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4 October 2019
Attorney Convicted of Embezzling over $1.5 Million from Virginia Senator, Canadian Business, and Autism OrganizationRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A federal jury convicted a Fairfax attorney today on charges of conspiring to defraud and to launder fraud proceeds totaling over $1.5 million, including funds embezzled from Virginia State Senator Richard Saslaw’s campaign account, a Canadian business, and an organization intended to support students with autism and other intellectual disabilities.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, David H. Miller, 70, conspired with his wife, Linda Diane Wallis, to defraud three categories of victims from 2011 through 2014. First, Miller, an attorney, conspired with Wallis to create two fake law firms, Federal Legal Associates and The Straile Group. Miller and Wallis used the two fake law firms to fraudulently bill Miller’s employer, SkyLink Air and Logistic Support, Inc. (SkyLink), a Canadian based aviation company that maintained an office in Dulles, for purported legal work that was never actually performed. Miller and Wallis caused approximately $368,400 in losses to SkyLink.
Second, Miller and Wallis embezzled approximately $653,000 from the campaign account of Senator Saslaw. From June 2013 to September 2014, Wallis served as the treasurer of the Saslaw for State Senate campaign. During that time, Wallis issued over 70 fraudulent checks from the Saslaw for State Senate campaign bank account, which totaled approximately $653,000. All of the checks were issued without the knowledge or permission of Senator Saslaw or his campaign staff, and were ultimately deposited into accounts that were controlled by Miller or Wallis.
Third, Miller and Wallis misappropriated funds from an autism organization, which Miller co-founded and for which Wallis served as the Executive Director. The organization, known as The Community College Consortium on Autism and Intellectual Disabilities (CCCAID), claimed to provide assistance to community colleges to develop programs for individuals with autism and other intellectual disabilities. Between April 2010 and April 2013, community colleges located around the country and an individual donated approximately $783,000 to CCCAID. The funds contributed to CCCAID were supposed to be used to further the mission of the organization and not to enrich Miller or Wallis. Despite these restrictions, from 2011 through 2014, Miller and Wallis embezzled over $600,000 from CCCAID’s bank account and used the money to pay their own personal expenses.
Miller and Wallis laundered the proceeds of their crimes through multiple bank accounts and ultimately spent the funds on lavish personal expenses, including mortgage payments on a million-dollar home in Fairfax, renovations to an oceanfront property owned by Miller in Bethany Beach, Delaware, dues payments to the Country Club of Fairfax, and travel on private aircraft from Manassas to Montego Bay, Jamaica for a family vacation at a luxury oceanfront resort.
Miller’s co-conspirator and wife, Linda Diane Wallis, previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 56 months in prison on Mar. 18, 2016.
Miller faces a maximum penalty of twenty years in prison on each of ten counts of conviction when sentenced on Jan. 24, 2020. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Timothy M. Dunham, Special Agent in Charge, Criminal Division, FBI Washington Field Office, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III accepted the verdict. Assistants U.S. Uzo E. Asonye and Samantha P. Bateman are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:17-cr-213.
Aspiring Manager and Former Adidas Consultant Sentenced to Prison Terms for Bribing NCAA Division I Men’s College Basketball CoachesRead the Press Release
Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that CHRISTIAN DAWKINS was sentenced to twelve months and a day in prison, and MERL CODE was sentenced to 3 months in prison, after having been found guilty in May 2019 of engaging in a scheme to bribe multiple NCAA Division I men’s college basketball coaches. The defendants were sentenced in Manhattan federal court by U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos, who also presided over the jury trial. Both sentences are in addition, and will run consecutive, to sentences previously imposed on both defendants by U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan for their roles in a separate scheme to defraud Adidas-sponsored universities by making illicit cash payments to the families of college-bound student-athletes and concealing those payments from the schools.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “Christian Dawkins and Merl Code have now been sentenced to prison a second time for their roles in corrupting the world of college basketball. The sentences imposed this week should make crystal clear to other members of the basketball underground exposed during the various prosecutions brought by this Office that bribery is still a crime, even if the recipient is a college basketball coach, and one that will result in term of incarceration.”
According to the allegations contained in the Complaint, Indictment, Superseding Indictment, and evidence presented during the trial in Manhattan federal court:
Overview of the Scheme
DAWKINS and CODE agreed to pay bribes to various NCAA Division I men’s college basketball coaches in exchange for those coaches’ exerting their influence over the student-athletes that they coached in order to retain the services of DAWKINS and a new sports management business (the “Dawkins Company”) that he had recently started.
Prior to founding the Dawkins Company, from in or about 2015 until in or about May 2017, DAWKINS worked for a major sports agency recruiting high school and college basketball players as clients. In connection with his work for the sports agency, DAWKINS paid bribes to Lamont Evans, who at the time was an assistant coach at the University of South Carolina, in order for Evans to exert his official influence over student-athletes he coached to retain the services of the sports agency that employed DAWKINS. DAWKINS subsequently introduced Louis Martin Blazer III, a financial advisor who, unbeknownst to DAWKINS, was cooperating with the Government, and Munish Sood, another financial advisor, to Lamont Evans in order for them to continue paying bribes to him.
In or about May 2017, DAWKINS was terminated from his job at the sports agency and started the Dawkins Company with Munish Sood and another investor who, unbeknownst to DAWKINS, was an undercover law enforcement officer (“UC-1”). In order to recruit future clients, DAWKINS proposed, among other things, paying bribes to coaches at various NCAA Division I universities so that these coaches would steer their student-athletes to retain the services of the Dawkins Company. DAWKINS thereafter proposed paying bribes to Emanuel “Book” Richardson, an assistant coach at the University of Arizona. Soon thereafter, DAWKINS arranged for Richardson to travel to New York City in order to receive a $5,000 cash bribe. Weeks later, Richardson requested an additional $15,000 from DAWKINS, which Richardson said he would use in order to secure the commitment of a top high school basketball player to attend the University of Arizona, who Richardson would then steer to retain the services of DAWKINS and his company. DAWKINS arranged for UC-1 and Munish Sood to pay Richardson an additional $15,000 cash bribe in New Jersey in or about July 2017.
In or about June 2017, DAWKINS introduced Sood, UC-1, and Blazer, among others, to MERL CODE, who at the time was a consultant for Adidas, in order for CODE to work with the Dawkins Company to recruit future clients. During the initial meeting, DAWKINS, CODE, Sood, Blazer and UC-1 discussed, among other things, CODE’s ability to identify and connect the Dawkins Company with corrupt college basketball coaches willing to accept money. At the end of the meeting, CODE received a $5,000 cash payment from UC-1 on behalf of the Dawkins Company.
In or about July 2017, DAWKINS and CODE discussed by telephone, among other things, CODE introducing UC-1 to various men’s college basketball coaches at an upcoming recruiting event in Las Vegas, Nevada, and that CODE would be paid $5,000 for each men’s college basketball coach that he introduced to DAWKINS and UC-1. CODE later sent a text message to DAWKINS containing a list of coaches that CODE had set up meetings with in Las Vegas, Nevada, including the dates and times of each of the meetings, for the purpose of DAWKINS and his company arranging to bribe them. In advance of the meetings, CODE advised UC-1 and DAWKINS that they should tell the coaches they would meet with that they would be available to provide them with money in the future, including with respect to any future financial needs these coaches had in connection with recruiting.
In Las Vegas, several coaches received cash bribes during their meetings with DAWKINS, and other coaches DAWKINS agreed to pay later as needed, in exchange for them using their influence to steer players to the Dawkins Company. Anthony Bland, an assistant coach at the University of Southern California, and an assistant coach from Creighton University -- two of the coaches that were on the list of meetings that CODE sent to DAWKINS by text message -- met with DAWKINS, UC-1 and Blazer in Las Vegas in July 2017 and accepted cash bribes. During the meeting in Las Vegas, Bland accepted a cash bribe and confirmed that he would use his influence to steer student-athletes at the University of Southern California to retain the Dawkins Company. During the trip to Las Vegas, Nevada, DAWKINS, Blazer and UC-1 also met with a third coach from Texas Christian University and paid this coach a cash bribe, as well.
After these meetings, DAWKINS discussed with college coaches who had been bribed players that they could steer to DAWKINS and his new company. For example, in August 2017, Anthony Bland, an assistant coach at the University of Southern California, facilitated meetings between DAWKINS and Sood, and the family members of a then-current student-athlete on the University of Southern California men’s basketball team, as well as a family member of a different student-athlete who was a rising freshman planning to play for the University of Southern California men’s basketball team the next season. During a meeting on the campus of the University of Southern California in or about August 2017, Bland informed DAWKINS and Sood that if they continued to fund payments to family members of University of Southern California men’s college basketball players and recruits that Bland would use his position as an assistant coach to influence these players to retain the Dawkins Company.
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DAWKINS, 26, of Los Angeles, California, and CODE, 45, of Greer, South Carolina, were also sentenced to 2 years of supervised release.
Mr. Berman praised the work of the FBI and the Special Agents of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
The case is being handled by the Office’s Public Corruption Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Robert L. Boone, Noah Solowiejczyk, and Eli J. Mark are in charge of the prosecution.
Alabama Man Sentenced to 109 months for Receiving Child PornographyRead the Press Release
LONDON, Ky- Michael Virgil Woodham, 45, of Bessemer, Alabama was sentenced to 109 months in prison by U.S. District Court Judge Robert E. Wier for receiving child pornography.
According to Woodham’s plea agreement, he knowingly received a visual depiction from a Pulaski County resident, and the visual was of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct. The defendant admitted that he knew that the visual depiction was of a minor.
Michael Virgil Woodham pleaded guilty March 8.
Under federal law, Woodham must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon release, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for 15 years.
Robert M. Duncan, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, James Robert Brown, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Louisville Field Division, and Johnnie Sharp, Jr., Special Agent in Charge, FBI Birmingham, Alabama Division, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by FBI. The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jenna Reed.
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Air Force Colonel Pleads Guilty to Receiving Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An Air Force Colonel pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography.
According to admissions made in connection with his plea agreement, between November 2015 and June 2016, Mark Visconi, 48, of Fairfax, received and attempted to receive child pornography using the Internet. Visconi used an online bulletin board dedicated to the sharing of child pornography that operated on the anonymous TOR network to download child pornography. A forensic review of his laptop showed that Visconi downloaded and viewed numerous child pornography images and videos.
According to court documents, Visconi used his cell phone to create hundreds of pictures focused on the clothed buttocks of minor girls. In a smaller subset of these pictures, Visconi appeared to take “upskirting” images of some of the girls. It does not appear that any of the girls were aware that pictures were being taken.
Visconi pleaded guilty to receiving and attempting to receive child pornography and faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison when sentenced on Jan. 31, 2020. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the 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.justice.gov/psc.
G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Brian A. Benczkowski, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Marc Meyer, Special Agent In Charge, U.S. Department of State’s Office of Inspector General, and Raymond Villanueva, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C., made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorney Whitney Russell and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney and Trial Attorney of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section Gwendelynn Bills are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:19-cr-258.
Air Force Colonel Pleads Guilty to Receiving Child PornographyRead the Press Release
An Air Force colonel pled guilty today to receiving child pornography.
Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger for the Eastern District of Virginia, Special Agent In Charge Marc Meyer of the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Inspector General and Special Agent in Charge Raymond Villanueva of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C. made the announcement.
According to admissions made in connection with his plea agreement, between November 2015 and June 2016, Mark Visconi, 48, of Fairfax, Virginia, received and attempted to receive child pornography using the Internet. Visconi used an online bulletin board dedicated to the sharing of child pornography that operated on the anonymous TOR network to download child pornography. A forensic review of his laptop showed that Visconi downloaded and viewed numerous child pornography images and videos.
Separately, the plea documents also note that Visconi used his cell phone to create hundreds of pictures focused on the clothed buttocks of minor girls. In a smaller subset of these pictures, Visconi appeared to take “upskirting” images of some of the girls. It does not appear that any of the girls were aware that pictures were being taken.
U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III for the Eastern District of Virginia scheduled the sentencing for Jan. 31, 2020.
The case was investigated by HSI. Trial Attorney Gwendelynn Bills of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Whitney Russell of the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and 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.justice.gov/psc.
"Showtime," Leader of Massive Middle Georgia Drug Operation, Sentenced to 25 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Macon—The final two of ten defendants involved in a large-scale illicit drug operation based in Warner Robins, Georgia have been sentenced to prison for their crimes, announced Charles “Charlie” Peeler, the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia. U.S. District Judge Marc Treadwell sentenced Travis McKenzie a/k/a “Showtime,” 38, of Warner Robins, GA on Thursday, October 3, 2019 to 300 months in prison. On February 15, 2019, Mr. McKenzie pleaded guilty to one count conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute cocaine, “crack” cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl, alprazolam and more than 50 kilograms of marijuana. Co-defendant Clarence Bogan, 40, of Warner Robins, GA, entered a guilty plea on February 25, 2019 to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. He was sentenced to 130 months in prison. There is no parole in the federal system.
“The curtain has closed on Showtime and his entire criminal organization,” said Charlie Peeler, the U.S. Attorney. “I am proud of the seamless effort displayed by our partner law enforcement agencies to coordinate the successful take-down of a massive drug trafficking operation that was ruining lives in Middle Georgia. Mr. McKenzie’s unique business model allowed him to gain substantial profits by directly controlling many points of sale, all at the expense of addicted Georgians, their wounded families and our society, gravely harmed by the drug epidemic. I want to commend our partner law enforcement agencies for their role in ending this insidious drug trafficking network.”
“This case highlights the joint commitment, dedication, and partnership between our state and federal partners in combatting drug trafficking in our community,” said Special Agent in Charge Chris Hacker of the FBI Atlanta field office. “McKenzie wreaked havoc on his community and fueled the flames of the drug epidemic in this country. This sentence sends a message that the FBI and its law enforcement partners are devoted to taking drug traffickers off our streets to clean up our neighborhoods.”
“It was an extensive investigation that was a collaborative effort between many agencies. Travis McKenzie was a major drug dealer in Houston County, and we are very pleased with the sentence,” said Captain Jon Holland, Chief Investigator, Commander, Criminal Investigations Division, Houston County Sheriff’s Office. “The successful result in this case shows what happens when local, state and federal agencies work together. We want to thank the other agencies working with us to investigate this case and move forward with a successful prosecution.”
“This was a very large scale drug operation responsible for many overdoses in Middle Georgia,” said Stephen Lynn, Chief of Police, City of Perry, Georgia. “It was a tremendously successful take down, involving multiple agencies, which shows the importance of partnership and teamwork.”
“The show is finally over for ‘Showtime’ and his ring of criminals who flooded the Warner Robbins area with dangerous drugs,” said Robert J. Hammer, Acting Special Agent in Charge of HSI Atlanta. “Georgia law enforcement at both the state and federal level is committed to removing both the illicit drugs and those criminals that sell them from our streets.”
Mr. McKenzie admitted in his guilty plea to orchestrating a large-scale illicit drug trafficking operation based in Warner Robins, Georgia. From December 18, 2014, until his arrest on June 28, 2017, Mr. McKenzie and his co-conspirators were documented storing and distributing large quantities of illegal drugs, including cocaine, crack, methamphetamine, heroin and fentanyl from various sources. The drugs were sold in smaller quantities to sellers with their own customers or directly to users from various locations, including “trap houses” located in Warner Robins, where Mr. McKenzie resided. Mr. McKenzie not only directly controlled the sale of narcotics at each of the trap houses, but also supplied and facilitated other co-conspirators selling directly from those locations. Law enforcement conducted more than 70 controlled buys during the course of the investigation, and surveillance, including wire and electronic telephone interceptions, documented the near daily purchase and sale of controlled substances by Mr. McKenzie and the organization to a large number of different people.
The co-conspirators are as follows:
Jonathan Haslem, 38, of Warner Robins, GA, entered a guilty plea on March 8, 2019 to one count conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute cocaine, “crack” cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl, alprazolam and more than 50 kilograms of marijuana. He was sentenced on June 27, 2019 to 220 months in prison and three years of supervised release.
Kimseing Le, 31, of Atlanta, GA, entered a guilty plea on February 27, 2019 to one count conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. He was sentenced on August 14, 2019 to 121 months in prison and three years of supervised release.
LaTray McKenzie, 20, of Warner Robins, GA, entered a guilty plea on February 27, 2019 to two counts of using a communication facility to facilitate a drug trafficking offense. He was sentenced on June 13, 2019 to 84 months in prison and one year of supervised release.
Tamika Lashawn Hickey, 37, of Perry, GA, entered a guilty plea on March 4, 2019 to one count possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. She was sentenced on June 27, 2019 to 50 months in prison and three years of supervised release.
Justin High, 32, of Warner Robins, GA, entered a guilty plea on February 27, 2019 to one-count conspiracy to distribute 50 kilograms or more of marijuana. He was sentenced on June 13, 2019 to 42 months in prison and three years of supervised release.
Esha Hill, 30, of Warner Robins, GA, entered a guilty plea on March 4, 2019 to one count misprision of a felony. He was sentenced on June 13, 2019 to 33 months in prison and one year of supervised release.
Kaelin Varrett, 25, of Warner Robins, GA entered a guilty to plea to one count possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. He was sentenced on June 13, 2019 to 30 months in prison and three years of supervised release.
Thomas Jeffrey Locke, 52, of Reynolds, GA entered a guilty plea on February 20, 2019 to possession with intent to distribute, cocaine and heroin. He was sentenced on June 13, 2019 to three years of probation.
The case was investigated by the Perry Police Department, the Houston County Sheriff’s Office, and the FBI, with assistance from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations, ICE. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert McCullers prosecuted the case for the Government. Questions can be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603 or Melissa Hodges, Public Affairs Director (Contractor), United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 765-2362.
3 October 2019
Wrestler admits to running drug smuggling conspiracyRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A 32-year-old Mexican national has admitted he conspired to import over 50 kilograms of meth into the United States, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.
Jose Ramos-Delgadillo pleaded guilty in federal court today to two counts – conspiracy to import and importation of meth.
On Aug. 4, 2019, he arrived in Laredo at the Juarez-Lincoln International Bridge driving a Ford Escape. An initial search yielded 24 bundles of meth concealed within the tires. However, authorities also discovered an additional 19 bundles in the vehicle’s firewall.
Upon questioning, Ramos-Delgadillo claimed he was a wrestler from Guadalajara, Mexico, who was traveling to Dallas to visit a friend.
He soon admitted he knew there were narcotics in the vehicle. He expected to be paid $5,000 for transporting the drugs.
The drugs weighed a total of 53.56 kilograms with an approximate value of more than $300,000.
He has been and will remain in custody pending his sentencing, which will be set at a later date before U.S. District Judge Diana Saldana. At that time, Ramos-Delgadillo faces a minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison as well as a possible $10 million fine.
He has been and will remain in custody pending that hearing.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with assistance from Customs and Border Protection. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Day is prosecuting the case.
Worcester Man Indicted for Illegal Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Worcester man was indicted today for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Lawrence Rutherford, 37, was indicted on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Rutherford was arrested on Sept. 6, 2019, and charged by criminal complaint.
According to court documents, on June 5, 2019, law enforcement agents found two guns and more than 600 rounds of ammunition in Rutherford’s home while executing a search warrant. Rutherford is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to prior convictions punishable by more than one year in person.
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 $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; and Worcester Police Chief Steven M. Sargent made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Greg A. Friedholm and John T. Mulcahy of Lelling’s Worcester Branch Office are prosecuting the case.
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.
Woman Sentenced for Helping to Plan Multiple RobberiesRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond woman was sentenced today to nearly 13 years in prison for aiding and abetting multiple robberies, and aiding and abetting the brandishing of a firearm during one of those robberies.
According to court documents, Christina Pilgrim, 37, met Ali Cousins, Jr. around the year 2017 when Cousins brought his son to Pilgrim’s daycare center which she operated out of her home. The two entered into a romantic relationship shortly after meeting. Pilgrim was married at the time. While also operating the daycare center, Pilgrim worked at the Dollar Tree at 8920 Patterson Avenue, Henrico. So, when Cousins began to suffer financial difficulties in 2018, Pilgrim suggested to him that he could rob the Dollar Tree where she worked. She assured him that the business would be easy to rob. Cousins decided to rob the store and relied on information Pilgrim provided, particularly the store employees who would work on a given night and the location of safes and cameras in the store, to carry out the robberies. Additionally, Pilgrim provided Cousins access to a firearm that her husband owned and left in her home which Cousins could use during the robberies. Cousins would rob the store five times between the months of March and September 2018.
During one robbery which occurred in August 2018, Pilgrim informed Cousins that the store manager to the Dollar Tree would make the nightly bank deposit at a nearby Wells Fargo bank. Cousins decided that he would rob the store manager as the manager made the deposit, and Pilgrim drove Cousins to the Wells Fargo to wait for the store manager to arrive. Pilgrim watched as the store manager left the Dollar Tree and informed Cousins when the manager was on his way to the bank. When the manager arrived, Cousins completed the robbery and Pilgrim picked Cousins up afterward.
For the last robbery in September 2018, Pilgrim provided Cousins access to her husband’s vehicle which Cousins used to complete the robbery. Cousins and an accomplice, Bryant Williams, then traveled to the Dollar Tree and entered the store just before closing. Pilgrim, who was working at the store at the time, saw Cousins and Williams arrive and enter the restroom of the store to wait for the right opportunity to complete the robbery. While Cousins and Williams waited, Pilgrim sent text messages to Cousins regarding others in the store being suspicious of them when they came to the store. Soon after that text message, Cousins and Williams completed the robbery and fled the store. Law enforcement would arrest Cousins the same night and would arrest Williams several months later.
Cousins pleaded guilty and admitted to having committed the five robberies. Also, Williams, and another accomplice, Anthony Simmons, who Cousins recruited for the first robbery, pleaded guilty to their roles in the individual robberies they performed with Cousins.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, David W. Archey, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, and Humberto I. Cardounel, Jr., Chief of Henrico County Police Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Robert E. Payne. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen E. Anthony prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:19-cr-50.
Wilson Man Sentenced for Distribution of Synthetic CannabinoidRead the Press Release
RALEIGH – United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. announced that United States District Judge Terrence W. Boyle sentenced AKRAM ABDEL-AZIZ, age 52, of Wilson, North Carolina, to 50 months’ imprisonment, followed by 3 years of supervised release.
ABDEL-AziZ was named in a five count Superseding Indictment filed on September 6, 2018 charging him with offenses related to the distribution of 5F-ADB; a synthetic cannabinoid listed as a Schedule I controlled substance. On December 17, 2018, pursuant to a plea agreement, ABDEL-AZIZ pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute 5F-ADB and money laundering by structuring.
According to the investigation, between March of 2017 and April of 2018, ABDEL-AZIZ possessed and distributed a large quantity of 5F-ADB, known locally by the label “Black Magic” and other similar names. The substance was sold as a liquid vaporizer product at vape shops in Onslow, Craven, Wilson, Cumberland, New Hanover, and Pamlico counties. The product came to the attention of authorities following dozens of instances in which individuals required medical attention after ingesting the product and suffering from symptoms such as seizures, loss of consciousness, hallucinations, paranoia, and cardiac arrest. The military was particularly hard hit as more than 100 military members fell ill and/or required medical attention after ingesting the substance. Moreover, use of the illegal substance resulted in the administrative separation of a large number of military personnel, negatively impacting the readiness of certain units. ABDEL-AZIZ obtained the 5F-ADB through bulk purchases from co-conspirators elsewhere in the United States using Western Union money orders. To avoid reporting requirements, purchases were made with money orders obtained from several locations in amounts of less than $10,000.
In carrying out the scheme, ABDEL-AZIZ took steps to obscure his identity and that of the 5F-ABD. These actions included using a false alias to make purchases and obtaining “Black Magic” labels printed from a local print shop that he then affixed to individual bottles. Upon arrest, items related to the conspiracy were seized from ABDEL-AZIZ’s possession including bottles, labels, and an amount of 5F-ADB. Additionally, nearly $200,000 in cash was seized from his home.
United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr, stated, “This sentence highlights the seriousness of unlawful vape products. Our community, and notably our military community, is safer because of this sentence. Illegal narcotics come in all forms, and unlawful vape products are particularly insidious as they convey a less dangerous appearance than other well-known harmful drugs. The work of the investigators on these cases is invaluable and deserves our thanks and appreciation.”
The U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service; United States Drug Enforcement Administration; the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command; U.S. Marine Corps Criminal Investigation Division; North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation; Alcohol Law Enforcement Division; Jacksonville Police Department; Onslow County Sheriff’s Office; Wilson County Sheriff’s Office; Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office; Craven County Sheriff’s Office; Wayne County Sheriff’s Office; and, other state and local law enforcement agencies investigated this case.
Wilmington Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal Prison for Dealing DrugsRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, Del. – Subree Waterman, 38, of Wilmington, was sentenced yesterday by Chief U.S. District Judge Leonard P. Stark to five years in federal prison for distributing crack cocaine.
According to court documents, over the course of several months between March and June 2018, Waterman distributed crack on at least seven different occasions. Video of one transaction showed Waterman removing 42 grams of crack from plastic baggies, weighing the crack on a digital scale, taking $1,875 in exchange, and smiling and laughing as he counted the money.
David C. Weiss, U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware, commented on the sentence, “The Defendant willingly chose to profit from peddling addictive, illegal drugs in our community. Today’s substantial sentence is the product of tireless work with our state and federal law enforcement partners to ensure that Delaware drug dealers face serious consequences for their actions.”
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”) Wilmington Field Division investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Howland prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the District of Delaware or on PACER by searching for Case No. 19-CR-22-001-LPS.
Wichita Woman Sentenced for Four Commercial RobberiesRead the Press Release
WICHITA, KAN. – A Wichita woman was sentenced today to 40 months in federal prison for taking part in four commercial robberies, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said.
Savannah Cole, 22, Wichita, Kan., pleaded guilty to four counts of robbery. In her plea, he admitted committing the following robberies:
- Dollar General Store, 915 S. Glendale in Wichita, Nov. 22, 2017. Cole admitted she and co-defendant Kenneth W. Cade, 29, Wichita, Kan., went into the store together to rob it. Cade pointed a gun at an employee and demanded money.
- C-Store, 837 S. Oliver in Wichita, Feb. 7, 2018. Cole admitted she pointed a gun at an employee and demanded money. Cade stayed outside as a lookout.
- Arby’s, 4308 E. Harry in Wichita, Feb. 14, 2018. Cole and Cade went into the store to rob it. Cade pointed a firearm at an employee and demanded money.
- Circle K Store, 515 N. Seneca in Wichita, Feb. 14, 2018. Cole and Cade went into the store to rob it. Cole pointed a gun at the clerk and demanded money. Cade grabbed the cash.
Last month, co-defendant Cade was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison.
McAllister commended the FBI, the Wichita Police Department and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Treaster for their work on the case, which was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a U.S. Department of Justice initiative targeting violent crime.
Waterbury Woman Pleads Guilty to Stealing Social Security BenefitsRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that OMAYRA SANTIAGO, 43, of Waterbury, waived her right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to one count of theft and conversion of public money related to her illegal receipt of Social Security benefits.
According to court documents and statements made in court, for approximately 13 years, Santiago received monthly Social Security benefits from the Social Security Administration (“SSA”) in the form of Supplemental Security Income (“SSI”). Santiago was the representative payee of her children’s SSI benefits, and she represented to the SSA that her household’s income, resources and living arrangements caused the children to be eligible for SSI benefits.
In pleading guilty, Santiago admitted that, from 2005 to 2018, she made multiple false statements to the SSA, including misrepresentations of her income, resources and living arrangements, in order to qualify for and receive SSI benefits. In addition, in January 2017, Santiago received approximately $220,000 from the settlement of civil lawsuit, but never disclosed her receipt of the money to the SSA.
Between 2005 and 2018, Santiago collected more than $146,752.86 worth of SSI benefits.
Judge Hall scheduled sentencing for December 30, 2019, at which time Santiago faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.
This matter is being investigated by the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret M. Donovan.
Vallejo Man Indicted for Unlawfully Possessing a Firearm After a High-Speed ChaseRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment today against Jonathan Shane Blakeley, 25, of Vallejo, charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.
According to court documents, on Sept. 20, law enforcement officers attempted to stop Blakeley for a traffic violation, but Blakeley refused to yield and led police on a high-speed chase through Vallejo. Blakeley crashed his car on Interstate 80 and got out of his car and ran through several lanes of traffic. He tried to get into the passenger seat of a car that stopped to avoid hitting him. After police apprehended Blakeley, they found a Glock 9 mm pistol with a high-capacity magazine in his car. Blakeley cannot lawfully possess firearms or ammunition because he has previously been convicted of three felony offenses. When the current offense took place, Blakeley was on federal probation. He had just been released from federal prison less than 30 days prior, after having served a 30-month sentence for possessing a firearm as a felon.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Vallejo Police Department with assistance from the FBI’s Solano County Violent Crimes Task Force and the Solano County District Attorney’s Office.
If convicted, Blakeley faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Uvalde Man Sentenced to Federal Prison in Farm Loan Fraud CaseRead the Press Release
A federal judge in Del Rio has sentenced Ruben James Valadez, age 45 of Uvalde, TX, to six months in federal prison for his role in a farm loan scheme, announced U.S. Attorney John Bash.
During sentencing yesterday afternoon in Del Rio, U.S. District Judge Alia Moses also ordered Valadez to perform 200 hours of community service in lieu of a fine; pay $15,782 in restitution to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) (joint and severally with co-defendant Barbara Serna Salinas); and, be placed on supervised release for a period of five years after completing his prison term.
On April 26, 2018, Valadez pleaded guilty to one count of making a false statement on a loan application. By pleading guilty, Valadez admitted that in order to secure a $15,000 FSA loan in June 2016, he provided false information and paid cash and other incentives to Serna, a former loan officer for the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Uvalde. Valadez and Eric Torres Neira of San Antonio, received FSA loans totaling more than $150,000 as a result of this scheme.
On April 9, 2019, Judge Moses sentenced Serna to two years in federal prison and ordered her to pay $166,744.20 in restitution to the USDA. On December 4, 2018, Judge Moses sentenced Neira to five months imprisonment and ordered him to pay restitution to the USDA, joint and severally with Serna, in the amount of $142,961.94.
The USDA Office of Inspector General-Investigations, with the assistance of the FBI, conducted this investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Todd Keagle and Joshua Banister are prosecuting this case on behalf of the Government.
Ukrainian Fraudster Sentenced to More Than 9 Years in Prison for $20 Million Decade-Long ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that VALENTYN BELAN, a/k/a “Belan Valentin,” a/k/a “Belan Valentyn,” a/k/a “Belan Valentyn Volodymyrovych,” a/k/a “Belan Valentyn Voldymyrovich,” a/k/a “Valentino,” was sentenced to 109 months in prison for a sophisticated fraud scheme lasting more than 10 years during which BELAN invented and promoted fake business opportunities purportedly located in Ukraine and elsewhere. BELAN previously pled guilty to the scheme on May 29, 2019, and he was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Gregory H. Woods.
U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “For years, Valentyn Belan headed an elaborate fraud in which he convinced his victim to part with more than $20 million to invest in fake business opportunities. In fact, he created false documents and photos, and even arranged for fake meetings with his co-conspirators to perpetuate the fraud. Today’s sentence, and the judge’s order to forfeit the $20 million in profit, ensures that Belan is punished for his crimes.”
According to the allegations contained in the Criminal Complaint and the Information, as well as other documents filed in federal court and statements made in public court proceedings:
For more than a decade, BELAN was the mastermind behind a scheme to defraud a Hong Kong national through fake business opportunities that included, among others things, sham investments in real estate, rare earth mines, and oil interests. In order to induce the victim to invest in those fraudulent opportunities, BELAN employed a litany of elaborate misrepresentations, including numerous falsified documents and photographs, and he orchestrated multiple fake meetings around the world with co-conspirators pretending to be business partners and government officials. Over the course of the scheme, from October 2008 through December 2018, BELAN defrauded his victim of more than $20 million.
* * *
In addition to the prison term, BELAN, 39, of Kherson, Ukraine, was sentenced to three years of supervised release, ordered to forfeit $20,107,243, representing proceeds traceable to the charged offense, and to pay restitution in the amount of $13,309,918.
In addition to BELAN, Olena Chumachenko and Nika Khrystych were charged in connection with the fraudulent scheme. Chumachenko pled guilty to a separate charge of visa fraud and was sentenced to a term of probation by U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos. Khrystych remains at large. All charges against Khrystych are merely allegations, and she is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Mr. Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of Special Agents from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, and thanked agents with the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Customs and Border Protection for their excellent assistance throughout the investigation.
The prosecution of this case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant United States Attorney Jarrod L. Schaeffer is in charge of the prosecution.
U.S. Attorney to Join Community and Law Enforcement Leaders for Building Bridges of Understanding in Our Communities EventRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams announced today that members of the U.S. Attorney’s Office will join Portland-area community and law enforcement organizations and community members for the fourth-annual Building Bridges of Understanding in Our Communities event on October 24, 2019, hosted by the Muslim Educational Trust (MET) in Tigard, Oregon.
This year’s theme is Confronting Hate. This event brings criminal justice and community leaders together to share perspectives and engage in discussions on how to best respond to and prevent future hate-motivated incidents and crimes.
A panel of diverse community perspectives will discuss personal and community experiences with hate-motivated incidents and crimes, reporting, and trauma. The event will conclude with a listening session and facilitated discussion.
Presenters include leaders and subject matter experts from the Western States Center, Portland United Against Hate, Coalition of Communities of Color, Coalition Against Hate Crimes, Latino Network, Oregon District Attorney’s Association, Oregon Association of Chiefs of Police, Oregon Attorney General’s Office, FBI, U.S. Attorney’s Office and others who will present information reviewing recent racial violence trends and data from our community as well as legal and enforcement efforts at the local, state and federal levels.
Community members from Multnomah, Clackamas and Washington counties are encouraged to attend this free event. Registration is required. Lunch and refreshments will be provided.
- WHAT: Building Bridges of Understanding in Our Communities: Confronting Hate
- WHEN: Thursday, October 24, 2019 from 8:30am-3:00pm
- WHERE: Muslim Educational Trust – 10330 SW Scholls Ferry Road, Tigard, Oregon
The Building Bridges of Understanding in Our Communities event series brings leaders from public safety and civil society organizations together to build and strengthen trust with one another and to cultivate that trust within the communities served. The first building bridges event was held in the fall of 2016 at the Muslim Educational Trust. Since the inaugural event, two additional annual events have been held.
The event series is jointly hosted by the Muslim Educational Trust, Washington County Sheriff’s and District Attorney’s Offices, City of Portland New Portlander Commission, City of Lake Oswego, Clackamas County District Attorney’s Office, Vision Action Network, Korean American Coalition, New Portlanders Foundation, Tigard Police Department, Portland Police Bureau, Multnomah County Sheriff’s and District Attorney’s Offices, Urban League of Portland and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.
If you have media inquiries or would like to book interviews with steering committee members, please contact Stephen Mayer of the Washington County District Attorney’s Office: [email protected], 971-708-8219.
Media outlets are also welcome to contact the following steering committee members directly:
- Sahar Bassyouni; Muslim Educational Trust; [email protected]
- Wajdi Said; Muslim Educational Trust; [email protected]
- Theresa Kohlhoff; Lake Oswego City Council; [email protected]
- Jack Hanna; New Portlanders Foundation; [email protected]
- Sho Dozono; New Portlanders Commission; [email protected]
- Linda Castillo; Community Member and Commissioner for Hispanic Affairs; [email protected]
- Kezia Wanner; Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office; [email protected]
- Glenn Montgomery; Vision Action Network; [email protected]
U.S. Attorney Bill Powell Announces Progress in Making our Communities Safer through Project Safe NeighborhoodsRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA - 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, we 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 Uniform Crime Report released this week, the violent crime rate decreased for the second consecutive year, down 3.9 percent from the 2017 numbers.
“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.”
“PSN is a proven success. When federal, state and local partners focus on the worst offenders, you get results which have a dramatic effect on our communities. We will continue to focus on the identified “alpha” criminals who prey on our citizens,” said U.S. Attorney Bill Powell, Northern District of West Virginia.
As we celebrate the two-year anniversary of the revitalized PSN program, here are some of the highlights of our PSN actions over the past year:
Enforcement Actions
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of West Virginia works closely with local, county, and federal law enforcement partners to ensure our communities are safe by keeping firearms out of criminals’ hands and prosecuting violent offenders to the fullest extent of the law.
In March 2019, Rocky Idleman was sentenced to life incarceration for firearms and drug distribution charges. Idleman had a lengthy criminal history and was a known violent offender. Read more here: Idleman sentencing
Christopher Lee Yates of Martinsburg, West Virginia, was sentenced in August 2019 to 14 years incarceration for stealing thousands of firearms parts, firearms, and ammunition from an ATF facility in Martinsburg. Learn more about his case here: Yates case
In September 2019, Lamar Perdue was sentenced to more than 16 years for drug trafficking and firearms possession. Perdue traveled to West Virginia from his home in Detroit, Michigan to prey on the residents of Marion County. Read more about his case here: Perdue sentencing
Community Partnerships
The Northern District of West Virginia has a strong reentry initiative, offering its reentry simulation to state and federal prisons, community members, and service organizations. The Reentry efforts also extend to offering resource fairs, job fairs, and education to those recently released from prison or currently incarcerated.
The Reentry efforts are supported by organizations in the community with a common mission, such as the YWCA in Wheeling, Catholic Charities of West Virginia, The West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and Second Chance Technologies, to name a few.
Improvements to Community Safety
For the second consecutive year, the estimated number of violent crimes in the nation decreased when compared with the previous year’s statistics, according to FBI figures released today. In 2018, the number of violent crimes was down 3.3 percent from the 2017 number.
The 2018 statistics also show the estimated rate of violent crime was 368.9 offenses per 100,000 inhabitants. The violent crime rate fell 3.9 percent when compared with the 2017 rate.
These enforcement actions and partnerships 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. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.
U.S. Attorney Ariana Fajardo Orshan Announces Progress in Making our Communities Safer through Project Safe NeighborhoodsRead the Press Release
FBI Uniform Crime Report Shows 3.9 Drop in Violent Crime in 2018Two 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, we 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 Uniform Crime Report released this week, the violent crime rate decreased for the second consecutive year, down 3.9 percent from the 2017 numbers.
“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.”
U.S. Attorney Ariana Fajardo Orshan stated, “By reinforcing and amplifying our law enforcement and public partnerships we are able to combat the violent threats to our safety, security and well-being. The revitalized Project Safe Neighborhoods program exemplifies the impact of our collective strategies that target the most egregious offenders, reinvigorate our neighborhoods, and support our returning citizens. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida applauds our collaborative and effective efforts to protect, educate and connect with our local residents.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida amplifies the enforcement and community impact of PSN through the locally-based Violence Reduction Partnership (VRP). In South Florida, PSN uses a holistic, community-based approach to violence reduction that focuses on enforcement, prevention, and the successful reentry of returning citizens into our vibrant neighborhoods.
As we celebrate the two-year anniversary of the revitalized PSN program, here are some of the highlights of our PSN actions over the past year:
Enforcement Actions
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in South Florida continues to partner with federal, state and local law enforcement to target the most violent offenders, felons in possession of firearms and ammunition, and those who threaten the safety and security of our local communities.
- Ariel Figueroa-Cacheres, of Palm Beach County, Florida was sentenced to 30 years in prison, after pleading guilty to possessing a machine gun in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and possessing cocaine with the intent to distribute the controlled substance. https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/pr/palm-beach-county-resident-sentenced-30-years-prison-distributing-cocaine-and-illegally
- Jonathan Demario Collins, of Pahokee, Florida was sentenced to more than 8 years in prison after having been convicted by a trial jury of being a felon in possession of a firearm. https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/pr/pahokee-resident-sentenced-more-eight-years-prison-being-felon-possession-firearm
- Four Broward County, Florida residents were sentenced to terms between 34 years and life in prison, after having been convicted by a trial jury for their participation in a string of armed robberies using firearms. One defendant was also convicted of kidnapping four victims. https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/pr/four-broward-county-residents-were-sentenced-life-prison-after-being-convicted-trial
- Pender Senatus, of Delray Beach, Florida was convicted by a trial jury of being a felon in possession of ammunition and was sentenced to 9 years in prison. https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/pr/delray-beach-resident-sentenced-prison-being-felon-possession-ammunition
- Christopher Sergo Denis, of North Lauderdale, Florida was sentenced to more than 6 years in prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and possessing cocaine. https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/pr/north-lauderdale-resident-sentenced-prison-being-felon-possession-firearm-and
- In Dec. 2018, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners announced the unsealing of federal charges today against 24 members and associates of a drug trafficking and money laundering organization ("DTO”) operating in the Little Havana neighborhood of Miami-Dade County, Florida and elsewhere. The defendants were charged in a 59-count indictment for their alleged conduct related to drug trafficking, violent crime, federal firearms offenses, and money laundering. https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/pr/federal-indictment-charges-twenty-four-members-and-associates-drug-trafficking-and
- Trenard Caldwell, of Broward County, was sentenced to more than 13 years in prison, after previously pleading guilty to being a felon unlawfully in possession of a firearm and ammunition, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, possession of unauthorized access devices, and aggravated identity theft. https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/pr/broward-county-resident-sentenced-over-thirteen-years-prison-being-felon-possession
- Anthony Joseph Safiotti, a St. Lucie County, Florida felon, was convicted by a federal jury of aiding and abetting false statements to unlawfully purchase a firearm and was sentenced to 6 years in prison. https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/pr/st-lucie-county-felon-convicted-trial-aiding-and-abetting-false-statements-unlawfully
- Adrian Tremayne Wilson, of Opa-Locka, Florida was sentenced to more than 5 years in federal prison, after having been convicted at trial of possession of an unregistered firearm. https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/pr/opa-locka-resident-sentenced-63-months-prison-possession-unregistered-firearm-0
- In addition, the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a partnership that brings together the combined expertise and unique abilities of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, provides additional crime-fighting support in South Florida. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, dismantle and prosecute members of drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations and enterprises.
Community Partnerships
In addition to our united law enforcement efforts, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida remains committed to community outreach and crime prevention initiatives that can help to make our communities safer.
- Drug Education For Youth (DEFY)/VRP Leadership Summer Camp: This week-long, overnight camp provides at-risk youth, ages 9-12 years, with the self-esteem, leadership and teamwork tools needed to resist drugs, gangs, violent behavior, bullying, and cyberbullying. This summer, more than 50 youth attended the camp, from areas including: Homestead, Overtown, Goulds, Miami Gardens, Pompano and Lake Worth. More than 800 kids have attended the camp, since 2004. https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/pr/us-attorney-s-office-and-community-partners-sponsor-drug-educationviolence-reduction
- Pre-K Reading Program: During monthly reading sessions, governmental, law enforcement and public sector volunteers connect with early learners (3 to 5 year olds) at child-care centers and elementary schools in high-crime areas. At the end of every reading session, each child is given a book to take home. Since its inception in 2013, the VRP Reading Program has expanded to 24 schools throughout the Southern District of Florida. On a monthly basis, the U.S. Attorney’s Office staff and volunteers read and distribute books to over 1,200 children districtwide. Since 2014, the VRP has given out more than 47,340 books to local children. https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/violence-reduction-partnerships
- Project Sentry and Project Safe Childhood: During interactive programs, volunteers teach students to avoid violence by recognizing dangers in the community, reporting problems and peacefully resolving issues. The Project Sentry program focuses on guns, gangs, and violence deterrence, while Project Safe Childhood educates the youth regarding bullying, cyberbullying, and internet safety. The programs are approved in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach County schools.
- Making Smarter Choices Fieldtrips: Volunteers speak to middle school students, who visit the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Miami federal courthouses, about the importance of “Making Smarter Choices.” During the program, students participate in mock trial exercises.
- Peace Ambassadors Leadership Program: The Peace Ambassadors Leadership Program empowers high school juniors to be "change agents" in their family, school, and community. Academic excellence, courage, character, compassion, self-esteem, and personal responsibility are championed.
- United Way Reading Pals Program: During the academic year, volunteers read to and mentor Pre-K students at the Culmer Head Start Preschool in Overtown.
- Monthly Community Resource Fairs and Food Distribution Programs: The programs provide free food and essential services to local residents.
- Reentry Simulations:
- In Aug. 2019, the U.S. Attorney’s Office supported two Reentry Simulation Programs at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Miami that enabled federal inmates to experience some of the real-life barriers and obstacles that they might face as returning citizen
- In March 2019, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida hosted the second annual Reentry Simulation at the Salvation Army’s Northwest Community Center in West Palm Beach. More than 120 community members, officials and stakeholders attended the event, which simulated the struggles and challenges faced by individuals who are transitioning from incarceration back into society. https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/pr/us-attorney-s-office-hosts-second-annual-reentry-simulation
Improvements to Community Safety
- For the second consecutive year, the estimated number of violent crimes in the nation decreased when compared with the previous year’s statistics, according to FBI figures released today. In 2018, the number of violent crimes was down 3.3 percent from the 2017 number.
- The 2018 statistics also show the estimated rate of violent crime was 368.9 offenses per 100,000 inhabitants. The violent crime rate fell 3.9 percent when compared with the 2017 rate.
- In 2018, the City of Miami had the lowest number of homicides since 1967.
These enforcement actions and partnerships 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. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime. To learn more about Project Safe Neighborhoods, go to www.justice.gov/psn.
Additional information regarding the VRP initiatives is available at [email protected] (link sends e-mail) or by calling (305) 961-9134.
U.S. and UK Sign Landmark Cross-Border Data Access Agreement to Combat Criminals and Terrorists OnlineRead the Press Release
The United States and the United Kingdom entered into the world’s first ever CLOUD Act Agreement that will allow American and British law enforcement agencies, with appropriate authorization, to demand electronic data regarding serious crime, including terrorism, child sexual abuse, and cybercrime, directly from tech companies based in the other country, without legal barriers.
The current legal assistance process can take up to two years, but the Agreement will reduce this time period considerably, while protecting privacy and enhancing civil liberties. The historic agreement was signed by U.S. Attorney General William P. Barr and UK Home Secretary Priti Patel at a ceremony at the British Ambassador’s residence in Washington, D.C.
Attorney General William Barr said: “This agreement will enhance the ability of the United States and the United Kingdom to fight serious crime -- including terrorism, transnational organized crime, and child exploitation -- by allowing more efficient and effective access to data needed for quick-moving investigations. Only by addressing the problem of timely access to electronic evidence of crime committed in one country that is stored in another, can we hope to keep pace with twenty-first century threats. This agreement will make the citizens of both countries safer, while at the same time assuring robust protections for privacy and civil liberties.”
Home Secretary Priti Patel said: “Terrorists and paedophiles continue to exploit the internet to spread their messages of hate, plan attacks on our citizens and target the most vulnerable. As Home Secretary I am determined to do everything in my power to stop them. This historic agreement will dramatically speed up investigations, allowing our law enforcement agencies to protect the public. This is just one example of the enduring security partnership we have with the United States and I look forward to continuing to work with them and global partners to tackle these heinous crimes.”
Both governments agreed to terms which broadly lift restrictions for a broad class of investigations, not targeting residents of the other country, and assure providers that disclosures through the Agreement are compatible with data protection laws. Each also committed to obtain permission from the other before using data gained through the agreement in prosecutions relating to a Party’s essential interest—specifically, death penalty prosecutions by the United States and UK cases implicating freedom of speech.
The novel US-UK Bilateral Data Access Agreement will dramatically speed up investigations by removing legal barriers to timely and effective collection of electronic evidence. Under its terms, law enforcement, when armed with appropriate court authorization, may go directly to tech companies based in the other country to access electronic data, rather than going through governments, which can take years. The current Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) request process, which sees requests for electronic data from law enforcement and other agencies submitted and approved by central governments, can often take many months. Once in place, the Agreement will see the timeline obtaining evidence significantly reduced.
The Agreement will accelerate dozens of complex investigations into suspected terrorists and pedophiles, such as Matthew Falder who was convicted in 2018 in the UK of 137 offenses after an eight-year campaign of online child sexual abuse, blackmail, forced labor and sharing of indecent images, which highlighted the need to speed up these investigations.
The United States will have reciprocal access, under a U.S. court order, to data from UK communication service providers. All requests for access to data will be subject to independent judicial authorization or oversight.
In March 2018, Congress passed the CLOUD Act, which authorizes the United States to enter into bilateral executive agreements with rights-respecting partners that lift each party’s legal barriers to the other party’s access to electronic data for certain criminal investigations. The Agreement was facilitated by the UK’s Crime (Overseas Production Orders) Act 2019, which received Royal Assent in February this year. The Agreement will enter into force following a six-month Congressional review period mandated by the CLOUD Act, and the related review by UK’s Parliament.
We anticipate releasing a copy of the agreement in the near future following Congressional and Parliamentary notification.
For more information on the CLOUD Act, go to: https://www.justice.gov/dag/cloudact.
Two from Toledo indicted on firearms chargesRead the Press Release
Two people from Toledo were indicted in federal court on firearms crimes.
Xavier Zjordonel Tate, 35, was indicted on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Tate allegedly possessed an American Pride AR-15 and 30 rounds of ammunition on September 2, despite a previous conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to the indictment.
Ivory Deshaun Carter, Jr., 20, was indicted on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Carter allegedly possessed a Romarm/Cugir 7.62x33mm on March 23, despite a previous conviction for carrying concealed weapons, according to the indictment.
The cases are unrelated. They are being prosecuted as part of This case is being prosecuted as part of "Project Safe Neighborhoods," a gun violence reduction program administered by the Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Ohio. The program targets armed criminals for federal prosecution.
If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after reviewing factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.
The Toledo Police Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the cases. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew D. Simko is handling the cases.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The burden of proof is always on the government to prove a defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Two Men Sentenced for Receiving Cocaine from Puerto Rico via the MailRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Boston man and a Framingham man were sentenced yesterday for receiving kilograms of cocaine through the United States mail.
Pablo Santiago-Cruz, 48, of Boston, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Senior Judge George A. O’Toole Jr., to 180 months in prison and four years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, possession with intent to distribute cocaine and assaulting federal officers.
Carlos Reyes, 50, of Framingham, was sentenced by Judge O’Toole to 210 months in prison and four years of supervised release after being convicted at trial of conspiring to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.
Santiago-Cruz and Reyes participated in a conspiracy to obtain cocaine from Puerto Rico via the United States mail from at least March 2016 through July 2016. As part of the investigation, more than 30 suspicious parcels were identified that were sent from Puerto Rico to individuals known to be associated with Santiago-Cruz. These parcels were delivered to co-conspirators at residences in Quincy and Framingham, and to commercial mail receiving facilities in Canton and Randolph.
Santiago-Cruz was one of the leaders of the conspiracy and made arrangements for other individuals, including Reyes, to receive parcels containing kilograms of cocaine on his behalf. On July 18, 2018, a law enforcement officer stopped a vehicle driven by Reyes and seized a kilogram of cocaine that was hidden inside a toy oven in the trunk of the vehicle. The next day, a search warrant was executed at Santiago-Cruz’s apartment in Roslindale. Upon hearing the agents knock and announce their presence, Santiago-Cruz raced to the kitchen to grab a silver bowl with cocaine from under the sink and then fled to the bathroom, where he attempted to flush approximately 93 grams of cocaine down the toilet. Santiago-Cruz ignored repeated directions from the officers to stop. When the agents then attempted to subdue Santiago-Cruz, he physically resisted and struck several of the officers, resulting in physical injuries to the officers.
According to court records, both Reyes and Santiago-Cruz have previously been convicted of federal drug trafficking offenses. In 2002, Reyes was sentenced to 188 months in federal prison, and was on supervised release at the time that he participated in the conspiracy with Santiago-Cruz. In 2007, Santiago-Cruz was sentenced to serve 70 months in federal prison in connection with attempted receipt of cocaine from Puerto Rico, and violated the conditions of his supervised release four times.
Five people, including Santiago-Cruz and Reyes, were convicted as part of this investigation. On Sept. 17, 2017, Angel Morales, 47, of Stoughton, was sentenced to 96 months in prison. On Nov. 5, 2018, Roberto Fonseca-Rivera, 43, of Roslindale, was sentenced to one year and one day in prison. On Jan. 24, 2019, Jorge Montalvo, 50, of Roslindale, was sentenced to 30 months in prison.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Joseph W. Cronin, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Colonel Kerry Gilpin, Superintendent, Massachusetts State Police; Jason Molina, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; Norfolk County District Attorney Michael W. Morrissey; and Stoughton Police Chief Donna McNamara made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys James E. Arnold and Craig E. Estes of Lelling’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.
Two Charged with Conspiring to Distribute Heroin in StocktonRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment today against Ivan Martinez-Lopez, 29, a Mexican national, and Saul Moreno-Lemus, 22, of Reedley, charging them with conspiracy to distribute heroin and possession with intent to distribute heroin, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.
According to court documents, Martinez-Lopez and Moreno-Lemus arranged to sell several kilograms of heroin to a confidential informant who was working with law enforcement authorities at the time. At an arranged time and place, the informant met with the two men who showed the informant the heroin in the back seat of their car. At that time, the informant gave a signal to law enforcement agents surveilling the transaction. Officers converged on the scene and took both defendants into custody.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the San Joaquin County Metropolitan Narcotics Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney James Conolly is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, both defendants face a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, with a maximum of life, and a $10 million fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Two Beckley Men Sentenced for Federal Gun CrimesRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Mike Stuart announced that two Beckley men have been sentenced to federal prison for being felons in possession of firearms. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Beckley Police Department conducted the investigations. United States District Judge Irene C. Berger imposed the sentences.
John Swain, 45, was sentenced to 60 months in prison. Swain was previously convicted by a federal jury in April 2019. Witnesses for the United States testified that on September 20, 2018, Swain, along with two other individuals, was being investigated for public intoxication and open container in downtown Beckley. Swain was the only one who was non-compliant. He continuously put his hands in his pocket and waistband area. Swain then fled on foot and maneuvered his hands towards his waist during the foot pursuit. He was apprehended and a canine tracked a 9mm Taurus pistol along the path of flight. After Swain’s arrest, law enforcement read him his Miranda rights and in a recorded interview, Swain admitted to possessing the firearm and that he wanted to get a clip and shoot it to see what it sounded like. Swain was prohibited from possessing any firearm under federal law because of a 2008 federal conviction in the Southern District of West Virginia for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Assistant United States Attorneys Ryan A. Saunders and Steven I. Loew are in charge of the prosecution and tried the case before a federal jury.
In another case, John Watson, 43, was sentenced to 30 months in prison. Watson previously admitted that on May 8 2018, an ATF Special Agent contacted him to discuss three firearms that he had recently purchased. The firearms consisted of a Springfield Armory, model 1911 Trophy Match, .45 caliber pistol; a Smith & Wesson, model 57, .41 caliber revolver; and a Sig Sauer, model M400, .223 caliber rifle. The ATF agent informed Watson that each of the firearms were stolen and asked him to return them to the Beckley Police Department. Watson complied and turned the firearms over to the police. Watson admitted that at the time he possessed the aforementioned firearms, he knew that he was prohibited from possessing a firearm under federal law because of a 2004 felony conviction in Harrison County Circuit Court. Assistant United States Attorney L. Alexander Hamner is handling the prosecution.
These cases are 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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Trio headed to prison for drug conspiracyRead the Press Release
BROWNSVILLE, Texas – A Brownsville man and a couple living in Los Fresnos have been ordered to prison for a total of nearly 50 years for their role in transporting meth from Brownsville to Louisiana, announced U. S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick. Jesus Hector Garza Jr., 31, Gelacio Flores-Flores, 33, and Mayra Danira Rodriguez, 40, pleaded guilty in 2018.
Today, U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. sentenced Flores-Flores, a Mexican citizen living in Los Fresnos to 200 months in federal prison, while his wife - Rodriguez – received 157 months. Not a U.S. citizen, Flores-Flores is expected to face deportation proceedings following his sentence.
Judge Rodriguez previously sentenced Garza Jr., of Brownsville, to 240 months in federal prison.
In handing down the sentences, Judge Rodriguez noted the serious nature of the meth trafficking. He also recognized Flores and Rodriguez’s role in providing the drugs from Mexico to Garza who sold it to his buyers in Louisiana for profit. The court also ordered a $100,000 money judgment against Garza and a $30,000 money judgement for Flores as forfeiture of the proceeds they earned from illegally selling the methamphetamine.
In 2016, Garza bought approximately two kilograms of “ice” from Flores and enlisted Rodriguez to find a drug “mule” to get the meth load to Louisiana. Rodriguez recruited a young female from Brownsville to carry the drugs. Law enforcement intercepted the woman carrying the methamphetamine at a motel in Houston after bad weather kept the drug load from being carried all the way to Louisiana.
The investigation revealed Garza had purchased meth from Flores and Rodriguez numerous times. Flores and Rodriguez had a source of supply in Mexico for the drugs. Garza also sold crack cocaine locally in Brownsville and had shipped powdered cocaine to customers throughout the Southeastern United States.
All three have been and will remain in custody awaiting their transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and FBI conducted the joint Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Betancourt prosecuted the case.
Three Men Charged with Drug Trafficking and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
SCRANTON—The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Ronald McKenna, age 39, of Wilkes-Barre, Drew Miller, age 34, of East Stroudsburg, and William Hill, age 38, of East Stroudsburg, were indicted on October 1, 2019, by a federal grand jury for drug trafficking and firearms offenses.
According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, the indictment charges McKenna with conspiracy to distribute heroin and possessing firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking; it charges Miller with using a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime; and it charges Hill with using a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime and possessing, and bartering a stolen firearm.
The conspiracy charge alleges that McKenna conspired with others to distribute heroin in Monroe County between September 2016 and February 2019. The indictment also alleges that all three men committed the gun offenses in February 2019.
The matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Stroud Area Regional Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis P. Sempa is prosecuting the cases.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
This case was also brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Heroin Initiative targets heroin traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit heroin related offenses.
Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
The maximum penalty under federal law is life imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine for using or possessing a firearm in connection with a drug trafficking offense. Those charges also carry a mandatory minimum sentence of five years’ imprisonment. McKenna also faces a potential maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment for the drug conspiracy charge. Hill also faces up to 10 years’ imprisonment if convicted of the possession/bartering of stolen firearm charge. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.
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Three Fort Drum Soldiers Charged in Gun Shop Burglary InvestigationRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Rian Patterson, age 22, Devin Diggs, age 20, and Tyrease Kimmons, age 20, U.S. Army soldiers stationed at Fort Drum, New York, appeared in federal court yesterday on a criminal complaint charging them in connection the burglaries of two North Country federally licensed firearms dealers, announced United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and John B. DeVito, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).
The criminal complaint charges Patterson and Diggs with stealing firearms from federally licensed firearms dealers and conspiring to do so. Tyrease Kimmons is charged with the knowing receipt of stolen firearms. The criminal complaint further alleges that 10 firearms (5 pistols, 3 rifles, 2 shotguns) were taken during burglaries on September 14, 2019, in Gouvernuer, N.Y., and September 29, 2019, in De Kalb Junction, N.Y.
Patterson and Diggs are stationed at Fort Drum, N.Y, where they reside. Kimmons is a resident of Evans Mills, N.Y., and is also stationed at Fort Drum.
If convicted of the charges set forth in the complaint, the defendants face up to 10 years in prison, a maximum fine of up $250,000, and up to 3 years of supervised release. The defendants are currently held in custody without bail pending a detention hearing.
The charges in the complaint are merely accusations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This case is being investigated by the ATF, U.S Army Criminal Investigation Division (ARMY CID), the St. Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department, and the New York State Police, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Sutcliffe.
This case is brought pursuant to 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.
Terre Haute man sentenced to 23 years for role in cross country drug trafficketing operationRead the Press Release
Terre Haute – United States Attorney Josh J. Minkler announced today that Robin Lennox, 49, of Terre Haute, Indiana was sentenced for his role in a major drug trafficking operation in Terre Haute, Indiana. Lennox was sentenced to 23 years in federal prison by U.S. District Judge James Patrick Hanlon. Lennox previously pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.
“Those individuals who choose to illegally peddle drugs into our neighborhoods by mail or through other means, thereby endangering our citizens will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” said Minkler.
In 2017 and 2018, Lennox regularly purchased multiple pound quantities of methamphetamine from Arizona and had them mailed to him in Terre Haute. Law enforcement intercepted packages containing both multiple pounds of methamphetamine and fentanyl sent to Lennox. Lennox would then distribute the drugs to other dealers in the Terre Haute, Indiana area.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Vigo County Drug Task Force, and Terre Haute Police Department.
“This sentencing of Robin Lennox to 23 years in federal prison was necessary and just for the citizens of Terre Haute, and the surrounding communities,” said DEA’s Assistant Special Agent in Charge J. Michael Gannon. “Mr. Lennox, and others, who show complete disregard for the well-being of fellow Hoosiers shall be held accountable and will have plenty of time to appropriately reflect on their egregious behavior. DEA appreciates the law enforcement partners who contributed to this effort and we encourage anyone who maybe using drugs to get the necessary help that is available. For all you drug dealers out there, be warned, we are coming after you, we will not tolerate poison coming into our communities.”
“The Terre Haute Police Department is grateful for our continued partnership with the Drug Enforcement Administration as well as the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” said Detective Brian Bourbeau. “We recognize that their relentless effort to pursue criminals in the Wabash Valley creates a safer environment for everyone.”
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Pamela S Domash, who prosecuted this case for the government, Lennox must serve five years of supervised release after his sentence.
Codefendants Eric Bright, Bobby Shewmake, and Lauren Coomes were previously sentenced to 120, 70, and 32 months of imprisonment, respectively.
In October 2017, United States Attorney Josh J. Minkler announced a Strategic Plan designed to shape and strengthen the District’s response to its most significant public safety challenges. This prosecution demonstrates the Office’s firm commitment to prosecuting those who commit serious controlled substances trafficking offenses. See United States Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Indiana Strategic Plan Sections 3.2 and 3.3.
Ten Previously Deported Aliens Charged with Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that ten previously deported aliens were indicted separately on October 2, 2019, by a federal grand jury for illegal reentry into the United States. These matters arose in counties throughout the District including Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lackawanna, Lebanon, Luzerne, and Northumberland Counties.
According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Jaime Vazquez-Hernandez, age 38, of Mexico, was previously deported from the United States to Mexico in June 2015. He is alleged to have illegally reentered the United States sometime after June 2015, and was found in the United States in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania after eluding examination or inspection by immigration officers.
Carlos Mejia-Ruiz, age 30, of Honduras, was previously deported from the United States to Honduras in July 2009. He is alleged to have illegally reentered the United States sometime after July 2009, and was found in the United States in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania after eluding examination or inspection by immigration officers.
Yadoris Arismendy Martinez-Sanchez, age 39, of Dominican Republic, was previously deported from the United States to Dominican Republic in April 2014. He is alleged to have illegally reentered the United States sometime after April 2014, and was found in the United States in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania after eluding examination or inspection by immigration officers.
Mario Domingo-Pablo, age 28, of Guatemala, was previously deported from the United States to Guatemala in November 2012. He is alleged to have illegally reentered the United States sometime after November 2012, and was found in the United States in Franklin County, Pennsylvania after eluding examination or inspection by immigration officers.
Ivan Gonzalez-Vasquez, age 31, of Mexico, was previously deported from the United States to Mexico in June 2009. He is alleged to have illegally reentered the United States sometime after June 2009, and was found in the United States in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania after eluding examination or inspection by immigration officers.
Cesar Rodriguez-Arevalo was previously deported from the United States to El Salvador in November 2008. He is alleged to have illegally reentered the United States sometime after November 2008, and was found in the United States in Franklin County, Pennsylvania after eluding examination or inspection by immigration officers.
Cristian Domingo Rodriguez-Mejia, age 33, of Honduras, was previously deported from the United States to Honduras in July 2008. He is alleged to have illegally reentered the United States sometime after July 2008, and was found in the United States in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania after eluding examination or inspection by immigration officers.
Isael Armando Morales-Mendez, age 32, of Guatemala, was previously deported from the United States to Guatemala in October 2015. He is alleged to have illegally reentered the United States sometime after October 2015, and was found in the United States in Franklin County, Pennsylvania after eluding examination or inspection by immigration officers.
Gustavo Mejia, age 41, of Honduras, was previously deported from the United States to Honduras in September 2013. He is alleged to have illegally reentered the United States sometime after September 2013, and was found in the United States in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania after eluding examination or inspection by immigration officers.
Alejandro Flores-Torres, age 48, of Mexico, was previously deported from the United States to Mexico in January 2005. He is alleged to have illegally reentered the United States sometime after January 2005, and was found in the United States in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania after eluding examination or inspection by immigration officers.
Flores-Torres faces a maximum penalty of 10 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine.
Vazquez-Hernandez, Mejia-Ruiz, Martinez-Sanchez, Domingo-Pablo, Gonzales-Vasquez, Rodriguez-Mejia, Morales-Mendez, Mejia, Rodriguez-Arevalo face a maximum penalty of two years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine.
These cases were investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). Assistant United States Attorney Joanne Sanderson is prosecuting the cases.
Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.
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Statement from U.S. Attorney Lelling Regarding Drug Injection SitesRead the Press Release
“Opioid overdose deaths are down 11% over this time last year, a substantial drop and the continuation of a multi-year trend. Now would not be the time to open a site for the purpose of making it easier to take heroin and fentanyl.
Despite the constant repetition by proponents of these sites, there are no reliable studies showing that they reduce overall numbers of overdose deaths or, more importantly, help addicts get clean. And, yes, people have died in drug injection facilities. Meanwhile, these sites are harmful to the communities that host them, as they attract high concentrations of drug users, followed by drug dealers, and so an increase in crime.
We’re aware of the decision yesterday by a single district court judge in Philadelphia. We respectfully disagree with it, and it is only the first step in a long process of judicial review for this important issue. As the Deputy Attorney General said yesterday, efforts to open injection facilities, including here in Massachusetts, will be met with federal enforcement.”
St. Charles Man Sentenced for Fentanyl ConspiracyRead the Press Release
St. Louis –Jonathen Aguilar, 32, of St. Charles, Missouri, was sentenced to 188 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute between 1.2 and 4 kilograms fentanyl. Aguilar appeared in federal court on Wednesday, October 2, 2019.
According to court documents, on September 13, 2018, a suspicious package was sent to the address of 2017 Avignon Drive in St. Charles, Missouri from California. Aguilar and co-defendant Ruben Lopez were involved in retrieving the package from Avignon Drive and delivering it to another residence at 425 Molina Way.
On September 18, 2018, inspectors discovered a suspicious package addressed to a “Kimberly Coxx” at “2017 Avignon Dr” and a La Mirada, California return address. Investigators obtained a federal warrant to search the package. Inside, inspectors discovered fentanyl. The fentanyl was seized.
Based on additional investigation, investigators obtained a search warrant for 2017 Avignon Drive and 425 Molina Way. During the Avignon Drive search, investigators located and seized, among other things, a stolen Glock 27 .40 caliber handgun with an ammunition magazine containing twelve rounds; two suspected pill presses with drug residue; fentanyl; and an empty postal box mailed on August 30, 2018. During the Molina Way search, investigators located and seized, among other things, fentanyl and $19,000.
On September 20, 2018, the Drug Enforcement Administration received information that an additional package was present on the porch at 2017 Avignon Drive. Investigators obtained a federal warrant to search the package. Inspectors located fentanyl inside.
Co-defendant Ruben Lopez pled guilty in August and will be sentenced on October 30.
These charges are a result of a joint investigation between the St. Louis Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration, the United States Postal Inspection Service with assistance from the St. Charles County Police Department, the St. Charles County Regional Drug Task Force, the St. Charles County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and the St. Peters Police Department.
St. Charles Man Indicted for Attempting to Kill Federal Law Enforcement OfficersRead the Press Release
St. Louis – A federal grand jury returned an indictment today against Elijah Moore, 37, of St. Charles County, Missouri, on multiple criminal counts stemming from a two-day crime spree in July 2019.
On July 29, 2019, the indictment alleges that a Task Force Officer with the United States Marshals Service and a St. Charles County Sheriff’s department detective located Moore in Wentzville, Missouri and attempted to arrest him. According to the indictment, Moore attempted to kill both officers and discharged a firearm in furtherance of those attempts. Neither officer was seriously injured. The indictment further alleges that Moore carjacked a vehicle on July 29 and discharged a firearm in the process.
Moore has been specifically charged with two counts of attempting to kill a federal law enforcement officer; two counts of discharging a firearm in furtherance of those attempts; one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm; one count of possessing a stolen firearm; one count of carjacking; and one count of discharging a firearm in furtherance of the carjacking.
Charges set forth in the Indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Springfield Man Sentenced to 19 Years for Narcotics, Money Laundering and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
BOSTON - A Springfield man was sentenced in federal court in Boston today in connection to his role in a firearms, narcotics and money laundering conspiracy.
Dinelson Dinzey, 35, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge William G. Young to 19 years in prison and 10 years of supervised release. In May 2019, Dinzey pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin, cocaine, and 280 grams or more of crack cocaine; five counts of distribution and possession with intent to distribute heroin, cocaine, and crack cocaine; two counts of money laundering conspiracy; one count of conspiracy to engage in the unlicensed dealing of firearms; one count of engaging in the unlicensed dealing of firearms; and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Dinzey and seven others were charged in a superseding indictment on Dec. 21, 2018.
According to court documents, Dinzey and co-defendant Nia Moore-Bush obtained narcotics in the Springfield area, transported them to Vermont themselves or via couriers, and distributed the drugs in the Barre area, where drug prices are much higher than in Springfield.
Dinzey then conspired to launder the proceeds of the drug sales through bank accounts allegedly held by another co-defendant, Daphne Moore, in trust for Moore-Bush. Court records state that the organization would make cash deposits in Vermont, and Moore-Bush and Moore would facilitate the withdrawal of those funds from the accounts in Massachusetts. Dinzey also conspired with Moore-Bush to launder drug proceeds through the purchase of an Audi vehicle.
Dinzey also conspired with Moore-Bush and others to engage in the unlicensed dealing of firearms and in a May 5, 2017 firearms sale. According to court documents, six firearms involved in this conspiracy were traced to individuals connected to Vermont or New Hampshire. According to court records, Dinzey was convicted of felony drug offenses in state courts on three prior occasions.
Moore-Bush and Moore have pleaded not guilty and are awaiting trial.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Kelly D. Brady, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Boston Field Division, made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston; Massachusetts State Police; Vermont State Police; and the Montpelier (VT) and Barre (VT) Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katharine A. Wagner of Lelling’s Springfield Office and Amy Harman Burkart of Lelling’s Boston Office are prosecuting the cases.
Six Convicted Felons Receive Federal Prison Sentences This Week for Illegally Possessing Firearms and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
LAFAYETTE, ALEXANDRIA, MONROE, La. – United States Attorney David C. Joseph announced the resolution of several cases this week, all of which are separately noted, that were brought pursuant to the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. Project Safe Neighborhoods 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.
Duson Man Sentenced
LAFAYETTE - Donavon Henry, 30, of Duson, Louisiana, was sentenced September 30 by U.S. District Judge Donald E. Walter, to 57 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. Henry pleaded guilty on June 26, 2019.
On May 25, 2018, Henry was at a scene on Elm Street where Crowley police officers responded to a call. Henry ran when the officers arrived. Witnesses observed Henry discard a firearm under a house near the location where he was ultimately apprehended. A Ruger, Model LCP .380 caliber semi-automatic pistol was recovered. Henry admitted to ATF agents that he possessed the firearm and discarded it when he ran from the police.
Donavon Henry’s prior felony convictions in state court include possession of marijuana, possession of cocaine, aggravated second degree battery, and illegal carrying of a weapon.
The ATF and Crowley Police Department conducted the investigation. Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Myers P. Namie prosecuted the case.
Two Lafayette Men Sentenced
LAFAYETTE – Alexander Kou Chou, 37, of Lafayette, Louisiana, was sentenced September 30 by U.S. District Judge Donald E. Walter, to 90 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release for possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon and possession of firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Chou pleaded guilty on July 10, 2019.
On October 18, 2018, Lafayette police officers pulled over a motorcycle that had been reported stolen and identified the man riding the motorcycle as Alexander Kou Chou. During his arrest, Chou admitted to officers that he had a firearm in his waistband, which was identified as a loaded Sig Sauer, Model P220, .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol. After the firearm was discovered, an officer found an array of drugs and an electronic scale in Chou’s jacket. The drugs consisted of approximately 28 grams of heroin, 8 grams of cocaine and 10 grams of methamphetamine. Chou admitted that he intended to distribute the drugs in his possession.
Alexander Chou’s prior felony convictions in state court include possession of methamphetamine and simple burglary.
The ATF and Lafayette Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Danny Siefker prosecuted the case.
LAFAYETTE – Bryce Chapman, 28, of Lafayette, Louisiana, was sentenced September 30 by U.S. District Judge Donald E. Walter, to 72 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release for possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. Chapman pleaded guilty on July 10, 2019.
On November 18, 2018, Rayne Police officers responded to a report of two men unconscious in a car at a local gas station. Chapman was identified as the driver and was arrested after officers found him in possession of a Rossi .38 special caliber revolver. Bryce Chapman has a prior felony conviction in state court for vehicular homicide.
The ATF and Rayne Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Danny Siefker prosecuted the case.
Carencro Man Sentenced
LAFAYETTE, La. – Kaylon Rideaux, 24, of Carencro, Louisiana, was sentenced October 1 by Senior U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell, to 70 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release for possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. Rideaux pleaded guilty on June 25, 2019.
On October 24, 2017, Carencro police officers arrived at a residence in Carencro to execute an arrest warrant on Rideaux unrelated to this event. Rideaux informed the officers that he had a firearm in his possession. An RG Model 23, .22 caliber revolver and four rounds of ammunition was recovered. Kaylon Rideaux has a prior felony conviction in state court for simple robbery and was aware at the time of his arrest that he was prohibited from possessing a firearm and ammunition.
The ATF and Carencro Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel J. Vermaelen prosecuted the case.
Alexandria Man Sentenced
ALEXANDRIA – Demarcus Jontue Scales, 34, of Alexandria, Louisiana, was sentenced October 1 by Senior U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell, to 44 months in prison for felon in possession of a firearm, which will run consecutively with his 15-year sentence imposed by the state for murder. Judge Drell also ordered Scales to three years of supervised release following his federal prison confinement. Scales pleaded guilty on June 25, 2019.
On January 30, 2018, an Alexandria police officer was on patrol looking for two suspects related to an armed robbery that had occurred earlier that day. Officers noticed a male walking approximately one block from the location of the robbery who matched the description of one of the robbery suspects. The male, later identified as Demarcus Scales, began to run when he saw the marked police car and crawled under a vehicle. The officer pursued Scales and observed him throw an object toward the front of the vehicle. A Smith and Wesson revolver, Victory model, .38 caliber special, which was loaded with five rounds of ammunition, was retrieved from the ground. Scales admitted that the firearm belonged to him and that he ran because he knew he had outstanding warrants. He also admitted that he knew as a convicted felon he was not supposed to have the firearm.
Scales has a long rap sheet that includes felony convictions for possession of marijuana, attempted possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a controlled dangerous substance, attempted illegal use of a firearm, possession of synthetic marijuana, firearm possession by felon, and manslaughter. Scales has been arrested multiple times for weapons possession, and has demonstrated his willingness to use them.
The ATF and Alexandria Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany E. Fields prosecuted the case.
Monroe Man Sentenced
MONROE – Derrick Antonio Hall, 37, of Monroe, Louisiana, was sentenced October 2 by U.S. District Judge Terry A. Doughty, to nine years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release for possession of firearm by a convicted felon. Hall pleaded guilty on June 18, 2019.
On July 20, 2018, Hall drove to a gas station in Monroe and left the car idling with loud music playing as he entered the gas station. Monroe police arrived shortly thereafter and observed the unattended vehicle. When the officers approached Hall upon his return to the vehicle, they smelled marijuana coming from inside the car and saw a bag of suspected marijuana. During a search of the vehicle, an officer found a Glock, Model: G26, 9 mm-caliber pistol with an extended magazine containing 24 rounds of ammunition.
Derrick Hall has prior felony convictions in state court for carrying a firearm on school property (2001), and for distribution of cocaine (2004).
The ATF and Monroe Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Leon H. Whitten is prosecuting the case.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of a firearm or ammunition.
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Seventeen People Charged in Passaic County Drug Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – Seventeen people have been charged for their roles as members and associates of a Paterson-based street gang involved in the distribution of narcotics, including heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine base, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced today.
Nine defendants were arrested today and seven were already in state custody. One defendant remains at large. Those arrested today are scheduled to have their initial appearances this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Leda Dunn Wettre in Newark federal court. (See chart below.)
“Gang members who traffic in narcotics pump poison into New Jersey streets and put our citizens at risk of addiction and violence,” U.S. Attorney Carpenito said, “The charges announced today result from the combined work of our federal, state, and local partners, and will help ensure that these defendants no longer threaten our communities with these harms and instead are held responsible for their crimes.”
“Today’s arrests are a direct result of the hard work and collaboration between ATF, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and our local, state, and federal partners in addressing gangs and their associative violence,” ATF Special Agent-In-Charge Charlie J. Patterson said. “Without question, gangs destroy communities. Let these arrests serve as a deterrent to those who think they have free reign to utilize the illegal drug trade to facilitate violence and spread fear in hopes of creating strongholds in our communities. ATF will continue to make addressing violent crime a priority and will stand together with our partners to make the City of Paterson a safer place for all of us.”
“The removal of these gang members from the streets of Paterson have made the city a safer place,” Susan A. Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Jersey Division, said. “The DEA and our law enforcement partners will continue to target those individuals and organizations who choose to put communities at risk by dealing dangerous narcotics.”
The complaint charges the defendants – all Paterson residents – in three interrelated drug conspiracies involving the distribution of heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine base in the Passaic County area. One defendant, Tawan Grier, is additionally charged with distribution of cocaine base and heroin, and two of the defendants, Najier Boone and Davine Campbell, are charged with distribution of cocaine base.
According to the documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
The defendants are all members and associates of the 230 Boys street gang, which operates primarily on Rosa Parks Boulevard and Godwin Avenue in Paterson. Through numerous controlled purchases of narcotics, consensually recorded telephone calls and text messages, physical surveillance, and the analysis of telephone call detail records, law enforcement determined that from September 2018 through Oct. 1, 2019, the defendants conspired to distribute narcotics, including heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine base.
The counts of conspiracy to distribute at least 100 grams of heroin and 28 grams of cocaine base each carry a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison and a fine of at least $5 million. The counts of conspiracy to distribute heroin and fentanyl, and the distribution of heroin and cocaine base, carry a maximum of 20 years in prison and a fine of $1 million.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents and task force officers with the ATF, Newark Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Patterson; special agents of the DEA, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gibson in Newark; officers of the N.J. State Police, under the direction of Col. Patrick J. Callahan; officers of the Paterson Police Department, under the direction of Director Jerry Speziale and Police Chief Troy Oswald; detectives of the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Camelia Valdes, and the Passaic County Sheriff's Department, under the direction of Sheriff Richard H. Berdnik, with the investigation leading to the charges. He also thanked the U.S. Marshals Service, the Bergen County Sheriff's Office and the Belleville and Livingston police departments for their assistance with the case.
This case is being conducted under the auspices of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Francesca Liquori of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s OCDETF Unit.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
DEFENDANTS AND CHARGES
*denotes at large
NAME
AGE
CHARGE
Aaryn Abrams
23
Count One: Conspiracy to Distribute 100 Grams or More of Heroin
Count Two: Conspiracy to Distribute Heroin
Najier Boone
23
Count One: Conspiracy to Distribute 100 Grams or More of Heroin
Count Two: Conspiracy to Distribute Heroin
Count Four: Distribution of Cocaine Base
Carl Brown
25
Count One: Conspiracy to Distribute 100 Grams or More of Heroin
Count Two: Conspiracy to Distribute Heroin
*Keith Brinkley
29
Count One: Conspiracy to Distribute 100 Grams or More of Heroin
Count Two: Conspiracy to Distribute Heroin
Zikeme Brooks
26
Count Two: Conspiracy to Distribute Heroin
Davine Campbell
38
Count Four: Distribution of Cocaine Base
Shaquille Fabor
26
Count One: Conspiracy to Distribute 100 Grams or More of Heroin
Count Two: Conspiracy to Distribute Heroin
Count Three: Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl
Tawan Grier
20
Count One: Conspiracy to Distribute 100 Grams or More of Heroin
Count Two: Conspiracy to Distribute Heroin
Count Three: Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl
Counts Four: Distribution of Heroin
Count Five: Distribution of Cocaine Base
Isaiah Hargrove
20
Count One: Conspiracy to Distribute 100 Grams or More of Heroin
Count Two: Conspiracy to Distribute Heroin
Count Three: Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl
Tyson Jacobs
20
Count One: Conspiracy to Distribute 100 Grams or More of Heroin
Count Two: Conspiracy to Distribute Heroin
Count Three: Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl
Amir Jones
20
Count One: Conspiracy to Distribute 100 Grams or More of Heroin
Count Two: Conspiracy to Distribute Heroin
Dashion Kelson
39
Count One: Conspiracy to Distribute 100 Grams or More of Heroin
Count Two: Conspiracy to Distribute Heroin
Count Three: Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl
Dwayne Northern
34
Count Two: Conspiracy to Distribute Heroin
Wyzier Peterson
22
Count One: Conspiracy to Distribute 100 Grams or More of Heroin
Count Two: Conspiracy to Distribute Heroin
Count Three: Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl
Jimir Ricks
25
Count One: Conspiracy to Distribute 100 Grams or More of Heroin
Count Two: Conspiracy to Distribute Heroin
Count Three: Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl
Maurice Tisdale
26
Count One: Conspiracy to Distribute 100 Grams or More of Heroin
Count Two: Conspiracy to Distribute Heroin
Cequan Wharton
25
Count One: Conspiracy to Distribute 100 Grams or More of Heroin
Count Two: Conspiracy to Distribute Heroin
Second Superseding Indictment Adds Additional Allegations of Public CorruptionRead the Press Release
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – A federal grand jury has returned a nine-count superseding indictment, unsealed today, against John Thomas Burnette, 42, of Tallahassee, Florida.
United States Attorney Lawrence Keefe of the Northern District of Florida, Assistant Attorney
General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and Special Agent in
Charge Rachel Rojas of the FBI’s Jacksonville Field Office made the announcement.In December 2018, a federal grand jury charged Tallahassee City Commissioner Scott Maddox and Paige
Carter-Smith in a forty-four count indictment for conspiring to operate a racketeering enterprise that engaged in acts of bank fraud, extortion, honest-services fraud and bribery. That indictment also charged Maddox and Carter-Smith with substantive counts of bank fraud, false statements to financial institutions, extortion, honest-services fraud, use of interstate facilities to facilitate bribery, false statements to federal officers, conspiracy to interfere with the lawful function of the IRS, and filing false tax returns.In May 2019, the grand jury returned a forty-seven count superseding indictment adding Burnette as a defendant and charging him with participating in the racketeering conspiracy and extortion, honest services mail fraud, the use of facilities in interstate commerce to facilitate bribery, and making false statements to federal officers. Maddox and Carter-Smith subsequently pleaded guilty to two counts of honest-services fraud and one count of conspiring to interfere with the lawful function of the IRS. The Government agreed at sentencing to dismiss other charges filed against
Maddox and Carter-Smith in that first superseding indictment.The grand jury returned a nine-count second superseding indictment against Burnette only. The charges in the first superseding indictment to which Maddox and Carter-Smith pleaded guilty are undisturbed by the return of the second superseding indictment against Burnette. The second superseding indictment does not include any new counts against Burnette; the nine counts from the first superseding indictment are renumbered Counts One through Nine.
However, the second superseding indictment alleges additional acts of racketeering conspiracy.
Specifically, the second superseding indictment alleges that, in early 2014, Burnette caused a company to pay $110,000 in exchange for Maddox declaring a conflict and not voting at a Tallahassee
City Commission meeting. At that meeting, the Commission was slated to vote on an extension sought by a hotel development group to allow more time to meet certain City requirements to build a hotel close to a downtown hotel owned by Burnette. Maddox’s failure to participate resulted in a 2-2 tie vote by the Commission that denied the hotel development group the extension it sought and ended its project Burnette has waived arraignment on the second superseding indictment. The trial of this case is scheduled for November 4, 2019.The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue
Service – Criminal Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen
M. Kunz, Gary K. Milligan, and Andrew J. Grogan of the Northern District of Florida’s Public Trust
Unit, and Trial Attorneys Simon J. Cataldo, Peter M. Nothstein, and Rosaleen O’Gara of the
Department of Justice, Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section.The maximum terms of imprisonment for the offenses are as follows:
• 20 years: Racketeering Conspiracy, Extortion, and Honest Services Fraud
• 5 years: Use of Interstate Facilities in Furtherance of Bribery, Making False Statements to a
Federal OfficerAn indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of
Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern a, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.Scammer Sentenced to Federal Prison for Mail Fraud Involving a Scheme to Steal Nearly $400,000Read the Press Release
MONROE, La. – United States Attorney David C. Joseph announced that Ronald W. Reeves, 68, of Delhi, Louisiana, was sentenced October 2 by U.S. District Judge Terry A. Doughty to serve 41 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release for mail fraud involving his role in a scheme to steal nearly $400,000. Judge Doughty also ordered Reeves to pay $86,239.16 in restitution, representing losses to several victims, including the Internal Revenue Service.
According to the guilty plea, Reeves conspired with others from April 2014 to April 2017 to fraudulently divert mail from the intended recipients to himself in order to obtain checks, credit cards and identifying information of the victims. Through this process, Reeves obtained multiple checks as well as 292 credit cards, debit cards and prepaid debit cards. Additionally, Reeves maintained multiple bank accounts that he and others used to deposit money that belonged to the victims. These funds included checks made payable to other people and fraudulently obtained tax refund deposit checks from the U.S. Treasury, totaling more than $247,888. Reeves and others attempted to steal a total of $397,409 during the course of the scheme.
The IRS and U.S. Postal Inspection Service conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian C. Flanagan and Seth D. Reeg prosecuted the case.
# # #
Saudi Citizen Sentenced to More Than 12 Years in Prison for Concealing Attendance at Al Qaeda Training Camp and Visa FraudRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY — Naif Abdulaziz M. Alfallaj, 35, a citizen of Saudi Arabia and a former resident of Weatherford, Oklahoma, has been sentenced to 151 months in federal prison for making a false statement to the FBI about his attendance at an al Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan in late 2000, as well as for visa fraud.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, United States Attorney Timothy J. Downing of the Western District of Oklahoma, Special Agent-in-Charge Melissa R. Godbold of the FBI’s Oklahoma City Division, and Special Agent-in-Charge Ryan Spradlin of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) made the announcement.
"The U.S. Government identified the defendant after finding his fingerprints on an application to join al Qaeda that the U.S. military had gathered from the battlefields of Afghanistan," said Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers of the National Security Division. "We were able to match those fingerprints with fingerprints taken for his U.S. visa application and to determine that he had made false statements in that application in order to conceal his attendance at an al Qaeda training camp in 2000. With the sentence imposed today, he will be held accountable for his crime and removed from the country. I want to thank the military personnel, agents, analysts, and prosecutors whose dedication is responsible for this case."
"This case required thorough investigation and careful coordination among agents and prosecutors in a matter that is our highest priority—terrorism," said U.S. Attorney Downing. "We are fortunate to have dedicated, effective federal law enforcement looking out for potential threats to public safety in Oklahoma."
"This investigation highlights the ongoing efforts of the FBI’s Oklahoma City Joint Terrorism Task Force. Together with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, the FBI is committed to defending the American people against potential acts of terrorism. Today’s sentencing is a reminder that protecting the United States from the threat of terrorism remains the FBI's number one priority," said Special Agent-in-Charge Melissa Godbold of the FBI’s Oklahoma City Field Office.
HSI Special Agent-in-Charge Spradlin said: “Our ongoing fight against terrorists depends upon our partnerships with many law enforcement agencies and sometimes takes years. However, the United States has the resources, the will, and the patience to identify and pursue terrorists—despite the lies they tell to hide themselves. Homeland Security Investigations frequently plays a key role in identifying and locating terrorists in our midst.”
On February 5, 2018, Alfallaj was taken into custody by the FBI without incident, based on a criminal complaint signed in the Western District of Oklahoma. According to the complaint, the FBI found 15 of Alfallaj’s fingerprints on an application to an al Qaeda training camp, known as al Farooq, which was one of al Qaeda’s key training sites in Afghanistan leading up to the attacks of September 11, 2001. The document was recovered by the U.S. military from an al Qaeda safe house in Afghanistan and included an emergency contact number associated with Alfallaj’s father in Saudi Arabia.
Alfallaj first entered the U.S. in late 2011 on a nonimmigrant visa based on his wife’s status as a foreign student. He answered several questions on his visa application falsely, including whether he had ever supported terrorists or terrorist organizations. Alfallaj has been detained in federal custody since his arrest.
On February 6, 2018, a grand jury in Oklahoma City returned a three-count indictment against Alfallaj. Count One alleged that from March 2012 to the present, he possessed a visa obtained by fraud. Count Two alleged he used that visa in October 2016 to apply for lessons at a private flight school in Oklahoma. Count Three charged him with making a false statement to the FBI in an investigation of an offense involving international terrorism by denying, among other things, that he had ever visited Afghanistan.
Alfallaj pleaded guilty to Counts One and Three on December 14, 2018. In particular, he admitted he possessed a nonimmigrant visa from March 2012 to early 2018 that he obtained by fraud. He also admitted he falsely told federal agents during the December 2017 interview that he had never visited Afghanistan or participated in religious, tactical, or military training outside Saudi Arabia, and otherwise affirmed falsely that all of the answers on his nonimmigrant visa application were true and correct. As part of his plea agreement, Alfallaj consented to the entry of a stipulated judicial order of removal from the United States at the end of any prison term.
Today, U.S. District Judge Scott L. Palk sentenced Alfallaj to 151 months in prison. This consists of 120 months—the statutory maximum—for visa fraud and 96 months—also the statutory maximum—for making a false statement. The court announced that 31 months of the false-statement sentence will run consecutive to the visa-fraud sentence, for a total incarceration period of 151 months. In reaching this sentence, the court took into account Alfallaj’s pattern of deceptive statements and his inquiry on an online forum in 2013 about participating in fighting in Afghanistan or Chechnya, in which he used his nickname from the al Farooq camp. At the conclusion of the hearing, the judge signed the stipulated order of removal.
This case is the result of an investigation by the FBI-Oklahoma City Joint Terrorism Task Force, which includes members from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Secret Service, the Transportation Security Administration, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, the University of Oklahoma Police Department, the Oklahoma City Police Department, and the Edmond Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Dillon of the Western District of Oklahoma and Trial Attorneys David C. Smith and C. Alexandria Bogle of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section prosecuted the case.
Saudi Citizen Sentenced to More Than 12 Years in Prison for Concealing Attendance at Al Qaeda Training Camp and Visa FraudRead the Press Release
Naif Abdulaziz M. Alfallaj, 35, a citizen of Saudi Arabia and a former resident of Weatherford, Oklahoma, has been sentenced to 151 months’ imprisonment for making a false statement to the FBI about his attendance at an al Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan in late 2000, as well as for visa fraud.
“The U.S. Government identified the defendant after finding his fingerprints on an application to join al Qaeda that the U.S. military had gathered from the battlefields of Afghanistan,” said Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers of the National Security Division. “We were able to match those fingerprints with fingerprints taken for his U.S. visa application and to determine that he had made false statements in that application in order to conceal his attendance at an al Qaeda training camp in 2000. With the sentence imposed today, he will be held accountable for his crime and removed from the country. I want to thank the military personnel, agents, analysts and prosecutors whose dedication is responsible for this case.”
“This case required thorough investigation and careful coordination among agents and prosecutors in a matter that is our highest priority—terrorism,” said U.S. Attorney Downing for the Western District of Oklahoma. “We are fortunate to have dedicated, effective federal law enforcement looking out for potential threats to public safety in Oklahoma.”
“This investigation highlights the ongoing efforts of the FBI's Oklahoma City Joint Terrorism Task Force. Together with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, the FBI is committed to defending the American people against potential acts of terrorism. Today's sentencing is a reminder that protecting the United States from the threat of terrorism remains the FBI's number one priority, ” said Special Agent in Charge Melissa Godbold of the FBI's Oklahoma City Field Office.
“Our ongoing fight against terrorists depends upon our partnerships with many law enforcement agencies and sometimes takes years,” said HSI Special Agent-in-Charge Ryan Spradlin. “However, the United States has the resources, the will and the patience to identify and pursue terrorists — despite the lies they tell to hide themselves. Homeland Security Investigations frequently plays a key role in identifying and locating terrorists in our midst.”
On Feb. 5, 2018, Alfallaj was taken into custody by the FBI without incident, based on a criminal complaint signed in the Western District of Oklahoma. According to the complaint, the FBI found 15 of Alfallaj’s fingerprints on an application to an al Qaeda training camp, known as al Farooq, which was one of al Qaeda’s key training sites in Afghanistan leading up to the attacks of September 11, 2001. The document was recovered by the U.S. military from an al Qaeda safe house in Afghanistan and included an emergency contact number associated with Alfallaj’s father in Saudi Arabia.
Alfallaj first entered the U.S. in late 2011 on a nonimmigrant visa based on his wife’s status as a foreign student. He answered several questions on his visa application falsely, including whether he had ever supported terrorists or terrorist organizations. Alfallaj has been detained in federal custody since his arrest.
On Feb. 6, 2018, a grand jury in Oklahoma City returned a three-count indictment against Alfallaj. Count One alleged that from March 2012 to the present, he possessed a visa obtained by fraud. Count Two alleged he used that visa in October 2016 to apply for lessons at a private flight school in Oklahoma. Count Three charged him with making a false statement to the FBI in an investigation of an offense involving international terrorism by denying, among other things, that he had ever visited Afghanistan.
Alfallaj pleaded guilty to Counts One and Three on Dec. 14, 2018. In particular, he admitted he possessed a nonimmigrant visa from March 2012 to early 2018 that he obtained by fraud. He also admitted he falsely told federal agents during the December 2017 interview that he had never visited Afghanistan or participated in religious, tactical, or military training outside Saudi Arabia, and otherwise affirmed falsely that all of the answers on his nonimmigrant visa application were true and correct. As part of his plea agreement, Alfallaj consented to the entry of a stipulated judicial order of removal from the United States at the end of any prison term.
Today, U.S. District Judge Scott L. Palk sentenced Alfallaj to 151 months’ imprisonment. This consists of 120 months—the statutory maximum—for visa fraud and 96 months—also the statutory maximum—for making a false statement. The court announced that 31 months of the false-statement sentence will run consecutive to the visa-fraud sentence, for a total incarceration period of 151 months. In reaching this sentence, the court took into account Alfallaj’s pattern of deceptive statements and his inquiry on an online forum in 2013 about participating in fighting in Afghanistan or Chechnya, in which he used his nickname from the al Farooq camp. At the conclusion of the hearing, the judge signed the stipulated order of removal.
This case is the result of an investigation by the FBI-Oklahoma City Joint Terrorism Task Force, which includes members from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Secret Service, the Transportation Security Administration, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, the University of Oklahoma Police Department, the Oklahoma City Police Department, and the Edmond Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Dillon of the Western District of Oklahoma and Trial Attorneys David C. Smith and C. Alexandria Bogle of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section prosecuted the case.
San Fernando Valley Man Admits Guilt in English Proficiency Exam Scheme for Chinese Nationals Seeking Student VisasRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A Woodland Hills man pleaded guilty today to federal criminal charges in connection with a scheme where Chinese nationals fraudulently obtained student visas by hiring people with fake Chinese passports to take an English proficiency test on their behalf.
Liu Cai, 24, pleaded guilty to two felony counts of using a false passport. United States District Judge John A. Kronstadt scheduled a February 13, 2020, sentencing hearing, at which time Cai will face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
Cai is the lead defendant in a 26-count federal grand jury indictment returned in March, charging six defendants with conspiring to use false passports, using false passports, and aggravated identity theft, as part of the scheme to impersonate Chinese nationals who were required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) to obtain a student visa.
According to his plea agreement, in March 2015 and October 2016, Cai knowingly and willfully used counterfeit passports of the People’s Republic of China, furnishing them to proctors of the TOEFL exam. Cai admitted that he took the TOEFL exams on behalf of two Chinese nationals who sought to enter and remain in the United States on student visas.
Cai further admitted that he belonged to a network of U.S. citizens and permanent residents that were paid to impersonate TOEFL examinees. Cai impersonated a Chinese national on at least five occasions between March 2015 and October 2016, according to his plea agreement. Because of Cai’s conduct, college applicants fraudulently entered and remained in the United States on fraudulently obtained student visas, the plea agreement states.
The United States requires foreign citizens who wish to enter the United States on a temporary basis to study at a college or university to first obtain an F-1 student visa. To obtain a student visa, foreign citizens must first apply to study at a school that has been authorized by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) to enroll foreign students. In the United States, SEVP-certified schools require foreign citizens whose first language is not English to certify proficiency in English by achieving a particular score on the TOEFL.
When the foreign national goes to a TOEFL testing location, the test taker must present an original, non-expired, government-issued identification document recognized by their home country.
All of Cai’s co-defendants – Quang Cao, 24, of San Francisco; Elric Zhang, 25, of Los Angeles; Mohan Zhang, 24, of Cerritos; Samantha Wang, 25, of Corona, and Tuan Tran, 33, of Taiwan – have pleaded guilty to criminal charges in this case and are scheduled to be sentenced in the coming months.
This case was by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service’s Fraud Detection National Security Section. The Educational Testing Service, which administers the TOEFL exam, has provided assistance during the investigation.
This matter is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Gabriel J. Podesta of the General Crimes Section.
Roseville Couple Operating Dark Web Vendor Account “Dankstix” Plead GuiltyRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Xavier Alexander Speropoulos, 25, and Lauren Crowe, 20, both of Roseville, pleaded guilty today to illegal use of a cellphone in furtherance of a drug crime, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.
According to court documents, from Oct. 2017 through Jan. 22, 2019, when they were arrested, the defendants operated the vendor account “Dankstix” on Dream Market, a dark web marketplace. Through the Dankstix vendor account, the defendants illegally sold marijuana to customers throughout the United States in exchange for cryptocurrency.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Northern California Illicit Digital Economy Task Force (NCIDE), composed of agents from Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the IRS Criminal Investigation. The NCIDE Task Force is a joint, federal task force focused on targeting all forms of dark-web and cryptocurrency activity in the Eastern District of California. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Grant B. Rabenn and Paul Hemesath are prosecuting the cases.
Speropoulos and Crowe are scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley on Jan. 16, 2020. Both defendants face a maximum statutory penalty of four years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
Romanian Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison for ATM Skimming Scheme and Identity TheftRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH – A citizen of Romania has been sentenced in federal court to 34 months of imprisonment on his conviction of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
United States District Judge Nora Barry Fischer imposed the sentence on Elvis E. Roman, age 33, of Romania.
According to information presented to the court, Roman participated in a conspiracy and scheme to defraud banks in Western Pennsylvania. As part of the scheme, participants installed ATM skimming devices designed to fraudulently obtain the account information associated with cards inserted into the targeted ATM machines. Using that account information, participants created cloned ATM cards and fraudulently withdrew funds from ATM machines maintained by banks in Washington County.
Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey R. Bengel prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Brady commended the United States Secret Service, Department of Homeland Security, and the Cecil Township, Peters Township, and South Strabane Township Police Departments for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Roman.
Rockville Man Pleads Guilty in Federal Court to Scheme to Defraud His Employer of More Than $1.7 MillionRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – Rakesh Kaushal, age 66, of Rockville, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to the federal charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, in connection with a scheme to defraud his employer of more than $1.7 million.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur and Special Agent in Charge Jennifer C. Boone of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.
According to his plea agreement, between August 2015 and approximately January 2017, Kaushal was employed by a company headquartered in Beltsville, Maryland (Victim Company 1), which provided construction and design services, primarily to federal government agencies. Ivan Victor Thrane was the owner and president of three construction companies operating in Dickerson and Beltsville, Maryland (“the Thrane companies”). Kaushal recommended the Thrane companies to be subcontractors on Victim Company 1 projects for which Kaushal was the Project Manager or Project Executive.
Kaushal admitted that between August 2015 and January 2017, he conspired with Thrane to defraud Victim Company 1 by submitting fraudulent payment requests for work purportedly performed by the Thrane companies, which Kaushal reviewed and approved. In fact, the Thrane companies had not performed all of the work indicated on the payment requests and, in some cases, had not performed any work on projects for which payment was requested.
Specifically, Kaushal and Thrane, among other things, caused the Thrane companies to submit payment requests to Victim Company 1. Kaushal prepared the payment requests, which he e-mailed to Thrane. Thrane, or another individual at Thrane’s request, signed the payment requests on behalf of the Thrane companies. Thrane then e-mailed the signed payment requests to Kaushal, who, as Victim Company 1’s project manager and project executive, approved the payment requests, causing Victim Company 1 to pay the Thrane companies. Once payment was received from Victim Company 1, Thrane funneled a portion of those payments to Kaushal, typically by writing checks from his personal bank account or from the Thrane companies, which Kaushal then deposited into his personal bank account.
After Victim Company 1 discovered the overbilling in December 2016, Kaushal and Thrane attempted to conceal the scheme to defraud. For example, on December 28, 2016, Kaushal, using his work e-mail address, sent an e-mail to Thrane that read in part, “Good Morning Mr. Thrane: I have been informed by our accounting department that mistakenly we have overpaid your company for the MPO Skywalk Project. Can you please verify with your accounting and respond by COB today.” Other employees from Victim Company 1 were copied on this e-mail. In fact, Kaushal and Thrane had communicated prior to this e-mail regarding the discovery of overpayments by Victim Company 1. Kaushal and Thrane also agreed on a response, which Thrane then e-mailed to Kaushal, copying other employees from Victim Company 1. Thrane’s response read in part, “…please allow me to review our records with my accountant. My accountant is off this week. . . . Please rest assured that if there have been any overpayment to us by [Victim Company 1], we will return the overpayment immediately.” In fact, the Thrane companies did not have an accountant.
Shortly after the fraud was discovered by Victim Company 1, between January 17 and January 23, 2017, Kaushal wired a total of $650,000, including proceeds of the fraud, from one of his personal bank accounts to an account in India, with Kaushal listed as the beneficiary.
Victim Company 1 eventually initiated civil litigation against Kaushal and Thrane, and obtained a default judgment against Kaushal of $1,740,330. Kaushal then filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. During a meeting of creditors in the bankruptcy proceeding, Kaushal testified that he had used some of the proceeds of the fraud to purchase a condominium in India for a family member and that he had lost more than $100,000 gambling at various casinos. Kaushal was unable to account for more than $1 million of the kickback payments he received from Thrane. On May 15, 2019, the Bankruptcy Court entered a default judgment against Kaushal, denying him a discharge.
From approximately September 2015 to December 2016, Victim Company 1 paid the Thrane companies approximately $3,294,675.34 as a result of the scheme to defraud. Upon receipt of these payments from Victim Company 1, Thrane issued 34 kickback payments, totaling approximately $1,740,330 in checks written to Kaushal. On January 3, 2017, after discovering the fraud scheme, Victim Company 1 reversed or voided payments totaling approximately $741,525 to the Thrane companies. Kaushal then provided Thrane with three checks, all dated January 4, 2017, from Kaushal and made payable to one of the Thrane companies, totaling $370,700.06. Kaushal admits that the loss attributable to him as a result of the scheme is between $1.5 million and $3.5 million.
Ivan Victor Thrane, age 65, of Dickerson, Maryland, pleaded guilty to his role in the scheme on August 22, 2019, and is scheduled to be sentenced on January 7, 2020.
As part of their plea agreements, Kaushal and Thrane are required to forfeit and pay restitution in the full amount of the victim’s losses still outstanding, which is at least $988,805.
Kaushal faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for the wire fraud conspiracy. U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm has scheduled sentencing for January 14, 2020. Kaushal remains detained.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI for its work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica Collins and Gregory Bernstein, who are prosecuting the case.
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Rochester Woman Pleads Guilty to Drug and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Charity Lee, 38, of Rochester, NY, pleaded guilty before Chief U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr. to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Cassie Kocher, who is handling the case, stated that on July 12, 2018, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at the defendant’s residence. During the search, they recovered approximately 124 grams of cocaine, materials commonly used to package narcotics for sale, three firearms, one of which had an obliterated serial number, and a variety of ammunition.
In 2000, Lee was convicted of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Fifth Degree. As a result, she is legally prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief La’Ron Singletary, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge John B. Devito, New York Field Division.
Sentencing is scheduled for January 17, 2020, at 11:00 a.m. before Judge Geraci.
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Rochester Man Sentenced for Smuggling Counterfeit Cialis and Viagara into the United StatesRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051
ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Samuel McFarland, 55, of Rochester, NY, who was convicted of two counts of smuggling goods into the United States, was sentenced to serve 24 months’ probation by U.S. District Judge David G. Larimer.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean C. Eldridge, who handled the case, stated that on April 10, 2017, Customs and Border Protection officers at the John F. Kennedy International Airport intercepted a package coming from Hong Kong that was addressed to the defendant. The package contained 3,012 counterfeit Viagra pills and 190 counterfeit Cialis pills.
On January 8, 2018, CBP officers at the Rochester International Airport intercepted a package coming from China that was also addressed to McFarland’s residence. That package contained 100 bottles which included 30 counterfeit Cialis pills in each. The manifest for the package of 3000 counterfeit pills falsely listed the contents as “free trade sample” and claimed the package contained 50 plastic bottles valued at $1.00 each. Thereafter, on January 25, 2018, Homeland Security Investigations conducted a controlled delivery at the defendant’s residence of the package intercepted on January 8, 2018. McFarland answered the door and signed for the package. Federal agents then approached the house and executed a federal search warrant.
The defendant admitted to agents that he ordered both the April 2017 package and the January 2018 package, knowing that they contained counterfeit pills. An analysis of McFarland’s cellular phone revealed several searches for “fake Viagra,” related searches for pictures of real and counterfeit Viagra pills, searches for terms such as “package us customs detainment,” and photos that were cached from websites including “how to get Viagra for $1.”
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly; Customs and Border Protection, under the direction of Director of Field Operations Rose Brophy; and the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Jeffrey Ebersole, New York Field Office.
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Rochester Man Going to Prison for Fentanyl ConspiracyRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Giovanni Deleon, 27, of Rochester, NY, who was convicted of conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, was sentenced to serve 60 months in prison by U.S. District Judge David G. Larimer.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Cassie Kocher, who is handling the case, stated that between August 2018 and December 2018, the defendant conspired to distribute fentanyl. In furtherance of the conspiracy, Deleon distributed quantities of fentanyl to customers and assisted in obtaining quantities of fentanyl to be distributed in the Western District of New York.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge John B. Devito; the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief La’Ron Singletary; U.S. Border Patrol, under the direction of Patrol Agent in Charge Luis R. Tafoya; the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Gary Loeffert; and the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Ray Donovan, New York Field Division.
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Retired City Clerk Pleads Guilty to EmbezzlementRead the Press Release
WICHITA, KAN. – A retired city clerk of Caney, Kan., pleaded guilty today to embezzling city funds, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said.
Carole Sue Coker, 70, Oronogo, Mo., pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud. Coker, who served as city clerk for about 40 years, admitted she took money from payments made to the city in the form of cash and checks.
In some cases, she did not deposit cash payments from customers into the city’s accounts. In other cases, she deposited only a portion of payments made in the form of checks.
In her plea agreement, Coker agreed to pay more than $150,000 in restitution.
Sentencing is set for Dec. 19. She faces a penalty of up to 20 years in federal prison.
McAllister commended the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Metzger for their work on the case.
Repeat Albany Sex Offender Sentenced to 139 MonthsRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Terry L. Shellenberger, age 50, of Albany, was sentenced today to 129 months in prison for child pornography possession, and an additional 10 months in prison for supervised release violations, announced United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith.
Senior United States District Judge Lawrence E. Kahn also imposed a 25-year term of supervised release, to begin once Shellenberger is released from prison. Shellenberger must also register as a sex offender.
In pleading guilty, Shellenberger admitted that on July 21, 2018, while on supervised release for a prior federal felony, he was in possession of a phone that he used to download child pornography videos from the internet. Shellenberger had not previously informed Probation Officers that he had the phone, as he was required to do. Probation Officers found it during an unannounced home visit.
Shellenberger has prior federal convictions for child pornography possession (2006) and failure to register as a sex offender (2017).
This case was investigated by the United States Probation Office for the Northern District of New York, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Barnett.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is 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 https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Randolph Woman Pleads Guilty to Bank Fraud and ID TheftRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Randolph woman pleaded guilty today in connection with a scheme to impersonate bank customers and fraudulently withdraw money from their bank accounts.
Carlyann Amos, 21, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and one count of aiding and abetting aggravated identity theft. U.S. Senior District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock scheduled sentencing for Jan. 7, 2020.
In 2017, Amos was working as a bank teller at a Santander Bank branch in Weymouth, when she was recruited to assist in conducting fraudulent transactions in victim bank accounts. On two occasions in December 2017 and January 2018, she assisted other co-conspirators in conducting transactions in two Santander Bank customers’ accounts using fraudulent driver’s licenses. Amos and her co-conspirators fraudulently withdrew more than $815,000 from the customers’ accounts.
The charge of conspiracy to commit bank fraud provides for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. The charge of aggravated identity theft provides for a mandatory sentence of two years, to be served consecutively to any other imposed sentence, one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; and Joseph W. Cronin, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Leslie A. Wright and Mark J. Balthazard of Lelling’s Securities and Financial Fraud Unit are prosecuting the case.
Pukwana Woman Charged with Theft of MailRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Pukwana, South Dakota, woman has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Theft of Mail by Postal Service Employee.
Kayla Ottmo, age 35, was indicted on July 9, 2019. She appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Veronica L. Duffy on October 3, 2019, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 5 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, 3 years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that on or about between September 2018 and November 2, 2018, Ottmo, being an employee of the U.S. Postal Service, embezzled gift cards and other items of value that had been placed in the custody and control of the U.S. Postal Service, and that were indented to be conveyed by mail and delivered by a carrier.
The charge is merely an accusation and Ottmo is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Office of Inspector General, U.S. Postal Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann M. Hoffman is prosecuting the case.
Ottmo was released on bond/remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.