island, New YorkTHOMAS SCORCIA
Age: 52
Staten Island, New YorkVINCENT SCURA (also known as “Vinny Linen”)
Age: 58
Staten Island, New YorkANTHONY SILVESTRO (also known as “Bugz”)
Age: 28
Staten Island, New YorkKRENAR SUKA
Age: 26
Staten Island, New YorkJOHN TUCCIARONE
Age: 39
Staten Island, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 19-CR-443 (CBA)
ANTHONY BOSCO
Age: 26
Staten Island, New YorkNICHOLAS BOSCO
Age: 30
Staten Island, New YorkJOSEPH BOSCO
Age: 55
Staten Island, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 19-CR-444 (ARR)
BENJAMIN BIFALCO
Age: 25
Staten Island, New York13 indicted for drug distribution operation in Ohio CountyRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Thirteen people from West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania were arrested and charged with multiple drug counts involving the distribution of cocaine base, methamphetamine, heroin, and fentanyl, U.S. Attorney Bill Powell announced.
The men and woman are charged in a 23-count indictment involving a drug conspiracy in Ohio County and elsewhere from September 2018 to June 2019. Those named in the indictment are:
• Duane Green, also known as “Rick,” age 34, of Columbus, Ohio
• Herman Clemons, Jr., age 50, of Wheeling, West Virginia
• Keith Frazier, also known as “KK,” age 43, of Columbus, Ohio
• Charles Cesar Ansley, also known as “Mike,” age 39, of Wheeling, West Virginia
• Benjamin John Woodring, afge 27, of Wheeling, West Virginia
• Brandon Woodring, age 24, of Wheeling, West Virginia
• Albert Lee Brooks, also known as “b,” age 47, of New Castle, Pennsylvania
• Damen Lavel Pollard, also known as “Skills,” age 48, of Wheeling, West Virginia
• Kayla Lallathin, also known as “Cat,” age 28, of Wheeling, West Virginia
• Audie Fry, also known as “Ott,” age 62, of Wheeling, West Virginia
• Mustafa Ali Vaughn, also known as “Moose” and “Fargo,” age 37, of Canal Winchester, Ohio
• Paula Blake, age 43, of Wheeling, West Virginia
• Terri Lea Blankenship, age 54, of Wheeling, West VirginiaThe defendants are accused of selling crack cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl, many times near public housing complex Luau Manor in Wheeling.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Shawn M. Adkins is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Ohio Valley Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.
An indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
13 Charged in White Plains Federal Court with Crack Cocaine DistributionRead the Press Release
Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, William F. Sweeney Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), Donald Halmy, Chief of the Peekskill Police Department, and Thomas Gleason, Commissioner of the Westchester County Police Department, announced today the unsealing of an Indictment and Complaint collectively charging 13 defendants with narcotics distribution offenses in and around Westchester County, New York. The defendants, WENDELL JONES, JESSE DABBS, JASON BOGAN, BYRON MOUNTAIN, SARAH GILLON, DOROTHY MCALLISTER, a/k/a “Dot,” GUSTAVO GONZALEZ, a/k/a “Tavo,” KEVIN HERBIN, WILLIE SIMS, a/k/a “Black,” MAURICE ELLIS, ISAAC MALLORY, a/k/a “Face,” HAKIM ANDERSON, a/k/a “Hak,” and RAHMEL GARRAWAY, a/k/a “Major,” were presented in White Plains federal court this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Lisa Margaret Smith.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “As alleged, these defendants trafficked crack cocaine, an addicting and potentially deadly product that devastates communities throughout the Southern District of New York. Thanks to the FBI, the Peekskill Police Department, and the Westchester County Police Department, the defendants are in custody and facing federal criminal charges.”
FBI Assistant Director William F. Sweeney Jr. said: “Long before the opioid epidemic started in this country, crack cocaine was destroying lives. It persists as a preferred drug for many of these violent groups to sell, which means our FBI Westchester County Safe Streets Task Force is going after those dealers and their pushers. I want to thank the local law enforcement agencies for the work they put into this investigation because their partnerships are vital to getting rid of the violence these criminals bring to these communities.”
Peekskill Police Chief Donald Halmy said: “We have all seen the devastating effects that drugs have played in destroying individuals, families, and even communities. We are committed to using every resource, from the local level to the federal level, to make sure that those responsible for this blight are apprehended and sentenced appropriately. We commend all those involved who put in countless hours to help make Peekskill a better place to live today.”
Westchester County Police Commissioner Thomas Gleason said: “The Westchester County Department of Public Safety remains committed to working with federal and local law enforcement to combat the distribution and sale of illegal narcotics in our county. I am grateful to all of the law enforcement personnel and agencies that played a part in this successful investigation.”
As alleged in the Indictment and Complaint unsealed today in White Plains federal court[1]:
From at least November 2018 until September 2019, WENDELL JONES, JESSE DABBS, JASON BOGAN, BYRON MOUNTAIN, SARAH GILLON, DOROTHY MCALLISTER, GUSTAVO GONZALEZ, and KEVIN HERBIN conspired to distribute 280 grams and more of crack cocaine. In addition, from at least March 2019 until September 2019, WILLIE SIMS, MAURICE ELLIS, ISAAC MALLORY, HAKIM ANDERSON, and RAHMEL GARRAWAY conspired to distribute 28 grams and more of crack cocaine.
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Conspiring to distribute 280 grams and more of crack cocaine carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison. Conspiring to distribute 28 grams and more of crack cocaine carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.
The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI Westchester County Safe Streets Task Force, the Peekskill Police Department, and the Westchester County Police Department. The Westchester County Safe Streets Task Force comprises Special Agents and Task Force Officers from the FBI, US Probation, ATF, New York State Police, Westchester County PD, Westchester County DAs Office, NYPD, Yonkers PD, Mount Vernon PD, Peekskill PD, Greenburgh PD, and New Rochelle PD.
This case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Jim Ligtenberg and Shiva Logarajah are in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Indictment and Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the texts of the Indictment and Complaint and the descriptions of the Indictment and Complaint set forth below constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
10 Defendants Charged in Federal Investigation That Dismantled Texas-to-Chicago Drug PipelineRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — Federal law enforcement seized more than 14 kilograms of cocaine and 15 firearms as part of an investigation that dismantled a Texas-to-Chicago narcotics pipeline and resulted in charges against ten defendants.
During the investigation, dubbed “Operation Grapevine,” authorities shut down a drug stash house in a lakefront condominium in the Kenwood neighborhood of Chicago. In addition to the cocaine and guns, law enforcement seized approximately $215,000 in cash, and gold and diamond jewelry with an estimated value of more than $30,000.
Arrests of the defendants were recently carried out in Illinois and Texas.
The charges were announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Robert J. Bell, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; Timothy Jones, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; Larry L. Lapp, acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the FBI; James M. Gibbons, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations; and Eddie Johnson, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. Substantial assistance was provided by the IRS Criminal Investigation Division, U.S. Marshals Service, Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, and Illinois State Police. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kelly Guzman, Katherine Neff Welsh and Brian Kerwin.
The probe was led by the Chicago High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program (HIDTA), with support from the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The programs partner with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations.
According to a criminal complaint filed in federal court in Chicago, DARRIN PULPHUS, 50, of Tinley Park, is the leader of a drug trafficking organization that obtained and distributed at least 23 kilograms of cocaine in the Chicago area in a three-month period earlier this year. Pulphus obtained the drugs at least twice a month from a Texas-based supplier, CURTIS POPE, 40, of Houston, Texas, the complaint states. Pope allegedly transported the cocaine from Texas in a semi-trailer truck. Another Texas resident, SHAWN TURNER, 37, of Houston, Texas, helped facilitate the shipments, often flying from Houston to Chicago to assist Pulphus, the complaint states.
Once in the Chicago area, Pope delivered the drugs to Pulphus or other members of his crew at a truck yard in south suburban Riverdale, according to the complaint. Pulphus then allegedly worked with various distributors to sell the drugs in the Chicago area. The complaint charges four alleged distributors: DAVID BOWDEN, 51, DESHAWN WALLS, 34, DARRELL WILLIAMS, 45, and LAWRENCE JOHNSON, 38, all of Chicago. Law enforcement seized a handgun and more than 900 grams of cocaine from Johnson after he obtained narcotics from Pulphus in April 2019, the complaint states.
The complaint also charges two alleged wholesale customers of Pulphus’s organization: ROME PERKINS, 60, and EDWARD HUMPHREY, 53, both of Chicago. The tenth defendant, RICHARD HOWARD, 50, of Chicago, allegedly conspired with Pulphus in the distribution of cocaine.
All of the defendants have made initial appearances in federal court. Johnson and Walls remain detained in federal custody, while Pulphus, Pope, Bowden, Williams, Howard, Humphrey, Turner and Perkins were ordered released on bond.
The public is reminded that a complaint contains only accusations and is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, the Court must impose reasonable sentences under federal sentencing statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
Wednesday 2 October 2019
Worcester Man Sentenced for Role in Multi-Kilogram Cocaine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Worcester man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Worcester for his role in a cocaine trafficking ring responsible for smuggling over 20 kilograms of cocaine into central Massachusetts.
Japhet Garcia, 33, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman to three and a half years in prison and two years of supervised release. Garcia previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute in excess of five kilograms of cocaine and possession with the intent to distribute over 500 grams of cocaine.
In December 2017, Garcia was captured on postal facility surveillance footage, with co-conspirator Jose Gonzalez, attempting to retrieve a package sent from Puerto Rico that had been found to contain three kilograms of cocaine. That month, agents also recovered over $70,000 in cash from Garcia’s luggage as he attempted to board a flight to Puerto Rico.
In January 2018, wiretaps and surveillance revealed Garcia’s participation in the attempted smuggling of six kilograms of cocaine from Puerto Rico, using a U.S. Postal employee to retrieve the packages of cocaine. As the scheme unfolded, agents seized one of the packages (found to contain three kilograms of cocaine) and allowed the second to be delivered to the conspiracy members under continuing electronic and physical surveillance. After observing the postal employee deliver the suspect package to a member of the conspiracy, authorities arrested Garcia and the co-conspirators. The second package was seized, and was found to contain another three kilograms of cocaine. Over $40,000 in cash and drug ledgers documenting the sale of well over 20 kilograms of cocaine were also seized during a search of Garcia’s residence and an adjacent apartment.
Garcia is the second of four defendants charged to be sentenced in this investigation. Jose Gonzalez was sentenced on Sept. 25, 2019, to 10 years in prison. Co-defendant Deibby Garcia is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 1, 2019, and co-defendant Erick Cruz is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 8, 2019. Another alleged member of the conspiracy, Caroline Cartagena, faces state charges.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Boston Field Division; Joseph Cronin, Inspector in Charge of the United States Postal Inspection Service; Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Worcester Police Chief Steven M. Sargent; and Leicester Interim Police Chief Kenneth Antanavica made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Grady of Lelling’s Criminal Division is prosecuting the case.
Woman Sentenced to Prison for Committing 2 Bank Robberies in BridgeportRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that JENNIFER KELLNER, 29, of Bridgeport, was sentenced yesterday by Senior U.S. District Judge Alfred V. Covello in Hartford to 18 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for committing two bank robberies in Bridgeport in 2017.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on August 15, 2017, Kellner entered the Chase Bank at 723 Boston Avenue in Bridgeport, handed the teller a brown paper bag and a note demanding money. She told the teller not to do anything “stupid” because “there were a lot of people here and small children.” The teller placed $1,987 in the bag and handed it to Kellner, who then exited the bank.
On August 23, 2017, Kellner also robbed approximately $1,000 from the Chase Bank located at 2125 Main Street in Bridgeport, and threatened to shoot the teller if the teller pushed any buttons in an effort to alert law enforcement.
Kellner was arrested on related state charges on August 27, 2017. On April 8, 2019, she pleaded guilty to one count of bank robbery.
Kellner, who is released on bond and residing in a drug treatment facility, is required to report to prison on January 6, 2020.
This investigation is being conducted by the Bridgeport Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rahul Kale.
West Bank Resident Sentenced for Violating the Federal Controlled Substances ActRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – DAVID TRAN, age 32, of New Orleans, Louisiana, was sentenced today by the Honorable Jane Triche Milazzo for violations of the Federal Controlled Substances Act, announced U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser.
According to the court records, TRAN had previously pleaded guilty to conspiring with other individuals to manufacture, possess with the intent to distribute 1,000 or more marijuana plants, 400 grams or more of fentanyl, 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, and 100 grams or more of heroin. TRAN also admitted that he possessed large quantities of fentanyl and methamphetamine with the intent to distribute them and that he was manufacturing large quantities of marijuana.
The case resulted from a lengthy Title III wire intercept investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration in which TRAN and his co-conspirators were captured discussing heroin sales, as well as the construction of a large indoor marijuana grow in Bridge City. The calls led the DEA agents to search a warehouse and adjacent residence in Bridge City. During the search, the agents found a large marijuana grow that contained approximately 700 plants in varying stages of growth and equipment sufficient to grow many thousand more plants. Significant work and expense had been put into remodeling the warehouse, including thousands of dollars in lights, cooling systems, and ventilation. The agents also discovered a safe containing a cornucopia of other drugs, including 1,396.2 grams of methamphetamine; 990 grams of MDMA (ecstasy); and 1,175.9 grams of fentanyl, a highly potent synthetic opioid that is fueling the tremendous rise in overdose deaths.
Judge Milazzo sentenced TRAN to 121 months in federal prison to be followed by five years of supervised release, where federal probation officers will monitor his behavior.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the New Orleans Police Department, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Several other law enforcement agencies, including Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, Plaquemines Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the Kenner Police Department, assisted in the search of the warehouse in Bridge City. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney David Haller.
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Waynesboro Woman Sentenced for Theft of Government FundsRead the Press Release
Hattiesburg, Miss. – Sadie Bradley, 66, of Waynesboro, Mississippi, was sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Judge Keith Starrett to 15 months in federal prison, follow by 3 years of supervised release, for theft of government funds, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Resident Agent in Charge Marvin Mauldin of the Office of Inspector General, Social Security Administration. Bradley was further directed to pay $197, 216.11 in restitution to the Social Security Administration,
From October 2008 through October 2017, Bradley received a total of $197,216.11 in funds belonging to the United States by receiving Title XVI Supplemental Security Income (“SSI”) benefits to which she knew she was not entitled. In 1966, Bradley was issued a social security number under the name Sadie McCornell, and began receiving SSI benefit payments in 1974. In 1976, Bradley fraudulently applied for and was issued a second social security number under the name Sadie McConn, later changing her name to Sadie Bradley. In 2008, Bradley applied for and began receiving SSI benefit payments under her second social security number, while still receiving SSI benefit payments under her first social security number. In doing so, Bradley knowingly concealed and misrepresented her identity, income, resources, marital status, and living arrangements to the Social Security Administration in order to receive SSI benefit payments under both social security numbers.
On September 19, 2018, Bradley was charged in a federal criminal indictment with theft of government funds. She pled guilty before Judge Starrett on June 12, 2019.
The case was investigated by the Social Security Administration-Office of Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Joshua Paul Fortenberry.
Waterbury Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Offenses Stemming from Counterfeit Check Bank Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JONELL BONILLA, 25, of Waterbury, pleaded guilty today in Hartford federal court to charges related to his operation of a counterfeit check bank fraud scheme.
According to court documents and statements made in court, between approximately December 2017 and January 2019, Bonilla and others obtained access to bank accounts by recruiting individuals through social media and persuading the individuals to share their account information, including debit cards and associated PIN numbers. The account holders were paid for providing access to their bank accounts. Bonilla and his co-conspirators misrepresented to the account holders that U.S. Postal Service money orders or authentic checks would be deposited into their accounts. After Bonilla and his co-conspirators had access to the accounts, they deposited counterfeit checks into those accounts, and withdrew money from the accounts before the banks discovered the checks to be counterfeit.
Through this scheme, Bonilla and his co-conspirators defrauded at least 12 banks of a total of approximately $240,000.
Bonilla pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of bank fraud, offenses that carry a maximum term of imprisonment of 30 years each count. He is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant on January 9, 2020.
Bonilla has been detained since his arrest on January 9, 2019.
This matter is being investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the U.S. Secret Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Pierpont, Jr.
Walnut Creek Woman Sentenced to More Than Two Years in Prison for Mail Theft Conspiracy Targeting San Francisco Apartment ComplexRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO/SAN JOSE/OAKLAND – Jesslyn Felix was sentenced today to 28 months in prison, and ordered to pay restitution for her role in a conspiracy to commit wire fraud stemming from a mail theft scheme, announced United States Attorney David L. Anderson and United States Postal Inspection Service Inspector in Charge Rafael Nuñez. The Honorable Maxine M. Chesney, U.S. District Judge, handed down the sentence.
Felix, 35, of Walnut Creek, Calif., pleaded guilty to the charge on May 29, 2019. According to her plea agreement, Felix admitted that she and her co-defendant, Tyler Goforth, 35, also of Walnut Creek, traveled repeatedly to the Beacon Apartment Complex, a large apartment building in San Francisco, to steal mail from Beacon residents. The defendants visited the Beacon more than a dozen times between August 2017 and February 2018. Felix and Goforth would enter one of the mailrooms at the Beacon, force open mailboxes, and then steal mail. They then used personal information and documents found in the stolen mail to steal money from Beacon residents, which they spent for personal gain. Specifically, Felix and Goforth activated credit and debit cards in the victims’ names, stole checks and gift cards, accessed bank accounts belonging to Beacon residents, and stole photo identifications which they then used to carry out their scheme to steal money. In total, Felix and Goforth stole mail from more than 80 residents of the Beacon and stole more than $40,000 from them.
Mr. Goforth was sentenced for his role in the conspiracy on August 14, 2019, to 27 months in prison, to be followed by a three-year period of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution.
A federal grand jury indicted Felix and Goforth on January 15, 2019. The 14-count indictment charged each defendant with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349; five counts of wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §1343; six counts of theft of mail, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §1708; one count of aggravated identity theft, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §1028A; and one count of possession with intent to use or transfer five or more documents or authentication features, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §1028(a)(3). Felix and Goforth both pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge on May 29, 2019.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Chesney ordered Felix to serve a three-year period of supervised release to begin at the completion of the prison term. Felix has been in custody since May 1, 2019.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ross Weingarten is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Marina Ponomarchuk. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the United States Postal Inspection Service.
Two men admit to selling cocaine in Home Depot parking lotRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A local man and a Mexican national have pleaded guilty for their involvement in a conspiracy to distribute 42.5 kilograms of cocaine in the United States, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.
Frederico Hernandez, 26, Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico, and Miguel Angel Cruz-Recio, 41, Laredo, admitted that on June 7, they conducted a drug transaction in a Laredo Home Depot parking lot involving 5.5 kilograms of cocaine.
Hernandez has left the scene but authorities attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the vehicle Cruz-Recio was driving. That ultimately led to a brief police chase that ended as he crashed his vehicle into a telephone pole. He attempted to flee on foot, but was soon captured.
Authorities later discovered an additional 37 kilograms of cocaine and a handgun at his residence.
Law enforcement later apprehended Hernandez as he attempted to apply for entry into Laredo from Mexico at the Gateway to the Americas Bridge.
U.S. District Court Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo accepted the plea today and set sentencing for Feb. 3, 2020. At that time, both men face up to life in prison.
They have been and will remain in custody pending that hearing.
The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Laredo Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Harrison is prosecuting the case.
Two Women Charged with Offenses Related to Pipeline AttacksRead the Press Release
DES MOINES, Iowa – On September 19, 2019, a federal grand jury returned an Indictment charging defendants, Jessica Rae Reznicek and Ruby Katherine Montoya, with one count of conspiracy to damage an energy facility, four counts of use of fire in the commission of a felony, and four counts of malicious use of fire, announced United States Attorney Marc Krickbaum. Montoya was recently arrested in the District of Arizona and detained pending court proceedings to determine her appearance in the Southern District of Iowa. Reznicek appeared in Des Moines on October 1, 2019 and was conditionally released pending trial. Trial is currently scheduled for December 2, 2019, before United States District Court Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger.
According to Count 1 of the Indictment, from at least as early as 2016 and continuing in 2017, in the Southern District of Iowa and elsewhere, Reznicek and Montoya conspired to knowingly and willfully damage and attempt to damage the property of an energy facility involved in the transmission and distribution of fuel, or another form or source of energy, in an amount exceeding or which would have exceeded $100,000, and to cause a significant interruption and impairment of a function of an energy facility.
Counts 2 through 9 of the Indictment allege specific instances of damage or attempts to damage portions of the Dakota Access Pipeline in the Southern District of Iowa by Reznicek and Montoya on various dates in 2017.
The public is reminded that an Indictment is merely an accusation, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless they are proven guilty.
If they are convicted of Count 1, conspiracy to damage an energy facility, Reznicek and Montoya face up to 20 years imprisonment, not more than a $250,000 fine, or both such fine and imprisonment.
If they are convicted of Counts 2, 4, 6 and/or 8, use of fire in the commission of a felony, Reznicek and Montoya face a mandatory minimum 10 years imprisonment to be served consecutive to the sentence imposed on Count 1. For each second or subsequent conviction of Counts 2, 4, 6 and/or 8, Reznicek and Montoya face a mandatory minimum 20 years imprisonment to be served consecutive to the sentence imposed on Count 1.
If they are convicted of Counts 3, 5, 7 and/or 9, malicious use of fire, Reznicek and Montoya face a mandatory minimum 5 years imprisonment and a maximum of 20 years imprisonment, not more than a $250,000 fine, or both such fine and
imprisonment.The investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and is being prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.
Two Inmates at FCI Morgantown sentenced for contrabandRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Richard Joe Pruitt and John Joseph Kopp, both inmates at FCI Morgantown in Morgantown, West Virginia, were sentenced today for possession of contraband, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Pruitt, age 27, and Kopp, age 44, each pled guilty to one count of “Possession of a Prohibited Object (Narcotic).” Pruitt and Kopp admitted to having suboxone inside FCI Morgantown in December 2018. Pruitt and Kopp were then each sentenced to 12 months incarceration to be served consecutively to any sentence he is currently serving.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon S. Flower prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Prisons Special Investigation Services investigated.
Senior U.S. District Judge Irene M. Keeley presided.