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Wednesday 17 July 2019
President of Insulation Contracting Firm Pleads Guilty to Antitrust and Fraud ChargesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Paul M. Camara Jr., president and co-owner of an insulation contractor, pleaded guilty today in Bridgeport, Connecticut, for his role in schemes to rig bids in violation of the antitrust laws and engage in criminal fraud on insulation contracts, marking the third conviction in this ongoing investigation, the Department of Justice announced.
According to court documents, from October 2011 and continuing until March 2018, Camara, of Brooklyn, Connecticut, conspired with other insulation contractors to rig bids and engage in fraud on contracts for installing insulation around pipes and ducts on construction projects at universities, hospitals, and other public and private entities in Connecticut and elsewhere. The conspirators discussed prices and agreed on bids that inflated prices to their customers by at least 10%. In order to conceal their actions, the conspirators perpetrated the bid-rigging and fraud schemes using burner phones.
“Today’s guilty plea is the result of the coordinated effort by the Justice Department and our law enforcement partners, including the FBI and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), to root out collusion relating to a $45 million scheme to rig bids and fix prices on contracts to the detriment of taxpayer-funded schools, hospitals, and other businesses,” said Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division. “This plea is a warning to contractors engaged in bid rigging and fraud that they will be held accountable.”
“This is the third insulation contractor executive to admit his involvement in this extensive bid rigging and fraud scheme,” said U.S. Attorney Durham for the District of Connecticut. “I commend the FBI, DCIS, and our colleagues at the Antitrust Division who, together, are ensuring that those responsible for these schemes are brought to justice.”
“Guilty pleas like today’s solidify a strong message from law enforcement to contractors and others engaged in deceit and fraud of the American public, that we will aggressively pursue those individuals with the full gravity of our collective resources until justice is served,” said Brian C. Turner, Special Agent in Charge of FBI’s New Haven Field Office.
“Ensuring the integrity of the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DoD) procurement process is a top priority for the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS),” stated Leigh-Alistair Barzey, Special Agent in Charge of the DCIS Northeast Field Office. “Bid rigging and fraud schemes, such as the ones in this case, disrupts the integrity of the procurement process and betrays the public’s trust. Unethical decisions that occur within the DoD contractor community continue to strain the U.S. Defense budget, impacting DoD’s resources and the American taxpayer. Today’s guilty plea is the direct result of a joint effort and demonstrates the DCIS’ commitment to work with the FBI, the DOJ Antitrust Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, to investigate and prosecute individuals and companies that engage in anticompetitive and fraudulent activity impacting the DoD.”
The antitrust charge announced today carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a criminal fine of $1 million for individuals. The fraud conspiracy charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. The fines for the antitrust and fraud conspiracy charges may be increased to twice the gain derived from the crime or twice the loss suffered by the victims of the crime, if either of those amounts is greater than the statutory maximum fine. In addition to his guilty plea, Camara has agreed to pay restitution to the victims.
The ongoing investigation is being conducted by the Antitrust Division’s New York Office, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut, the FBI’s New Haven Division, and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service. Anyone with information in connection with this investigation is urged to call the Antitrust Division’s New York Office at 212-335-8035, or visit http://www.justice.gov/atr/contact/newcase.html.
President of Insulation Contracting Firm Pleads Guilty to Antitrust and Fraud ChargesRead the Press Release
Paul M. Camara Jr., president and co-owner of an insulation contractor, pleaded guilty today in Bridgeport, Connecticut, for his role in schemes to rig bids in violation of the antitrust laws and engage in criminal fraud on insulation contracts, marking the third conviction in this ongoing investigation, the Department of Justice announced.
According to court documents, from October 2011 and continuing until March 2018, Camara, of Brooklyn, Connecticut, conspired with other insulation contractors to rig bids and engage in fraud on contracts for installing insulation around pipes and ducts on construction projects at universities, hospitals, and other public and private entities in Connecticut and elsewhere. The conspirators discussed prices and agreed on bids that inflated prices to their customers by at least 10%. In order to conceal their actions, the conspirators perpetrated the bid-rigging and fraud schemes using burner phones.
“Today’s guilty plea is the result of the coordinated effort by the Justice Department and our law enforcement partners, including the FBI and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), to root out collusion relating to a $45 million scheme to rig bids and fix prices on contracts to the detriment of taxpayer-funded schools, hospitals, and other businesses,” said Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division. “This plea is a warning to contractors engaged in bid rigging and fraud that they will be held accountable.”
“This is the third insulation contractor executive to admit his involvement in this extensive bid rigging and fraud scheme,” said U.S. Attorney Durham for the District of Connecticut. “I commend the FBI, DCIS, and our colleagues at the Antitrust Division who, together, are ensuring that those responsible for these schemes are brought to justice.”
“Guilty pleas like today’s solidify a strong message from law enforcement to contractors and others engaged in deceit and fraud of the American public, that we will aggressively pursue those individuals with the full gravity of our collective resources until justice is served,” said Brian C. Turner, Special Agent in Charge of FBI’s New Haven Field Office.
“Ensuring the integrity of the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DoD) procurement process is a top priority for the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS),” stated Leigh-Alistair Barzey, Special Agent in Charge of the DCIS Northeast Field Office. “Bid rigging and fraud schemes, such as the ones in this case, disrupts the integrity of the procurement process and betrays the public’s trust. Unethical decisions that occur within the DoD contractor community continue to strain the U.S. Defense budget, impacting DoD’s resources and the American taxpayer. Today’s guilty plea is the direct result of a joint effort and demonstrates the DCIS’ commitment to work with the FBI, the DOJ Antitrust Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, to investigate and prosecute individuals and companies that engage in anticompetitive and fraudulent activity impacting the DoD.”
The antitrust charge announced today carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a criminal fine of $1 million for individuals. The fraud conspiracy charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. The fines for the antitrust and fraud conspiracy charges may be increased to twice the gain derived from the crime or twice the loss suffered by the victims of the crime, if either of those amounts is greater than the statutory maximum fine. In addition to his guilty plea, Camara has agreed to pay restitution to the victims.
The ongoing investigation is being conducted by the Antitrust Division’s New York Office, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut, the FBI’s New Haven Division, and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service. Anyone with information in connection with this investigation is urged to call the Antitrust Division’s New York Office at 212-335-8035, or visit http://www.justice.gov/atr/contact/newcase.html.
Powell County Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 224 MonthsRead the Press Release
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Mark Adkins, 46, of Powell County, Kentucky was sentenced yesterday, by U.S. District Judge Danny C. Reeves, to 224 months in federal prison, for distributing methamphetamine.
Beginning in October 2017 and continuing through January 2018, law enforcement made eight purchases of methamphetamine from Mark Adkins, at his residence in Powell County. In total, officers seized approximately 671 grams of methamphetamine. Adkins has two prior drug trafficking convictions—one in Morgan Circuit Court and a second in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky.
Adkins will be required to serve at least 85% of the sentence imposed. Upon his release, he will be under supervision by the United States Probation Office for a period of five years.
Robert M. Duncan, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; D. Christopher Evans, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Lexington; and Commissioner Richard Sanders, Kentucky State Police, jointly announced the sentence. The investigation was conducted by personnel from KSP, the Appalachia High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (AHIDTA) Drug Task Force, and DEA. Assistant United States Attorney Lauren Bradley prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Pottawattamie County Woman Sentenced to Prison for Methamphetamine OffenseRead the Press Release
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa - United States Attorney Marc Krickbaum announced on July 16, 2019, Swann Michelle Thomas, age 37, was sentenced by United States District Court Chief Judge John A. Jarvey for Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. Thomas was sentenced to 100 months in prison to be followed by a term of supervised release of four years.
On September 5, 2018, a Council Bluffs police officer on patrol saw Thomas in a vehicle and knew she had an active warrant for a parole violation. The officer approached the car and observed a Crown Royal bag on the driver’s side of the vehicle that contained a pipe and approximately 21.5 grams of methamphetamine.
This case was investigated by the Council Bluffs Police Department and the Southwest Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.
Pottawattamie County Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Firearm OffenseRead the Press Release
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa - United States Attorney Marc Krickbaum announced on July 16, 2019, Devin Lee Graham, age 25, was sentenced by United States District Court Chief Judge John A. Jarvey for Prohibited Person in Possession of a Firearm. Graham was sentenced to ten years in prison to be followed by a term of supervised release of three years.
On September 13, 2018, Devin Graham was a passenger in a vehicle stopped for traffic violations. The officer smelled marijuana and performed a search of the vehicle. Officers located a backpack containing a small amount of controlled substances, drug paraphernalia and a loaded firearm. Graham admitted the backpack belonged to him. Graham is prohibited from possessing firearms as he has two prior felony convictions for possession with intent to deliver marijuana in Pottawattamie County, Iowa District Court.
This case was investigated by the Council Bluffs Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a Department of Justice program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.
Pittsburgh Felon, 22, Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal Prison for Illegal Gun PossessionRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to five years’ imprisonment and three years’ supervised release, on his conviction of being a felon in possession of a firearm, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
United States District Judge Nora Barry Fischer imposed the sentence on Andre Charles Hall, 22, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
According to information presented to the court, Hall, a convicted felon, illegally possessed a .40 caliber pistol on October 5, 2016. Hall led the Pittsburgh Police on a high speed chase through the Hill District of Pittsburgh, crashed the stolen vehicle he was driving, and then attempted to escape on foot before being apprehended. The firearm was recovered from a coat he threw down. Hall had a previous burglary conviction which made him a prohibited person as a felon.
Assistant United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Brady commended the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the City of Pittsburgh Police for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Hall.
Philadelphia man sentenced for role in a methamphetamine distribution operation in Monongalia CountyRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Terry Willie Trapp, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 235 months incarceration for his involvement in a methamphetamine distribution operation, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Trapp, age 49, pled guilty to one count of “Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances” in February 2019. Trapp admitted to participating in a drug distribution operation in October 2018 in Monongalia County.Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda E. Wesley prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Mon Metro Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, and the Morgantown Police Department investigated.
U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
Owner of Janitorial Supply Company Sentenced to 50 Months in Prison for Defrauding Customer, Failing to Pay TaxesRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – A Camden County, New Jersey, man who owned a janitorial supply company was sentenced today to 50 months in prison for submitting fraudulent bills to a customer and failing to pay taxes on the illicit proceeds of his scheme, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Mitchell Bleicher, 53, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Robert B. Kugler to an information charging him with one count each of wire fraud, money laundering, and income tax evasion. Judge Kugler imposed the sentence today in Camden federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Bleicher was the owner and operator of Allied Materials Inc. (Allied), a janitorial supply company in Berlin, New Jersey. Allied sold janitorial and cleaning supplies, office and break room supplies, food service items, safety equipment, and business printing and imprinted items.
Bleicher admitted that between 2009 and April 2018, he submitted invoices to Company 1, headquartered in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, that falsely listed products that Allied purportedly delivered to Company 1, when, in fact, Allied had not delivered those products. Allied’s fraudulent invoices also inflated the number of products that were actually delivered. As part of his scheme, and to ensure that his fraudulent invoices were accepted, Bleicher admitted that he paid a contractor working in the facilities department of Company 1 who was responsible for the janitorial supplies. Once that contractor left, Bleicher continued his fraudulent activity with the contractor’s replacement and rewarded him by buying him expensive dinners, taking him to professional sports games like the Philadelphia 76ers, and providing him with expensive wines. Later, Bleicher recruited an employee of Company 1 and gave her the fraudulent invoices to submit for payment.
Bleicher admitted that he used the money he got from the scheme – $1,917,381 – on numerous personal expenditures, such as Rolex watches, two Rolls Royce automobiles, two Subaru automobiles, motorcycles, home renovations and college tuition for his children.
Bleicher acknowledged that he failed to pay taxes on the money he received through fraud. Although he filed income tax returns with the IRS for 2011 through 2017, Bleicher did not report the money that he fraudulently obtained from Company 1. By not reporting that additional taxable income, Bleicher admitted that he defrauded the IRS of $578,902 in income tax revenue.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Kugler sentenced Bleicher to three years of supervised release, and ordered him to pay $9.5 million in restitution to Company 1 and $584,255 in restitution to the IRS.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael T. Harpster in Philadelphia; and special agents of IRS - Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge John R. Tafur, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.
The government is represented by Senior Trial Counsel Jason M. Richardson of the U.S. Attorney's Office Criminal Division in Camden.
Defense counsel: Robert E. Welsh Esq., Philadelphia
Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (S.O.S) in the Eastern District of KentuckyRead the Press Release
LEXINGTON – One year ago, the Justice Department announced the formation of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (S.O.S.), a program designed to reduce the supply of deadly synthetic opioids in high impact areas as well as identifying wholesale distribution networks and international and domestic suppliers.
Over the past year, 10 districts with some of the highest drug overdose death rates in the country, each targeted a county where they focused on prosecuting every readily available case involving fentanyl, fentanyl analogues, and other synthetic opioids, regardless of the drug quantity. These districts worked with DEA Special Operations Division to track and coordinate these street-level cases and also received additional assistance from the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF).
“Our attorneys and law enforcement agents have spent the past year working tirelessly to disrupt the networks engaged in the trafficking of synthetic opioids. Today we are proud to share their successes in 10 of the districts most affected by this scourge,” Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen said. “The Department of Justice’s efforts have resulted in countless successes from California to Maine. We have successfully sought enhanced sentences in cases that resulted in deadly overdoses, and we have boosted cooperation among the partners involved. There remains much work to be done, but Operation S.O.S. marks a crucial turning point in the fight against synthetic opioids.”
“The success of the S.O.S. initiative is based on strong partnerships,” stated United States Attorney Robert M. Duncan, Jr. “We are fortunate to work with the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office, the Lexington Police Department, and DEA in implementing and advancing this important program.”
Fayette County was chosen as the S.O.S. location in the Eastern District of Kentucky. In November 2018, a specially-funded Assistant United States Attorney was hired to prosecute S.O.S. and related cases. Since then, 15 cases, involving 19 defendants, have been prosecuted in federal court as part of the S.O.S. initiative.
The following prosecutions are currently pending trial:
U.S. v. Walter Powell and Elisha Wilson (19-CR-69-S-JMH): Powell and Wilson are charged with conspiring to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, conspiring to distribute crack cocaine, and possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine. Trial is scheduled for September 16, 2019, in Lexington.
U.S. v. Allen Norman (19-CR-93-DCR): Norman is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Trial is scheduled for August 29, 2019, in Lexington.
U.S. v. Xavier Leburton Gray (19-CR-94-DCR): Gray is charged with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and being a felon in possession of two firearms. Trial is scheduled for August 19, 2019, in Lexington.
U.S. v. Maurice Love, Edith Tripure, and Richard Lomax Carter (19-CR-95-DCR): Love, Tripure, and Carter are charged with conspiring to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. Love and Tripure are also charged with distribution of fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. Trial is scheduled for August 19, 2019, in Lexington.
U.S. v. Julio Cesar Cordero-Barrios (19-CR-110-JMH): Cordero-Barrios is charged with conspiring to distribute fentanyl, distribution of fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and armed drug trafficking. Trial is scheduled September 10, 2019, in Lexington.
U.S. v. Raymond Duong (19-CR-116-KKC): Duong is charged with possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Duong is also charged with being a felon in possession of 8 firearms. A trial date to be determined.
Overall, ten S.O.S. defendants have pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of distributing synthetic opioids or related charges and are pending sentencing, including defendants in the following cases:
U.S. v. Michael Glover (19-CR-05-KKC): On June 6, 2019, Glover pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 10 grams or more of valerylfentanyl. In his plea agreement, Glover acknowledged that he was arrested by the Lexington Police Department and ultimately found to be in possession of 58 grams of valerylfentanyl. Glover admitted that he possessed the drugs with intent to distribute. Based upon a statutory mandatory minimum, Glover faces a sentence of not less than 5 years and not more than 40 years. Glover’s sentencing is scheduled September 12, 2019, at 10:30 a.m., in Lexington.
U.S. v. Eldronte Washington (19-CR-26-JMH): On May 20, 2019, Washington pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. In his plea agreement, Washington admitted that Lexington Police officers searched his residence, discovering Washington in possession of more than 40 grams of fentanyl, three firearms, and $4,240. Washington admitted that he intended to distribute the fentanyl. Based upon a statutory mandatory minimum, Washington faces a sentence of not less than 5 years and not more than 40 years. Washington’s sentencing is scheduled for September 9, 2019, at 11:30 a.m., in Lexington.
U.S. v. Jameel Sleet (19-CR-35-S-DCR): On April 24, 2019, Sleet pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. In his plea agreement, Sleet admitted to being a passenger in a vehicle stopped by Lexington Police officers. An officer searched Sleet and found 40 grams of fentanyl, 39 grams of cocaine, and 16 grams of crack cocaine. Sleet admitted he intended to distribute the drugs. Based upon a statutory mandatory minimum, Sleet faces a sentence of not less than 5 years and not more than 40 years. Sleet’s sentencing is scheduled for August 16, 2019, at 9:30 a.m., in Lexington.
U.S. v. Aaron Antonio Evans (19-CR-46-S-KKC): On June 25, 2019, Evans pleaded guilty to possessing with intent to distribute 10 grams or more of acetylfentanyl. In his plea agreement, Evans admitted that he sold approximately 11 grams of acetylfentanyl. Based upon a statutory mandatory minimum, Evans faces a sentence of not less than 5 years and not more than 40 years. Evans’s sentencing is scheduled for October 4, 2019, at 10:00 a.m., in Lexington.
U.S. v. Khalid Yusef White (19-CR-48-JMH): On April 29, 2019, White pleaded guilty to possessing with intent to distribute 10 grams or more of a substance containing acetylfentanyl and valerylfentanyl. Based upon a statutory mandatory minimum, White faces a sentence of not less than 5 years and not more than 40 years. White’s sentencing is scheduled for August 12, 2019, at 11:30 a.m., in Lexington.
U.S. v. Chris David Lewis, Jr. (19-CR-52-KKC): On May 15, 2019, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. In his plea agreement, Lewis admitted that Lexington Police officers detained him and discovered he had 58 grams of fentanyl and 13 grams of methamphetamine in his coat pocket. Lewis admitted that he planned to distribute the fentanyl. Based upon a statutory mandatory minimum, Lewis faces a sentence of not less than 5 years and not more than 40 years. Lewis’s sentencing is scheduled for September 12, 2019, at 11:00 a.m., in Lexington.
U.S. v Anthony McIntosh (19-CR-53-JMH): On May 28, 2019, McIntosh pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. In his plea agreement, McIntosh admitted that he was encountered by Lexington Police officers, who discovered 21 grams of fentanyl. McIntosh admitted he intended to sell the fentanyl found in his possession. McIntosh’s sentencing is scheduled for September 16, 2019, at 10:00 a.m., in Lexington.
U.S. v. Lavonte Lee Harmon (19-CR-70-DCR): On June 7, 2019, Harmon pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 10 grams or more of acetylfentanyl. In his plea agreement, Harmon admitted that Lexington Police officers searched his residence and person, discovering 13 grams of acetylfentanyl, 17 grams of cocaine, and $4,474. At Harmon’s residence, officers found an additional 13 grams of cocaine and other evidence of drug trafficking. Based upon a statutory mandatory minimum, Harmon faces a sentence of not less than 5 years and not more than 40 years. Harmon’s sentencing is scheduled for October 4, 2019, at 9:30 a.m., in Lexington.
Two S.O.S. defendants have been sentenced to federal prison. On May 28, 2019, Edward Malik Cotton (19-CR-04-JMH) was sentenced to 100 months in prison for possessing with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of acetylfentanyl. Cotton admitted he possessed 87 grams of acetylfentanyl and a firearm.
On May 14, 2019, Steven Ray Slone (19-CR-06-JMH) was sentenced to 24 months in prison for possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute. Slone admitted to possessing 7 grams of fentanyl with the intent to sell it.
Both Cotton and Slone must serve 85 % of their sentences; and upon their release from prison, they will be subject to periods of supervision by the United States Probation Office.
“We are pleased with the results of the S.O.S. initiative thus far,” stated U.S. Attorney Duncan. “Because of the hard work of law enforcement, we have held several synthetic opioid traffickers accountable for their actions; we have removed dangerous drugs from the community; and we have helped save lives. Despite this success, we recognize that there is still work to be done and we remain committed to partnering in support of the S.O.S. initiative.”
Ohio Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ROBERT DUDUKOVICH, 25, of Wakeman, Ohio, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to one count of distribution of child pornography.
According to court documents and statements made in court, between July and October 2017, Dudukovich managed a chat group on “Kik,” a smartphone messaging application, that provided a forum for group members to communicate about their sexual interest in young boys and to share and trade child pornography primarily depicting young boys engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Dudukovich shared with the group members, including an individual in Connecticut, images and videos of child pornography. The child pornography included videos of a minor engaged in sexual acts with another minor, and a video of a minor engaged in a sexual act with an adult. Dudukovich also shared with the group members a link to his Dropbox account, which contained additional images and videos of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
The investigation revealed that Dudukovich also used his Tumblr account to access and view child pornography.
Dudukovich was arrested on September 5, 2018. Subsequent analysis of Dudukovich’s laptop and cellphone, which were seized at the time of his arrest, revealed additional videos of child pornography.
Judge Meyer scheduled sentencing for October 9, 2019, at which time Dudukovich faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.
This matter is being investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj N. Patel.
This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.
Nurse Charged with Drug Theft and TamperingRead the Press Release
Katie Louise Boll, age 31, from Manchester, Iowa, has been charged with thirteen counts of acquiring a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, deception and subterfuge during 2018 and one count of tampering with a consumer product, specifically morphine, on December 24, 2018. The charges are contained in an Indictment filed on July 7, 2019, in United States District Court in Cedar Rapids.
The Indictment alleges that, between September 2018 and January 2019, Boll acquired controlled substances including hydrocodone, morphine, oxycodone, codeine, and tramadol, from at least fourteen patients in her care at a nursing home by acquiring the pills by misrepresentation, fraud, deception and subterfuge. Boll is also charged with one count of tampering with a consumer product by diluting liquid morphine with mouthwash, resulting in injury to a patient.
If convicted on all charges, Boll faces a possible maximum sentence of 62 years’ imprisonment, a $3,500,000 fine, and 42 years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
Boll appeared on July 16, 2019, in federal court in Cedar Rapids and was released on bond. Boll’s next appearance for trial is set for September 16, 2019
As with any criminal case, a charge is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick Reinert and was investigated by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals and the United States Food and Drug Administration.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 19-CR-2044. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Multiple Time Violent Offender Sentenced for Illegally Re-entering United StatesRead the Press Release
BEAUMONT, Texas –A 49-year-old Mexican national with multiple prior felony convictions has been sentenced to federal prison for immigration violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Joseph D. Brown today.
Luis Garcia-Torres pleaded guilty on April 15, 2019, to unlawful reentry by a deported alien and was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison today by U.S. District Judge Thad Heartfield.
According to information presented in court, on Jan. 13, 2019, Garcia-Torres was arrested in Orange County, Texas for driving while intoxicated. After being booked into the Orange County Jail, it was discovered that Garcia-Torres illegal alien with prior felony convictions. A records check revealed Garcia-Torres had been convicted of voluntary manslaughter in 1988 in North Carolina, aggravated battery with a dangerous weapon in Louisiana in 2001, and aggravated re-entry of a removed alien in 2015. Garcia-Torres had also been previously deported from the United States to Mexico in 1990, 2011, and 2016. Garcia-Torres was indicted by a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Texas on Feb. 16, 2019, and charged with immigration violations.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) and the Texas Department of Public Safety and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Randall L. Fluke.
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Mother and Son Plead Guilty to Fentanyl Distribution with Serious Bodily InjuryRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – Jeffrey Luis Rodriguez (34, Tampa) and Mary Bell Rodriguez (62, Tampa) have each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl and heroin, causing serious bodily injury. Jeffrey Rodriguez also pleaded guilty to one count of distributing heroin causing serious bodily injury, and six counts of aiding and abetting the distribution of heroin and fentanyl. Mary Bell Rodriguez pleaded guilty to three counts of aiding and abetting the distribution of heroin and fentanyl. Each faces a mandatory penalty of life in federal prison.
According to court documents, from at least March 2017 and continuing through May 2018, Jeffrey Luis Rodriguez and Mary Bell Rodriguez were members of a conspiracy that distributed fentanyl and heroin, from their vehicle, around the Town and Country area of Hillsborough County. During the span of the conspiracy, the fentanyl that they had distributed led to many overdoses, including the serious bodily injury overdose of D.C.H.
Subsequently, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office began an investigation of members of the conspiracy. Between January and May 2018, undercover law enforcement officers purchased narcotics from Jeffrey Luis Rodriguez and Mary Bell Rodriguez on various occasions.
This case was investigated by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael C. Baggé-Hernández.
Monessen Heroin Dealer Sentenced to 11+ Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA - A former resident of Monessen, Pennsylvania has been sentenced in federal court to a term of imprisonment of 11 years and eight months (140 months), to be followed by 10 years of supervised release on his conviction of violating federal narcotics laws, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
United States District Judge Cathy Bissoon imposed the sentence on Donald Mitchell, age 38.
According to information presented to the court, Mitchell was a heroin distributor for the Jarran Bell Drug Trafficking Organization. Mitchell was intercepted via Title III intercepts communicating with Bell during this investigation. For instance, in early April of 2015, Jarran Bell, Krystle Barretto, and Amanda Santiago traveled to Paterson, New Jersey to orchestrate a 250-brick shipment of heroin, which was confirmed upon their return when Bell started contacting distributors for his organization, including Donald Mitchell. Mitchell received 100 bricks of heroin from Bell at that time. From December 2014 through April 2015, Mitchell received over one kilogram of heroin from Bell.
The investigation, which utilized Title III intercepts from December 2014 through April 2015 of 10 different cellular telephones, surveillance, controlled drug purchases, and other investigative techniques, established the existence of a number of overlapping and interrelated drug distribution networks at work in the afflicted regions, which included Clairton, McKeesport, Port Vue, areas in Washington County, Westmoreland County, and New Jersey.
Assistant United States Attorney Shanicka L. Kennedy prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
A federally administered Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) conducted the investigation led to the prosecution of Barretto. The task force is headed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is comprised of members drawn from the FBI Greater Pittsburgh Safe Street Task Force including the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General, Clairton Police Department, Wilkinsburg Police Department, West Mifflin Police Department, Allegheny County Police Department, Duquesne Police Department, Munhall Police Department, Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, and the Pennsylvania State Police. 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.
Michigan man and Monongalia County man sentenced for their roles in a drug distribution operation in Monongalia CountyRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Two men were sentenced today for their involvement in a heroin, oxycodone, and cocaine distribution operation, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Daron Buford, of Detroit, Michigan, was sentenced today to 18 months incarceration. Buford, age 28, pled guilty to one count of “Aiding and Abetting Distribution of Heroin” in March 2019. Buford admitted to selling heroin in July 2017 in Monongalia County.Brian Kyle, of Maidsville, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 27 months incarceration. Kyle, age 40, pled guilty to one count of “Unlawful Use of Communication Facility” in March 2019. Kyle admitted to using a phone to further a drug distribution operation in April 2018 in Monongalia County.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda E. Wesley prosecuted the cases on behalf of the government. The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Mon Metro Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated. The United States Marshal Service assisted.
The investigation was funded in part by the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Program (OCDETF). The OCDETF program supplies critical federal funding and coordination that allows federal and state agencies to work together to successfully identify, investigate, and prosecute major interstate and international drug trafficking organizations and other criminal enterprises.
U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
Men Sentenced for Manufacturing Methamphetamine in New Hanover CountyRead the Press Release
RALEIGH — The United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Robert J. Higdon, Jr., announced that today, Chief United States District Judge Terrence W. Boyle, sentenced JOSHUA SKUTT, 41, of New Hanover County to 168 months’ imprisonment, followed by 3 years of supervised release. On March 21, 2019, SKUTT pled guilty to one-count of Conspiracy to Manufacture, Distribute, and Possess with Intent to Distribute a Quantity of Methamphetamine and one-count of Possession with Intent to Distribute a Quantity of Methamphetamine and Aiding and Abetting. Additionally, JOSHUA REGISTER, 34, of New Hanover County was sentenced to 48 months imprisonment followed by 3 years of supervised release. On March 14, 2019, REGISTER pled guilty to one-count of Conspiracy to Manufacture, Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute a Quantity of Methamphetamine and one-count of Possession with Intent to Distribute a Quantity of Methamphetamine and Aiding and Abetting.
Beginning in February 2018, the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office (NHCSO) received information that SKUTT, REGISTER, and four others were working together to manufacture methamphetamine in the McGregor Road area of New Hanover County. Detectives received information that methamphetamine was being “cooked” at both 212 and 215 McGregor Road. They also received information that SKUTT was having people purchase pseudoephedrine in order to cook methamphetamine, and that SKUTT and others used burn pits at the residences to conceal evidence and destroy the methamphetamine cooking components. The investigation also uncovered that SKUTT taught REGISTER how to cook methamphetamine.
On February 21 and March 2, 2018, the Sheriff’s Office conducted controlled purchases of methamphetamine from REGISTER at 210 McGregor Road.
On March 20, 2018, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation Clandestine Lab Response team, along with Sheriff’s Office Clandestine Lab certified detectives, executed search warrants on three residences - 210, 212 and 215 McGregor Road. Law enforcement found the following items: 210 McGregor Road (items associated with the cooking/manufacturing of methamphetamine), 212 McGregor Road (19 grams of methamphetamine and items associated with the manufacturing/cooking of methamphetamine), and 215 McGregor Road (144 grams of liquid methamphetamine). Law enforcement found REGISTER at 210 McGregor Road and SKUTT at 212 McGregor Road.
The Court found that based upon the nature of the manufacturing by both SKUTT and REGISTER that it created a substantial risk of harm to human life. At the time of this offense, SKUTT was on federal supervised release.
This case is part of the Take Back North Carolina Initiative of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina. This initiative emphasizes the regional assignment of federal prosecutors to work with law enforcement and District Attorney’s Offices on a sustained basis in those communities to reduce the violence crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement. For more information about this initiative please click https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/tbnc.
The investigation of this case was conducted by the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy M. Severo represented the government.
Markquise Harris Sentenced to 60 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
HAMMOND – Markquise Harris, 19 years old, of East Chicago, Indiana, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Joseph Van Bokkelen on his plea of guilty to Hobbs Act Robbery, announced U.S. Attorney Kirsch.
Harris was sentenced to 60 months in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $3,449.99.
According to documents in the case, on August 1, 2017, Harris and three others, robbed a wireless cell phone store located at Ridge Road and Calumet Avenue in Munster, Indiana. Two of the robbers brandished guns during the robbery, which took place around 5:00pm when customers and employees were inside the store.
This case was investigated by the FBI GRIT Task Force in conjunction with Munster, Gary, and Griffith Police Departments and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Chang.
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Man Allegedly Makes Phone Threats to Pride Parade; Investigators Track and Link Him to Unsolved Bank RobberiesRead the Press Release
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – July 17, 2019
SAN DIEGO – A man who allegedly threatened to “kill all the gays and children” at the San Diego Pride parade was charged today with three bank robberies after San Diego Police detectives and FBI agents linked him to both the threats and the robberies dating back to 2016.
According to a federal complaint, Andre Lafayette Holmes robbed US Bank on Campo Road in Spring Valley on November 4, 2016; Mission Federal Credit Union in San Diego on June 14, 2018, and California Bank and Trust on Fifth Avenue, also in San Diego, on June 28, 2019. In the first crime he claimed to have a gun; in the second and third robberies he pointed a pistol at tellers, the complaint said.
FBI agents identified Holmes as the armed bank robber in three unsolved cases following threats he made to the San Diego Pride Parade organizers on July 10, 2019. In the first of two late-morning phone calls to pride organizers’ main line, a caller stated: “I think I’m going to have to kill all the gays and the children.” He then repeated, “I’m going to have to kill the f------ and children.” The employee asked, “Sir, what’s your name?” The caller replied: “I don’t like them” and “I hate the f------.” He then hung up. About four minutes later, he called back. “F--- Donald Trump. I hate Hillary. I hate f---. I’m going to shoot up the Pride event.” The male caller repeated the same statement approximately four times.
On July 11, San Diego Police Department investigators identified the phone number as belonging to Holmes. They determined that Holmes drives a 2009 Toyota minivan registered in his name. They located Holmes near Miramar College and conducted a traffic stop. He was in possession of the phone from which the threats were made, the complaint said.
During subsequent searches of Holmes residence and vehicle, investigators discovered evidence of the armed bank robberies, including a gray semi-automatic pistol, a rubber “old man” style mask, a large bag of cash and clothing believed worn by the bank robber, among other things. They also found a Big Gulp 7-Eleven mug consistent with the one used during two of the robberies.
In the first robbery, the complaint alleges that Holmes used a demand note which said: “We have guns! I will personally shoot anyone you alert! Don’t make me jump over the counter and kill innocent people. Big bills only and I’ll calmly leave. Money now!!!!” On the back of the note, it said: “I’m sorry, good man on hard times. Sincerely, Bank Robber.”
In the second robbery at Mission Federal Credit Union, Holmes pulled a semi-automatic pistol from his pocket and pointed it at a teller and demanded money, the complaint said. He then proceeded to demand money from a second teller. In the third robbery, Holmes again had a light-colored semiautomatic pistol and verbally demanded money.
Authorities are presently evaluating further charges for Holmes’ threats to the San Diego Pride Parade.
DEFENDANT Case Number 19mj2977
Andre Lafayette Holmes Age: 31 San Diego, California
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Bank Robbery – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 2113(a)
Maximum penalty: 20 years
Armed Bank Robbery – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 2113(a) & (d)
Maximum penalty: 25 years
Brandishing a Firearm in Commission of Crime of Violence – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 924(c)
Maximum penalty: Life in prison;
Consecutive Mandatory Minimum: 7 years
AGENCY
Federal Bureau of Investigation
San Diego Police Department
*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Luzerne County Man Sentenced to More Than 15 Years’ Imprisonment for Heroin Trafficking and Unlawful Possession of A FirearmRead the Press Release
SCRANTON—The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Brandon Diggs, age 29, of Kingston, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on July 16, 2019, by U.S. District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion to 188 months’ imprisonment and to serve six years supervised release for trafficking in heroin and unlawfully possessing a handgun as a convicted felon.
According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Diggs previously pleaded guilty to committing both crimes and admitted to possessing with intent to distribute heroin and unlawfully possessing a loaded 9mm handgun on June 9, 2018, in Kingston.
Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and Kingston Police seized more than 100 bags of heroin and the firearm from a residence where Diggs was staying.
The matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Kingston Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis P. Sempa prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
This case was also brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Heroin Initiative targets heroin traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit heroin related offenses.
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Leesburg Resident Pleads Guilty to Attempted Online Enticement of a Minor to Engage in Illegal Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
A Leesburg, Florida resident pled guilty today to attempted online enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity.
Ariana Fajardo Orshan, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and John Bolduc, Chief, Port St. Lucie Police Department, made the announcement.
Jonathan Mahowald, 38, of Leesburg pleaded guilty to Attempted Use of a Means of Interstate Commerce to Persuade, Induce, Entice, or Coerce a Minor to Engage in Illegal Sexual Activity, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2422(b) (Case No. 18-CR-14072-KAM. Mahowald faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years to life in prison. Mahowald also faces up to a lifetime of supervised release and the requirement that he register as a sex offender. He was ordered to be held in custody, pending sentencing on October 18, 2019, before U.S. District Court Judge Kenneth A. Marra.
According to documents filed in the case, on July 6, 2018, a Port St. Lucie Police Department Detective was working in an undercover capacity online, utilizing the internet, to investigate computer crimes against children. Between July 6, 2018 and July 17, 2018, a Port St. Lucie Police Detective, posing as a 14 year old girl, responded to an internet advertisement Mahowald had posted. During the course of text and online communications Mahowald discussed sexually explicit activity he wished to engage in with the “14-year old.” In addition, Mahowald sent sexually explicit images, to the person he believed was a minor. On the morning of July 17, 2019, Mahowald set up a meeting with the “14 year old” to meet at a restaurant in Port. St Lucie. While en route, Mahowald discussed engaging in sexual acts, in his van, with the individual he believed was a 14 year old girl. Upon his arrival Mahowald was arrested by members of the Port St. Lucie Police Department.
U.S. Attorney Fajardo Orshan commended the investigative efforts of the Port St. Lucie Police Department for their work on this case. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Carmen Lineberger.
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 at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
Lame Deer man sentenced in stabbings of two womenRead the Press Release
BILLINGS—A Lame Deer man who admitted stabbing two women on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation last year was sentenced today to 68 months in prison and three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Keyshawn Trey Sandcrane, 23, pleaded guilty in March to assault resulting in serious bodily injury and to assault resulting in substantial bodily injury to a dating partner.
U.S. District Judge Susan Watters presided.
The prosecution said in court records that Sandcrane, who has abused methamphetamine, marijuana and alcohol since he was 18, assaulted the victims on Nov. 12, 2018 in a Lame Deer residence. The first victim, his girlfriend, was in another room when she heard the second victim yell, “He’s trying to stab me.” The first victim went into the kitchen area and saw Sandcrane throw the second victim into the washer and dryer area. Sandcrane hit the first victim and slashed her face with a knife. Sandcrane also stabbed the second victim three times in the leg and arm. Both victims were treated for their injuries.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Dake prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI.
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Justice Department Focus on Fentanyl Yields Results in Montgomery CountyRead the Press Release
DAYTON – One year ago, the Justice Department announced the formation of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (S.O.S.), a program designed to reduce the supply of deadly synthetic opioids in high impact areas as well as identifying wholesale distribution networks and international and domestic suppliers.
The Southern District of Ohio is one of 10 districts included in the initiative to target counties with high drug overdose death rates and focus on federally prosecuting every readily available case involving fentanyl, fentanyl analogues and other synthetic opioids, regardless of the drug quantity.
Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, announced 58 operation S.O.S. investigations in the Southern District of Ohio. Of those 58 investigations, 52 involve fentanyl distribution.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office here is working in coordination with the DEA, ATF, FBI and HSI to bring cases to fruition. The initiative in the Southern District of Ohio has a primary focus on Montgomery County, given the interconnectedness of drug trafficking across the region, includes cases from nearby counties as well.
For example:
- Last month, Salvador Ramirez was sentenced to 180 months in federal prison. A federal indictment in July 2018 charged him and six other individuals in a drug trafficking conspiracy in the Miami Valley and across southern and central Ohio. This investigation includes the seizure of more than seven kilograms of fentanyl.
- This spring, an Arizona man and a Dayton man pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute large quantities of fentanyl in Dayton. Michael Nailen worked as a commercial truck driver, and when traveling for work, he permitted other individuals to hide kilogram quantities of drugs and bulk amounts of cash in his tractor trailer. More than 400 grams of fentanyl were distributed via Marco Gonzalez, who would meet Nailen in Dayton and other Ohio cities to deliver the drugs to local dealers.
- In March, a Springfield, Ohio man was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison for possessing 14 grams of carfentanil. Craig Gilbreath ran from officers after being encountered by police and ultimately threw bags containing the carfentanil, which is 10,000 times more potent than morphine and used to immobilize large animals.
“The rise of synthetic opioids presents an unprecedented public health and safety crisis in the Southern District of Ohio. Countering that crisis will continue to require prevention, enforcement, and treatment, and it will require everyone working together. Enforcement targeted toward areas particularly hard hit by synthetic opioid distribution, in the interests of reducing supply and disrupting the formation of distribution hubs, is one important piece of our enforcement strategy. The death and destruction caused by synthetic opioids remain unacceptable, but the work that law enforcement agents and prosecutors are doing as part of this operation is one reason for optimism.”
The other nine participating districts and some of their successes include:
- The Eastern District of California has reported a total of 27 Operation S.O.S. investigations in which the narcotics seized have included kilogram-quantities of fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, oxycodone, and hydrocodone.
- The Eastern District of Kentucky has reported 15 investigations with six to eight new investigations being added monthly and has charged nine sentence-enhanced “death resulting” cases.
- The District of Maine has an additional 30 cases as a result of Operation S.O.S.
- The District of New Hampshire has had 41 cases through Operation S.O.S. that have resulted in indictments with fentanyl being distributed in 39 of those cases amongst other drugs.
- The Northern District of Ohio has indicted 71 defendants under Operation S.O.S., and has seen a 12 percent decrease in overdose deaths from the year prior.
- The Western District of Pennsylvania noticed the decline in overdose deaths in the county they originally had targeted. This decline was attributed to a large number of people moving out of the targeted county to attempt to circumvent the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s efforts. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has refocused their resources to target the county where fatal overdoses have increased the most.
- The Eastern District of Tennessee has reported seven Operation S.O.S. cases involving 39 defendants, with a number of those including “death resulting” cases.
- The Northern District of West Virginia has 22 Operation S.O.S. cases with one “death resulting” prosecution. One of these investigations resulted in eight separate cases involving 35 defendants.
- Southern District of West Virginia has 62 cases pending as a result of Operation S.O.S. with 13 convictions. Just recently, a 1.2 kilogram mixture of fentanyl and heroin was seized from a defendant in one of those cases.
“Our attorneys and law enforcement agents have spent the past year working tirelessly to disrupt the networks engaged in the trafficking of synthetic opioids. Today we are proud to share their successes in 10 of the districts most affected by this scourge,” Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen said. “The Department of Justice’s efforts have resulted in countless successes from California to Maine. We have successfully sought enhanced sentences in cases that resulted in deadly overdoses, and we have boosted cooperation among the partners involved. There remains much work to be done, but Operation S.O.S. marks a crucial turning point in the fight against synthetic opioids.”
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- Last month, Salvador Ramirez was sentenced to 180 months in federal prison. A federal indictment in July 2018 charged him and six other individuals in a drug trafficking conspiracy in the Miami Valley and across southern and central Ohio. This investigation includes the seizure of more than seven kilograms of fentanyl.
Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, Sinaloa Cartel Leader, Sentenced to Life in Prison Plus 30 YearsRead the Press Release
Joaquin Archivaldo Guzman Loera, known by various aliases, including “El Chapo” and “El Rapido,” was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Brian M. Cogan to a life term of imprisonment plus 30 years to run consecutive to the life sentence for being a principal leader of a continuing criminal enterprise – the Mexican organized crime syndicate known as the Sinaloa Cartel – a charge that includes 26 drug-related violations and one murder conspiracy. The Court also ordered Guzman Loera to pay $12.6 billion in forfeiture.
Guzman Loera was convicted by a federal jury on Feb. 12, 2019, following a three-month trial, of all 10 counts of the superseding indictment, including narcotics trafficking, using a firearm in furtherance of his drug crimes and participating in a money laundering conspiracy.
The sentence was announced by Attorney General William P. Barr, Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Richard P. Donoghue for the Eastern District of New York (EDNY), U.S. Attorney Ariana Fajardo Orshan for the Southern District of Florida (SDFL), Acting Administrator Uttam Dhillon of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Director Christopher A. Wray of the FBI, Acting Secretary Kevin McAleenan of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Executive Associate Director Derek Benner of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Acting U.S. Marshal Bryan T. Mullee of the Eastern District of New York, New York City Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner James P. O’Neill and New York State Police Superintendent Keith M. Corlett.
The evidence at trial established that Guzman Loera was a principal leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, a Mexico-based international drug trafficking organization responsible for importing and distributing more than a million kilograms of cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamine and heroin in the United States. The evidence included testimony from 14 cooperating witnesses, including Sinaloa Cartel members Rey and Vicente Zambada, Miguel Martinez, Tirso Martinez, Damaso Lopez and Alex Cifuentes; narcotics seizures totaling over 130,000 kilograms of cocaine and heroin; weapons, including AK-47s and a rocket-propelled grenade launcher; ledgers; text messages; videos; photographs and intercepted recordings that detailed the drug trafficking activity of Guzman Loera and his co-conspirators over a 25-year period from January 1989 until December 2014.
From the mid-1980s until his arrest in Mexico in 1993, Guzman Loera was a mid-level operative of the Sinaloa Cartel, earning a name for himself and the nickname “El Rapido” for how quickly he transported drugs from Mexico to the United States for the Colombian cartels. After he escaped from a Mexican prison in 2001 by hiding in a laundry cart, Guzman Loera formed an alliance with fugitive co-defendant Ismael Zambada Garcia and, together, they became the preeminent leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel. Guzman Loera enforced his will and maintained control of his drug empire through an army of lethal bodyguards and a sophisticated communications network.
The trial highlighted the methods Guzman Loera and his organization used to transport the cartel’s multi-ton shipments of narcotics into the United States, including fishing boats, submarines, carbon fiber airplanes, trains with secret compartments and transnational underground tunnels. Once the narcotics were in the United States, they were sold to wholesale distributors in New York, Miami, Atlanta, Chicago, Arizona, Los Angeles and elsewhere. Guzman Loera then used various methods to launder billions of dollars of drug proceeds, including bulk cash smuggling from the United States to Mexico, U.S.-based insurance companies, reloadable debit cards and numerous shell companies, including a juice company and a fish flour company.
Guzman Loera and his organization relied upon violence to maintain its power throughout the region and beyond. Numerous co-conspirators testified that Guzman Loera directed his hitmen to kidnap, interrogate, torture and slaughter members of rival drug organizations, at times carrying out acts of violence himself. As part of its arsenal, the Sinaloa Cartel had access to weapons, including grenades and a rocket-propelled grenade launcher. Guzman Loera’s personal arsenal included a gold plated AK-47 and three diamond-encrusted .38 caliber handguns, one emblazoned with his initials, “JGL.”
Guzman Loera and his organization also relied on a vast network of corrupt government officials and employees to protect and further the interests of the Sinaloa Cartel. They included local law enforcement officers, prison guards, high-ranking members of the armed forces and elected office holders. In exchange, the Cartel paid these individuals millions of dollars in bribes.
“The long road that brought ‘El Chapo’ Guzman Loera to a United States courtroom is lined with drugs, death, and destruction, but ends today with justice,” said Assistant Attorney General Benczkowski. “Thanks to the unflagging efforts of the Department of Justice and the law enforcement community over the past 25 years, this notorious leader of one of the largest drug trafficking organizations in the Western hemisphere, the Sinaloa Cartel, will spend the rest of his life behind bars.”
“Guzman Loera’s day of reckoning has finally come,” said EDNY U.S. Attorney Donoghue. “Never again will he pour poison into our country, or make millions as innocent lives are lost. We cannot undo the violence, misery and devastation inflicted on countless individuals and communities as result of his organization’s sale of tons of illegal drugs for more than two decades, but we can ensure that he spends every minute of every day in prison. The same fate awaits those who would take his place. I thank the brave members of law enforcement, here and abroad, for their tireless efforts that have finally secured justice in this case.”
“The life sentence imposed today is the only just result for someone who spent a lifetime spreading his poison throughout our country,” said SDFL U.S. Attorney Fajardo Orshan. “The impact of keeping former Sinaloa Cartel leader Joaquin Guzman Loera behind bars, for the rest of his life, cannot be overstated: the world will now be shielded from his brutality. Thanks to the unyielding efforts of this team, the public was finally able to see how Guzman Loera used any means necessary to control his ruthless empire, including kidnapping, corruption, torture, and murder. Our U.S. Attorney’s Offices continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with our domestic and foreign law enforcement partners to protect our citizens from the scourge of illicit drugs.”
“This sentencing shows the world that no matter how protected or powerful you are, DEA will ensure that you face justice,” said DEA Acting Administrator Dhillon. “This result would not have been possible without the dedication and determination of so many brave men and women of the DEA, who worked tirelessly to see the world’s most dangerous, prolific drug trafficker behind bars in the United States. This is a huge victory for the rule of law, for thousands of current and retired DEA agents and analysts worldwide, and for all of our law enforcement partners here, in Mexico, and across the globe.”
“Today’s sentencing is the culmination of years of effort from numerous local, state, federal, and international partners,” said FBI Director Wray. “It highlights the dedication and determination of men and women in law enforcement to bring one of the world’s most notorious drug traffickers to justice. The FBI has no tolerance for those who endanger our communities and destroy lives through drugs and violence. We’ll continue to work day and night to find and stop those who distribute illegal substances and commit unimaginable violence.”
“On behalf of the Department of Homeland Security, I want to express my gratitude to our HSI agents and diligent law enforcement partners for their work in this monumental conviction,” said Acting Secretary of Homeland Security McAleenan. “This sentence will send a resounding message that transnational criminal organizations all over the world are being continuously investigated and their leaders will be brought to justice.”
“After a decade long investigation, Joaquin Archivaldo Guzman Loera’s reign over the Sinaloa Cartel is over,” said HSI Executive Associate Director Benner. “Because of the initiative and expertise of HSI special agents in New York and Phoenix working together with our law enforcement partners, ‘El Chapo’ will no longer be able to inflict violence or traffic vast amounts of illegal drugs into our communities.”
“The U.S. Marshals Service was tasked with ensuring the integrity of the judicial process in this case,” said Acting U.S. Marshal Mullee. “It was paramount that all participants in the case could operate without undue influence or fear in a secure environment, and we accomplished that. On behalf of the U.S. Marshals Service in the Eastern District of New York, I would like to express my gratitude to all of our law enforcement partners who worked tirelessly in support of our mission, most notably, the incredibly talented men and women of the NYPD, The Federal Protective Service (FPS), The 24th Civil Support Team of the New York National Guard and the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP).”
“Let today’s sentencing show the world that Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman has not escaped the American justice system and, now, will finally be held accountable for his many years of criminal behavior,” said NYPD Commissioner O’Neill. “I want to thank the members of the DEA, the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, HSI, the New York State Police and the NYPD detectives on the Drug Enforcement Task Force for their hard work on this investigation and trial.”
“With this sentencing, justice has been served,” said NYSP Superintendent Corlett. “For two decades, this individual used extreme violence, bribes, and any means necessary to bring dangerous and deadly drugs into our country and state. This sentence should serve as a reminder that no one is above the law. I applaud our partners in law enforcement for their tireless work on this case, bringing an end to the destruction this man, and this enterprise caused for decades.”
The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gina Parlovecchio, Michael Robotti, Patricia Notopoulos and Hiral Mehta from the Eastern District of New York; Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Fels, Andrea Goldbarg and Lynn Kirkpatrick from the Southern District of Florida; and Trial Attorneys Amanda Liskamm, Anthony Nardozzi, Brett Reynolds and Michael Lang of the U.S. Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section.
The case was investigated by the DEA, ICE HSI and the FBI, in cooperation with Mexican, Ecuadorian, Netherlands, Dominican and Colombian law enforcement authorities. Substantial assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in the Northern District of Illinois, Western District of Texas, Southern District of New York, Southern District of California, District of New Hampshire, District of Arizona and Eastern District of Virginia. The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs of the Criminal Division played an integral role in securing the extradition of Guzman Loera to the United States, in cooperation with authorities of the Mexican government, without which his prosecution would not have been possible. The Department of Justice’s Office of Enforcement Operations assisted with the use of critical investigative and prosecution tools, including wiretaps, Special Administrative Measures, and other sensitive investigative techniques that proved essential to facilitating Guzman’s capture and successful prosecution. The investigative efforts in this case were coordinated with the Department of Justice Special Operations Division, comprising agents, analysts and attorneys from the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section; DEA New York; DEA Miami; FBI Washington Field Office; FBI New York Field Office; FBI Miami Field Office; HSI New York; HSI Nogales; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Marshals Service; IRS Criminal Investigation; U.S. Bureau of Prisons; NYPD and New York State Police.
This case is the result of the ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a partnership that brings together the combined expertise and unique abilities of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, dismantle and prosecute high level members of drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations and enterprises.
Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, Sinaloa Cartel Leader, Sentenced to Life in Prison Plus 30 YearsRead the Press Release
BROOKLYN, NY – Joaquin Archivaldo Guzman Loera, known by various aliases, including “El Chapo” and “El Rapido,” was sentenced today by United States District Judge Brian M. Cogan to life imprisonment plus 30 years to run consecutive to the life sentence for being a principal leader of a continuing criminal enterprise – the Mexican organized crime syndicate known as the Sinaloa Cartel – a charge that includes 26 drug-related violations and one murder conspiracy. The Court also ordered Guzman Loera to pay $12.6 billion in forfeiture.
Guzman Loera was convicted by a federal jury on February 12, 2019, following a three-month trial, of all 10 counts of the superseding indictment, including narcotics trafficking, using a firearm in furtherance of his drug crimes and participating in a money laundering conspiracy.
The sentence was announced by Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Brian A. Benczkowski, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Ariana Fajardo Orshan, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; Uttam Dhillon, Acting Administrator, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); Christopher A. Wray, Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); Kevin McAleenan, Acting Secretary, United States Department of Homeland Security; Derek Benner, Executive Associate Director, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Bryan T. Mullee, Acting U.S. Marshal, Eastern District of New York; James P. O’Neill, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD); and Keith M. Corlett, Superintendent, New York State Police (NYSP).
The evidence at trial established that Guzman Loera was a principal leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, a Mexico-based international drug trafficking organization responsible for importing and distributing more than a million kilograms of cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamine and heroin in the United States. The evidence included testimony from 14 cooperating witnesses, including Sinaloa Cartel members Rey and Vicente Zambada, Miguel Martinez, Tirso Martinez, Damaso Lopez and Alex Cifuentes; narcotics seizures totaling over 130,000 kilograms of cocaine and heroin; weapons, including AK-47s and a rocket-propelled grenade launcher; ledgers; text messages; videos; photographs and intercepted recordings that detailed the drug trafficking activity of Guzman Loera and his co-conspirators over a 25-year period from January 1989 until December 2014.
From the mid-1980s until his arrest in Mexico in 1993, Guzman Loera was a mid-level operative of the Sinaloa Cartel, earning a name for himself and the nickname “El Rapido” for how quickly he transported drugs from Mexico to the United States for the Colombian cartels. After he escaped from a Mexican prison in 2001 by hiding in a laundry cart, Guzman Loera formed an alliance with fugitive co-defendant Ismael Zambada Garcia and, together, they became the preeminent leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel. Guzman Loera enforced his will and maintained control of his drug empire through an army of lethal “sicarios” or hitmen and a sophisticated communications network.
The trial highlighted the methods Guzman Loera and his organization used to transport the cartel’s multi-ton shipments of narcotics into the United States, including fishing boats, submarines, carbon fiber airplanes, trains with secret compartments and transnational underground tunnels. Once the narcotics were in the United States, they were sold to wholesale distributors in New York, Miami, Atlanta, Chicago, Arizona, Los Angeles and elsewhere. Guzman Loera then used various methods to launder billions of dollars of drug proceeds, including bulk cash smuggling from the United States to Mexico, U.S.-based insurance companies, reloadable debit cards and numerous shell companies, including a juice company and a fish flour company.
Guzman Loera and his organization relied upon violence to maintain its power throughout the region and beyond. Numerous co-conspirators testified that Guzman Loera directed his hitmen to kidnap, interrogate, torture and slaughter members of rival drug organizations, at times carrying out acts of violence himself. As part of its arsenal, the Sinaloa Cartel had access to weapons, including grenades and a rocket-propelled grenade launcher. Guzman Loera’s personal arsenal included a gold plated AK-47 and three diamond-encrusted .38 caliber handguns, one emblazoned with his initials, “JGL.”
Guzman Loera and his organization also relied on a vast network of corrupt government officials and employees to protect and further the interests of the Sinaloa Cartel. They included local law enforcement officers, prison guards, high-ranking members of the armed forces, and elected office holders. In exchange, the Cartel paid these individuals millions of dollars in bribes.
“Guzman Loera’s day of reckoning has finally come. Never again will he pour poison into our country, or make millions as innocent lives are lost. We cannot undo the violence, misery and devastation inflicted on countless individuals and communities as result of his organization’s sale of tons of illegal drugs for more than two decades, but we can ensure that he spends every minute of every day in prison,” stated United States Attorney Donoghue. “The same fate awaits those who would take his place. I thank the brave members of law enforcement, here and abroad, for their tireless efforts that have finally secured justice in this case.”
“The long road that brought ‘El Chapo’ Guzman Loera to a United States courtroom is lined with drugs, death, and destruction, but ends today with justice,” said Assistant Attorney General Benczkowski. “Thanks to the unflagging efforts of the Department of Justice and the law enforcement community over the past 25 years, this notorious leader of one of the largest drug trafficking organizations in the Western hemisphere, the Sinaloa Cartel, will spend the rest of his life behind bars.”
“The life sentence imposed today is the only just result for someone who spent a lifetime spreading his poison throughout our country. The impact of keeping former Sinaloa Cartel leader Joaquin Guzman Loera behind bars, for the rest of his life, cannot be overstated: the world will now be shielded from his brutality,” said U.S. Attorney Fajardo Orshan. “Thanks to the unyielding efforts of this team, the public was finally able to see how Guzman Loera used any means necessary to control his ruthless empire, including kidnapping, corruption, torture, and murder. Our U.S. Attorney’s Offices continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with our domestic and foreign law enforcement partners to protect our citizens from the scourge of illicit drugs.”
“This sentencing shows the world that no matter how protected or powerful you are, DEA will ensure that you face justice,” stated DEA Acting Administrator Uttam Dhillon. “This result would not have been possible without the dedication and determination of so many brave men and women of the Drug Enforcement Administration, who worked tirelessly to see the world’s most dangerous, prolific drug trafficker behind bars in the United States. This is a huge victory for the rule of law, for thousands of current and retired DEA agents and analysts worldwide, and for all of our law enforcement partners here, in Mexico, and across the globe.”
“Today’s sentencing is the culmination of years of effort from numerous local, state, federal, and international partners,” stated FBI Director Wray. “It highlights the dedication and determination of men and women in law enforcement to bring one of the world's most notorious drug traffickers to justice. The FBI has no tolerance for those who endanger our communities and destroy lives through drugs and violence. We’ll continue to work day and night to find and stop those who distribute illegal substances and commit unimaginable violence.”
“On behalf of the Department of Homeland Security, I want to express my gratitude to our HSI agents and diligent law enforcement partners for their work in this monumental conviction,” said Acting Secretary of Homeland Security McAleenan. “This sentence will send a resounding message that transnational criminal organizations all over the world are being continuously investigated and their leaders will be brought to justice.”
“After a decade long investigation, Joaquin Archivaldo Guzman Loera’s reign over the Sinaloa Cartel is over,” said Derek N. Benner, Executive Associate Director for HSI. “Because of the initiative and expertise of HSI Special Agents in New York and Phoenix working together with our law enforcement partners, ‘El Chapo’ will no longer be able to inflict violence or traffic vast amounts of illegal drugs into our communities.”
“The United States Marshals Service was tasked with ensuring the integrity of the judicial process in this case,” stated Acting U.S. Marshal Mullee of the Eastern District of New York. “It was paramount that all participants in the case could operate without undue influence or fear in a secure environment, and we accomplished that. On behalf of the United States Marshals Service in the Eastern District of New York, I would like to express my gratitude to all of our law enforcement partners who worked tirelessly in support of our mission, most notably, the incredibly talented men and women of the New York City Police Department (NYPD), The Federal Protective Service (FPS), The 24th Civil Support Team of the New York National Guard and the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP).”
“Let today’s sentencing show the world that Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman has not escaped the American justice system and, now, will finally be held accountable for his many years of criminal behavior,” said NYPD Commissioner James P. O’Neill. “I want to thank the members of the DEA, the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, Homeland Security Investigations, the New York State Police and the NYPD detectives on the Drug Enforcement Task Force for their hard work on this investigation and trial.”
“With this sentencing, justice has been served. For two decades, this individual used extreme violence, bribes, and any means necessary to bring dangerous and deadly drugs into our country and state,” stated NYSP Superintendent Corlett. “This sentence should serve as a reminder that no one is above the law. I applaud our partners in law enforcement for their tireless work on this case, bringing an end to the destruction this man, and this enterprise caused for decades.”
The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gina Parlovecchio, Michael Robotti, Patricia Notopoulos, Hiral Mehta, Soumya Dayananda and Brendan King from the Eastern District of New York; Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Fels, Andrea Goldbarg and Lynn Kirkpatrick from the Southern District of Florida; and Trial Attorneys Amanda Liskamm, Anthony Nardozzi, Brett Reynolds and Michael Lang of the U.S. Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section.
The case was investigated by the DEA, ICE and the FBI, in cooperation with Mexican, Ecuadorian, Netherlands, Dominican and Colombian law enforcement authorities. Substantial assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in the Northern District of Illinois, Western District of Texas, Southern District of New York, Southern District of California, District of New Hampshire, District of Arizona and Eastern District of Virginia. The Department of Justice Office of International Affairs played an integral role in securing the extradition of Guzman Loera to the United States, in cooperation with authorities of the Mexican government, without which his prosecution would not have been possible. The investigative efforts in this case were coordinated with the Department of Justice Special Operations Division, comprising agents, analysts and attorneys from the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section, DEA New York, DEA Miami, FBI Washington Field Office, FBI New York Field Office, FBI Miami Field Office, ICE HSI New York, ICE HSI Nogales, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Marshals Service, Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, U.S. Bureau of Prisons, NYPD and New York State Police.
This case is the result of the ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a partnership that brings together the combined expertise and unique abilities of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, dismantle and prosecute high level members of drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations and enterprises.
Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, Sinaloa Cartel Leader, Sentenced to Life in Prison Plus 30 YearsRead the Press Release
Joaquin Archivaldo Guzman Loera, known by various aliases, including “El Chapo” and “El Rapido,” was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Brian M. Cogan to a life term of imprisonment plus 30 years to run consecutive to the life sentence for being a principal leader of a continuing criminal enterprise – the Mexican organized crime syndicate known as the Sinaloa Cartel – a charge that includes 26 drug-related violations and one murder conspiracy. The Court also ordered Guzman Loera to pay $12.6 billion in forfeiture.
Guzman Loera was convicted by a federal jury on Feb. 12, 2019, following a three-month trial, of all 10 counts of the superseding indictment, including narcotics trafficking, using a firearm in furtherance of his drug crimes and participating in a money laundering conspiracy.
The sentence was announced by Attorney General William P. Barr, Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Ariana Fajardo Orshan for the Southern District of Florida (SDFL), U.S. Attorney Richard P. Donoghue for the Eastern District of New York (EDNY), Acting Administrator Uttam Dhillon of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Director Christopher A. Wray of the FBI, Acting Secretary Kevin McAleenan of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Executive Associate Director Derek Benner of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Acting U.S. Marshal Bryan T. Mullee of the Eastern District of New York, New York City Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner James P. O’Neill and New York State Police Superintendent Keith M. Corlett.
The evidence at trial established that Guzman Loera was a principal leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, a Mexico-based international drug trafficking organization responsible for importing and distributing more than a million kilograms of cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamine and heroin in the United States. The evidence included testimony from 14 cooperating witnesses, including Sinaloa Cartel members Rey and Vicente Zambada, Miguel Martinez, Tirso Martinez, Damaso Lopez and Alex Cifuentes; narcotics seizures totaling over 130,000 kilograms of cocaine and heroin; weapons, including AK-47s and a rocket-propelled grenade launcher; ledgers; text messages; videos; photographs and intercepted recordings that detailed the drug trafficking activity of Guzman Loera and his co-conspirators over a 25-year period from January 1989 until December 2014.
From the mid-1980s until his arrest in Mexico in 1993, Guzman Loera was a mid-level operative of the Sinaloa Cartel, earning a name for himself and the nickname “El Rapido” for how quickly he transported drugs from Mexico to the United States for the Colombian cartels. After he escaped from a Mexican prison in 2001 by hiding in a laundry cart, Guzman Loera formed an alliance with fugitive co-defendant Ismael Zambada Garcia and, together, they became the preeminent leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel. Guzman Loera enforced his will and maintained control of his drug empire through an army of lethal bodyguards and a sophisticated communications network.
The trial highlighted the methods Guzman Loera and his organization used to transport the cartel’s multi-ton shipments of narcotics into the United States, including fishing boats, submarines, carbon fiber airplanes, trains with secret compartments and transnational underground tunnels. Once the narcotics were in the United States, they were sold to wholesale distributors in New York, Miami, Atlanta, Chicago, Arizona, Los Angeles and elsewhere. Guzman Loera then used various methods to launder billions of dollars of drug proceeds, including bulk cash smuggling from the United States to Mexico, U.S.-based insurance companies, reloadable debit cards and numerous shell companies, including a juice company and a fish flour company.
Guzman Loera and his organization relied upon violence to maintain its power throughout the region and beyond. Numerous co-conspirators testified that Guzman Loera directed his hitmen to kidnap, interrogate, torture and slaughter members of rival drug organizations, at times carrying out acts of violence himself. As part of its arsenal, the Sinaloa Cartel had access to weapons, including grenades and a rocket-propelled grenade launcher. Guzman Loera’s personal arsenal included a gold plated AK-47 and three diamond-encrusted .38 caliber handguns, one emblazoned with his initials, “JGL.”
Guzman Loera and his organization also relied on a vast network of corrupt government officials and employees to protect and further the interests of the Sinaloa Cartel. They included local law enforcement officers, prison guards, high-ranking members of the armed forces and elected office holders. In exchange, the Cartel paid these individuals millions of dollars in bribes.
“The long road that brought ‘El Chapo’ Guzman Loera to a United States courtroom is lined with drugs, death, and destruction, but ends today with justice,” said Assistant Attorney General Benczkowski. “Thanks to the unflagging efforts of the Department of Justice and the law enforcement community over the past 25 years, this notorious leader of one of the largest drug trafficking organizations in the Western hemisphere, the Sinaloa Cartel, will spend the rest of his life behind bars.”
“The life sentence imposed today is the only just result for someone who spent a lifetime spreading his poison throughout our country,” said SDFL U.S. Attorney Fajardo Orshan. “The impact of keeping former Sinaloa Cartel leader Joaquin Guzman Loera behind bars, for the rest of his life, cannot be overstated: the world will now be shielded from his brutality. Thanks to the unyielding efforts of this team, the public was finally able to see how Guzman Loera used any means necessary to control his ruthless empire, including kidnapping, corruption, torture, and murder. Our U.S. Attorney’s Offices continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with our domestic and foreign law enforcement partners to protect our citizens from the scourge of illicit drugs.”
“Guzman Loera’s day of reckoning has finally come,” said EDNY U.S. Attorney Donoghue. “Never again will he pour poison into our country, or make millions as innocent lives are lost. We cannot undo the violence, misery and devastation inflicted on countless individuals and communities as result of his organization’s sale of tons of illegal drugs for more than two decades, but we can ensure that he spends every minute of every day in prison. The same fate awaits those who would take his place. I thank the brave members of law enforcement, here and abroad, for their tireless efforts that have finally secured justice in this case.”
“This sentencing shows the world that no matter how protected or powerful you are, DEA will ensure that you face justice,” said DEA Acting Administrator Dhillon. “This result would not have been possible without the dedication and determination of so many brave men and women of the DEA, who worked tirelessly to see the world’s most dangerous, prolific drug trafficker behind bars in the United States. This is a huge victory for the rule of law, for thousands of current and retired DEA agents and analysts worldwide, and for all of our law enforcement partners here, in Mexico, and across the globe.”
“Today’s sentencing is the culmination of years of effort from numerous local, state, federal, and international partners,” said FBI Director Wray. “It highlights the dedication and determination of men and women in law enforcement to bring one of the world’s most notorious drug traffickers to justice. The FBI has no tolerance for those who endanger our communities and destroy lives through drugs and violence. We’ll continue to work day and night to find and stop those who distribute illegal substances and commit unimaginable violence.”
“On behalf of the Department of Homeland Security, I want to express my gratitude to our HSI agents and diligent law enforcement partners for their work in this monumental conviction,” said Acting Secretary of Homeland Security McAleenan. “This sentence will send a resounding message that transnational criminal organizations all over the world are being continuously investigated and their leaders will be brought to justice.”
“After a decade long investigation, Joaquin Archivaldo Guzman Loera’s reign over the Sinaloa Cartel is over,” said HSI Executive Associate Director Benner. “Because of the initiative and expertise of HSI special agents in New York and Phoenix working together with our law enforcement partners, ‘El Chapo’ will no longer be able to inflict violence or traffic vast amounts of illegal drugs into our communities.”
“The U.S. Marshals Service was tasked with ensuring the integrity of the judicial process in this case,” said Acting U.S. Marshal Mullee. “It was paramount that all participants in the case could operate without undue influence or fear in a secure environment, and we accomplished that. On behalf of the U.S. Marshals Service in the Eastern District of New York, I would like to express my gratitude to all of our law enforcement partners who worked tirelessly in support of our mission, most notably, the incredibly talented men and women of the NYPD, The Federal Protective Service (FPS), The 24th Civil Support Team of the New York National Guard and the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP).”
“Let today’s sentencing show the world that Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman has not escaped the American justice system and, now, will finally be held accountable for his many years of criminal behavior,” said NYPD Commissioner O’Neill. “I want to thank the members of the DEA, the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, HSI, the New York State Police and the NYPD detectives on the Drug Enforcement Task Force for their hard work on this investigation and trial.”
“With this sentencing, justice has been served,” said NYSP Superintendent Corlett. “For two decades, this individual used extreme violence, bribes, and any means necessary to bring dangerous and deadly drugs into our country and state. This sentence should serve as a reminder that no one is above the law. I applaud our partners in law enforcement for their tireless work on this case, bringing an end to the destruction this man, and this enterprise caused for decades.”
The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Fels, Andrea Goldbarg and Lynn Kirkpatrick from the Southern District of Florida; Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gina Parlovecchio, Michael Robotti, Patricia Notopoulos and Hiral Mehta from the Eastern District of New York; and Trial Attorneys Amanda Liskamm, Anthony Nardozzi, Brett Reynolds and Michael Lang of the U.S. Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section.
The case was investigated by the DEA, ICE HSI and the FBI, in cooperation with Mexican, Ecuadorian, Netherlands, Dominican and Colombian law enforcement authorities. Substantial assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in the Northern District of Illinois, Western District of Texas, Southern District of New York, Southern District of California, District of New Hampshire, District of Arizona and Eastern District of Virginia. The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs of the Criminal Division played an integral role in securing the extradition of Guzman Loera to the United States, in cooperation with authorities of the Mexican government, without which his prosecution would not have been possible. The investigative efforts in this case were coordinated with the Department of Justice Special Operations Division, comprising agents, analysts and attorneys from the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section; DEA New York; DEA Miami; FBI Washington Field Office; FBI New York Field Office; FBI Miami Field Office; HSI New York; HSI Nogales; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Marshals Service; IRS Criminal Investigation; U.S. Bureau of Prisons; NYPD and New York State Police.
This case is the result of the ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a partnership that brings together the combined expertise and unique abilities of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, dismantle and prosecute high level members of drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations and enterprises.
Jackson Man Sentenced to over Five Years in Prison Under Project EJECT for Illegally Possessing Firearms as a FelonRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – Nathaniel Teddy Brown, 37, of Jackson, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge Daniel P. Jordan III to 68 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of firearms, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Kirk Thielhorn with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Brown was also ordered to pay a $1500 fine.
On July 2, 2016, Jackson Police officers arrested Brown during a checkpoint operation on U.S. Highway 80 in Jackson for possessing a Raven Arms, .25 caliber semiautomatic pistol and a Smith and Wesson handgun. Brown had a previous felony conviction in Hinds County for possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.
The ATF adopted the case from the Jackson Police Department for federal prosecution. On October 19, 2018, during the arrest of Brown for the July 2, 2016 charge, Brown had four additional handguns in plain sight at his home. Brown was indicted and pled guilty before Judge Jordan on April 4, 2019, to possession of firearms by a convicted felon.
This case was investigated by the ATF, the U.S. Marshals Service’s Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force, and the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics. Assistant United States Attorney Glenda R. Haynes prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project EJECT, an initiative by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi under the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). EJECT is a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach to fighting and reducing violent crime through prosecution, prevention, re-entry and awareness. EJECT stands for "Empower Justice Expel Crime Together." PSN is bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
Isleta Pueblo Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Felony Child Endangerment ChargeRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Leon Sanchez, 30, a member of Isleta Pueblo who resides in Bosque Farms, N.M., pleaded guilty in federal court in Albuquerque today to a charge of felony child endangerment under a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
In his plea agreement, Sanchez admitted committing the crime in Isleta Pueblo on Oct. 6, 2018, by discharging a firearm in the general direction of a child under the age of 18. Although the child was unharmed, Sanchez admitted that his reckless actions placed the child in a situation that endangered the child’s life or health.
Sanchez is currently on pretrial release pending a sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled. He faces up to a three-year term of imprisonment.
The Isleta Pueblo Tribal Police Department investigated this case, which is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Frederick Mendenhall.
Huntington Man Sentenced for Distributing FentanylRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Jeremy Midkiff, 38, was sentenced today to 27 months in prison for his conviction for distributing fentanyl, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart.
Midkiff previously admitted that on May 2, 2017, he met a confidential informant in Huntington and gave the informant fentanyl in exchange for $70.
“Powerful fentanyl has killed far too many West Virginians and devastated our families and communities. Since the inception of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (S.O.S.) one year ago, we’ve prosecuted every fentanyl dealer we find, regardless of drug quantity,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “As a result, we have 62 cases and 13 convictions, including Midkiff, to date.”
The Huntington Police Department conducted the investigation. United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie S. Taylor handled the prosecution.
This case is being prosecuted as part of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (S.O.S.), an enforcement surge that seeks to reduce the supply of deadly synthetic opioids in high impact areas.
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Harrison County man sentenced for role in methamphetamine distribution operationRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA –Nathan Crites, of Clarksburg, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 18 months incarceration for his role in a methamphetamine distribution operation, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Crites, age 35, pled guilty to one count of “Distribution of Methamphetamine” in February 2019. Crites admitted to selling methamphetamine in April 2018 in Harrison County.This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). Project Safe Neighborhoods is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda E. Wesley prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Greater Harrison Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated. The United States Marshal Service assisted.
The investigation was funded in part by the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Program (OCDETF). The OCDETF program supplies critical federal funding and coordination that allows federal and state agencies to work together to successfully identify, investigate, and prosecute major interstate and international drug trafficking organizations and other criminal enterprises.
U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
Georgia Woman Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Money Laundering in Case Involving Theft of University of Iowa Employee IdentificationsRead the Press Release
DAVENPORT, IA- On Monday, July 15, 2019, Nadine Nzuega Robinson, age 39, from Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger to 120 months in prison for conspiracy to commit money laundering in connection with a scheme to obtain federal tax refunds by fraud using the identification information of dozens of University of Iowa employees, announced United States Attorney Marc Krickbaum.
Robinson was the owner/operator of a check cashing business in Doralville, Georgia. The bank account of this business was used by Robinson to launder hundreds of money orders purchased with the proceeds of the fraudulently obtained tax refunds. More than $450,000 in tax refunds of University of Iowa employees was obtained fraudulently through this scheme and more than $5,000,000 in fraudulently obtained funds passed through the account during March and April of 2015. In June of 2015, Robinson purchased a residence in Atlanta with the proceeds of the fraud. Robinson was ordered to forfeit the residence. Robinson was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release following the period of imprisonment and to pay $100 towards the Crime Victims’ Fund.
This investigation was conducted by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations and the case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.
Four Port Everglades Employees and Business Owner Charged in Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Four Port Everglades employees, William Woessner, 68, of Margate, Florida, David Moore, 43, of Pompano Beach, Florida, John McGahee, 43, of Davie, Florida, and Rajindra Lallharry, 60, of Coral Springs, Florida, and business owner Bryan Zascavage, 57, of Pompano, Florida, were each charged in an one-count Information with Conspiracy to Commit Fraud Concerning Programs Receiving Federal Funds, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371.
Ariana Fajardo Orshan, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, made the announcement.
As set forth in the charging documents, Woessner, Moore, McGahee, and Lallharry were employees of Port Everglades (U.S. v. Moore, Case No. 19-60206-Ungaro; U.S. v. Woeesner, Case No. 19-60202-Altman; U.S. v. McGahee, Case No. 19-60204-Smith; and U.S. v. Lallharry, Case No. 19-60205-Dimitrouleas). They were issued purchase cards or P-cards, which were to be used to buy goods and services for Port Everglades. Instead, they utilized the P-cards to engage in schemes to illegally profit from the use of the cards.
Zascavage operated a business, Z & Z, Inc., that provided goods and services to the Port (U.S. v. Zascavage, Case No. 19-60203-Ungaro). Woessner and Zascavage engaged in a scheme wherein Woessner would direct Zascavage to purchase certain goods. Woessner would pay for the goods using his Port Everglades P-card, but the goods were not sent to Port Everglades. Instead, Woessner utilized the goods at his plumbing company.
Moore and Zascavage engaged in a scheme wherein Zascavage would receive payments for goods ordered by Moore utilizing his Port Everglades P-card. None of the goods would be sent to the Port. Zascavage and Moore would split the illegally obtained funds.
McGahee and Zascavage engaged in a scheme wherein Zascavage would receive payments for services ordered by McGahee utilizing his Port Everglades P-card. The services ordered by McGahee would not be performed by Zascavage or his company. Zascavage and McGahee would split the illegally obtained funds.
Lallharry’s family owned five separate companies. Lallharry would utilize his P-card to make direct payments to each of the family-owned companies for goods to allegedly be utilized by the Port. The goods were not delivered to the Port. The illegally obtained funds were utilized by Lallharry and his family to pay personal expenses, including approximately $101,790.85 to pay monthly expenses due the Chapter 13 trustee overseeing Lallharry’s bankruptcy.
Woessner, Moore, McGahee, Lallharry, and Zascavage each face a statutory maximum term of 5 years’ imprisonment and a fine of the greater of $250,000 or twice the amount of the gross gain or the gross loss.
An Information is only an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
U.S. Attorney Fajardo Orshan commended the investigative efforts of the FBI in connection with this matter. She also thanked the Broward County Sheriff's Office - Public Corruption Unit, Office of the Broward County Auditors, and Port Everglades Department - Port Director's Office for their assistance with the investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey N. Kaplan.
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.
Former elementary school teacher admits sexual abuse of minor on Blackfeet Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS – An East Glacier woman who taught elementary school on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation today admitted to sexually abusing two students, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Sierra Shawnee Taylor, also known as Sierra Schildt, 36, pleaded guilty to sexual abuse of a minor.
U.S. Magistrate Judge John T. Johnston presided and recommended Taylor’s plea be accepted by U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris, who will sentence Taylor. Sentencing was set for Nov. 6.
Taylor faces a maximum 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and five years to life of supervised release.
In court records filed in the case, the prosecution said Taylor was employed as a teacher at the East Glacier Elementary School during the 2014-2015 school year. She taught a mixed-grade class that included some eighth-grade students. Taylor entered a sexual relationship with one of the boys, who was an eighth-grade student, and twice had intercourse with the victim. Investigators identified a second victim, also an eighth grade student, with whom Taylor committed a sexual act in 2012.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kalah Paisley is prosecuting the case, which was investigated by the FBI.
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Former Pittsburgh Resident Pleads Guilty to Possessing a Loaded Handgun to Aid in Heroin Delivery to Undercover FBI AgentRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa – A former resident of Pittsburgh, PA pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
Leonard Rushin-Felder, 23, pleaded guilty on July 16, 2017 in front of the Chief U.S. District Judge Mark R. Hornak in Pittsburgh.
The court was advised that on April 25, 2017, members of the FBI’s Western Pennsylvania Opioid Task Force executed a search warrant in the City of Pittsburgh. Based on that investigation, FBI agents were able to act in an undercover capacity to order a delivery of heroin from a co-defendant. Leonard Rushin-Felder drove the co-defendant to the delivery location when the car was intercepted by FBI agents. After Rushin-Felder and his co-defendant were detained, a search of Rushin-Felder’s car yielded a loaded semi-automatic handgun in a secret compartment in the armrest of the driver’s window and approximately 20 bricks of heroin in a secret compartment in the armrest of the passenger side window. Rushin-Felder admitted to possessing that firearm to further the delivery of the heroin. Rushin-Felder has been detained and will continue to be detained pending sentencing which Judge Hornak set for November 8, 2019. Rushin-Felder is also serving a federal sentence for assaulting two United States Marshals during his arraignment and detention hearing on this case.
Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Lanni is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
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.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation – Western District of Pennsylvania Opioid Task Force conducted the investigation leading to the guilty plea in this case. The Federal Bureau of Investigation –Western District of Pennsylvania Opioid Task Force Task Force is comprised of FBI Special Agents and state and local Task Force Officers, including officers from the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, Allegheny County Sherriff’s Department, Allegheny County Police, Port Authority Police, Munhall Police Department, Sto-Rox Police Department, and Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office.
Former New York City Human Resources Administration Employee and Two Others Sentenced for Their Roles in Scheme Involving Theft of Hundreds of Thousands in HRA FundsRead the Press Release
Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that ELIANA BAUTA, GERALDINE PEREZ, and ERIC GONZALES have been sentenced for their involvement in a scheme to steal over $300,000 in funds from the New York City Human Resources Administration (“HRA”). BAUTA, who perpetrated the offenses in her capacity as an HRA employee, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Valerie E. Caproni to two years in prison. PEREZ was previously sentenced by Judge Caproni to nine months in prison. GONZALES was previously sentenced by Judge Caproni to two years of probation.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “The defendants have now been convicted of stealing money that was intended to be used to help some of New York’s neediest residents. As this prosecution makes clear, we are committed to rooting out those who would abuse the public trust and to ensuring that funds from public programs go to their intended recipients, not the pockets of unscrupulous employees and their co-conspirators.”
According to the Complaint, the Indictment, and statements made in court proceedings:
HRA is an agency of the City of New York responsible for administering the majority of the City’s public assistance programs. Among other things, HRA provides temporary, emergency cash assistance to individuals and families with social service and economic needs to assist them in reaching self-sufficiency. The emergency assistance is funded by the federal government as well as by New York State and the City.
Since 2015, the New York City Department of Investigation ("DOI") has been investigating two related schemes in which an HRA employee – BAUTA – defrauded HRA and the City by using her position to commit public assistance fraud. BAUTA worked as a Job Opportunity Specialist for HRA from approximately January 2008 to on or about May 23, 2018. As a Job Opportunity Specialist, BAUTA was at various points responsible for interviewing benefits applicants, compiling and submitting applicants’ paperwork, and disbursing applicants’ benefits.
In the first of the two schemes, BAUTA caused the fraudulent issuance of emergency benefits funds to relatives and acquaintances, including GERALDINE PEREZ and ERIC GONZALES, among others, who in truth and in fact did not qualify for those funds. For example, BAUTA altered a police report submitted by an actual HRA client by changing the name of the victim to a family member’s name, and then entered the doctored report into HRA systems in support of a request for benefits to be issued to that family member. On another occasion, BAUTA submitted a request for emergency benefits to be issued to an individual after an alleged disaster, but no such disaster had occurred. Both PEREZ and GONZALEZ were knowing recipients of such fraudulently issued funds and shared the proceeds with BAUTA.
In the second scheme, BAUTA obtained access to and misappropriated emergency benefits checks issued to actual HRA clients. Instead of providing the checks to the legitimate clients in need of emergency funding, BAUTA gave them to PEREZ and GONZALES, among other of BAUTA’s relatives and associates, who deposited the checks in their own bank accounts and withdrew the funds, and then shared the proceeds with BAUTA. In total, the two schemes resulted in losses to HRA of at least $309,000 in public funds.
In addition to obtaining stolen HRA checks into her bank account and the bank accounts of family members, PEREZ also deposited or caused to be deposited into these same accounts improperly obtained United States Treasury checks that were issued to other individuals as tax refunds. In total, 23 such checks worth more than $91,000 were deposited into bank accounts of PEREZ and her family members and associates. PEREZ then split the proceeds with a tax preparer who assisted in the scheme.
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In addition to the prison term, BAUTA, 36, of the Bronx, New York, was sentenced to three years of supervised release, and was ordered to forfeit $256,348.46 and to pay $312,408.60 in restitution.
PEREZ, 61, of the Bronx, New York, was sentenced by Judge Caproni on June 11, 2019, to nine months in prison and three years of supervised release (including six months of home detention), and was ordered to forfeit $233,259.34 and to pay $233,259.34 in restitution.
GONZALES, 27, of the Bronx, New York, was sentenced by Judge Caproni on June 20, 2019, to two years of probation (including 150 hours per year of community service), and was ordered to forfeit $998.33 and to pay $37,767.64 in restitution.
Mr. Berman praised the investigative work of DOI and the Internal Revenue Service.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Public Corruption Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Paul Monteleoni and Catherine Ghosh are in charge of the prosecution.
Former Monroe County Chief Deputy Auditor sentencedRead the Press Release
Indianapolis – United States Attorney Josh J. Minkler announced today that James Hans Huffman, 48, of Bloomington was sentenced to 96 months in prison for Possession of Child Pornography by the Honorable Sarah Evans Barker. Huffman served as the Chief Deputy Auditor for Monroe County, Indiana from 2017-2018, and Chief Deputy Treasurer for Monroe County, Indiana from 2009-2017.
The case began when the Bloomington Police Department uncovered that Huffman and a 16-year-old male were utilizing social media applications to text and send nude pictures and videos back and forth between one another. Shortly thereafter, a search warrant was executed at Huffman’s home and authorities would later find a large, highly organized collection of child pornography. Huffman’s collection included imagery of toddlers, bondage and sadomasochistic conduct, and bestiality. In total, his collection included 230,000 individual child pornography pictures and movies.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to protecting children from predators like Huffman,” said Minkler. “Anyone who preys upon a child, no matter what public office they hold, will be held fully accountable under the law.”
This case was jointly investigated by the Southern District of Indiana Crimes Against Children Task Force, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Indiana State Police, and the Bloomington Police Department.
“When the most vulnerable of our citizens – our children - are victimized we will always ensure we do everything in our power to protect them and get predators such as this off the street,” said Danny Youmara, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Indianapolis Division. “This sentence is a great example of the importance of the FBI’s partnerships – in this case with the Bloomington Police Department, Indiana State Police, and the Monroe County Prosecutor’s Office – and how we combined resources and investigative efforts to ensure the safety of the children in the community.”
“Indiana State Police investigators work diligently every day, all across Indiana, and in collaboration with its law enforcement partners, to bring to justice those who seek to capitalize on the victimization of children,” commented Indiana State Police Superintendent Douglas G. Carter.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Bradley P. Shepard. According to AUSA Shepard, Huffman will be on supervised release for 10 years following his release from prison; he was fined $5,000, and will have to register as a sex offender.
In October 2017, United States Attorney Josh J. Minkler announced a Strategic Plan designed to shape and strengthen the District’s response to its most significant public safety challenges. This prosecution demonstrates the office’s firm commitment to utilize and partner with law enforcement agencies to prosecute individuals engaged in the sexual exploitation of children. See United States Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Indiana Strategic Plan Section 4.2.
Former El Paso County Swim Coach Pleads Guilty to Sexual Abuse of A MinorRead the Press Release
DENVER – Walter James Winkler, age 48, formerly of El Paso County, Colorado, pled guilty this week to sexual abuse of a minor, announced U.S. Attorney Jason Dunn and FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Dean Phillips. The guilty plea was before Chief U.S. District Court Judge Philip A. Brimmer. Winkler appeared at the hearing free on bond, which was continued at the hearing’s conclusion. He will be sentenced by Chief Judge Brimmer on September 27, 2019.
According to the stipulated facts contained in the plea agreement, between 1994 and 2018, Winkler worked as a youth swimming coach at Fort Carson Army Base in Colorado, Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming, and East High School in Wyoming. On November 10, 2017, Swimming authorities received an anonymous online tip which was forwarded to the U.S. Center for SafeSport in Colorado Springs. The tip alleged that Winkler had inappropriate sexual relationships with two minors when he was a coach at Fort Carson in the 1990s.
According to the plea agreement, Winkler first started by making sexual comments to a 12 year old minor and getting “touchy feely” when he started coaching her. Then one day he asked the girl to stay late after practice. Winkler then sexually assaulted her. There were additional alleged incidents of sexual assault from approximately 1994 through 1998. He also had sex with another girl at the Fort Carson pool during this same time period. The U.S. Center for SafeSport suspended Winkler from coaching on February 21, 2018. He resigned as a high school swimming coach in Cheyenne shortly thereafter.
“Sexual abuse of a minor by a person in a position of trust is a horrific crime that we will pursue aggressively every time,” said U.S. Attorney Jason Dunn. It is possible there were more victims, perhaps in Colorado or Wyoming. If anyone has information about inappropriate sexual contact by Winkler during his coaching career please call the FBI at 303-629-7171.
This case was investigated by the FBI with support from a number of local law enforcement agencies.
Former District Government Employee Sentenced to 84 Months in Prison for Scheme Involving over $1.4 Million in Fraudulently Issued BenefitsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Demetrius McMillan, 48, a former employee of the District of Columbia Department of Human Services (DHS), was sentenced today to 84 months in prison for his involvement in a scheme in which he defrauded the agency of more than $1.4 million by steering inflated food stamp and temporary assistance benefits to people who were entitled to receive them.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Criminal Division, Washington Field Office Charles A. Dayoub, District of Columbia Inspector General Daniel W. Lucas, and Special Agent in Charge Maureen R. Dixon of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), for the region that includes Washington, D.C.
McMillan, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in March 2019. He was sentenced by the Honorable Senior Judge Paul L. Friedman. The judge also ordered McMillan to pay $1,456,985 in restitution and pay an additional $150,000 forfeiture money judgement. Upon completion of his prison term, McMillan will be place on three years of supervised release.
McMillan’s scheme targeted and defrauded the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as the food stamps program, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), which consists of cash benefits. Benefits in both programs were provided to clients via electronic benefit cards.
According to the government’s evidence, McMillan worked as a social service representative at a DHS service center in Southeast Washington. Social service representatives reviewed and processed applications for SNAP and TANF payments, as well as “underpayments.” Underpayments occurred when DHS clients did not receive the SNAP or TANF payments for which they were eligible. These could be caused by errors by DHS or by the clients. Social service representatives were permitted to authorize up to $2,000 in underpayments at a time without supervisory approval. As part of his work, McMillan also had access to the computer system used by DHS to manage services, including the creation of underpayments.
Between April 25, 2018, and July 25, 2018, McMillan used his access to the computer system to authorize approximately 779 fraudulent SNAP and TANF underpayments for approximately 305 beneficiaries, totaling approximately $1,456,985. According to the plea documents, he authorized these underpayments knowing that the beneficiaries were not entitled to them. In exchange for authorizing these fraudulent underpayments, he solicited more than $380,000 in cash kickbacks from the beneficiaries, and accepted at least $150,000 in cash kickbacks. McMillan also solicited and accepted sexual favors from some of the beneficiaries in exchange for issuing fraudulent underpayments.
In order to avoid detection, McMillan intentionally ensured that each fraudulent underpayment transaction fell below the $2,000 threshold for which supervisory approval was required. The average fraudulent SNAP underpayment he created was approximately $1,757, and the average fraudulent TANF underpayment was $1,986.
McMillan recruited beneficiaries to the scheme by soliciting D.C. DHS clients who were eligible for SNAP and TANF benefits and with whom he had a previous working relationship. He also used third parties to recruit beneficiaries to the scheme. For the most part, the agreement was that in exchange for authorizing fraudulent SNAP and TANF underpayments in a particular beneficiary’s name, McMillan would get approximately $1,000 out of each fraudulent TANF underpayment he authorized for that beneficiary.
All told, 296 of the 305 beneficiaries for whom Defendant McMillan authorized fraudulent underpayments were women. In addition to soliciting and accepting cash kickbacks from these female beneficiaries, McMillan engaged in texting of a sexual nature with at least 50 of them, frequently soliciting sexual favors in exchange for authorizing fraudulent underpayments. In his guilty plea, McMillan admitted that he accepted sexual favors from 10 to 20 female beneficiaries in exchange for authorizing fraudulent underpayments.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu, Acting Special Agent in Charge Dayoub, District of Columbia Inspector General Lucas, and Special Agent in Charge Dixon of U.S. HHS-OIG, commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the District of Columbia Office of the Inspector General, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. They also expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily A. Miller who prosecuted the case and Paralegal Specialist Aisha Keys who assisted.
Former Customs and Border Protection Officer Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges for Running Illegal Firearms Business, Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A former U.S. Customs and Border Protection watch commander at the Long Beach Seaport pleaded guilty today to federal criminal charges for running an illegal gun-selling business, unlawfully possessing more than 40 machine guns and other prohibited firearms, failing to disclose his foreign financial interests and contacts in China in order to obtain a secret-level security clearance, and cheating on his federal income taxes.
Wei Xu, 56, of Santa Fe Springs, pleaded guilty to four felonies: unlawfully engaging in the business of dealing in firearms, unlawfully possessing unregistered firearms, making materially false statements to a federal agency, and tax evasion.
United States District Judge R. Gary Klausner has scheduled a January 14, 2020 sentencing hearing, where Xu will face a statutory maximum sentence of 25 years in federal prison. Xu has been in federal custody since his arrest on February 5.
Xu admitted in his plea agreement and in open court today, that he sold at least 99 firearms without the required federal license between the late 1990s and his arrest. To increase the profit margin of his unlawful firearms selling business, Xu exploited his status as a law enforcement officer to purchase and then transfer “off-roster” handguns that cannot be sold to the general public by a federal firearms license (FFL) dealer, according to the plea agreement.
Xu also sold or transferred firearms within days or weeks from the date he purchased them and operated several accounts on Internet marketplaces to advertise his firearm business, according to court documents.
According to plea documents and Xu’s admissions in court today, in July and August 2018, Xu sold four firearms to an undercover agent posing as a buyer, and Xu unlawfully sold three of the firearms out of the trunk of his car. The firearms included an “off-roster” pistol, high-capacity magazines, and a short-barreled rifle, the plea agreement states.
A search of Xu’s residence on February 5 recovered more than 250 firearms, including 41 fully-automatic firearms or machineguns and two additional short-barreled rifles – all of which never were registered with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) as required by federal law.
Xu also admitted that he made materially false statements on three questionnaires submitted to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to obtain a secret-level security clearance. OPM is a federal agency that oversees applications for security clearances for federal government employees.
Specifically, Xu maintained foreign financial interests and had nearly weekly contacts with his business associates in China as part of his employment as an accounts manager for a China-based auto parts import company. Xu collected a commission for his work and remitted the profit to his China-based business partners. But on his security clearance questionnaires in 2003, 2011 and 2015, Xu falsely denied maintaining close and continuing contacts with foreign nationals, denied having a foreign financial interest, and denied having a business venture with a foreign national.
Finally, Xu admitted in his plea agreement that he willfully evaded the payment federal income tax from 2005 to 2017 by setting up Trans Pacific Group, Inc. Xu used this Florida-incorporated sham company as a means to claim fictional ordinary business losses to offset his ordinary income and fraudulently evade tax due to the Internal Revenue Service.
“Mr. Xu’s public life as a federal officer masked his private greed and disrespect for the law, which he demonstrated through illegal weapons sales, tax evasion, and lying about contacts with foreign nationals,” said United States Attorney Nick Hanna. “Public officials promise to act with integrity when they take an oath of office, and we will zealously prosecute those who mock the laws they have sworn to uphold.”
“ATF Los Angeles Field Division regularly works with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to protect the public from violent criminals and firearms traffickers,” said the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Special Agent in Charge of Los Angeles Field Division Carlos A. Canino. “We are proud to have assisted in bringing this case to a positive conclusion.”
“Mr. Xu's plea to a variety of offenses including trafficking in illegal firearms, tax fraud and lying to his government employer about Chinese contacts in order to maintain a security clearance, is a necessary step in holding him accountable for years of criminal activity,” said Paul Delacourt, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office. “Our communities and our nation are more secure now that Mr. Xu has been stripped of his access to guns and confidential information.”
“As admitted in court today, Xu made many bad decisions during his employment as a sworn law enforcement officer with the United States Customs and Border Protection – least of all was his ongoing decision to evade the payment of taxes due to the IRS for a period of over 10 years through the use of a sham corporation,” stated Special Agent in Charge Ryan L. Korner with IRS Criminal Investigation. “IRS Criminal Investigation is proud to partner with the FBI and ATF in this thorough investigation and hopes the message is clear--operating outside the law and failing to pay taxes has severe consequences.”
This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and IRS Criminal Investigation.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Annamartine Salick of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section, Valerie L. Makarewicz of the Major Frauds Section, and Brent A. Whittlesey of the Asset Forfeiture Section.
Florissant Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Selling Fatal Dose of Acetyl-FentanylRead the Press Release
St. Louis - Jaleel Zakee Adams, 23, of Florissant, MO was sentenced today to a term of 20 years in federal prison by Senior United States District Judge E. Richard Webber. At the time of his guilty plea in April 2019, Adams admitted that on November 15, 2017, he knowingly sold acetyl-fentanyl to R.I. of Florissant. After meeting with Adams and purchasing acetyl-fentanyl, R.I. returned home and was later found unresponsive. The Medical Examiner determined that R.I. died as a result of acute acetyl-fentanyl intoxication. Acetyl-fentanyl is a powerful and often deadly analogue of fentanyl developed strictly for the illicit market. It has no legitimate medical use.
Shortly after R.I.’s death, the Florissant Police Department made controlled purchases of fentanyl from Adams, and later executed a search warrant at his family’s residence in the 100 block of Kendl Court. During the search, police located drugs and multiple firearms. Adams admitted that he sold heroin and fentanyl to make money. Firearm charges against Adams were dismissed in exchange for his guilty plea.
United States Attorney Jeffrey B. Jensen praised the Florissant Police Department, which investigated the case. Jensen noted, “[t]his case serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of opioids, and particularly fentanyl. Fentanyl and its analogues are dangerous and their use all too frequently results in deaths. When such tragedies occur, the individuals responsible will be held accountable.”
Florissant Police Chief Timothy Fagan reiterated his commitment to the aggressive investigation of overdose deaths. “Individuals who engage in the sales of opioids prey upon their neighbors suffering from substance use disorders. We will continue to use every resource available in an effort to stem the tide of opioids in this community, and we will continue to seek justice for the victims of illegal drug trafficking.”
Federal Jury Convicts Birmingham Man on Drug and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
Federal Jury Convicts Birmingham Man on Drug and Gun Charges
A federal jury took only an hour and half today to convict a Birmingham man of possession of 230 grams of cocaine base, also known as “crack” cocaine, with the intent to distribute, and one-count of possession of a gun in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, announced U.S. Attorney Jay E, Town and Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Clay Morris.
The jury returned its guilty verdict against Edwin Pettaway, 46, of Birmingham, after three days of testimony before U.S. District Judge Annemarie Axon. Pettaway will be sentenced on November 13, 2019.
Evidence at the trial proved that on November 15, 2017, Pettaway was found to be in possession of crack cocaine and a firearm in furtherance of the drug crime. Upon entering the residence, agents found Mr. Pettaway in a bedroom with 230 grams of “crack” cocaine, digital scales, packaging materials, and a firearm among his personal belongings.
“Convicted felons with drugs and firearms pose a clear threat to every person in the Northern District,” Town said. “Our prosecutors will not leave their fight in the dressing room when bringing threats like Pettaway to justice. Beds are reserved in federal prison for those who continue to plague our communities with illegal drugs and guns. Our prison beds can never be too full of these dangerous criminals.”
“Dangerous criminals like Pettaway need to take notice that DEA and our law enforcement partners will not tolerate their criminal activities,” Morris said. “Drugs and guns are a deadly combination that often end with violent acts. Again, today’s verdict should send a resounding message to all drug dealers in Alabama. We will target you, investigate you, and ensure that you go to prison in order to make our communities safe.”
The penalty for possessing with intent to distribute 28 grams or more of cocaine base is a minimum of 5 years in prison. The possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime carries an additional sentence of 5 years that cannot be run concurrently with the drug sentence.
The Drug Enforcement Administration along with the Birmingham Police Department investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorneys William G. Simpson and John G. Camp prosecuted the case.
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Fayetteville Man Sentenced for Narcotics and Firearms CrimesRead the Press Release
RALEIGH – United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. announced that today in federal court, United States District Judge James C. Dever III sentenced ALLEN WENDELL MCNEIL, 36, of Fayetteville, North Carolina to 114 months imprisonment, followed by 3 years of supervised release.
MCNEIL was named in an Indictment filed on November 7, 2018 charging him with Possession with Intent to Distribute a Quantity of Marijuana, Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime and Possession of a Firearm by a Felon. On February 5, 2019, MCNEIL pled guilty to those charges.
On September 20, 2018 officers with the Fayetteville Police Department conducted a knock and talk at MCNEIL’S residence. Law enforcement had received reliable information that MCNEIL was engaged in the distribution of narcotics. When officers arrived at the home, MCNEIL was in an outbuilding that was furnished as an apartment with surveillance equipment. Based upon a strong odor of marijuana the officers applied for a search warrant. Upon execution of the search warrant officers found 174 grams of marijuana, a gram of cocaine, $4,400 in United States currency, drug paraphernalia and three firearms. MCNEIL had previously been convicted of a felony which prohibited him from possessing firearms. MCNEIL admitted to selling marijuana to supplement his income and admitted to having the firearm for protection.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Since 2017 the United States Department of Justice has reinvigorated the PSN program and has targeted violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
That effort has been implemented through the Take Back North Carolina Initiative of The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina. This initiative emphasizes the regional assignment of federal prosecutors to work with law enforcement and District Attorney’s Offices on a sustained basis in those communities to reduce the violent crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement. For more information about this initiative click here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/tbnc.
The investigation of this case was conducted by the Faytteville Police Department as well as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Charity Wilson.
Elyria man sentenced to more than 11 years in prison for illegally having a firearm and ammunitionRead the Press Release
An Elyria man was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison for illegally having a firearm and ammunition.
Gregory Raymore, 32, was convicted by a jury earlier this year of one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm after a four-day trial.
U.S. District Judge Donald C. Nugent sentenced Raymore to 110 months for the firearm crime. He also sentenced Raymore to an additional two years in prison for violating the terms of his supervised release for a previous crime.
Raymore possessed a .45-caliber handgun and 22 rounds of ammunition. Lorain police officers responded to a fatal shooting in an alleyway outside a bar in May 2018. The murder investigation led to the recovery of a firearm and ammunition near the crime scene that contained Raymore's DNA, although it was not the firearm that caused the death, according to trial testimony.
Raymore was not allowed to possess the firearm or ammunition because of multiple previous convictions, including for aggravated robbery, aggravated burglary, possession of drugs and being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to trial testimony and court documents.
“A man with a long history of crimes was found, as part of a murder investigation, to have a gun and ammunition,” U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman said. “Defendants like this pose a danger to our community and we are safer with him behind bars. The Lorain Police Department and FBI did a tremendous job investigating this case.”
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN was reinvigorated in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Scott Zarzycki and Maggie Kane following an investigation by the Lorain Police Department and FBI.
Danbury Man Arrested in Stamford with Gun and Drugs Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that FERNANDO RODRIGUEZ, also known as “Sosa,” 28, of Danbury, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to 60 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for illegally possessing a firearm in connection with his drug trafficking activities.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on September 12, 2018, Stamford Police arrested Rodriguez after he arrived at a location on Wardwell Street in Stamford to conduct a drug transaction. A search of a backpack that Rodriguez was holding at the time of his arrest revealed approximately 58 grams of cocaine and 116 grams of marijuana. A search of a secret storage compartment, or “trap,” within the vehicle that Rodriguez drove to the location revealed an additional 100 grams of cocaine, a Ruger 9mm handgun, and a loaded 9mm magazine.
Rodriguez has been detained since his federal arrest on January 10, 2019. On March 15, he pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
This matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Stamford Police Department, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen L. Peck and Law Student Intern Matthew Renetzky.
Contracted Physician, Operations Manager of Redirections Treatment Advocates Sentenced for Suboxone Distribution SchemeRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Two former employees of Redirections Treatment Advocates – a contracted physician and the clinic’s operations manager - have been sentenced in federal court for offenses related to the unlawful distribution of controlled substances and health care fraud, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
Senior United States District Judge Arthur J. Schwab sentenced Dr. Madhu Aggarwal, 69, of Coraopolis, PA, to three years of probation with six months of home confinement; ordered her to pay $82,973.75 in restitution along with a fine of $40,000, and criminal forfeiture in the amount of $50,000; and ordered her to perform 100 hours of community service on her conviction of unlawfully distributing controlled substances, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and health care fraud.
Judge Schwab sentenced Christopher Handa, 48, of Pittsburgh, PA, to two years of probation with 90 days of home confinement, and ordered him to pay $40,000 in restitution and to perform 50 hours of community service on his conviction of aiding and abetting the unlawful distribution of controlled substances and health care fraud.
According to information presented to the court, Madhu Aggarwal was a physician practicing at Redirections Treatment Advocates, a Suboxone clinic, located in Washington, PA. Aggarwal and others conspired together to create and submit unlawful prescriptions for buprenorphine, known as Subutex and Suboxone, and then unlawfully dispensed those controlled substances to the clinic’s patients. Aggarwal pre-signed prescriptions, which were completed by non-physicians employed at the clinic. Aggarwal often did not see the patient before a prescription was issued and on several occasions was out of the country when Suboxone was prescribed in her name. Aggarwal was also convicted of health care fraud for causing fraudulent claims to be submitted to Medicare for payments to cover the costs of the unlawfully prescribed buprenorphine.
Christopher Handa was employed by RTA as the operations manager. According to the government’s evidence, Handa, Jennifer Hess, the owner of Redirections Treatment Advocates, and doctors employed by the clinic conspired together to create and submit unlawful prescriptions for buprenorphine and then unlawfully dispensed those controlled substances to the clinic’s patients. The doctors would pre-sign the prescriptions and Handa and other employees would complete them. The doctors were not present when the prescriptions were completed and on most occasions had never seen their patients before the prescriptions were completed. Handa was also convicted of health care fraud for causing fraudulent claims to be submitted to Medicaid for payments to cover the costs of the unlawfully prescribed buprenorphine.
Assistant United States AttorneysMichael L. Ivory and Robert S. Cessar prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Brady commended the Western Pennsylvania Opioid Fraud and Abuse Detection Unit, which combines personnel and resources from the following agencies to combat the growing prescription opioid epidemic: Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General, Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General - Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, United States Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Attorney’s Office – Criminal Division, Civil Division and Asset Forfeiture Unit, Department of Veterans Affairs-Office of Inspector General, Food and Drug Administration-Office of Criminal Investigations and the Pennsylvania Bureau of Licensing for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Handa.
Colorado Woman Sentenced to 20 Years for Conspiring to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Colorado Springs, Colorado, woman convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine was sentenced on July 16, 2019, by Chief Judge Jeffrey Viken, U.S. District Court.
Cathy Wells, age 50, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison, followed by 5 years supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Wells was indicted for Conspiring to Distribute Methamphetamine & Heroin and Distribution of a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury on June 19, 2018. She pled guilty on January 4, 2019.
Wells received methamphetamine from a Colorado supplier. The methamphetamine received by Wells was later distributed in Rapid City, South Dakota. Additional co-conspirators are pending sentencing and trials in Rapid City, including one of her Colorado suppliers.
This case was investigated by South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team, and the South Dakota Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn N. Rich prosecuted the case.
Wells, who has been in custody since her initial appearance in South Dakota in September 2018, was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Cass County Residents Sentenced to Prison for Distribution of Controlled SubstancesRead the Press Release
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa - United States Attorney Marc Krickbaum announced on July 16, 2019, Mary Mayo, age 50, Tony Martin Mayo Jr., age 34, Jessica Lynn Gross, age 31, and Alex Lee Pleis, age 25, were sentenced by United States District Court Chief Judge John A. Jarvey for Conspiracy to Distribute Oxycodone. Mary Mayo was sentenced to 24 months imprisonment to be followed by 48 months of supervised release. Tony Martin Mayo was sentenced to 12 months in prison followed by 36 months of supervised release. Jessica Lynn Gross was sentenced to time served and 60 months of supervised release. Alex Lee Pleis was sentenced to time served and 36 months of supervised release.
In late August of 2015, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration received information regarding the illegal distribution of prescription drugs in and around Cass County, Iowa. Using a confidential informant, the DEA determined Mary Mayo obtained prescriptions for oxycodone, hydrocodone and other controlled substances from medical professionals through false representations of injury or illness and related pain management. Mary Mayo then used her Medicare/Medicaid benefits to obtain controlled substances from local pharmacies. She also obtained oxycodone from a co-defendant, Rebecca Canfield.
Once the prescription drugs were obtained, Mary Mayo negotiated a price for the pills with a known buyer. If an agreement was reached, Mary Mayo had a member of her family deliver or assist in the delivery of the controlled substances. During the yearlong investigation, DEA arranged the purchase of oxycodone and hydrocodone from Mary Mayo and the pills were delivered to a DEA agent, who was working in an undercover capacity. With the exception of Rebecca Canfield, all co-defendants are members of Mary Mayo’s family.
During the course of the investigation, it was determined Mary Mayo was receiving Social Security benefits she was not entitled to. As part of her sentence, Mary Mayo was ordered to pay restitution to Medicare/Medicaid, and the Social Security Administration.
The case was investigated by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration; United States Department of Health and Human Services-Office of the Inspector General; Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals, Medicaid Fraud Control Unit; United States Social Security Administration-Office of the Inspector General; Cass County Sheriff’s Office; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; and the Southwest Iowa Narcotics Task Force. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.
Burlington Man Sentenced to 312 Months in Prison for Drug Offenses and Providing Contraband to an Inmate of a Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
DAVENPORT, Iowa- On July 16, 2019, Kelly Everett Mitchell, age 47, of Burlington, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger to a total of 312 months in prison for distribution of methamphetamine, possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute, and providing contraband to an inmate of a federal prison, announced United States Attorney Marc Krickbaum. Mitchell was ordered to serve five years of supervised release following his prison term and to pay $500 towards the Crime Victims’ Fund.
On September 17, 2018, in case number 3:17-cr-38, Mitchell pleaded guilty to the offenses of distribution of methamphetamine and possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Mitchell admitted on March 14, 2017, in two transactions, he distributed 42.46 grams of 99% pure methamphetamine to another person. He further admitted on September 25, 2017, he was in possession of 219.62 grams of 99% pure methamphetamine, 16.41 grams of heroin, 117.88 grams of marijuana and in excess of $10,000 United States currency and he intended to distribute some or all of the controlled substances.
On January 9, 2019, in case number 3:18-cr-73, Mitchell pleaded guilty to the offenses of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and phentermine, and providing contraband to an inmate of a federal prison. Mitchell admitted while in the custody of the United States Marshals Service and detained in the Muscatine County Jail, he regularly received coloring sheets, greeting cards, letters, envelopes and other products made of paper which had been soaked in a liquid in which methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance, and phentermine, a Schedule IV controlled substance, had been dissolved. He further admitted he provided a portion of the papers that contained methamphetamine and phentermine to other inmates housed at the Muscatine County Jail in Muscatine, Iowa, for the other inmates to ingest.
The two cases were consolidated for sentencing. In case number 3:17-cr-38, Mitchell was sentenced to 292 months of imprisonment and five years of supervised release. In case number 3:18-cr-73, for the offense of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine and phentermine, Mitchell was sentenced to 240 months of imprisonment, to run concurrently with the 292 months in case number 3:17-cr-38, and three years of supervised release. For the offense of providing contraband to an inmate of a federal prison, Mitchell was sentenced to 20 months of imprisonment, to run consecutively with the 292 months in case number 3:17-cr-38, and three years of supervised release. All periods of supervised release are to run concurrently.
This matter was investigated by the Southeast Iowa Narcotics Task Force, Des Moines County Sheriff’s Department, Muscatine County Sheriff’s Department, Illinois State Police, Macomb (Illinois) Police Department, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, United States Drug Enforcement Agency, and the United States Marshals Service. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.
Buckhannon woman sentenced for methamphetamine distributionRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Ann Marie Stankus, of Buckhannon, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 42 months incarceration for distributing methamphetamine, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Stankus, age 25, pled guilty to one count of “Aiding and Abetting the Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine” in February 2019. Stankus admitted to working with another to distribute methamphetamine in December 2017 in Upshur County.Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda E. Wesley prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Greater Harrison Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.
The investigation was funded in part by the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Program (OCDETF). The OCDETF program supplies critical federal funding and coordination that allows federal and state agencies to work together to successfully identify, investigate, and prosecute major interstate and international drug trafficking organizations and other criminal enterprises.
U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
Brooklyn Man Convicted of Attempted Murder and Assault of A Federal OfficerRead the Press Release
A federal jury in Brooklyn returned a guilty verdict today against Ronell Watson for attempted murder of a federal officer, assault of a federal officer and possessing and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence in connection with the shooting of Christopher Harper, a Special Agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). On December 8, 2018, Harper was on duty and performing his official duties when he was shot and wounded by the defendant. The verdict followed a two-week trial before United States District Judge William F. Kuntz II. When sentenced, Watson faces up to life in prison.
Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and William F. Sweeney, Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge, FBI, New York Field Office, announced the verdict.
“As found by the jury, FBI Special Agent Harper was performing his official duties last December when the defendant attempted to execute him without any warning,” stated United States Attorney Donoghue. “Despite sustaining life threatening injuries, Special Agent Harper performed courageously, returning fire and wounding the defendant, actions that led to Watson’s capture soon thereafter. I would like to thank the jury for carefully weighing the evidence. With today’s verdict, Watson has been held responsible for his nearly taking the life of a brave agent.” Mr. Donoghue also expressed his grateful appreciation to the New York City Police Department for its assistance during the investigation and the medical staff at Kings County Hospital for saving Special Agent Harper’s life.
“Special Agent Harper was doing his job, conducting surveillance for an FBI investigation, when he was randomly attacked and shot by a man who wasn’t even the target of the surveillance,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Sweeney. “As law enforcement, we face dangerous situations every day, but we continue to do all we can to keep the community safe and stop criminals. Today, a jury of the citizens we protect saw the evidence and judged Ronell Watson attempted to murder an FBI agent.”
The evidence at trial established that on December 8, 2018, Special Agent Harper was on-duty, sitting in an unmarked Nissan Maxima on Canarsie Road, a one-way street, conducting a surveillance in an unrelated case. At approximately 3:20 p.m., Watson, driving a BMW sedan in the wrong direction, approached the agent’s vehicle. Watson partially blocked the agent’s vehicle, exited the BMW and approached the agent’s driver’s side door with his hand inside the pocket of his sweatshirt. Harper testified at trial that he was speaking to his wife on FaceTime at the time and told her “somebody shady is walking up to my car.” Harper placed the phone on the center console, but did not hang up. As Harper tried to maneuver his vehicle around the BMW to escape, Watson pulled a handgun out of his pocket and fired multiple shots at Harper, wounding him in the back. Agent Harper then drove to the corner and stopped, exited his vehicle and returned fire at Watson, wounding him in the hand. Harper testified: “I immediately got back in the -- back into my car, the Maxima and I had to tell my wife, you know, that I was shot. So I just yelled it out, ‘Jess, I’m shot, I’m shot.’ I told her to call 911. I didn't tell her where I was exactly but I said call 911.” The entire incident was recorded on three separate surveillance cameras located on Canarsie Road.
Watson drove the BMW to a nearby auto body shop, then had a friend drive him in another vehicle to the hospital where he was ultimately arrested. During the trial, the jury viewed Harper’s Nissan Maxima in the courthouse garage in order to better understand an FBI forensic examiner’s testimony about the path of the bullets fired into the vehicle by the defendant and assess the damage to the metal surfaces.
Special Agent Harper underwent multiple surgeries to have the bullet removed from his lung and continued his service as a Special Agent of the FBI.
United States Attorney Richard P. Donoghue and Assistant United States Attorney Francisco J. Navarro are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
RONELL WATSON
Age: 31
Canarsie, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 19-CR-4 (WFK)
Bridgeport Man Charged with Narcotics and Firearm OffensesRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that a federal grand jury in Bridgeport has returned a six-count indictment charging LYNWOOD COGDELL, 32, of Bridgeport, with firearms and narcotics offenses.
The indictment was returned on July 2, 2019. Cogdell appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Donna F. Martinez in Hartford and entered a plea of not guilty to the charges.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on May 1, 2015, Cogdell pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of possessing of a firearm by a convicted felon. On March 15, 2016, he was sentenced to 36 months of imprisonment and three years of supervise for that offense. He was released from federal prison in June 2018.
It is alleged that, on August 10, 2018, while on supervised release, Cogdell possessed heroin, which he intended to distribute, along with a .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol. It is further alleged that, on April 15, 2019, Cogdell possessed heroin and fentanyl, which he intended to distribute, and a different .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol.
The indictment charges Cogdell with two counts of possession of narcotics with intent to distribute, which carry a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years on each count; two counts of possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, which carry mandatory consecutive terms of imprisonment of at least five years on each count, and two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, which carry a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years on each count.
Cogdell faces additional penalties if he is found to have violated the conditions of his supervised release.
Cogdell has been detained since his arrest on April 15, 2019.
U.S. Attorney Durham stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service, Stamford Police Department, Bridgeport Police Department, and Connecticut State Police. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren C. Clark.
This prosecution has been brought through Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone.