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17 September 2019
District Man Sentenced to 22 Years in Prison for Murder Near Playground in Columbia HeightsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Deontae Britton, 26, of Washington D.C., was sentenced on Friday to 22 years in prison for the murder of Dawud Debruhl near a playground and parking lot in Columbia Heights, Washington. U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) made the announcement today.
Britton pled guilty on July 9, 2019, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to one count of murder. He was sentenced on September 13, 2019, by the Honorable Craig Iscoe.
According to the government’s evidence, on March 28, 2019, Dawud Debruhl was hanging out with friends in the parking lot of the Columbia Heights Village Apartment Complex located in the area of the 2900 block of 13th Street in NW Washington. Britton approached Mr.Debruhl from behind while he was engaged in conversation and shot him in the back. Britton then fled on foot.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of detectives from the Criminal Investigations Division Homicide Branch, the Third Police District of the Metropolitan Police Department, and Evidence Technicians. U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham also expressed appreciation for those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Meridith McGarrity and Victim Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker.
Finally, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Gauri Gopal for investigating and prosecuting the case.
Columbia Man Sentenced to 4 Years in Federal Prison on Firearm ChargeRead the Press Release
Columbia, South Carolina --- United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon announced today that Tyrone Mayes, 28, of Columbia, was sentenced to 4 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Evidence presented to the court showed that Mayes, a convicted felon, possessed a loaded 9mm handgun, along with ammunition, while fishing on the Santee River in Calhoun County. On October 15, 2017, an officer with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) approached the boat where Mayes was fishing to conduct a safety inspection. While conducting the inspection, the Officer asked to see the contents of a drawstring bag that Mayes was holding to check for fish. Mayes did not allow the officer to inspect the bag, but instead jumped into the water with the bag in hand and dropped the bag in the river. Later, DNR assembled a dive team, along with other officers, to search for the bag in the river. The dive team recovered the bag after approximately 2 ½ hours, finding a loaded 9mm handgun, along with ammunition, digital scales, and a cell phone. The gun had been previously reported as stolen from a vehicle. Mayes, a felon, admitted to possessing the gun and ammunition.
Federal law prohibits Mayes from possessing firearms and ammunition because of his felony status. His prior state felony convictions include: 2nd degree burglary (2006), grand larceny (2010), and 2 counts of attempted murder (2013).
United States District Judge J. Michelle Childs sentenced Mayes to 48 months in federal prison, to be followed by a 2-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the South Carolina DNR. It was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local 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. Assistant United States Attorney Beth Warren of the Columbia office and Executive Assistant United States Attorney Charlie Bourne of the Charleston office prosecuted the case.
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Columbia Man Pleads to Federal Charges of Conspiracy to Sex Traffic Minors and Benefiting from Sex Trafficking of MinorsRead the Press Release
Columbia, South Carolina --- United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon announced today that Donnell Salethian Woodard, a/k/a “Tank,” age 31, of Columbia, pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to sex traffic minors and benefiting from sex trafficking of minors.
Evidence presented to the court showed that on November 21, 2017, undercover officers with the Lexington Police Department encountered a minor advertising sex via a website. An undercover officer set up a time to meet with the minor at a local motel, wherein officers observed the minor being dropped off by Woodard and India Tykeyah-Najee Cuyler, a/k/a “Lady Tank,” age 24. Officers placed both Woodard and Cuyler under arrest. The investigation led to another nearby motel where a second minor, who was also involved in the illegal venture, was located. The investigation revealed Woodard and Cuyler were using a cell phone to post advertisements for commercial sex with the minors on a website and taking a portion of the proceeds. Woodard and Cuyler were both charged federally.
Woodard faces of mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison with a maximum of life, a fine of $250,000, a trafficking fund special assessment of $5,000, mandatory registration as a sex offender, and at least 5 years and up to a lifetime of supervised release. Cuyler previously pleaded guilty in federal court to using a facility of interstate commerce (a cell phone) to entice a minor under the age of 18 to engage in sexual activity and is awaiting sentencing. Cuyler faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison with a maximum of life, a fine of $250,000, a trafficking fund special assessment of $5,000, mandatory registration as a sex offender, and at least 5 years and up to a lifetime of supervised release. United States District Judge J. Michelle Childs of Columbia accepted the guilty pleas and will sentence both Woodard and Cuyler after receiving and reviewing sentencing reports prepared by the United States Probation Office.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Lexington Police Department, and the West Columbia Police Department. It was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Assistant United States Attorney Stacey D. Haynes of the Columbia office is prosecuting the case.
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Colombian Brothers Sentenced to Federal Prison for International Drug SmugglingRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez-Covington has sentenced Alfredo Milan Caceres-Lopez (44, Colombia) to 20 years in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine while onboard a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. On June 12, 2019, his brother, and co-defendant, Juan Carlos Caceres-Lopez (50, Colombia) was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for his involvement in the conspiracy.
According to court documents, since at least 2013, Alfredo Milan Caceres-Lopez, with the assistance of his brother, planned, organized, and coordinated the smuggling of almost four tons of cocaine into the United States from the Guajira region of Colombia and Venezuela, through the Dominican Republic and the Caribbean Sea. Alfredo Milan Caceres-Lopez dispatched seven cocaine smuggling ventures, three of which were interdicted by the United States Coast Guard.
This case was investigated by the Panama Express Strike Force, an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) comprised of agents and analysts from Homeland Security Investigations, the United States Coast Guard Investigative Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration and U.S. Southern Command's Joint Interagency Task Force South. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s drug supply. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diego F. Novaes.
Chinese National Pleads Guilty to Running ‘Birth Tourism’ Scheme that Helped Aliens Give Birth in U.S. to Secure Birthright CitizenshipRead the Press Release
SANTA ANA, California – A Chinese national pleaded guilty today to federal criminal charges for running an Orange County-based “birth tourism” business that catered to wealthy pregnant clients and Chinese government officials, charging them tens of thousands of dollars to help them give birth in the United States so their children would get U.S. citizenship.
Dongyuan Li (李冬媛), 41, of Irvine, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit immigration fraud and one count of visa fraud. Li was one of 19 defendants named in a series of indictments unsealed earlier this year. She is the first of the charged operators of birth tourism businesses to plead guilty. The remaining defendants either are pending trial or are fugitives.
Li admitted in her plea agreement that, from 2013 until March 2015, she operated a birth tourism company in Irvine and in China called You Win USA Vacation Services Corp. You Win would assist pregnant foreign nationals – typically from China – to travel to and remain in the United States to give birth so their children would receive birthright U.S. citizenship, according to the plea agreement.
According to a January 2019 federal grand jury indictment against Li, You Win advertised that it had served more than 500 Chinese birth tourism customers seeking U.S. birthright citizenship for their children. The indictment details that Li used 20 apartments in Irvine, charged each customer between $40,000 and $80,000, and she received $3 million in international wire transfers from China in two years.
Some You Win customers coached by the company made false statements on their visa applications and to U.S. immigration officials, Li’s plea agreement states. Li also admitted that the customers were advised on how to pass the U.S. Consulate interview in China, including by falsely stating that they were going to stay in the United States for only two weeks, when in reality, they planned to stay for up to three months to give birth.
Li further admitted that her customers bypassed U.S. immigration controls by booking two flights – the first from China to Hawaii and the second from Hawaii to Los Angeles International Airport – because they thought it would be easier to clear U.S. Customs through Hawaii. Li’s customers also were coached how to trick U.S. Customs at ports of entry by concealing their pregnancies, according to the plea agreement.
In October 2013, Li made a $30,965 rent payment for Irvine apartments used in her birth tourism operation, and in November 2013, she made a $30,321 rent payment for those apartments, the plea agreement states.
As part of her plea agreement, Li agreed to forfeit more than $850,000, a Murrieta residence worth more than $500,000, as well as several Mercedes-Benz vehicles.
United States District Judge James V. Selna scheduled a December 16 sentencing hearing, at which time Li will face a statutory maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison.
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and IRS Criminal Investigation. The Irvine Police Department provided substantial assistance.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Charles E. Pell of the Santa Ana Branch Office.
Centralia Man Pleads Guilty to Drug and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
Steven D. Weinhoeft, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that on September 12, 2019, David Herron, 48, of Centralia, Illinois, pleaded guilty to an indictment charging him with conspiracy to distribute and possess methamphetamine and heroin, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. The conspiracy took place from March 2018 to April 2019.
Court documents revealed that an FBI Task Force investigated Herron’s narcotics trafficking activities in the Centralia area for several months leading up to his arrest in April 2019. During that time, Herron was out on bond in two separate pending drug-related cases in Marion County.
Herron was distributing methamphetamine and heroin from 2 locations in Centralia: a residence and a mobile home.At the time of his arrest, Herron was in possession of methamphetamine and heroin packaged for sale as he left his residence on Hardin Street in Centralia. A search of his residence revealed over 200 grams of 98% pure methamphetamine and a loaded firearm. As a convicted felon, Herron is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition.
The conspiracy and drug charges each carry a penalty of 10 years to life imprisonment and not less than 5 years of supervised release. The firearm charge carries a penalty of up to 10 years’ imprisonment and 3 years’ supervised release. Federal inmates typically serve 85% of their prison term. Supervised release follows completion of imprisonment. Sentencing is scheduled for December
19, 2019 at the federal courthouse in East St. Louis. Herron has been detained in the federal system since his April arrest.The FBI’s Task Force continues its investigation into narcotics trafficking and related activities in the Marion-Clinton-Washington County areas. Law enforcement agencies participating in the FBI
Task Force include the Centralia Police Department, the Carlyle Police Department, and the Marion, Clinton, and Washington County Sheriffs’ Offices. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kit Morrissey.
Bronx Man Arrested for Gunpoint Robbery of Manhattan Jewelry StoreRead the Press Release
Geoffrey S. Berman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, William F. Sweeney Jr., the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), and James P. O’Neill, the Commissioner of the Police Department for the City of New York (“NYPD”), announced that PEDRO DAVILA has been arrested for his participation in an armed robbery of a jewelry store in New York, New York, on Sunday, August 25, 2019. DAVILA was apprehended Sunday night in Pasco County, Florida, by the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, and will be presented today before United States Magistrate Judge Thomas Wilson in Tampa federal court. The criminal Complaint, unsealed today, also names JAYSEAN SUTTON as a defendant. SUTTON remains at large.
U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “As alleged in the Complaint, Pedro Davila participated in a brazen daytime robbery, in which victims were held at gunpoint and tied up. This criminal conduct is intolerable, and thanks to the work of our law enforcement partners, the defendant faces significant federal charges for his alleged crimes.”
FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William F. Sweeney Jr. said: “In the day and age of technology and cameras, you would think robbers trying to pull off a cinematic heist would think twice. But these men allegedly took over a jewelry store in Midtown, tied up the employees and robbed it without believing they would get caught. Their mistakes should be a warning to everyone wanting to be a copycat, you will get caught and pay the price for breaking the law.”
NYPD Commissioner James P. O’Neill stated: “In working to reduce crime past already record-lows in New York City, the NYPD is relentless in our pursuit of the relatively small percentage of the population driving the violence and disorder. I commend the NYPD investigators involved in this investigation, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for their efforts and making these arrests. The NYPD will continue, along with our law enforcement partners, to vigorously pursue and hold responsible individuals responsible for violent criminal activity.”
As alleged in the criminal Complaint:[1]
On August 25, 2019, DAVILA, SUTTON, and a third co-conspirator committed a brazen gunpoint robbery of a jewelry store in Midtown Manhattan in broad daylight. Surveillance video from the time of the robbery shows the robbers, two of whom were carrying guns, tying up several employees in a back room and throwing multiple pieces of expensive jewelry into bags before fleeing the store.
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DAVILA, 27, of the Bronx, and SUTTON, 39, of Brooklyn, are each charged with one count of robbery, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; one count of robbery conspiracy, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; and one count of brandishing of a firearm, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by a judge.
Mr. Berman praised the outstanding work of the NYPD’s Major Case Squad and the Joint Bank Robbery Task Force of the FBI and the NYPD. Mr. Berman also thanked the New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force of the United States Marshals Service and the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance in apprehending DAVILA.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit and the General Crimes Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Christopher J. Clore and Alexander Li are in charge of the prosecution.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the description of the Complaint set forth herein are only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Bronx Associate Principal Charged with Child Enticement and Production, Receipt, and Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, William F. Sweeney Jr., the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), and James P. O’Neill, Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), announced the arrest of JONATHAN SKOLNICK on charges of child enticement; production, receipt, and possession of child pornography; and sending extortionate communications. SKOLNICK was arrested Saturday, September 14, 2019, presented the same day before United States Magistrate Judge Henry B. Pitman, and detained on consent pending a detention hearing on Wednesday, September 18, 2019.
U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “As an associate principal of a Bronx private school, one of Jonathan Skolnick’s primary responsibilities was the well-being and education of students. Instead, Skolnick allegedly preyed on his underage victims in a heinous plot to fool them into sending him nude photos of themselves. Skolnick allegedly falsely identified himself as several different teenage girls – and when his victims refused to continue to send more photos, he unconscionably threatened to publicly release the ones they had already sent. This arrest exemplifies law enforcement’s ability to detect those attempting to use the ‘anonymity’ of the internet to prey on young children.”
FBI Assistant Director William F. Sweeney Jr. said: “A principal at a school plays a significant role in the lives of children, and is charged with protecting and educating them. Now Mr. Skolnick faces criminal charges for his alleged attempts to illegally extort a vulnerable child in a manner that should shock and anger every parent in this community. Members of our FBI New York Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force got information Mr. Skolnick might be engaged in this illicit activity, and acted as quickly as possible to protect other children. We believe Mr. Skolnick may have victimized other teens, and we ask that they call us at 1-800-CALL-FBI. Speaking directly to parents, have a conversation with your children, and please let us know any information you can that will help this investigation.”
NYPD Commissioner James P. O’Neill said: “Today’s charges serve as a warning to individuals who prey upon some of our society’s most vulnerable population – you will be arrested and held accountable for your actions. I thank the NYPD detectives, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District, and the FBI for their work in this investigation. The NYPD will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to end the exploitation and abuse of children in our city and nation and work to bring justice to victims of these heinous crimes.”
According to allegations in the Complaint and statements made in public court proceedings[1]:
Between at least March 2019 and September 2019, SKOLNICK, who was an associate principal at a private school located in the Bronx, New York, communicated online with a 14 year-old male victim (“Victim-1”) while posing as several teenaged girls. SKOLNICK used several purported names in these communications, including “Molly Dejmal,” “Tina Warner,” and “Anna Freed.” In response to requests from SKOLNICK, posing as the “girls,” Victim-1 emailed nude and sexually explicit photographs of himself to at least two email accounts, including to “[email protected]” and “[email protected]”.
In or about June 2019, Victim-1 stopped communicating with SKOLNICK. In or about September 2019, SKOLNICK, using the name “Molly Dejmal,” texted Victim-1 from a spoofed telephone number. SKOLNICK’s messages became increasingly threatening in nature, causing Victim-1 to fear that the person he was communicating with would release the sexually explicit photographs that Victim-1 previously sent. Internet Protocol addresses associated with certain of the messages directed to Victim-1 were registered to SKOLNICK’s home in the Bronx.
SKOLNICK, of the Bronx, New York, is charged with one count of production of child pornography, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison; one count of receipt of child pornography, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; one count of possession of child pornography, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; one count of child enticement, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison; and one count of making extortionate communications, which carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison.
The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
Any individuals who believe they have information that may be relevant to this investigation should contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or https://tips.fbi.gov.
Mr. Berman praised the FBI and NYPD for their outstanding investigative work.
This case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant United States Attorney Elizabeth A. Espinosa is in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint, and the description of the Complaint set forth herein, constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Birmingham Man Sentenced to 105 Months in Prison for CarjackingRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM – A federal judge today sentenced a Birmingham resident and six-time convicted felon to 105 months in prison for a 2018 carjacking in Homewood, announced U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp, Jr.
U.S. District Judge L. Scott Coogler sentenced CORDERREL DEWAYNE POOLE, 32, on one count of carjacking. Poole pled guilty in June.
On November 5, 2018, Poole ran up to the victim as she was getting into her SUV in the parking lot of a Homewood business on Green Springs Highway. As the victim backed her vehicle out of the parking space, Poole repeatedly banged on her window and screamed for her to get out. When the victim did not meet his demands, he reached inside the SUV and grabbed her arm in an attempt to pull her out. Poole then put his hand into a shoulder bag he was carrying and acted as if he was going to pull a gun. Believing she was about to be shot, the victim gave up her vehicle. Poole drove off in the SUV and was apprehended the same evening by Lincoln Police Department at the scene of a one-vehicle crash on Interstate 20 in Lincoln, Alabama.
“This career criminal has been brought to justice. We will not sit idly by and allow criminals to intimidate our citizens with such violence,” Town said. “We will find you, and we will prosecute you. The revolving door for Poole is now locked tightly behind him and a warm prison bed awaits him.”
“I want to extend my personal thanks to all of our law enforcement partners whose efforts quickly brought Poole to justice,” Sharp said. “The FBI will continue to work closely with our partners to address violent crimes in north Alabama.”
The FBI investigated the case along with the Homewood Police Department, the Lincoln Police Department, and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alan Baty and Kristy Peoples prosecuted the charge.
Armed Drug Trafficker Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Providence man stopped by Pawtucket Police for a traffic violation and found to be in possession of a loaded firearm, ammunition, several bags of crack cocaine, and a large bag of marijuana pleaded guilty today in federal court to drug trafficking and firearm charges brought in a Project Safe Neighborhoods investigation.
Scott Arnum, 30, was stopped by Pawtucket Police on September 17, 2017, after he stopped short of pulling out in front of a police cruiser while failing to use a turn signal. According to court documents, as the officer approached the vehicle she smelled a strong odor of marijuana emanating from the vehicle and observed the driver making rapid movements. Arnum complied with the officer’s request to exit the vehicle.
Once out of the vehicle, officers discovered a large bag of marijuana and six bags of crack cocaine inside Arnum’s clothing. A seventh bag fell out of Arnum’s underwear after he was transported to the police station. An inventory of Arnum’s vehicle resulted in the seizure of a loaded 9mm pistol and two loaded 9mm magazines from inside the vehicle’s glovebox.
According to court records, Arnum was previously convicted in federal court for possession of crack cocaine with the intent to distribute and being a felon in possession of a firearm. In December 2010, Arnum was sentenced to 84 months in federal prison to be followed by 5 years of supervised release.
Appearing today before U.S. District Court Chief Judge William E. Smith, Arnum pleaded guilty to possession with the intent to distribute crack cocaine, felon in possession of a firearm, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, announced United States Attorney Aaron L. Weisman, Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New England Field Division Brian D. Boyle, and Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Kelly D. Brady.
Arnum is scheduled to be sentenced on December 6, 2019. Possession of crack cocaine is punishable by statutory penalties of up to 20 years in federal prison followed by at least 3 years supervised release. Possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking is punishable by a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years up to life imprisonment consecutive to any other sentence imposed in this matter followed by up to 5 years supervised release. Felon in possession of a firearm is punishable by up to 10 years of incarceration followed by up to 3 years supervised release.
This Project Safe Neighborhoods case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald R. Gendron.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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After Being in the Country Illegally on Four Separate Occasions, Illegal Alien is Caught Again and Pleads Guilty to Unlawfully Reentering the U.S.Read the Press Release
Gulfport, Miss. – Zenon Carbajal-Osorio, an illegal alien from Mexico, pled guilty today before Senior U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola, Jr. to unlawful reentry by an alien after removal, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst, and Jere Miles, Special Agent in Charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in New Orleans.
Carbajal-Osorio will be sentenced by Judge Guirola, on December 10, 2019, at 10:00 a.m. He faces a maximum penalty of 2 years in prison followed by one year of supervised release and a maximum $250,000 fine. He also faces being removed from the United States following the completion of any prison sentence.
On July 17, 2019, the Homeland Security Investigations office in Gulfport received a complaint that Carbajal-Osorio was physically present at the Jackson County Circuit Court in Jackson County Mississippi, after having previously been deported from the United States. Agents made contact with Carbajal-Osorio, who provided a Mexican passport as his means of identification. Agents questioned Carbajal-Osorio regarding his legal status to reside in the United States, which he did not deny being in the country without legal status, and in fact admitted to having been previously removed from the United States to Mexico. Further investigation revealed that Carbajal-Osorio had unlawfully entered the United States, and been lawfully removed from the United States, on multiple occasions.
On December 5, 2007, Carbajal-Osorio was encountered by Border Patrol Agents in o Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Agents determined that he was in the country illegally. He was granted a Voluntary Return to Mexico and he departed the United States through Hidalgo, Texas, on December 21, 2007.
On April 4, 2011, Mr. Carbajal-Osorio was encountered by an ICE Agent at the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison, having been arrested by local authorities for Domestic Abuse Battery (a local misdemeanor charge for which he was convicted and sentenced to 6 months in jail). Carbajal-Osorio was issued a Warrant of Removal/Deportation on November 1, 2011, and was physically removed from the United States, pursuant to the lawful removal order.
On October 18, 2012, Carbajal-Osorio was again encountered by Border Patrol Agents in the Southern District of Texas. He was issued an Order to Reinstate his lawful removal order from 2011, and he was returned to his home nation of Mexico from Laredo, Texas. At the time of his most recent removal, Carbajal-Osorio was prohibited from entering, attempting to enter, being in the United States or even lawfully applying to reenter the U.S. for a period of 20 years.
U.S. Attorney Hurst praised the cooperation exhibited by the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Stan Harris is the prosecutor for the case.
52nd Defendant Arrested and Charged in College Admissions CaseRead the Press Release
BOSTON – Spanish authorities arrested a Chinese woman last night in connection with her role in using bribery and other forms of fraud to facilitate her son’s admission to the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) as a purported soccer recruit.
Xiaoning Sui, 48, of Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, was arrested in Spain and charged in an indictment unsealed today in federal court in Boston with one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. Sui is currently detained in Spain, and authorities will seek her extradition to Boston to face charges.
According to the indictment, Sui agreed with William “Rick” Singer to pay $400,000 to facilitate her son’s admission to UCLA as a purported soccer recruit. It is alleged that during a phone call in August 2018, Singer explained that Sui’s son could be “guaranteed” admission to UCLA, in exchange for $400,000. Between August and October 2018, Sui allegedly provided Singer with her son’s transcript and photographs of her son playing tennis. Co-conspirator Laura Janke then fabricated a soccer profile for Sui’s son, which described him as a top player for two private soccer clubs in Canada. On Oct. 24, 2018, Singer instructed Sui to wire Singer $100,000 which would be “paid to the coach at UCLA” in exchange for a letter of intent from the UCLA soccer coach. Two days later, Sui allegedly wired $100,000 to a bank account in Massachusetts in the name of Singer’s sham charitable organization, the Key Worldwide Foundation (KWF). On Nov. 5, 2018, UCLA admitted Sui’s son as a recruited soccer player, and awarded him a 25% scholarship. In February 2018, Sui allegedly wired an additional $300,000 to the KWF account as final payment for her son’s fraudulent admission to UCLA.
Janke previously pleaded guilty and is cooperating with the government’s investigation.
Case information, including the status of each defendant, charging documents and plea agreements are available here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/investigations-college-admissions-and-testing-bribery-scheme.
The charge of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud provides for a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; and Kristina O’Connell, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eric S. Rosen, Justin D. O’Connell, Leslie A. Wright, and Kristen A. Kearney of Lelling’s Securities and Financial Fraud Unit are prosecuting the cases.
The details contained in the court documents are allegations and the remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
42-Year-Old Convicted of Sex Trafficking of a Minor, Production of Child Pornography, and Witness TamperingRead the Press Release
Jason Gatlin, 42, of Miami, was convicted on all three counts of the superseding indictment, including Sex Trafficking of Minor, Production of Child Pornography, and Witness Tampering, by a federal jury on September 16, 2019, following a two-week trial before U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith in Ft. Lauderdale.
Ariana Fajardo Orshan, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), Miami Field Office, and Juan J. Perez, Director, Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD), made the announcement.
According to the court record, in October of 2018, the defendant met the 17-year-old victim through another 17-year-old girl. Gatlin knew the victim had a history of running away and being trafficked by others for prostitution. Over the course of the next two months, the defendant tricked the victim into believing that he loved her and wanted to marry her. He enticed her with his attention and drugs, gave her money for sex, took photos of them having sex, and lied to her. Gatlin made the victim believe that he wanted to marry her, that he did not want her to prostitute, and that he wanted her to get a real job. Instead, after gaining her trust, Gatlin bought the victim a cell phone that was used to set up prostitution dates, transported her to motels, and rented motel rooms for her so that she could commit prostitution, and harbored her for days in the Keys while she was advertised on an escort website. Then, at the end of November, when Gatlin felt that victim was not living up to his rules, he beat her up and left her at a gas station down in the Keys with a swollen face, and bloody, ripped clothes. The victim called the police and the defendant was arrested a few days later.
While incarcerated, Gatlin began bribing the victim into committing perjury. Gatlin had a relative give the victim money and Gatlin promised more money if the victim told the authorities that she was never trafficked by the defendant and never had sex with him. At trial, the jury heard how Gatlin’s relative housed the victim for a short period and then drove her to a defense attorney’s office for her to recant her statement in a sworn statement. The government presented recorded evidence at trial to prove the witness tampering.
Gatlin is scheduled to be sentenced on December 2, 2019, at 11:00 a.m. in Fort Lauderdale, before Judge Rodney Smith (Case No. 19cr20163). He faces a statutory sentence of up to life in prison.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, in partnership with MDPD’s Human Trafficking Squad, and assistance from Monroe County Sherriff’s Office, Plantation Police Department, FBI Chicago, and the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office.
U.S. Attorney Fajardo Orshan commended the investigatory efforts of the FBI Miami Child Exploitation Task Force, MDPD, and all those who assisted in this matter. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica Kahn Obenauf and J. Mackenzie Duane.
To report suspected human trafficking or to obtain resources for victims, please call 1-888-373-7888; text “BeFree” (233733), or live chat at HumanTraffickingHotline.org. The toll-free phone, SMS text lines, and online chat function are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Help is available in English, Spanish, Creole, or in more than 200 additional languages. The National Hotline is not managed by law enforcement, immigration or an investigative agency. Correspondence with the National Hotline is confidential and you may request assistance or report a tip anonymously.
To learn more about the National Resource Hotline visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. To learn more about the U.S. Department of Justice’s efforts to combat human trafficking visit www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
20-Year Illegal Resident Sentenced for Child Pornography ChargeRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 52-year-old illegal alien who resided in Corpus Christi been sentenced to federal prison for possessing more than 10 thousand child pornography images, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick. Baldemar Cardenas-Martinez pleaded guilty May 20, 2019.
Today, Senior U.S. District Judge John D. Rainey ordered Cardenas to serve a 63-month term of imprisonment. After his sentence, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet and register as a sex offender. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face removal proceedings following his sentence.
A Mexican citizen, Cardenas was originally granted a Visa which expired in 1997. He has been illegally present in the United States since that time.
The investigation began when authorities went online on a peer-to-peer network which catered to offenders sharing child pornography. Law enforcement was able to download multiple images from the device which belonged to Cardenas.
They conducted a search warrant, at which time they seized multiple electronic devices from the residence. A forensic examination of those devices revealed 10,673 child pornography files.
The Corpus Christi Police Department – Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and Immigration and Custom’s Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittany L. Jensen is prosecuting the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood - a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
15 Defendants Charged for Involvement with Hawaii Game RoomsRead the Press Release
HONOLULU – Federal charges against 15 defendants and the seizure of thousands of dollar’s worth of property and funds were announced today by U.S Attorney for the District of Hawaii Kenji M. Price.
The fifteen individuals charged include:
Zongqi Ding (33), Tommy Can Wei Lee (50), Zhong Chen (38), Endrews Setefano (31), Paolo Ioane (30), and Matthew Samuela (31) who were charged with conducting, financing, managing, supervising, directing, or owning a gambling business operated out of a single-family residence from October 2018 to August 2019 at 94-103 Pupupuhi Street in Waipahu.
Jason Ishizuka (38), Aiyan Zhang (33), Seng Long Lio (30), Shi Min Huang (33), Alex Hui Zhang (29), and Freddy Siatunuu (31) who were charged with conducting, financing, managing, supervising, directing, or owning a gambling business operated out of a single-family residence from October 2018 to August 2019 at 1577 Hoolehua Street in Pearl City. In addition, Siatunuu has been charged with robbery for the July 22, 2019 robbing of a patron at gunpoint at the illegal gambling business located at 1577 Hoolehua Street after the patron won an estimated $4,000 playing an electronic video gambling machine.
Kenneth Puahi (47) who was charged with arson of a building used in interstate commerce. According to the indictment, during 2018, Puahi leased a space in a commercial warehouse located at 94-170 Leoole Street in Waipahu. The warehouse owners were notified that the leased space was suspected of being used for unlawful gambling and took steps to evict Puahi. On, April 14, 2019, Puahi maliciously damaged and attempted to damage the warehouse by setting it on fire.
Pauulu Lavatai (21) who was charged with robbery and using a firearm to commit a crime of violence. According to the criminal complaint, on February 3, 2019, Lavatai and an unidentified male entered an illegal game room located on Liliha Street. The two pistol whipped the security officer, took money from a female cashier and fled the scene.
Ifo Nimoai, Jr. (35) who was charged with possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute, possession of firearm in furtherance of drug tracking crime, and felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. According to the criminal complaint, on November 29, 2018, Nimoai possessed with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana. Additionally, Nimoai knowingly possessed a .45 caliber pistol and ammunition and did so after having been previously convicted of a felony.
The aforementioned charges are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
These cases are being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Homeland Security (Homeland Security Investigations), Hawaii High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program (HIDTA), U.S. Marshals Service Hawaii Fugitive Task Force, and the Honolulu Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Micah Smith, Rachel Moriyama, Sara Ayabe, Jeremy Butler, Mohammed Khatib, and Sydney Spector are handling the cases.
16 September 2019
Young Serial Bank Robber Sent to PrisonRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 20-year-old resident of Wilmer has been ordered to federal prison for a significant amount of time after committing multiple bank robberies and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.
Markeist Daquon Reed pleaded guilty June 17, 2019, to a total of three counts of bank robbery involving three different banks and one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.
Today, Senior U.S. District Judge John Rainey handed Reed a 63-month sentence for the robberies. He also received an additional 84 months for the firearms charge which must be served consecutively to the other sentence imposed. The sentences will be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. In handing down the more than 12-year sentence, the court noted how people were put in significant danger as a result of Reed’s actions during each of the robberies.
The charges stem from a series of bank robberies that occurred Oct. 5, Oct. 19 and Oct. 25, 2018, at the BB&T Bank on Park Lane in Dallas, Value Bank Texas on South Staples in Corpus Christi and BBVA Compass Bank on Ayers Street in Corpus Christi, respectively.
In each instance, a male - later identified as Reed - entered the banks and approached an employee demanding money. During the last robbery, Reed carried with him and pointed an AK-47 style rifle as he demanded the money from the bank employee. Reed was later arrested during a traffic stop. At that time, law enforcement recovered the rifle and items linking him to the robberies.
Reed has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The FBI and police departments in Corpus Christi and Dallas conducted the investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lance Watt is prosecuting the case.
Worcester Man Sentenced for Possession of Stolen Firearm and Lying to Firearm DealersRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Worcester man was sentenced on Friday, Sept. 13, 2019, in federal court in Worcester for lying to federal firearms dealers and for possession of a stolen firearm.
Ruben Ramos, 24, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Timothy S. Hillman to 13 months in prison and three years of supervised release. In March 2019, Ramos pleaded guilty to two counts of making false statements during the purchase of a firearm, five counts of making false statements in records required to be maintained by a federal firearm dealer, and one count of possession of a stolen firearm.
In December 2016, Worcester Police issued Ramos, an employee of the U.S. Postal Service and member of the U.S. Army National Guard, a license to possess firearms. From May 2017 through May 2018, Ramos purchased at least 16 firearms, including 14 pistols and two rifles. On at least five occasions, from March 2018 through May 2018, Ramos knowingly provided a false address to the firearms dealers from whom he purchased seven firearms.
In June 2018, Ramos admitted to federal investigators that he only possessed six of the 16 guns that he purchased over the previous 12 months. Ramos admitted to investigators that he lied to firearms dealers on two occasions in May 2018, when he acted as a “straw buyer,” by claiming that he was buying the gun for himself when, in fact, he was buying the guns on behalf of another person. Additionally, in June 2018, investigators also found a Beretta 9 mm pistol in Ramos’s residence that was the property of the Army National Guard. Ramos admitted that he stole the pistol from the weapons vault at the Army National Guard facility on Plantation Street in Worcester.
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 Sargent made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg A. Friedholm of Lelling’s Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.
Woman Who Absconded from Federal Custody Sentenced to 24 MonthsRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, woman convicted of escape was sentenced on September 5, 2019, by U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier.
Diana Bald Eagle, age 45, was sentenced to 24 months of federal custody, followed by 1 year of supervised release. She was ordered to pay $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
According to court documents, on April 10, 2019, Bald Eagle was released from federal custody on a furlough to attend a relative’s funeral. Bald Eagle was scheduled to return at 7:00 PM, April 11, 2019. Due to severe weather, she was granted an extension and ordered to return to the Yankton County Jail no later than Sunday, April 14, 2019. Bald Eagle did not return to the Yankton County Jail on April 14, 2019, and her whereabouts were unknown until her arrest in Sioux Falls.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy R. Jehangiri prosecuted the case.
Bald Eagle was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service
Ventura County Gang Member Linked to Mexican Mafia Convicted of Drug Trafficking Charges as Part of “SuperNova” TakedownRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A high-ranking member of the Oxnard-based Surtown Chiques street gang who attempted to secure control of drug trafficking in Ventura County and who extorted “taxes” on behalf of the Mexican Mafia prison gang has been found guilty by a jury of federal narcotics charges.
Armando “Criminal” Molina, 36, of Ventura, was found guilty late Friday afternoon of one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and five counts of distribution of methamphetamine. Molina was arrested in 2013 as part of Operation “SuperNova,” a multi-agency task force investigation that targeted Mexican Mafia-affiliated street gangs in Ventura County.
According to evidence presented at a four-day trial, between October 2012 and March 2013, Molina and his co-conspirators sold 247 grams of pure methamphetamine to a confidential informant working for an FBI task force.
Molina was arrested in 2013 on a criminal complaint targeting “shotcallers” of Ventura County street gangs. The criminal complaint details a year-long undercover investigation and outlines a series of narcotics transactions that led to the seizure of more than two pounds of methamphetamine and quantities of heroin that were being sold on the streets of Ventura County.
The drugs were supplied by a drug trafficking organization controlled by Mexican Mafia member Martin Madrigal-Cazares. Local street gangs communicated with the head of the organization in Mexico, while controlling narcotics sales and collecting “taxes” on behalf of the Mexican Mafia in Ventura County, the complaint alleges.
United States District Judge John A. Kronstadt has scheduled a February 6 sentencing hearing, at which time Molina will face a statutory maximum sentence of life and a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.
On the eve of Molina’s trial, his co-defendant, Frank “Villain” Ruiz, 37, of Ventura County, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Ruiz’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for December 12, at which time he will face a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. In total, eight defendants have been convicted in connection with this phase of the operation.
The investigation was conducted jointly by the FBI, the Ventura Police Department and the Oxnard Police Department.
The Ventura County-Multi-Agency Gang Task Force is one of many FBI Safe Streets Task Forces throughout the United States, funded for the purpose of assisting local police in identifying and addressing violent crime in America.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Agustin D. Orozco of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section and Alexander B. Schwab of the Major Frauds Section.
Utah Man Sentenced to Almost 16 Years in Prison for a Violent Armed Robbery of the Carlsbad Motel 6Read the Press Release
Assistant U. S. Attorneys Brandon J. Kimura (619) 546-9604 and Matthew Brehm (619) 546-8983
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – September 16, 2019
SAN DIEGO – Lance Lamont Lavert of Utah was sentenced in federal court today to 189 months in prison for a violent armed robbery in which he terrorized and pistol whipped a Carlsbad Motel 6 clerk.
Lavert was convicted by a federal jury in August of using and brandishing a Smith and Wesson .357 magnum revolver during the robbery and being a felon in possession of a firearm. The jury returned its verdict after hearing the testimony of 11 witnesses and deliberating for approximately two hours.
“What an excruciating experience for these victims, who were hunted and pistol-whipped by a gunman,” said U.S. Attorney Robert Brewer. “This is a fitting sentence for a gunman who did not hesitate to attack. Protecting our community from violent criminals is our number one priority.”
During trial before Chief U.S. District Judge Larry Alan Burns, the prosecution relied on victims from the Motel 6, a Carlsbad police detective, forensic specialists from the San Diego Sheriff’s Department, and federal agents, among others, as witnesses to prove Lavert’s traumatizing crimes.
Witnesses described how, on the morning of July 9, 2018, Lavert and his girlfriend, a co-defendant, entered the Motel 6 on Paseo Del Norte in Carlsbad, California. Lavert approached the counter and asked for a room. When his request was denied due to a lack of identification, Lavert pulled a gun out of his backpack, pointed it at the clerk and her manager, and demanded money. The clerk and manager ran from Lavert but Lavert jumped the counter, kicked in the door of the bathroom where the clerk was hiding, and then brought the clerk, at gunpoint, back to the cash register. Lavert demanded money and pistol-whipped her in the head. After the clerk opened a drawer that held the motel’s cash, Lavert grabbed money from the drawer and ordered the clerk to give him keys to her personal vehicle. Lavert then jumped back over the counter and he and his girlfriend departed.
Two days later, Lavert was arrested trying to enter the United States from Mexico at the San Ysidro Port of Entry. He had the Smith and Wesson .357 magnum revolver concealed in his waistband. The prosecution introduced certified court documents to prove Lavert had several prior felony convictions, including for arson.
Lavert’s co-defendant accepted a resolution before trial.
This case is the result of the ongoing efforts of the Violent Crime and Human Trafficking (VCHT) Section. Formed in 2019, by U.S. Attorney Robert S. Brewer, Jr., the VCHT is tasked with leading collaborations between federal and local law enforcement in the investigation and prosecution of cases involving violent crimes, firearms and gang cases; sex trafficking and child exploitation; civil rights, labor trafficking and alien smuggling. The VCHT Section oversees the Southern District of California Coordinators for Project Safe Neighborhoods, Human Trafficking, and Project Safe Childhood.
DEFENDANT Case Number 18cr3485-LAB
Lance Lamont Lavert Age: 37 Salt Lake City, UT
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Interference with Commerce by Threats or Violence – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1951(a)
Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and $250,000 fine
Using and Brandishing a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence –
Title 18, U.S.C., Section 924(c)
Maximum penalty: Life in prison; a mandatory minimum seven years in prison; and $250,000 fine
Felon in Possession of a Firearm
Title 18, U.S.C., Section 922(g)(1)
Maximum penalty: Ten years in prison and $250,000 fine
AGENCIES
Carlsbad Police Department
San Diego Sheriff’s Department
Homeland Security Investigations
Customs and Border Protection
Undocumented Alien Ordered to Prison for Assaulting Federal OfficerRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A 39-year-old Mexican national has been sentenced for attacking a Border Patrol (BP) agent with a flashlight, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick. Melecio Lopez-Hernandez pleaded guilty April 30, 2019.
Today, U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo handed Lopez-Hernandez a 70-month sentence. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face deportation proceedings following the sentence. At the hearing, the defense attempted to convince the court he thought the officer was a cow and was startled when he appeared. Judge Marmolejo was not persuaded. She further found the flashlight he used was a dangerous weapon under the law and noted Lopez-Hernandez had a clear intent to harm the agent based on the evidence.
Authorities arrested Lopez-Hernandez Feb. 7, 2019, after a BP agent encountered him walking through the brush south of Freer. He began to struggle as the agent attempted to detain him, during which time Lopez-Hernandez dislodged a flashlight that was clipped to the agent’s outer vest.
After verbally threatening him, Lopez-Hernandez then struck the agent in the head with the flashlight. The agent sustained injuries from the impact.
He has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The FBI and Border Patrol conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Day is prosecuting the case.
U.S. Attorney’s Office and Project Safe Childhood Partners Announce Highlights of Ongoing Efforts to Protect ChildrenRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH – September marks back to school, and is an appropriate time to highlight the work the U.S. Attorney’s Office and its Project Safe Childhood partners are doing to prevent, investigate, and prosecute sexual predators, abusers, and pornographers who target children. Led by the U.S. Attorneys Offices, Project Safe Childhood (PSC) is a Department of Justice initiative that marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims.
U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady said, "We are steadfastly committed to the safety and well-being of every child in western Pennsylvania and have made investigating and prosecuting offenders involved in child sexual exploitation a highest priority. Over the past several weeks, we brought multiple defendants to justice across our district. Going forward, we intend to build on those successes."
"The exploitation of vulnerable youth is a growing issue in our country and right here at home," said FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Robert Jones. "These child predators think they can use the internet to have a sense of anonymity when they target these kids. I want to commend the hard work and dedication of all the agents who work these very important cases. They are among some of the toughest to work, but we hope these outcomes provide a small measure of justice for the victims who no doubt suffer lifelong damages from the actions of these child predators."
"We must protect our children, they are the most vulnerable and precious members of our community," said Marlon V. Miller, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations Philadelphia. "HSI is committed to working with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania and our other law enforcement partners to investigate and bring to justice predators who prey on children."
Major Stephen K. Eberle, Area I Commander for the Pennsylvania State Police, added, "The Pennsylvania State Police are proud to work alongside our federal and local law enforcement and prosecution partners to protect our children from Internet predators in every form—those who have been convicted, those who are non-compliant, and those who have not yet been found."
A list of cases follows:
KIDNAPPING AND AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ABUSE OF A CHILD
On August 27, United States District Judge Kim R. Gibson sentenced Timothy D. Nelson, Jr., 50, of Cumberland, Maryland, to 30 years in prison and ordered him to pay a $5,000 assessment under the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act on his conviction of kidnapping and aggravated sexual abuse of person under 12 years old. On the afternoon of September 19, 1999, in a quiet neighborhood in Shade Township, Somerset County, an unknown man abducted a 10-year-old girl. He forced her to the floor of his car and transported her at gun point across the Pennsylvania state line into West Virginia, where he sexually assaulted her. He drove the minor victim back into Pennsylvania, abandoned her on a dirt road, and vanished. A couple driving by saw the child in distress and offered assistance. Law enforcement responded. The minor victim was able to direct law enforcement to the location of the sexual assault, where they found a discarded brown paper bag and napkin that had been used to clean up following the assault. Forensic examination found partial fingerprints and DNA. At that time however, there were no matching results in either the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) or the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) database. In 2004, DNA from a different kidnapping and assault that occurred in September 1988 in Maryland was found to match the 1999 kidnapping in Somerset County. Still, the perpetrator was unknown. In Fall 2018, fingerprints re-submitted to the new fingerprint identification system – Next Generation Identification (NGI) identified Timothy David Nelson Jr. as a possible match. The FBI Laboratory subsequently confirmed the partial prints from the discarded bag as a match to Timothy David Nelson Jr., who was living in Maryland. In January 2019, Nelson was arrested on Pennsylvania state charges, and a federal DNA search warrant was executed. Subsequent DNA analysis proved Nelson’s DNA was a match for the September 19, 1999 incident that began in Cairnbrook, Somerset County. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie L. Haines prosecuted this case. The Pennsylvania State Police and the FBI conducted the investigation.
COERCION AND ENTICEMENT OF A MINOR
On September 12, former Tulsa, Oklahoma resident Shelby Summer Brown, 28, waived prosecution by Indictment and pleaded guilty to an Information. In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that on or about March 6, 2018, to on or about March 14, 2018, Brown conspired and agreed with another individual, Oscar Carter, to knowingly persuade, induce, entice, and coerce an individual, Minor A (who had not yet attained the age of 18 years) to travel from Ohio to Pennsylvania, to engage in prostitution from March 6, 2018 through March 14, 2018. U.S. District Judge Cathy Bissoon scheduled sentencing for January 14, 2020. The law provides for a total sentence of not more than 25 years in prison, a fine of $500,000, or both. Pending sentencing, the Judge ordered Brown remain detained. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heidi M. Grogan is prosecuting this case, which was investigated by the FBI, the Cranberry Township Police and the Pittsburgh Police.
On August 13, Joseph Hamilton, 38 of Pittsburgh, was indicted on a charge of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity. According to the indictment, from March 11, 2019 until on or about April 18, 2019, Hamilton used a facility or means of interstate commerce, specifically the Internet and over a cellular phone network, to knowingly attempt to persuade, induce, entice and coerce a minor to engage in sexual activity. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to life in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heidi M. Grogan is prosecuting this case, which was investigated by the FBI.
TRAVEL FOR SEX
On September 10, Chief United States District Judge Mark R. Hornak sentenced Alastair Lee Stewart, 27, of Van Buren, Arkansas, to a term of imprisonment of 12 years and seven months (151 months) and 27 years of supervised release. From November 15, 2016 to March 27, 2017, Stewart engaged in internet conversations with a 12 year-old girl over a chatting application called "Live Me," and later communicated with the victim over Skype, Snapchat, and text messages. Stewart then traveled from Arkansas to western Pennsylvania and arranged to meet the victim at her grandfather’s residence, where he sexually assaulted her in a motor home on the property on March 24 and March 25, 2017. Stewart fled the area on March 26, 2017. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christy C. Weigand and Jessica L. Smolar prosecuted this case. The FBI and Pennsylvania State Police conducted the investigation.
On August 15, Jeffrey Judd, 60, of Vienna, Ohio, pleaded guilty to a charge of traveling with intent to engage in illegal sexual activity with a minor. In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that in late May 2017, Judd began conversing with a 14-year-old male over the "Chathour" software application and by email. He arranged to meet the child victim in the parking lot of his school on June 1, 2017, and traveled from Vienna, Ohio, to Hermitage, Pennsylvania, to engage in intercourse and oral sex acts with the victim. The victim was frightened by Judd’s arrival at the school, and failed to show at the meet location. He later reported his communications with Judd to school officials. Judd continued to communicate by email with the victim until June 5, 2017. Judge Bissoon scheduled sentencing for December 6, 2019. The law provides for a total sentence of 30 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carolyn J. Bloch is prosecuting this case, which was investigated by the FBI and the Hermitage Police Department.
PRODUCTION/DISTRIBUTION OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY
On August 29, Chief United States District Judge Mark R. Hornak sentenced Randolph Guy Gum, 25, of Rochester, Pennsylvania, to 30 years’ imprisonment followed by lifetime supervised release on his conviction of production and distribution of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor. In 2014, Gum produced at least seven videos of his sexual exploitation of a minor—Minor A, and on July 23, 2015 distributed at least one of these videos and a link containing thousands of other images depicting the sexual exploitation of minors to another individual via email. At the time of the offense, Minor A was seven years old. In sentencing the defendant, Chief Judge Hornak ordered that at least 10 years (120 months) of Gum’s federal sentence shall run consecutive to the 15-year to 40-year state sentence that Gum is currently serving for the sexual abuse of Minor A. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heidi M. Grogan prosecuted this case. Homeland Security Investigations and the Rochester, Pennsylvania Police Department conducted the investigation.
On August 12, United States District Judge David S. Cercone sentenced Michael Robert Heinrich, 68, of Girard, Pennsylvania, to 15 years in prison, lifetime supervised release and a $5,300 special assessment. In January 2017 Heinrich took sexually explicit photos of a minor who was four years of age at the time. On February 14, 2017, Heinrich again took sexually explicit photos of that same four-year-old minor and also took a sexually explicit photo of a three-year-old minor. An examination of Heinrich’s computers and cell phone also revealed the presence of numerous other images depicting prepubescent minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian A. Trabold prosecuted this case on behalf of the government. The FBI and the Pennsylvania State Police conducted the investigation.
On August 13, Krent Jeffrey Haight, 47, formerly of Pittsburgh was indicted on charges of distribution and possession of material depicting the sexual exploitation of minors. According to the two-count Indictment, on or about September 20, 2018, Haight distributed material depicting the sexual exploitation of minors to an internet website, and on November 14, 2018, Haight knowingly possessed videos and images in computer graphic files, the production of which involved the use of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, some of whom had not yet attained 12 years of age. The law provides for a term of imprisonment of not less than five years, and not more than 20 years, a fine of $250,000, or both. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shanicka L. Kennedy is prosecuting this case, which was investigated by the FBI.
POSSESSION OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY
On September 10, Michael Pulliam, 36, of Fairchance, Pennsylvania, was indicted on a charge of possession of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor. According to the one-count indictment, Pulliam knowingly possessed visual depictions, namely, images and videos in computer graphic files, which depicted, minors who have not attained 12 years of age, engaging in sexually explicit conduct. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee J. Karl is prosecuting this cas, which was investigated by the Pennsylvania State Police.
On September 9, Senior United States District Judge Donetta W. Ambrose sentenced Jason A. Early, 41, of Uniontown, Pennsylvania to a term of imprisonment of three years and one month (37 months), to be followed by 10 years of supervised release. In October 2017, Homeland Security Investigations was conducting an investigation into the Internet sharing of child pornography (CP). They obtained and executed a search warrant at the residence of Jason Early. A forensic review of his devices revealed 1,181 images and videos depicting CP, including images and videos of toddlers 2 or 3 years of age, as well as bondage. Early admitted to viewing CP through peer to peer programs and that there was CP stored on his MacBook and on two external hard drives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shanicka L. Kennedy prosecuted this case. Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation.
On August 28, Brian R. Reddinger, 36, of Shaler Township, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to a charge of possession of material depicting the sexual exploitation of minors. In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that in the fall of 2016, Homeland Security Investigations was conducting an online investigation into the internet sharing of child pornography. As part of the investigation, a special agent was able to connect to a device that was sharing material depicting the sexual exploitation of minors and download a suspected child porn file. The investigation led to Brian Reddinger. On November 1, 2016, agents executed a search warrant on Reddinger’s home. Reddinger admitted to searching, downloading, viewing and possessing child porn. He stated that his downloads are highly structured on his computer. He further stated that he downloaded files of individuals as young as five years of age. Three of the items seized from Reddinger contained child porn. In total, there were 2,932 images and 60 videos of child porn on the devices. U.S. District Judge Cathy Bissoon scheduled sentencing for January 9, 2020. The law provides for a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both. Pending sentencing, the court continued Reddinger’s bond. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shanicka L. Kennedy is prosecuting this case, which was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations.
On August 21, United States District Judge Kim R. Gibson sentenced John F. Boslett, 54, of Altoona, Pennsylvania, to two years (24 months) in prison and 10 years supervised release. On August 8, 2013, Boslet knowingly possessed images as computer graphic files containing child pornography, which had been shipped and transported in interstate or foreign commerce by means of a computer. Assistant U.S. Attorney Arnold P. Bernard, Jr. prosecuted this case. Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation.
On August 20, Jack Brian Laforte, 54 of Monessen, Pennsylvania, was indicted on a charge of possession of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor. According to Indictment, on or about June 14, 2019, Laforte possessed videos and images in computer graphic files, the production of which involved the use of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, some of whom had not yet attained 12 years of age. Information provided to the court included the fact that Laforte was previously employed as a bus driver for the Monessen School District. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 10 years in prison, a maximum term of supervised release of life, and a fine of $250,000, or both. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heidi M. Grogan is prosecuting this case, which was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations.
On August 15, United States Senior District Judge Nora Barry Fischer imposed the sentence on David McAnally, 64, of Mars, Pennsylvania, to four years’ (48 months’) imprisonment, followed by eight years’ supervised release. On September 4, 2015, McAnally unlawfully possessed more than 500,000 still images and videos in computer graphics files depicting minor females, some of whom were under the age of 12 years, engaging in sexually explicit conduct. McAnally received and distributed the images through Bit Torrent, a peer-to-peer Internet file-sharing network. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carolyn J. Bloch prosecuted this case on behalf of the government. The Pennsylvania State Police conducted the investigation.
On August 12, Matthew Poese, 47, of Fairview, Pennsylvania, waived indictment and pleaded guilty to a charge of violating federal laws relating to the sexual exploitation of children, In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that Poese possessed computer images depicting prepubescent minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Poese was previously employed as a Camp Counselor at a YMCA Camp in Eastern Ohio. U.S. District Judge David Cercone scheduled sentencing for December 9, 2019. The law provides for a total sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. Pending sentencing, the court placed Poese on bond. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian A. Trabold is prosecuting this case, which was investigated by the FBI.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Celebrates First RespondersRead the Press Release
Meet and Greet the Safety Fleet is planned for Saturday, September 21, 2019 at Cabela's at the Highlands in Triadelphia, WV.WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Families from across the Ohio Valley will have the chance to see their favorite emergency response, military and construction vehicles up close this weekend, thanks to the United States Attorney’s Office, Cabela’s, first responders, and other businesses in our community.
United States Attorney Bill Powell is proud to announce the fourth “Meet and Greet the Safety Fleet” event at the Highlands in Triadelphia. This event offers a chance for children and their families to meet their local law enforcement and first responders and “touch a truck.” Participants can sit in their favorite vehicles, take pictures, and explore.
“The opportunity for children and their families to up close and personal with some our first responders and learn a little bit about what they do should never be passed up. The commemoration of 9/11 just recently passed, and it clearly reminded us of the sacrifices these brave men and women do on a daily basis,” said Powell.
The event is open and free to the public. It will be held Saturday, September 21, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Cabela’s in Triadelphia. There will be character appearances and a special appearance of AirEvac’s medical helicopter (weather permitting).
Two Austin Psychologists, Owners of Psychological A.R.T.S., P.C., Sentenced for Health Care OffensesRead the Press Release
In Austin today, a federal judge sentenced two Austin psychologists who own and operate Psychological A.R.T.S., P.C., and their patient recruiter for Health Care fraud related offenses, announced United States Attorney John F. Bash, FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs, San Antonio Division, and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez sentenced 34-year-old Dr. David Fox Dubin, to three years in federal prison and ordered him to pay $282,019.92 restitution. Judge Rodriguez also sentenced 74-year-old Dr. William Joseph Dubin and 70-year-old patient recruiter Glen Elwood McKenzie, Jr., of Cedar Park, TX, to five years probation and ordered each of them to pay, joint and severally, $61,230 restitution.
On October 29, 2018, jurors found the Dubins guilty of multiple federal crimes. Dr. William Dubin was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to pay and receive health care kickbacks, and two counts of offering to pay and paying illegal kickbacks. Dr. David Dubin was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, one count of health care fraud and aiding and abetting health care fraud, and one count of aggravated identity theft.
On October 11, 2017, McKenzie pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the federal anti-kickback law and one count of receiving an illegal kickback. McKenzie was the President of the Board of Directors of an emergency shelter house located approximately eighty miles from Austin that provided temporary shelter for crisis intervention and mental health services to children and youth ages 5 to 17 who had been removed from their homes by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.
Evidence provided during trial revealed that Dr. William Dubin paid McKenzie to use his position at the emergency shelter to refer children and youth to Psychological A.R.T.S., for comprehensive mental health services, which were billed to the Medicaid program. Upon receipt of payment for these services, Dr. William Dubin paid McKenzie a 10-percent kickback from the money paid to Psychological A.R.T.S.
Evidence during trial also revealed that Dr. David Dubin engaged in a conspiracy to commit health care fraud and committed health care fraud by causing at least one fraudulent billing to be submitted to the Medicaid program. Evidence further revealed that Dr. David Dubin engaged in aggravated identity theft when he caused a fraudulent claim to be submitted to Medicaid and unlawfully used a patient’s personal identification information to obtain payment of the bill.
Special Agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation together with investigators from the Texas Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigated this case. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Rex Beasley and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Greg Surovic, Justin Chung, and Daniel Castillo prosecuted this case on behalf of the Government.
Turtle Creek Woman Sentenced to Probation in Drug Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH – The final defendant in a federal drug trafficking prosecution has been sentenced in federal court to four years’ probation on her conviction of attempted distribution of heroin, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
United States District Judge Nora Barry Fischer imposed the sentence on Shyanne Johnson, age 27, of Turtle Creek, PA.
According to information presented to the court, Shyanne Johnson was indicted in connection with a DEA wiretap investigation. The intercepted wiretap communications revealed that in June 2016, Johnson traveled to Mechanicsburg, PA to meet with a heroin supplier to attempt to bring nearly 400 bricks of heroin back to Pittsburgh for distribution of the heroin by members of the conspiracy.
Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Fischer stated that the sentence was sufficient but not greater than necessary to achieve the goals of sentencing.
Assistant United States Attorney Tonya Sulia Goodman prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
The investigation was funded by the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Program (OCDETF). The OCDETF program supplies critical federal funding and coordination that allows federal and state agencies to work together to successfully identify, investigate, and prosecute major interstate and international drug trafficking organizations and other criminal enterprises. United States Attorney Brady commended the Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, and Pennsylvania State Police for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Johnson.
Tulare County Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking Charge and Illegal Possession of a Machine GunRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. —Francisco Fernandez, 26, of Earlimart, pleaded guilty Monday to possessing with the intent to distribute cocaine and possession of an unregistered firearm, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.
According to court documents, a search warrant was executed at Fernandez’s residence in April 2019. During the search, federal agents found and seized scales, drug paraphernalia and cocaine. Fernandez admitted to possessing the cocaine for sale to others. Apart from the narcotics, federal agents also found “auto-sear” devices that are used to convert semi-automatic firearms to fire as fully automatic machineguns. In a subsequent search of Fernandez’s storage unit, agents located and seized several firearms, which included a Glock handgun that Fernandez had converted into a machinegun.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Newman is prosecuting the case.
Fernandez is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd on Dec. 16. Fernandez faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million for the distribution of cocaine charge and a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the possession of an unregistered firearm charge. 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.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Trucking Company Owners Sentenced in Scheme to Falsify Federal Safety RecordsRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – The owners of two trucking companies that hauled tons of refuse and scrap metal through Rhode Island and Massachusetts were each sentenced today to 12 months probation and fined $1,250 for directing employees to falsify federally mandated United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) Driver Vehicle Inspection Reports (DVIR) and allow trucks in need of repair to remain on the road and haul waste.
Leslie Cucino, 54, and Robert Cucino, Jr., 49, of Foster, RI, owners of CDE Corporation and Winsor Hill Hauling and Recycling Corporation, admitted to directing truck drivers over a period of years not to report safety defects on the DVIRs as they were required to do. In numerous instances, state police in Rhode Island and Massachusetts pulled over their trucks for safety inspections and issued inspection reports citing many defects, including some serious defects such as faulty brakes. The Cucinos’ regularly instructed drivers to report “no defects” on the DVIR reports.
A significant amount of the companies’ business included hauling fully loaded truckloads of scrap metal to the Port of Providence and to locations in Boston. The companies have since closed.
United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) regulations, enforced by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), a division of the USDOT, require that motor carriers require their drivers to prepare a daily DVIR on each commercial motor vehicle operated. The report must be in writing and prepared at the completion of each day's work, and must include at least the following parts and accessories: service brakes, parking (hand) brake, steering mechanism, lighting devices and reflectors, tires, horn, windshield wipers, rear vision mirrors, coupling devices, wheels and rims, and emergency equipment.
The reports, which must be preserved and made available upon demand for review, are the primary means by which FMCSA Inspectors and state law enforcement authorities enforce federal motor carrier safety regulations relating to the safety of the commercial motor vehicles.
Leslie and Robert Cucino, Jr., previously pleaded guilty to failure to comply with Department of Transportation regulations. They were each sentenced today by U.S District Court Magistrate Judge Lincoln D. Almond to 12 months probation and fined $1,250, announced United States Attorney Aaron L. Weisman and Todd Damiani, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee H. Vilker.
The matter was investigated by USDOT Office of Inspector General and FMCSA, with the assistance of Massachusetts State Police and Rhode Island State Police.
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Trenton Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing a Short-Barreled ShotgunRead the Press Release
Bangor, Maine: United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Brian Jordan, 33, of Trenton, Maine, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to possessing an unregistered firearm.
According to court records, on more than one occasion between January 2017 and May 2018, Jordan held and shot a short-barreled shotgun with a barrel length of less than 10 inches. Federal law prohibits the possession of a weapon made from a shotgun, if the modified weapon has a barrel less than 18 inches in length or an overall length of less than 26 inches, unless that weapon is registered to the possessor in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. The shotgun Jordan possessed was not registered to him.
Jordan faces up to 10 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.
The case was investigated by the United States Coast Guard Investigative Service; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the Maine Marine Patrol.
Texas Hospital Administrator Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Role in $16 Million Health Care Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
A Houston, Texas-area hospital administrator was sentenced today for his role in a $16 million Medicare fraud scheme involving partial hospitalization programs.
Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Ryan Patrick of the Southern District of Texas, Special Agent in Charge Perrye K. Turner of the FBI’s Houston Field Office, Special Agent in Charge C.J. Porter of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) Dallas Region, and the Texas Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) made the announcement.
Starsky Bomer, 46, of Houston, Texas, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Vanessa Gilmore of the Southern District of Texas to 10 years in prison for his role in the scheme, and ordered the defendant to pay $6,277,575.77 in restitution and to forfeit $158,260. On Oct. 5, 2018, following a five-day trial before Judge Gilmore, Bomer was convicted of one count of conspiracy to receive health care kickbacks, two counts of violating the Anti-Kickback Statute, and one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud from a November 2017 superseding indictment.
According to evidence presented at trial, from 2011 until February 2013, Bomer and his co-conspirators engaged in a scheme to defraud Medicare by submitting to Medicare, through Atrium Medical Center (Atrium) and Pristine Healthcare (Pristine), approximately $16 million in false and fraudulent claims for partial hospitalization program (PHP) services. A PHP is a form of intensive outpatient treatment for severe mental illness.
The evidence presented at trial showed that Bomer, the hospitals’ chief financial officer and chief operating officer, orchestrated a scheme by which he and others paid illegal bribes and kickbacks to group home owners and patient recruiters in exchange for sending Medicare patients to Atrium and Pristine’s PHPs. Bomer disguised bribes and kickbacks as salary payments and transportation payments to group home owners in exchange for patient referrals. In addition, evidence presented at trial showed that Bomer knew that many of the patients admitted to Atrium and Pristine’s PHPs did not qualify for and were never provided legitimate partial hospital services.
This case was investigated by the FBI, HHS-OIG and the Texas Attorney General’s MFCU. Assistant Chief Aleza Remis and Trial Attorneys Jason Knutson and Gerald M. Moody, Jr. of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case.
The Medicare Fraud Strike Force is part of a joint initiative between the Department of Justice and HHS to focus their efforts to prevent and deter fraud and enforce current anti-fraud laws around the country. Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, which maintains 15 strike forces operating in 24 districts, has charged nearly 4,000 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $14 billion. In addition, the HHS Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.
Tennessee Man Sentenced for Role in Ugandan Counterfeit Currency Distribution RingRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A Tennessee resident has been sentenced in federal court to three years (36 months) of probation, the first nine months on home detention, 250 hours of community service, a $5,000 fine and ordered to pay $120,710 in restitution on his conviction of conspiracy and transferring counterfeit currency, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
Chief United States District Judge Mark R. Hornak imposed the sentence on Cole M. Harris aka Ink, 23, of Knoxville, TN.
According to information presented to the court, Harris was a reshipper in the United States for the distribution of Ugandan manufactured counterfeit currency that was being sold online by an individual using the moniker Willy Clock. Harris also traveled to Uganda and smuggled the counterfeit currency into the United States.
Assistant United States Attorney Shardul S. Desai prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Brady commended the U.S. Secret Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Harris.
Springfield Man Sentenced to 24 Years for Leading Heroin ConspiracyRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Missouri, man was sentenced in federal court today for leading a drug-trafficking organization that distributed as much as 10 kilograms of heroin in Greene County, Mo., over a 15-month time period.
Jovan J. Denson, 41, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 24 years and four months in federal prison without parole.
On March 18, 2019, Denson pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute heroin from March 1, 2016, to May 18, 2017. Denson also pleaded guilty to four counts of distributing heroin, one count of possessing heroin with the intent to distribute, and one count of money laundering (involving the down payment on a vehicle with $9,500 in proceeds of illegal drug trafficking).
Denson was arrested on May 17, 2017. At the time of his arrest, he was in possession of $11,500 that was derived from drug distribution. Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at his residence the same day and seized approximately 528 grams of heroin. During the time of this conspiracy, Denson was on state parole for distributing crack cocaine.
Denson is among 14 defendants charged in this case, and among six who have pleaded guilty and been sentenced. Five co-defendants have pleaded guilty and await sentencing; one co-defendant is deceased.
Co-defendant Gerald E. Pope, 41, of Springfield, pleaded guilty in federal court today to his role in the conspiracy to distribute heroin. A sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled.
One dose of heroin, which sells on the street for approximately $5 to $15, contains on average about .025 grams of heroin (40,000 doses per kilogram). An individual dose of heroin can be fatal, depending on its purity, and at least one death was linked to this conspiracy.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Josephine L. Stockard. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, IRS-Criminal Investigation, Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Springfield, Mo., Police Department, the Greene County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
Rosebud Man Sentenced for Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily InjuryRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Rosebud, South Dakota, man convicted of Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury was sentenced on September 9, 2019, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.
Everett Joseph Menard, a/k/a Everette J. Menard, age 23, was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Menard was indicted by a federal grand jury on October 16, 2018. He pled guilty on June 18, 2019.
The conviction stemmed from an incident that occurred on September 27, 2018. On that date, Menard and the victim were both in custody at the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Adult Correctional Facility near Rosebud, South Dakota. At one point, Menard and the victim were both in the day room. The victim went to shower in one of the stalls that adjoins the day room. Menard knew the victim was in the shower stall, and subsequently carried a chair from the common area of the day room over to the shower stalls. He looked around to see if anyone was watching him, and then rushed into the victim's shower stall. He grabbed the victim, lifted him, and threw him to the floor. The victim suffered a broken wrist as a result of the assault.
This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.
Menard was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Rapid City Man Charged with EscapeRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Escape from Custody.
Daniel Red Horse, age 49, was indicted on August 13, 2019. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on September 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 between June 19, 2019, and August 13, 2019, Red Horse knowingly escaped from the custody of the United States Bureau of Prisons, where he was lawfully confined for the offense of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender.
The charge is merely an accusation and Red Horse is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Miller is prosecuting the case.
Red Horse was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
Raleigh Investment Advisor Sentenced to 40 Years for Orchestrating Ponzi Scheme, Obstructing the SEC, and Committing Aggravated Identity TheftRead the Press Release
RALEIGH – United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. announced that today in the United States District Court in Raleigh, Judge James C. Dever III sentenced STEPHEN CONDON PETERS, 45, of Raleigh, North Carolina, to serve a total term of 40 years in federal prison on charges of Investment Advisor Fraud, Fraud in the Sale of Unregistered Securities, Wire Fraud, Conducting Monetary Transactions in Criminally Derived Property, and Aggravated Identity Theft. The court also ordered that Peters make restitution in the amount of $15,063,624.30 to his numerous victims. The court also ordered forfeiture as part of the sentence.
United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. stated, “With what is effectively a life sentence for Mr. Peters, the Court in this case gave a clear message: Investment advisors who steal their client’s money with lies, and use it to fund their own greed, will pay for their crimes in decades -- not days, months or years. This office will continue its mission to protect the elderly and others who place their trust in financial professionals.”
"Stephen Peters will spend the next 40 years right where he belongs, behind bars. Peters cheated hundreds of hardworking people out of their life savings so he could fund his own lavish lifestyle. This is a case about greed and abuse of trust. The FBI will continue to work with our partners to ensure this kind of malicious behavior is investigated and those guilty offenders are held accountable,” said John Strong, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in North Carolina.
At trial and through the sentencing process, the evidence showed that Peters, in his role as a Registered Investment Advisor, defrauded his numerous clients by steering them into investments in which Peters had a direct financial interest. He then compounded his crimes by attempting to defraud the SEC with false documents and statements. According to the Court, Peters’s crimes were “breathtaking,” but were proven with a “tsunami of evidence.” In issuing its 40 year sentence, the Court also noted that Peters “quadrupled down” on the crime by, among other things, perjurying himself at trial.
In addition to its order of restitution, the Court gave potential victims an additional 45 days in which to lodge claims of restitution that were not previously known to the Government. If you feel that you may have been a victim of this offense, and have not already responded to the Government’s requests for information, please contact the FBI or the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The investigation of this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney William M. Gilmore represented the United States.
Puerto Rican Man Going to Prison for Selling FentanylRead 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 Xavier Hernandez-Gerena, 29, of Puerto Rico, who was convicted of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, was sentenced to serve 46 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Katelyn Hartford, who handled the case, stated that on October 16, 2018, law enforcement officers recovered quantities of fentanyl and heroin from the defendant. In addition, on May 23 and June 6, 2018, Hernandez-Gerena sold fentanyl to another individual in exchange for cash.
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, New York Field Division, and the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Eric Laughton.
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Ponte Vedra Man Indicted on Twelve Counts of Wire Fraud for Investment SchemeRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Robert H. Hendricks (63, Ponte Vedra) with 12 counts of wire fraud. If convicted, Hendricks faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison on each count. The indictment also notifies Hendricks that the United States is seeking a money judgment of at least $2,638,924.34, the proceeds of the charged criminal conduct.
According to the indictment, Hendricks solicited his friends and clients to invest in fraudulent and sham investments in real property and commercial business ventures. To convince the victims of the veracity of their investments, Hendricks provided falsified property documents that represented the purported investments and made statements to hide and conceal the purpose of his scheme. Hendricks spent the funds to personally enrich himself and others.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Washington.
Pierre Man Sentenced for Failure to RegisterRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Pierre, South Dakota, man convicted of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender was sentenced on September 10, 2019, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.
Kape Teal Burgee, age 25, was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Burgee was indicted by a federal grand jury on December 11, 2018. He was found guilty on July 7, 2019, by way of a court trial.
Burgee, a person who is required to register under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, and sex offender by reason of a conviction under state law, absconded from the Community Transition Program in Rapid City in September of 2016 through October of 2018, and knowingly failed to register and update his registration.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Miller prosecuted the case.
Burgee was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Philadelphia Man Found Guilty of Sex Trafficking ChildrenRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – First Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Artavius Horne, a/k/a “Lo”, 35, of Philadelphia, PA was convicted at trial of three counts of sex trafficking minors by force, fraud or coercion.
During the week-long trial, the government presented evidence which showed that the defendant organized, operated and led a sex trafficking venture based in and around Northeast Philadelphia. As part of the scheme, the defendant recruited, enticed, harbored, transported, provided, obtained, or maintained three minor children, one of whom was 13 years old, to engage in commercial sexual encounters. Horne created internet advertisements for each of the victims on a website known as Backpage.com, and he transported them across state lines to New Jersey, New York, Washington D.C., and Maryland for the purpose of engaging in commercial sex acts. He also kept the victims in apartments throughout Philadelphia, also known as “trap houses,” where they were made to engage in commercial sex for the benefit of the defendant.
“The defendant’s days of trafficking girls by force and manipulation for his own financial benefit are over,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Williams. “Sex trafficking is an appallingly pervasive problem, exacerbated by the easy availability of online advertising, and it demands an aggressive response. We stand ready with our federal partners to identify and dismantle organizations that perpetuate this abuse.”
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and it is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Melanie Babb Wilmoth.
Passaic County, New Jersey, Man Sentenced to 24 Years in Prison for Heroin Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Passaic County, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 288 months in prison for conspiring to distribute at least one kilogram of heroin, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Yasmil Minaya, a/k/a “Animal,” 33, was previously convicted on both counts of the indictment against him: one count of conspiracy to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin and one count of distribution and possession with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin. Minaya was convicted following a two-week trial before U.S. District Judge Kevin McNulty, who imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and the evidence at trial:Law enforcement officials learned that Minaya and his co-defendants were serving as New Jersey and New York area distributors for a drug trafficking organization operating in the Dominican Republic, Mexico and elsewhere. The organization’s narcotics were usually transported to this area via truck and were paid for by the defendants before being sold on the street. The drug organization has been linked to several multiple-kilogram seizures of heroin, including a seizure of approximately two kilograms of heroin in March 2015, four kilograms in November 2015, and 10 kilograms in January 2017.
In addition to the prison term, Judge McNulty sentenced Minaya to five years of supervised release.
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.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents with the DEA, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Susan A. Gibson, and officers with the N.J. State Police, Trafficking North Unit, under the direction of Col. Patrick J. Callahan, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Wangenheim, Chief of the Opioid Abuse Prevention and Enforcement Unit in Newark, and U.S. Attorney Carpenito.
Defense Counsel: Howard B. Brownstein Esq., Union City, New Jersey
Omaha Man Sentenced for Receiving Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Joe Kelly announced that Joseph Arner, 51, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced today for receipt of child pornography. Senior United States District Court Judge Laurie Smith Camp sentenced Arner to 66 months in prison. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, Arner will serve a five-year of supervised release and will be required to register as a sex offender.
The case arose from a Cybertip related to a user sharing an image in a chatroom on Chatstep. In February 2018, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Arner’s residence and seized Arner’s laptop computer. Law enforcement then conducted a forensic examination of the computer and located more than 100 images and 20 videos depicting sexually explicit conduct involving a minor, including prepubescent minors as young as 10.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and 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.
This case was investigated by the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force.
Omaha City Council Member Pleads Guilty to Failing to File Federal Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Joe Kelly announced today that Vincent J. Palermo, 46, of Omaha, Nebraska, entered a plea of guilty before Senior United States District Judge Laurie Smith Camp to three counts of willful failure to file income tax returns for the 2012, 2013, and 2014 tax years. Each count calls for a maximum penalty of up to one year in prison, a $100,000 fine, a one-year term of supervised release, and a $25 special assessment.
Palermo, an Omaha City Council member, pleaded guilty to an Information which alleged that he willfully failed to file federal income tax returns, commonly referred to as Form 1040, for the 2012, 2013 and 2014 tax years, even though he received gross income in those years of $145,434, $220,400, and $129,612, respectively. Palermo admitted in court that he failed to file returns within the time required by law. The court ordered a presentence report and scheduled sentencing for December 9, 2019, at 1:30 p.m.
“Mr. Palermo should have been more aware of his own financial obligations. This wasn’t an oversight or mistake. This was the willful intentional act of not filing federal tax returns as required under the law,” said Karl Stiften, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation.
This case was investigated by Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation.
North Texas Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Conspiring to Provide Material Support to a Foreign Terrorist OrganizationRead the Press Release
FORT WORTH – A North Texas man was sentenced today to 240 months in federal prison for conspiring to provide material support to Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistani-based foreign terrorist organization also known as LeT, announced U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox for the Northern District of Texas and Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers of National Security.
“This case demonstrates how an American citizen can be radicalized by a violent ideology based upon hate and how the actions of the FBI and our partners on the Joint Terrorism Task Force worked tirelessly to prevent violence here, and abroad. We cannot thank them enough for what they do to protect our community,” said U.S. Attorney Nealy Cox. “The 20 year sentence proves that justice in the Northern District of Texas can be swift and certain. We will work aggressively to counter terrorist threats and treat these cases with the highest priority.”
“Sewell conspired with another individual to provide material support to LeT and assisted his coconspirator with his plans to travel overseas to join the terrorist organization. Today’s sentence provides just punishment for his crime,” said Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers of National Security. “The National Security Division is committed to identifying and holding accountable those who conspire to provide material support to foreign terrorist organizations.”
“Eighteen years after 9/11, combatting terrorism remains the FBI’s top priority. Here, the defendant, a natural born American citizen, helped recruit a fellow American to fight for a group responsible for unspeakable violence across South Asia,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Matthew J. DeSarno. “The FBI Dallas Field Office, and its partners who make up the North Texas Joint Terrorism Task Force, will work tirelessly to bring to justice those who offer their support to terrorist organizations, both at home and abroad.”
Michael Kyle Sewell, 18, was arrested in February and pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge in May. He was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor this morning. During sentencing, the United States introduced evidence that Sewell’s offense was consistent with a long pattern of online statements supporting violent extremism. Sewell had posted numerous messages threatening to attack individuals and gatherings of people who he believed were opponents of his radical beliefs. Sewell also conducted internet searches suggesting that he was investigating ways to carry out such attacks. During a search of Sewell’s home after his arrest, agents found an AR-15 style rifle, multiple magazines, and a number of knives in Sewell’s bedroom.
According to court documents, Sewell admitted to encouraging an individual identified in court documents as cc1 to join LeT. Sewell provided the coconspirator, who he spoke to on social media, with contact information for an individual he believed could facilitate the coconspirator’s travel to Pakistan to join LeT. Unbeknownst to Sewell and the coconspirator, the facilitator was an undercover FBI employee. After providing the facilitator’s contact information to the coconspirator, Sewell coached the coconspirator about how to present himself to the facilitator. Sewell then contacted the facilitator to vouch for the coconspirator’s intentions and promised that he would kill the coconspirator if he turned out to be a spy. Sewell also told the facilitator that he would recruit additional fighters to join LeT. The coconspirator continued to communicate with the facilitator, and made arrangements to travel to Pakistan to join LeT.
The FBI and its Joint Terrorism Task Force members, including the Arlington Police Department, the Fort Worth Police Department, the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office, the Naval Criminal Investigation Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Texas Department of Public Safety conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Weimer prosecuted the case with the assistance of Trial Attorney Bridget Behling of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
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Public Affairs Officer Erin Dooley will be out of the office thru Monday, Sept. 16.
If you need immediate assistance, please contact Suzanne Martin at [email protected] .North Texas Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Conspiring to Provide Material Support to a Foreign Terrorist OrganizationRead the Press Release
A North Texas man was sentenced today to 240 months in federal prison for conspiring to provide material support to Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistani-based foreign terrorist organization also known as LeT, announced Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers of National Security and U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox for the Northern District of Texas.
“Sewell conspired with another individual to provide material support to LeT and assisted his coconspirator with his plans to travel overseas to join the terrorist organization. Today’s sentence provides just punishment for his crime,” said Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers of National Security. “The National Security Division is committed to identifying and holding accountable those who conspire to provide material support to foreign terrorist organizations.”
“This case demonstrates how an American citizen can be radicalized by a violent ideology based upon hate and how the actions of the FBI and our partners on the Joint Terrorism Task Force worked tirelessly to prevent violence here, and abroad. We cannot thank them enough for what they do to protect our community,” said U.S. Attorney Nealy Cox. “The 20 year sentence proves that justice in the Northern District of Texas can be swift and certain. We will work aggressively to counter terrorist threats and treat these cases with the highest priority.”
“Eighteen years after 9/11, combatting terrorism remains the FBI’s top priority. Here, the defendant, a natural born American citizen, helped recruit a fellow American to fight for a group responsible for unspeakable violence across South Asia,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Matthew J. DeSarno. “The FBI Dallas Field Office, and its partners who make up the North Texas Joint Terrorism Task Force, will work tirelessly to bring to justice those who offer their support to terrorist organizations, both at home and abroad.”
Michael Kyle Sewell, 18, was arrested in February and pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge in May. He was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor this morning. During sentencing, the United States introduced evidence that Sewell’s offense was consistent with a long pattern of online statements supporting violent extremism. Sewell had posted numerous messages threatening to attack individuals and gatherings of people who he believed were opponents of his radical beliefs. Sewell also conducted internet searches suggesting that he was investigating ways to carry out such attacks. During a search of Sewell’s home after his arrest, agents found an AR-15 style rifle, multiple magazines, and a number of knives in Sewell’s bedroom.
According to court documents, Sewell admitted to encouraging an individual identified in court documents as cc1 to join LeT. Sewell provided the coconspirator, who he spoke to on social media, with contact information for an individual he believed could facilitate the coconspirator’s travel to Pakistan to join LeT. Unbeknownst to Sewell and the coconspirator, the facilitator was an undercover FBI employee. After providing the facilitator’s contact information to the coconspirator, Sewell coached the coconspirator about how to present himself to the facilitator. Sewell then contacted the facilitator to vouch for the coconspirator’s intentions and promised that he would kill the coconspirator if he turned out to be a spy. Sewell also told the facilitator that he would recruit additional fighters to join LeT. The coconspirator continued to communicate with the facilitator, and made arrangements to travel to Pakistan to join LeT.
The FBI and its Joint Terrorism Task Force members, including the Arlington Police Department, the Fort Worth Police Department, the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office, the Naval Criminal Investigation Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Texas Department of Public Safety conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Weimer prosecuted the case with the assistance of Trial Attorney Bridget Behling of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
Niagara Falls Woman Pleads Guilty to Selling Crack Cocaine with Her Incarcerated HusbandRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Tasheka Stalling, 30, of Niagara Falls, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara to conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute and distributing 28 grams or more of crack cocaine. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremiah E. Lenihan, who is handling the case, stated that between November 2015 and January 26, 2017, the defendant conspired with her husband, Jermaine Ellison to sell crack cocaine.
Between November 12, 2015, and June 20, 2016, investigators conducted six controlled purchases of crack cocaine from Ellison. On August 30, 2016, Ellison was ordered into state custody by a Niagara County Court Judge to begin serving a state sentence. While Ellison was being held in the Green Correctional Facility, Stalling conspired with him to continue selling crack cocaine to his customers in Niagara County. Stalling utilized Ellison’s cellphone contacts in order to communicate with buyers to distribute the crack cocaine. During their conspiracy, Stalling and Ellison discussed details related to the ongoing sales over recorded telephone calls from the correctional facility. Investigators made a total of 16 controlled purchases of crack cocaine from the defendant.
Jermaine Ellison was previously convicted and is awaiting sentencing.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Gary Loeffert; the Niagara County Drug Task Force, under the direction of Sheriff James R. Voutour; the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Edward Kennedy; and the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, under the direction of Chief George Gast.
Sentencing is scheduled for December 20, 2019, before Judge Arcara.
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New York Man Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison for Kidnapping, Interstate Domestic ViolenceRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A New York man was sentenced today to 108 months in prison for assaulting and kidnapping an individual with whom he had a romantic relationship, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Rudolf Szoradi, 51, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Jose J. Linares in Newark federal court to an information charging him with one count of kidnapping and interstate domestic violence. U.S. District Judge Esther Salas imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Szoradi and the victim previously had a romantic relationship. On Dec. 15, 2017, Szoradi assaulted the victim with a knife in the basement of a Newark residence. The victim suffered serious injuries. Szoradi then confined her in a vehicle against her will and drove her across state lines, eventually reaching North Carolina, where the victim was able to receive medical attention for her injuries.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Salas sentenced Szoradi to five years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing. He also thanked the Newark Police Division and Clayton, North Carolina, police department for their assistance.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Feldman Nikic of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division in Newark.
New Orleans Man Sentenced for a Violation of the Gun Control ActRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser announced that on Wednesday, September 11, 2019, HERBERT WILLIAMS, age 50, a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana was sentenced to serve 57 months in federal prison and 3 years of supervised release for violating federal law by possessing a firearm after having been convicted of a felony.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn McHugh.
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New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Mortgage FraudRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – THEODORE KURZ, age 70, a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana, pled guilty on September 12, 2019 to mortgage fraud before the Honorable Nannette Jolivette Brown, announced U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser. Sentencing has been set for December 12, 2019.
According to court documents, KURZ obtained mortgages for three properties through the State of Louisiana, Division of Administration, Office of Community Development. He then forged mortgage cancellations that he filed with the Orleans Parish Clerk of Court to falsely make it appear that the loans had been satisfied. KURZ then obtained mortgages through a different lender, falsely claiming that there were no outstanding mortgages or liens on the properties.
KURZ faces 30 years of imprisonment, 5 years of supervised release and a $1,000,000 fine.
U.S. Attorney Strasser praised the work of the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in investigating this matter. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U. S. Attorney G. Dall Kammer, Supervisor of General Crimes.
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New Haven Man Sentenced to More Than 5 Years in Federal Prison for Bank RobberiesRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that VINCENT JONES, 51, of New Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in Bridgeport to 63 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for bank robbery offenses.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Jones attempted to rob the Key Bank located at 245 Main Street in East Haven on July 31, 2017; robbed the Webster Bank located at 247 Boston Post Road in Orange of $5,469 on July 31, 2017, and robbed the Bank of America located at 1331 Boston Post Road in Milford of $6,578 on August 8, 2018.
On January 31, 2019, Jones pleaded guilty to one count of bank robbery.
Jones, who has an extensive criminal history, has been detained since August 9, 2018, when he was arrested on related state charges.
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the East Haven, Orange, Milford, New Haven and Waterbury Police Departments. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas P. Morabito.
Native of Mexico Pleads Guilty to Re-Entering the United States Illegally and Possessing Counterfeit DocumentsRead 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 Everardo Donoteo-Reyes, 27, of Mexico, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa to possession of a counterfeit social security card and alien registration card, and illegal re-entry after deportation. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle P. Rossi, who is handling the case, stated that in September 2016, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), administratively arrested the defendant in Gretna, Louisiana, and in October 2016, he was ordered removed from the United States. Upon his departure, Donoteo-Reyes was advised that he could not re-enter the United States without the permission of the United States Attorney General, or his Successor, the Secretary of Homeland Security.
On March 1, 2017, United States Border Patrol encountered the defendant in the United States and administratively arrested him in Laredo, Texas. Two days later, on March 3, 2017, Donoteo-Reyes pleaded guilty to entering the United States unlawfully and was sentenced to 15 days confinement. On March 15, 2017, the defendant was physically removed from the United States to Mexico. Donoteo-Reyes was once again advised that he could not re-enter the United States without permission.
On May 24, 2018, the defendant was arrested by the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office on New York State criminal charges. The sheriff’s office sent Donoteo-Reyes’s fingerprints to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). An immigration records check determined that the defendant had no valid immigration status and was again illegally present in the United States. During the course of an investigation into the defendant’s missing girlfriend and her son, the Wayne County Sheriff's Office located fraudulent documents belonging Donoteo-Reyes, including a counterfeit alien registration card bearing defendant’s photograph, as well as a fraudulent social security card.
Donoteo-Reyes was subsequently indicted for the murder of his girlfriend and her toddler son. He pleaded guilty to 1st Degree Manslaughter on September 11, 2019, and he is scheduled to be sentenced on November 7, 2019.
“Although a violent crime, such as that to which this defendant pled guilty in New York State Court, may not be more egregious simply because it was committed by an illegal alien as opposed to a United States citizen or anyone else,” stated U.S. Attorney Kennedy, “what is particularly frustrating is that the defendant should never have had the opportunity to commit such a heinous crime in the first place. Simply put, the defendant should not have been in the United States, and the public needs to recognize that our immigration laws exist not only to punish those, like this defendant, who violate them but to protect those, like his girlfriend and her son, who do not. This Office will work tirelessly to continue to protect our community by faithfully discharging our duty to uphold all of the laws of our great Nation.”
The plea is the result of an investigation by agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly.
Donoteo-Reyes is scheduled to be sentenced on the federal charges on December 16, 2019, before Judge Siragusa.
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Monongalia County man admits to firearms chargeRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Derrick Morris, of Morgantown, West Virginia, has admitted to a firearms charge, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Morris, age 32, pled guilty to one count of “Use of a Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Offense.” Morris, who is prohibited from having a firearm because of a previous conviction, is admitted to having a .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol during a drug offense in Monongalia County in November 2018.
Morris faces at least five years incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda E. Wesley is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Mon Metro Drug & Violent Crime Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.
U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.