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Wednesday 17 July 2019
Bergen County Man Charged with Mail FraudRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Bergen County, New Jersey, man appeared in court today on charges of mail fraud related to a scheme through which he submitted thousands of false insurance claims to courier delivery service companies, resulting in a loss of $1.7 million, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Enrico DiCaprio, a/k/a “Sergio Leone,” a/k/a “Hakan Arikan,” 57, of Edgewater, New Jersey, is charged by complaint with one count of mail fraud. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael A. Hammer in Newark federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Beginning in December 2016 and continuing to July 2019, DiCaprio devised and maintained a scheme to defraud the victims, two international courier delivery service companies. Using various aliases and entity names, DiCaprio allegedly submitted thousands of false insurance claims for lost, damaged, and stolen items shipped by the victims. The items were not, in fact, lost, damaged, or stolen.
In response to the fraudulent claims, the victim companies issued reimbursement checks to DiCaprio via the U.S. Postal Service, which were then deposited into his bank accounts. DiCaprio has received approximately $1.7 million in checks from the victims.
The count of mail fraud carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of James Buthorn, with the investigation leading to today’s charges.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren E. Repole of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force Unit in Newark.
The charge and allegations in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.Defense counsel: Saverio Viggiano Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender, Newark
Beckley Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug ChargeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Beckley man who was arrested after a drug investigation pled guilty today to a federal drug charge, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart. Kendall Cotten, 29, entered a guilty plea to possession with intent to distribute heroin before United States District Judge Irene C. Berger. Stuart commended the investigative efforts of the Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Task Force and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
“Another peddler of heroin mixed with fentanyl convicted,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “Fentanyl is a driver of death rates among drug users. So many of our citizens have lost their lives at the hands of drug dealers peddling these poisons. We are holding drug dealers accountable and pushing for tough actions and ever tougher sentences for those dealing these deadly poisons.”
Cotten admitted that on three separate occasions between November 28, 2017 and December 7, 2017, he sold what he believed to be heroin, but in fact turned out to be a mix of heroin and fentanyl, to a confidential informant working with the Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Task Force. The drugs sold on these dates were tested by the West Virginia State Police Crime Lab and confirmed to contain heroin and fentanyl. Cotten also admitted that on December 13, 2017, police executed a search warrant at this residence. During the search police officers recovered 122 bindles of heroin, $727 in cash that were the proceeds of drug trafficking activities, and a Ruger LCP .380 pistol. Cotten admitted that he intended to distribute the heroin found during the search warrant.
Cotten now faces a sentence of up to twenty years in federal prison on the federal drug charge. Cotten’s sentencing will be held on October 24, 2019.
Assistant United States Attorney Timothy D. Boggess is responsible for the prosecution. The plea hearing was held before United States District Judge Irene C. Berger.
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Bail Bondswoman Sentenced to Three Years’ Imprisonment for Smuggling Hundreds of Aliens into the United StatesRead the Press Release
Earlier today, in federal court in Central Islip, Hema Patel, a Texas-based bail bondswoman, was sentenced by United States District Judge Denis R. Hurley to three years’ imprisonment for her role in smuggling hundreds of illegal aliens into the United States. The Court also ordered Patel to forfeit her Texas residence, two hotels, $7.2 million in bail bonds, $400,000 in cash and 11 gold bars, among other assets. On June 7, 2018, Patel pleaded guilty to alien smuggling for financial gain by fraudulently bonding illegal aliens from immigration custody and causing their release into the United States.
Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Angel M. Melendez, Special Agent-in-Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), New York, announced the sentence.
“For her personal financial gain, defendant Hema Patel arranged to have hundreds of aliens smuggled into the United States, completely by-passing the visa application and eligibility requirements,” stated United States Attorney Donoghue. “She will now pay the price for placing the safety and security of the residents of our communities at risk. Border security is a top priority of the Department of Justice.”
“In a classic example of how criminal networks exploit loopholes in our nation’s immigration system to make a profit while threatening the national security of the United States, Hema Patel and her human smuggling co-conspirators manufactured fraudulent bond documents to secure the release of undocumented aliens that were smuggled through the southwest border by an international criminal network,” stated HSI Special Agent-in-Charge Melendez. “HSI remains steadfast in its commitment to secure our nation’s legitimate travel, trade and finance by going after transnational criminal networks, their facilitators and their ill-gained assets.”
From April 2015 through October 2016, Patel and her co-conspirators executed a scheme to bring undocumented aliens, primarily from India, into the United States in exchange for “fees” ranging from approximately $28,000 to $60,000 per person. Patel and her co-conspirators paid middlemen, or “coyotes,” to arrange the logistics of the aliens’ travel, either a northern route through Canada, or a southern route through Mexico. When the aliens were stopped and taken into custody by law enforcement officers at the U.S. border, they called Patel. Patel then prepared fraudulent bond documents on their behalf, including documents listing fictitious names and addresses indicating where and with whom the aliens would reside while their cases were pending. These documents and the bail bonds were then filed in United States Immigration Courts, and the aliens were released into the community. Patel used two of her hotels in Texas to temporarily harbor some of the aliens.
On November 17, 2016, law enforcement agents executed a search warrant at Patel’s Texas residence, seizing thousands of fraudulent alien bonding records.
On November 30, 2017, Patel’s co-defendant Chandresh Kumar Patel (not related to Hema Patel) pleaded guilty to smuggling aliens for financial gain for his role in the scheme as an alien trafficker and financial broker. At the time of his arrest, law enforcement agents recovered $80,000 from his Queens residence. On October 5, 2018, Chandresh Kumar Patel was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Long Island Criminal and Civil Divisions. Assistant United States Attorneys Mark E. Misorek and Robert W. Schumacher are in charge of the prosecution.
Defendant Sentenced Today:
HEMA PATEL
Age: 51
McAllen, Texas
Defendant Previously Sentenced:
CHANDRESH KUMAR PATEL
Age: 30
Flushing, New York
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 16-CR-584 (DRH)
Arizona Man Sentenced for Threatening Harvard Black Commencement Attendees in 2017Read the Press Release
BOSTON – An Arizona man was sentenced today in connection with posting threats to bomb Harvard and shoot attendees at the Black Commencement event held in May 2017.
Nicholas Zuckerman, 25, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani to 15 months in prison and three years of supervised release. In February 2019, Zuckerman pleaded guilty to two counts of transmitting in interstate and foreign commerce a threat to injure the person of another.
“The divisiveness of our public discourse does not excuse making any group of people feel unsafe,” said United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling. “We will investigate all threats that cross the line of free speech and infringe on the safety and security of members of our community, especially when those threats are based on race or other immutable characteristics.”
“It’s sadly ironic that Nicholas Zuckerman would turn his chilling threats of mass destruction and vile words against graduates at Harvard University, an institution that has molded some of our greatest orators. Let today’s sentence serve as a lesson to all that no hate monger hiding behind a social-media pseudonym can stop others from celebrating the diversity of some of our area’s best and brightest minds,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division.
On or about May 13, 2017, Zuckerman commented on a post published to Harvard University’s Instagram account, saying: “If the blacks only ceremony happens, then I encourage violence and death at it. I’m thinking two automatics with extendo clips. Just so no n***** gets away.” It is further alleged that on that same date, Zuckerman posted a comment to another Harvard Instagram post, saying: “#bombharvard and end their pro-black agenda.” Several minutes later, Zuckerman commented “#bombharvard” on other users’ posts approximately 11 times over a span of four minutes.
A concerned citizen who saw the posts reported them to the Harvard University Police, who ultimately referred the case to federal authorities.
U.S. Attorney Lelling, FBI SAC Bonavolonta, and Harvard University Chief of Police Francis D. Riley made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anne Paruti and Scott Garland of Lelling’s Civil Rights Enforcement Team prosecuted the case.
All 43 defendants in Operation Vanilla Gorilla now convicted of drug, firearms crimesRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, GA: In the eight months since Operation Vanilla Gorilla became the largest-ever takedown of associates of the Ghostface Gangsters criminal street gang, all 43 defendants indicted in the firearms and drug trafficking investigation have now been convicted of their crimes.
Kenneth L. Jenks, a/k/a “Juno,” 40, of Savannah, is the final defendant in the 93-page, 83-count indictment to enter a guilty plea in the operation, which was conducted by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) from 2015 through 2018, said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. On Wednesday, July 17, Jenks pled guilty in U.S. District Court to Possession of Methamphetamine and will be sentenced at a later date.
A day earlier, U.S. District Judge R. Stan Baker sentenced Nick Penfield, a/k/a “Picnic,” 22, of Savannah, to 210 months in federal prison to be followed by five years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Penfield pled guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute 5 Grams or more of Methamphetamine. Evidence presented in court filings and testimony demonstrated that Penfield; his brother Cody Penfield, 28, of Savannah; and their father Mike Penfield, 54, of Pooler, Ga., were associates of the Ghost Face Gangsters and distributed kilogram quantities of crystal methamphetamine. Nick Penfield was the first of the three to be sentenced.
The same day, Judge Baker sentenced Devon Aines, a/k/a “Devon Johnson,” 33, of Savannah, to 171 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Aines and his brother, Trevor Aines, a/k/a “Sticks,” 29, of Garden City, Ga., were convicted of Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. According to court records, Devon Aines associated with Ghost Face Gangsters, distributed methamphetamine, and used threats of violence to collect drug debts. Trevor Aines awaits sentencing.
“Operation Vanilla Gorilla is a stellar example of federal, state and local law enforcement professionals and prosecutors working together to target and dismantle a violent, drug-trafficking criminal street gang,” said U.S. Attorney Christine. “The swift convictions and significant sentences of every defendant indicted in this operation demonstrates the value of cooperation between and amongst the agencies involved. It takes a network to dismantle a network.”
Beau Kolodka, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco and Explosives (ATF) said, “ATF will continue to dedicate federal resources in conjunction with those crucial law enforcement contributions of local agencies to the pursuit of eradicating and forestalling criminal gang activity.”
Operation Vanilla Gorilla was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), the premier U.S. Department of Justice program to dismantle multi-jurisdictional drug trafficking organizations. The case was investigated by the ATF, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Chatham County Narcotics Team (CNT), the Georgia Department of Corrections Intelligence Division, the Savannah Police Department, the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office, the Bryan County Sheriff’s Office, the Richmond Hill Police Department, the Pooler Police Department, the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office and the Bloomingdale Police Department, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys E. Greg Gilluly Jr. and Frank Pennington.
Acton Woman Pleads Guilty to Stealing Social Security BenefitsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – An Acton woman pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to stealing Social Security benefits intended for her children.
Elizabeth Smith, 40, pleaded guilty to three counts of theft of public funds and two counts of making false statements. U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns scheduled sentencing for Oct. 24, 2019. Smith was charged and arrested in September 2018.
From October 2012 through October 2015, Smith stole Social Security benefits that were paid to her on behalf of her three children. In August 2014, Smith fraudulently told Social Security that she used all of the money she received on behalf of her children for their care and support, despite the fact that her children were no longer in her care, but in the custody of the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families. Smith stole approximately $74,464.50 in Social Security benefits.
The charges of theft of public funds provide for a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. The making false statements charges provide for a sentence of no greater than five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Scott Antolik, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Division, made the announcement today. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Burzycki of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
"The Drug Llama" Pleads Guilty to Distributing Fentanyl on the Dark WebRead the Press Release
The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois Prosecutes Dark Web Drug Distributor
Earlier today, Brandon Arias pleaded guilty in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois to conspiring to distribute fentanyl throughout the United States via the “dark web.” As part of his plea, the 34-year old from San Diego, California admitted that he was one of two individuals known on the dark web as “The Drug Llama,” and that he knowingly distributed misbranded fentanyl pills throughout the United States from October 2016 to August 2018.
Fentanyl is a highly addictive and oftentimes lethal opioid painkiller.
In January 2019, a federal grand jury in the Southern District of Illinois returned a superseding indictment charging Arias and his co-defendant, Melissa Scanlan, with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, illegally distributing fentanyl (5 counts), selling counterfeit drugs, and misbranding drugs. Arias was arrested in San Diego and made his initial appearance in the Southern District of Illinois on March 12. At the time, he entered a not guilty plea and was ordered held without bond pending trial.
In court today, Arias pleaded guilty to all eight charges pending against him, admitting that he and Scanlan created and maintained an account on “Dream Market,” a dark web marketplace for illegal substances and services. Through that account, Arias and Scanlan sold substantial quantities of narcotics while operating under the moniker, “The Drug Llama.” Arias further admitted being actively involved in Scanlan’s distribution of 1,000 fentanyl and acetyl fentanyl pills every week.
The dark web is an underground computer network that is unreachable by traditional search engines and web browsers, creating a seeming anonymity to users. This false cloak has led to a proliferation of criminal activity on dark web marketplaces, like Dream Market.
Despite the identity veil that the dark web seemingly provides, participants in illegal activity are not shielded from the long arm of the law. “People think they are anonymous when they use the dark web,” U.S. Attorney Weinhoeft commented, “but the drugs and money are here, in the real world, and our agents will work tirelessly to connect the illegal contraband to the criminals hiding within the shroud of the dark web.” U.S. Attorney Weinhoeft gave special recognition to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Office of Criminal Investigations, whose agents worked to “pull the Drug Llama enterprise out of the shadows of the dark web.”
“The opioid crisis has evolved and so has the nature of the threat, with potent synthetic opioids representing a sharply increasing amount of the total exposure to these drugs, further fueling the opioid addiction crisis,” said Acting FDA Commissioner Ned Sharpless, M.D. “The FDA has expanded our enforcement efforts to include increased interdiction work aimed at stopping the illegal flow of counterfeit and unapproved prescription opioid drugs, like illicit fentanyl, online including on the dark web. We will continue to pursue and bring to justice those who threaten the health and safety of Americans by illegally distributing prescription drugs.”“Drug traffickers who operate from the dark corners of the internet are not immune from arrest and prosecution” stated DEA Special Agent in Charge William Callahan of the St. Louis Division. “The men and women of the DEA and our law enforcement partners are well positioned to investigate, locate, and arrest cyber drug traffickers, and their co-conspirators, who spread their poison in the Greater St. Louis Metropolitan area, no matter where they operate from.”
“The traditional drug dealing mechanics have changed, but law enforcement has changed with it,” said U.S. Attorney Robert S. Brewer, Jr., of the Southern District of California, who shared in U.S. Attorney Weinhoeft’s accolades of the multi-agency collaboration in this important prosecution. “This case, like others being prosecuted throughout the United States, demonstrates that hiding behind a cloak of anonymity on the dark web, no matter where you are, will be pierced and uncovered by investigators, and violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Arias is scheduled to be sentenced on October 29, 2019, at the United States District Court in East St. Louis, Illinois. His sentence will be determined by the court and will be guided by the United States Sentencing Guidelines. Scanlan, 31, has pleaded not guilty and remains in federal custody awaiting her trial, currently set for August 27, 2019, in East St. Louis. Members of the public are reminded that all criminal defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case was part of a months-long, coordinated national operation involving the FDA Office of Criminal Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Department of Homeland Security (HSI), United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Illinois. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek J. Wiseman is the prosecuting attorney on this case.
Tuesday 16 July 2019
Woman Charged with Importing 88 Kilos of MethRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A 21-year-old Georgia woman faces up to life in prison if convicted on charges of importing methamphetamine into the United States, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.
Nandi Bibiano was originally charged via criminal complaint. Today, a Laredo grand jury returned a two-count indictment alleging she imported methamphetamine into the United States and conspired to do so. She is set for arraignment before a U.S. magistrate judge in the near future.
The criminal complaint alleges Bibiano, of Brunswick, Georgia, attempted to enter the United States June 28, 2019, at the Lincoln Juarez Bridge Number 2 in Laredo. She was driving a Dodge Caravan, according to the charges. Inside, law enforcement allegedly discovered a modified compartment in the floor of the vehicle in which they recovered 88.40 kilograms of methamphetamine.
If convicted, she faces up to life in prison and a possible $10 million fine.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with assistance from Customs and Border Protection. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Day is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence.
A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.West Allis Man Makes Initial Appearance on Charges of traveling in foreign Commerce and Engaging in Illicit Sexual ConductRead the Press Release
Matthew D. Krueger, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced on July 15, 2019 that Donald A. Stenson, age 63, of West Allis, WI, was arraigned in federal court in Milwaukee on an indictment returned July 9, 2019. Stenson is charged with traveling in foreign commerce and engaging in illicit sexual conduct in a foreign place between 2016 and 2019. He was arrested on Friday July 12, 2019 at his West Allis residence.
The indictment charges that Stenson engaged in four counts of traveling in foreign commerce and engaging in illicit sexual conduct as well as four counts of sex trafficking of a minor. Stenson resides in Thailand, but the sex acts occurred in the Philippines. Stenson appeared before U.S. District Court Judge David E. Jones. The court finds that his ties outside of our country and frequent foreign travel make him a flight risk therefore Judge Jones ordered that he be detained. He set another date for next week Wednesday, July 24
This was a joint investigation between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Manila Transnational Criminal Investigation Unit, and Philippine Authorities. The West Allis Police Department assisted in the arrest. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan J. Paulson of the Eastern District of Wisconsin.
This investigation is a part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
The public is cautioned that an indictment is merely a charge and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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Waterloo Felon and Drug User Sentenced to Five Years in Federal Prison for Unlawfully Possessing GunsRead the Press Release
A man who previously spent time in state prison for burglary and robbery offenses was sentenced July 11, 2019, to five years in federal prison.
Jacob Mervin Gary, age 29, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after a March 14, 2019, guilty plea to being a felon and drug user in possession of a firearm.
At his guilty plea, Gary admitted he knowingly possessed multiple guns after having been convicted of the felony offenses of conspiracy to commit robbery and attempted burglary and while being an unlawful user of marijuana. On September 26, 2018, Waterloo police officers searched Gary’s residence and found a rifle with a high capacity magazine attached, another rifle, a pistol, and multiple types of ammunition. Gary was on parole at the time.
Gary was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Gary was sentenced to 60 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Gary is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kyndra Lundquist and investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and the Waterloo Police Department.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 18-cr-2069.
Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Virgin Islands Official Indicted for Embezzling Government FundsRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI –United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert for the District of the Virgin Islands announced today the unsealing of an indictment charging Violet Anne Golden and Stephanie Barnes with a variety of offenses, including Conspiracy to Commit Theft from Programs Receiving Government Funds and Money Laundering.
According to the indictment, Golden, as chairperson of the Virgin Islands Casino Control Commission, and Barnes, a contractor, used Commission funds for a variety of personal expenditures, including but not limited to trips to Walt Disney World, tickets to a Broadway production of Hamilton, and making a down payment for the purchase of a vehicle. The indictment also alleges that Golden, who had an annual salary of $105,000, failed to file timely tax returns for the 2014 – 2017 tax years.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Office of the Virgin Islands Inspector General, and IRS-Criminal Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nathan Brooks.
A link to the indictment can be found HERE. An indictment is merely a formal charging document, and it is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Two Men Sentenced to Prison for Role in Pharmacy RobberyRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Two Yorktown men were sentenced today to a total of nearly 18 years in prison for their respective roles in an armed robbery of a pharmacy.
According to court documents, on Dec. 2, 2014, Derrick Johnson, 25, and Tysean Ransome, 25, entered the Glendale Pharmacy in Newport News and robbed two employees of prescription pills at gunpoint. A third co-conspirator, Johnathan D. Williams, directed Johnson and Ransome to do the robbery.
Johnson was sentenced to nearly eight years, while Ransome was sentenced to 10 years. Williams was sentenced to 14 years on July 8.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The case was investigated as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), Operation Brim Reaper. The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.
G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Martin Culbreth, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, and Steve R. Drew, Chief of Newport News Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson. Assistant U.S. Attorney Howard J. Zlotnick and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa R. McKeel prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:19-cr-6.
Texas Man Sentenced for Insider Trading SchemeRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney William McSwain announced that Hamed Ettu, 44, of Richmond, TX was sentenced today to three years’ probation, the first nine months of which he will be required to serve in home confinement, 120 hours of community service and a fine of $15,000. U.S. District Judge Gene E.K. Pratter also imposed a forfeiture judgment of $73,244, which the defendant has already paid.
The defendant pleaded guilty in February 2019 to an Information charging him with conspiracy to commit securities fraud. According to the Information, Damilare Sonoiki, charged elsewhere, then a junior analyst at a global investment bank in New York, provided material non-public information to Ettu. Sonoiki obtained this information in violation of his duty of confidentiality that he owed to the investment bank. In a separate case, Sonoiki also allegedly passed inside information to former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Mychal Kendricks.
Relying on the material non-public information he received from Sonoiki, Ettu illegally purchased call options in the target companies, Compuware and Move, between July and September 2014. When proposed mergers were announced for each company, the value of Ettu’s options increased significantly. During the period of the conspiracy, Ettu made a profit of more than $93,000 on the trades.
“This type of illegal behavior – insider trading based on material, non-public information – undermines faith in our financial markets and harms ordinary investors who play by the rules,” said U. S. Attorney McSwain. “Prosecuting securities fraud and thereby safeguarding the integrity of the public securities markets has been and will continue to be a top priority of my Office.”
“The manipulation of our markets undermines all the investors who take great care to play by the rules,” said Michael T. Harpster, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “Through cases like this, the FBI continues to work against such corruption to help ensure fairness in the marketplace.”
The case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Securities and Exchange Commission, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David J. Ignall.
Stone Mountain man sentenced to federal prison for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearmRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Jonathan Christopher Scott, who has been convicted of multiple felonies, has been sentenced to federal prison for possession of a stolen firearm.
“Convicted felons like Scott, in possession of stolen firearm, pose one of the most serious threats to public safety,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “His flagrant firing of the weapon showed he had no regard for citizens, or fear of the law.”
“Let’s be clear about this,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Art Peralta. “It is already a crime for a convicted felon to possess a firearm. Jonathan Scott made a conscious decision to take it a step further and shot his handgun in the parking lot potentially endangering the lives of anyone in the area. His decision to pull the trigger demands our immediate attention and in this case, I am relieved that Mr. Scott was arrested before his criminal behavior resulted in serious injury to anyone.”
“Thanks to our professional and hard-working officers, Mr. Scott was apprehended and his ability to harm others quelled. I am extremely proud of every City of Norcross Police Officer for the tremendous service they provide this city every day. I am also thankful for the ATF’s efforts in this case. Their partnership is crucial to the success of local law enforcement,” said Norcross Police Chief Bill Grogan.
According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: On March 20, 2018, Norcross Police responded to reports of gunfire at a local hotel. Upon arrival, they were notified that Jonathan Christopher Scott had fired a handgun in the parking lot. The entire incident was captured on video, but Scott left the location prior to law enforcement's arrival.
Shortly thereafter, Norcross Police were notified that Scott returned to the hotel. Officers were directed to his room and Scott refused to answer. After several attempts to contact him were unsuccessful, police obtained a search warrant, entered the hotel room, and observed Scott walking away from the bathroom. Scott was detained and police located a loaded Smith and Wesson .40 caliber handgun inside of the water tank affixed to the toilet. The handgun was reported stolen from a vehicle in Henry County, Georgia on January 30, 2018.
Jonathan was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Norcross Police Department.
Deputy Chief Assistant U.S. Attorney Jill Steinberg and Assistant U.S. Attorney Noah Schechtman prosecuted the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Statement of United States Attorney Mike Stuart on District's Successes in the Fight Against the Opioid Crisis at the One Year Mark of Operation S.O.S.Read the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Mike Stuart issued the following statement in response to the Department of Justice’s announcement of first year successes in Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (S.O.S.):
“It’s a remarkable record. Over the past year, we have worked with our law enforcement partners to reduce the supply of deadly synthetic opioids that have ravaged my District and with it destruction, chaos and death. We are so pleased to have remarkable partnerships with our Operation SOS teams – the DEA and OCDETF – as we tackle this crisis on behalf of the people of West Virginia. I want to thank Attorney General Barr, the Department of Justice, and all of our law enforcement partners for allowing us to be a part of this critical operation and for committing the resources to allow us to make such critical progress.
Originally identified as one of the ten districts comprising Operation S.O.S., the Southern District has become a national leader in the fight against the purveyors of these poisons. In my district alone, in a single year, we have 62 cases pending as a result of Operation S.O.S. with 13 convictions. And most recently, a 1.2 kilogram mixture of fentanyl and heroin was seized from a defendant in one of those cases – enough fentanyl to kill more than 600,000 people. Those figures don’t even include the additional fentanyl we took off the street that could have killed more than 1.6 million people last year.
Our efforts are conducted with a sense of urgency. Everyday. 24/7/365. We are focused and working to end this terrible tragic tale. We are aggressively targeting the drug thugs that poison our children and our communities. The drug dealers, drug thugs, and poison peddlers need to understand they are not welcome here.
My record is tough - no revolving door for drug thugs or Detroit mules and I lock them up as long as we possibly can. There are more takedowns to come. These are our streets. And we’re taking them back.”
The full Department of Justice press release is below.
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The United States Department of JusticeFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TUESDAY, JULY 16, 2019
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCES RESULTS IN FIGHT AGAINST THE OPIOID CRISIS AT ONE YEAR MARK OF OPERATION S.O.S.WASHINGTON – 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 10 participating districts and some of their successes are listed below:
- 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 previous year.
- The Southern District of Ohio has 58 Operation S.O.S. investigations of the 58 investigations, 52 involve fentanyl distribution.
- 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.
- The 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.
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Statement by United States Attorney Richard P. DonoghueRead the Press Release
Introduction:
Thank you for coming today. My name is Richard Donoghue and I am the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. I am joined here today by the Special Agent-In-Charge of the FBI New York’s Criminal Division, Michael Driscoll.We are here to announce that, after an exhaustive investigation, the Department of Justice has reached the conclusion that insufficient evidence exists to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the police officers who arrested Eric Garner in Staten Island on July 17, 2014 acted in violation of the federal criminal civil rights statute. Consequently, the investigation into this incident has been closed.
We met with Mr. Garner’s family earlier this morning and shared our findings and decision with them. I offered my sincere condolences and those of Attorney General Barr and the entire Justice Department to the family for their tragic loss.
This morning I want to discuss the reasons for our decision and how we reached it. While the Department does not normally publicly discuss a decision not to bring charges, we felt that this matter is an exception because it means so much to our community and beyond.
Before I continue, let me say as clearly and unequivocally as I can that Mr. Garner’s death was a tragedy. For anyone to die under circumstances like these is a tremendous loss. For the family to suffer as this family has only compounds that loss.
But these unassailable facts are separate and distinct from whether a federal crime has been committed. And the evidence here does not support charging Police Officer Daniel Pantaleo or any other officer with a federal criminal civil rights violation.
Admittedly, many may disagree with the decision, and that is their right. However, we hope that by announcing and explaining our decision today, we can bring some measure of closure to one of this City’s more upsetting incidents involving the police and a member of the community.
Law:
To fully understand how we made this decision, I want to briefly discuss the applicable law.
In order for a federal criminal civil rights charge to be brought, the government must prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, four elements: (1) that the officer acted under color of law; (2) that the officer used objectively unreasonable force under the circumstances; (3) that the officer violated the law willfully; and (4) that the wrongful conduct caused bodily injury to the victim.
In simpler terms, this means that the government must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that an officer willfully used more force than he reasonably could have believed was necessary under the circumstances.
During the Department’s investigation, we focused primarily on two of these elements: 1) whether the force used was objectively unreasonable and 2) whether the officer acted willfully in violation of the law.
The “reasonableness” of a particular use of force must be judged from the perspective of a reasonable officer on the scene, rather than with the 20/20 vision of hindsight. And the law recognizes that the police are often forced to make split-second judgments in circumstances that are tense, uncertain and rapidly evolving.
However, even if the government can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the force used was objectively unreasonable, the government must also prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the officer acted willfully. This is the highest standard of intent imposed by law, and is different and higher than the intent standard under the relevant state statutes. While willfulness may be inferred from blatantly wrongful conduct, such as a gratuitous kick to the head, an officer’s mistake, fear, misperception, or even poor judgment does not constitute willful conduct under federal criminal civil rights law.
What all of this means is that, even if we could prove that Officer Pantaleo’s hold of Mr. Garner constituted unreasonable force, we would still have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Officer Pantaleo acted willfully.
The Video:
Eric Garner’s arrest was largely captured on video and the video has been replayed in the media on countless occasions. Like many of you, I have watched the video many times and, each time I’ve watched it, I am left with the same reaction – that the death of Eric Garner was a tragedy. And I know that every one of my colleagues who reviewed the video shares that sentiment.
The job of a federal prosecutor, however, is not to let our emotions dictate our decisions.
Our job is to review the evidence gathered during the investigation – like the video - to assess whether we can prove that a federal crime was committed.
When viewed in its entirety, the video documents a tense and escalating encounter between Mr. Garner and the officers, and shows that the officers had to make split-second decisions under stressful circumstances. The video shows that the officers’ initial actions were in accordance with established police tactics and procedures, but that the situation deteriorated as it progressed. At the end of the day, however, the video and the other evidence gathered in the investigation does not establish beyond a reasonable doubt that Officer Pantaleo acted in willful violation of federal law.
The Evidence:
Now let me address the video and some of the other evidence.
On July 17, 2014, Officers Justin D’Amico and Daniel Pantaleo attempted to place Eric Garner under arrest. The officers were acting that day under direct orders to address complaints about the sale of untaxed cigarettes in the vicinity of Tompkinsville Park in Staten Island. Mr. Garner resisted arrest, both verbally and physically, and consequently the officers were permitted to use force to effect the arrest. That force, of course, had to be reasonable.
After Mr. Garner resisted arrest, Officer Pantaleo appeared to attempt two approved NYPD tactics, both of which involved force. First, he appeared to attempt an “arm bar,” which involves pulling the hand of a person down, while the officer goes behind the person to gain control of him to put handcuffs on him. As the video makes clear, Mr. Garner twisted his body and freed his arms, evaded Pantaleo’s grasp, and avoided being placed in handcuffs.
Officer Pantaleo next appeared to attempt a second approved tactic, this one called the “rear takedown” or “seat belt.” In this tactic, an officer places one arm under a person’s armpit and the other hand across the shoulder and chest of the person in order to unbalance the person and bring him to the ground. Here, Officer Pantaleo placed his right arm under Mr. Garner’s right armpit and his left arm on Mr. Garner’s shoulder and upper chest, with his left palm facing out and away from Mr. Garner’s neck. At this point, there is nothing in the video to suggest that Officer Pantaleo intended or attempted to place Mr. Garner in a chokehold.
I would also note that there was a significant difference in size and weight between Mr. Garner, who stood 6’2” and weighed close to 400 lbs., and Officer Pantaleo, who was considerably smaller. And it is clear that this disparity in size and weight contributed to Officer Pantaleo being unable to bring Mr. Garner under arrest quickly and without further incident.
Officer Pantaleo then attempted to complete the rear takedown to put Mr. Garner off balance. This is where the situation rapidly deteriorated. As Mr. Garner and Officer Pantaleo struggled, Officer Pantaleo held onto Mr. Garner and both men fell backward. In the process, Officer Pantaleo’s body slammed against a store window, causing the window to buckle. It appears that, in response to that collision, and to maintain a hold on Mr. Garner, Officer Pantaleo wrapped his left arm around Mr. Garner’s neck, resulting in what was, in effect, a chokehold. Officer Pantaleo maintained that hold on Mr. Garner for a total of approximately seven seconds. During the first few seconds of that hold, the two men were falling to the sidewalk.
As has been widely reported, Mr. Garner stated, “I can’t breathe,” but I would point out that he made this statement only after he fell to the sidewalk and after Officer Pantaleo released his grip from Mr. Garner’s neck. Significantly, Officer Pantaleo was not engaged in a chokehold on Mr. Garner when he said he could not breathe, and neither Officer Pantaleo nor any other officer applied a chokehold to Mr. Garner after he first said he could not breathe.
It is also important to understand that there is a disagreement among medical experts regarding the cause of Mr. Garner’s death. While the medical examiner who conducted Mr. Garner’s autopsy ruled it a homicide – meaning that the death resulted, rightly or wrongly, from the actions of another – another medical examiner who reviewed the autopsy report could not conclusively determine whether the chokehold itself caused Mr. Garner’s death.
At least two different medical experts have explained that the sudden cardiac arrest suffered by Mr. Garner could have resulted from a number of causes in addition to the chokehold, including being restrained in a prone position, damage to his neck area that was not attributable to the chokehold and Mr. Garner’s serious underlying medical conditions. This is significant because it casts doubt upon whether the chokehold itself caused Mr. Garner’s death.
The Decision:
When we evaluated Officer Pantaleo’s actions in light of (1) his training and experience, (2) Mr. Garner’s size, weight and actions to resist arrest, and (3) the duration and escalating nature of their interaction, we determined that there was insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Pantaleo acted in willful violation of the law.
As a result, we conclude that there is insufficient evidence to bring a federal criminal charge against Officer Pantaleo for his role in the untimely death of Mr. Garner.
Conclusion:
Before I conclude, I also would like to address the timing of today’s announcement. As I mentioned earlier, this investigation was extremely thorough and time consuming and the recent administrative hearing conducted by the NYPD provided, at least potentially, one last opportunity to develop evidence that might have put us in a position to bring charges.
But regardless, today’s announcement is long overdue. We, the Department, owed it to Mr. Garner’s family and to the community to complete the investigation and announce our decision earlier.
I should emphasize that this was a very difficult decision, and it was one that was contemplated and considered at the very highest levels of the Department of Justice for several years.
For the family, for the community, and for the cause of justice, please know that experienced, highly trained federal agents and career prosecutors worked hard to investigate and examine the facts to determine if a federal criminal case could be brought here. The Department remains committed to aggressively investigating allegations of excessive force by police officers and others, and will continue to dedicate all necessary resources to doing so. We are committed to aggressively prosecuting excessive force cases whenever there is sufficient evidence to bring them.
Mr. Garner’s death was a terrible tragedy. But having thoroughly investigated the surrounding circumstances, the Department has concluded that the available evidence would not support federal civil rights charges against any officer.
We know and understand that some will be disappointed by this decision, but it is the conclusion that is compelled by the evidence and the law.
Raleigh Man Sentenced to 48 Months for Illegally Possessing a Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
RALEIGH – Robert J. Higdon, Jr., the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, announces today that United States District Judge James C. Dever, III, sentenced JERRY LATWAN HARRIS, JR., 26, of Raleigh, North Carolina, to 48 months’ imprisonment, followed by 3 years of supervised released.
On November 7, 2018, HARRIS was named in a one-count Indictment charging him with Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition by a Convicted Felon. On April 8, 2019, HARRIS pled guilty to the charge.
On July 4, 2018, an officer of the Raleigh Police Department initiated a traffic stop on a truck driven by HARRIS. The officer suspected HARRIS was intoxicated, and he was detained. The officer located two bottles of liquor on the passenger-side floorboard, one of which was partially consumed. Inside the center console, the officer located a .40 caliber handgun, loaded with 14 rounds of ammunition, which was reported stolen from Cary, North Carolina.
During an unprotected statement to officers, HARRIS advised he consumed two or three beers earlier in the day. Preliminary breathalyzer examinations indicated HARRIS had a .13 blood alcohol concentration on two separate occasions. HARRIS was arrested without incident. Further investigation revealed HARRIS was on post-release supervision for several felony convictions, including two counts of Robbery with a Dangerous Weapon.
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.
This case is also 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 here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/tbnc.
The investigation of this case was conducted by the Raleigh Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Assistant United States Attorney Daniel W. Smith prosecuted the case for the government.
Portland Man Pleads Guilty to Holding for Sale Counterfeit Drugs and Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
Portland, Maine: United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Colin Harle, 23, of Portland, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to holding for sale counterfeit drugs and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
According to court records, on August 27, 2018, law enforcement officers arrested Harle in South Portland following his attempted sale of counterfeit alprazolam (commonly sold under the brand name “Xanax”) pills. After Harle’s arrest, officers learned that Harle had a safe in a wooded area in Westbrook, Maine. Officers located the safe and found about 20,000 counterfeit pills marked “Xanax 2,” $5,480 in United States currency, and a 9mm pistol with two fully-loaded magazines.
The Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) Forensic Chemistry Center confirmed the presence of alprazolam in the pills and that the pills were counterfeit.
“American consumers rely on FDA oversight to ensure the safety, efficacy, and authenticity of their prescription medications. Illegally dispensing counterfeit prescription drugs places consumers’ health at risk,” said Jeffrey Ebersole, Special Agent in Charge, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations’ New York Field Office. “We are committed to pursuing and bringing to justice those who jeopardize the public health by distributing these potentially dangerous products.”
“Traffickers who keep loaded guns with their illegal drugs should expect to be caught and prosecuted,” said U.S. Attorney Frank.
The defendant faces up to ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the counterfeit drug charge and between five years and life in prison and a $250,000 fine on the firearm charge. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.
This case was investigated by FDA Office of Criminal Investigations; the Westbrook Police Department; and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency.
Pittsburgh Man Charged with Aiding and Abetting the Making of False Claims to the U.S.Read the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was charged with one count of aiding and abetting the making of false claims to the United States, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
Toby Bonitz, 27, was named as the sole defendant.
According to Indictment, Bonitz falsely claimed to have performed water quality tests at various Department of Veterans Affairs facilities causing his employer to charge the Department of Veterans Affairs for the water quality tests.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not more than five years in prison, a fine of not more than $250,000.00, a term of not more than three years supervised release, or a combination thereof. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Michael Leo Ivory is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Department of Veterans Affairs - OIG conducted the investigation leading to the prosecution of Bonitz.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Pine Ridge Woman Charged in Stabbing Death of ManRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Pine Ridge, South Dakota, woman was charged in federal district court with Second Degree Murder.
Doreen Brown, age 43, was charged on July 1, 2019. Brown appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta Wollmann on July 3, 2019, and pleaded not guilty to the charge. The maximum penalty upon conviction is life in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, 5 years of supervised release, and a $100 assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The charge relates to Brown stabbing a man with a screwdriver at Pine Ridge in June 2019, resulting in his death. The charge is merely an accusation and Brown is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah B. Collins and Heather Sazama are prosecuting the case.
Brown was detained pending trial. A trial date has been set for September 10, 2019.
Philadelphia Woman Indicted on Drug ChargeRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa – One resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge of violating federal narcotics laws, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
The one-count Indictment named Ana Rodriguez Gonzalez, 31, as the sole defendant.
According to the Indictment, on or about May 1, 2019, Rodriguez Gonzalez possessed with the intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin.
The law provides for a maximum sentence of not less than 10 years in prison, a fine of not more than $10,000.00 or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Brian M. Czarnecki will prosecute this case on behalf of the government.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Pennsylvania State Police conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Paterson Police Officer Admits Conspiring to Violate Civil Rights, Using Excessive Force, and Filing False Police ReportRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A City of Paterson police officer today admitted conspiring to violate the civil rights of individuals in Paterson, using unreasonable and excessive force, and filing a false police report to conceal his criminal activity, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Police Officer Frank Toledo, 30, of Paterson, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Katharine S. Hayden in Newark federal court to a three-count information charging him with conspiracy to violate individuals’ civil rights, using unreasonable and excessive force in violation of individuals’ civil rights, and filing a false police report.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners remain committed to identifying and prosecuting corrupt police officers who violate the civil rights of our people,” U.S. Attorney Carpenito said. “We will continue to aggressively pursue these cases, and we are grateful to our counterparts at the FBI, the Paterson Police Department and the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, for their dedicated assistance on this investigation.”
“The FBI has a long history of standing with and assisting our fellow law enforcement officers,” Gregory W. Ehrie, FBI Special Agent in Charge in Newark, said. “When a police department finds rogue officers who violate civil rights, we will answer the call to help rid that department of anyone who tarnishes the badge they wear.”
According to documents filed in this and other cases and statements made in court:
Toledo, along with other Paterson police officers, including Eudy Ramos, Jonathan Bustios, Daniel Pent, Matthew Torres, and others, stopped and searched motor vehicles, without any justification, and stole cash and other items from the occupants. Toledo and the other officers also stopped and searched individuals on the streets of Paterson, and illegally took their money. Toledo and other officers arrested individuals in Paterson, took cash from them, and split it among themselves. To cover up their criminal activity, Toledo and his fellow officers then filed false police reports. For example, on Dec. 2, 2017, Toledo and Ramos stopped and arrested an individual in Paterson and stole approximately $1,000, which they split. Toledo and Ramos then filed a false police report omitting that they had stolen $1,000 from the arrestee.
Toledo communicated via text message with his conspirators regarding their illegal activity. In one text message, on Nov. 16, 2017, Toledo wrote to Bustios, “everything we do is illegal.” In another, Bustios sent Toledo a text message with an animated talking pig that said, “I’m tryin’ to go mango hunting. Let’s goooo.” Toledo replied with an address and wrote “meet me here,” telling Bustios to meet him at a location where they could look to illegally seize “mangos,” a code word for cash.
While on official duty, Toledo also routinely used unreasonable and excessive force in his encounters with individuals in Paterson, causing them bodily harm. For instance, in three incidents in 2017:
• Toledo chased and apprehended a juvenile, pushed the juvenile to the ground, and punched the juvenile several times. Toledo later told Bustios, “I’ve been borderline blacking out when I catch these n[ ]” and “I beat that n[ ] like he owed me money.” Toledo also told Bustios that when he used force on the juvenile, he “was no longer a cop.”
• Toledo and Ramos chased and tackled an individual in Paterson and struck the individual several times in the body. They then released the individual without filing charges. The incident was recorded by a third party and uploaded to YouTube. Toledo told Bustios that the individual who recorded the incident “missed the best part,” which was when Toledo “laid him out.” Toledo then said, “funny shit is that we cut him” and “didn’t even lock him up.”
• Toledo and Torres arrested an individual, handcuffed him behind his back, and placed him in the backseat of their police car. During the ride to police department headquarters, Toledo depressed the brakes on his police car in order to force the individual to slam his body and head against the divider in the backseat of the police car, a tactic known as “brake-checking.” Toledo recorded the incident on his cell phone and sent it to others.
The conspiracy to violate civil rights and the deprivation of civil rights charges each carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. The false records count carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. The maximum fine for each count is $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 22, 2019.
Bustios pleaded guilty in December 2018 to conspiring to deprive individuals of their civil rights and to extortion under color of official right. Torres pleaded guilty in May 2019 to conspiring to deprive individuals of their civil rights and to filing a false police report. His sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 9, 2019.
Ramos was indicted in a nine-count indictment with conspiring to deprive individuals of their civils rights, depriving individuals of their civil rights, and filing false police reports. His case is pending before Judge Hayden. Daniel Pent was previously charged by complaint with conspiring to deprive individuals of their civil rights. His case, too, is pending. The charges and allegations against them are merely accusations, and they are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea. He also thanked the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes, the Paterson Police Department, under the direction of Paterson Police Director Jerry Speziale and Police Chief Troy Oswald, and the Paterson Police Department Office of Internal Affairs, for their assistance in the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rahul Agarwal, Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division.
Defense counsel: Dennis S. Cleary Esq., West Orange, New Jersey
Orlando Pharmacy Agrees to Pay over $100,000 to Settle Controlled Substances Act ViolationsRead the Press Release
Orlando, FL – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces today that Florida Discount Drugs, Inc., which operates as Taylor’s Pharmacy, has agreed to pay the United States $107,500 to resolve allegations that it violated the Controlled Substances Act by improperly distributing schedule III and IV drugs, and committing multiple recordkeeping violations. The settlement relates to a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) investigation of Taylor’s Pharmacy.
According to the settlement agreement, between February 15, 2012, and July 22, 2016, Taylor’s Pharmacy made 37 distributions of schedule III and schedule IV controlled substances, and an additional 31 distributions of controlled substances to two individuals not registered to receive those drugs. Then, on April 18, 2017, the DEA initiated an inspection of Taylor’s Pharmacy and determined that it had committed 18 recordkeeping violations of the Controlled Substances Act.
“Pharmacies have an obligation to ensure that controlled substances are properly tracked through the distribution chain,” said U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez. “This settlement highlights our commitment to enforcing the Controlled Substances Act and protecting our citizens.”
“The pharmaceutical industry has a vital role on the front lines of preventing drug misuse and abuse across America. This settlement demonstrates the important responsibilities all pharmacies have to prevent dangerous drugs from their intended misuse,” said Susan Langston, Diversion Program Manager, Miami Field Division. “This civil resolution reached today is just one example of DEA’s determination to combat the troubling prescription drug abuse problem in this country by pursuing pharmacies that fail to comply with the law. Our nation’s pharmacies must play a major role in the fight against pharmaceutical drug abuse, so that together we can protect public health and keep our communities safe.”
This settlement resulted from a coordinated effort by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida. It has handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy R. Bloor.
The claims resolved by this settlement are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.
Norwalk Woman Who Stole Federal Annuity Benefits is SentencedRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that SYBIL F. BUTLER, 57, of Norwalk, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to three years of probation for stealing federal annuity benefits. Judge Underhill also ordered Butler to pay full restitution and a $1,000 fine, and to perform 150 hours of community service.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Butler’s mother received monthly annuity payments following her retirement from the U.S. Postal Service. Butler’s mother died in June 2014. Between June 2014 and October 2016, Butler impersonated her mother in phone calls to the Office of Personnel Management, and also forged her mother’s signature on numerous documents indicating that her mother was alive. As a result, $71,701.13 in federal annuity benefits were deposited into Butler’s and her mother’s joint bank account after her mother’s death.
Butler was arrested on a criminal complaint on October 3, 2018. On March 5, 2019, she pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government funds.
This matter was investigated by the Office of Personnel Management, Office of Inspector General. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren C. Clark.
Northwood Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
CONCORD - James Goodwin, 53, of Northwood, pleaded guilty in federal court to possession of child pornography, United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced today.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in the fall of 2018, a North Carolina undercover police officer was conducting an online investigation into individuals involved in the trading of illegal images of child pornography. Goodwin was identified after he uploaded numerous images of child sexual abuse into a chatroom which were downloaded by the undercover officer. Forensic examinations of several of Goodwin’s electronic devices revealed images depicting the sexual assaults of children.
Goodwin is scheduled to be sentenced on October 22nd 2019.
“Protecting the innocence of children is one of the highest priorities of law enforcement,” said U.S. Attorney Murray. “We work closely with our law enforcement partners to identify and prosecute those who commit crimes related to child pornography.”
This matter was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Georgiana L. Konesky.
In February 2006, the Department of Justice introduced Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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Northfield Man Sentenced to Six Months of Home Confinement for Making False Statements to Obtain Social Security BenefitsRead the Press Release
CONCORD – Robert Gallagher Sr., 51, of Northfield, was sentenced to three years of probation, including six months of home confinement, for making false statements to obtain Social Security disability insurance benefits, United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced today.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Gallagher has managed and worked as a mechanic since at least 2008. In May of 2012, Gallagher applied for disability insurance benefits and falsely claimed that he had been unable to work since January 1, 2011. To receive disability insurance benefits, an individual must have a medical disability that prevents the claimant from performing “substantial gainful activity”—that is, work activity that is the type ordinarily done for pay or profit. Social Security advised Gallagher that he was required to report whether he was working, regardless of his income, and that if he provided Social Security with “false information on purpose, [his] benefits will be stopped.” However, although Gallagher was managing and working when he applied for benefits, he concealed his work activity from Social Security. As a result, Gallagher began receiving Social Security disability insurance benefits in October of 2013.
In December 2016, during an in-person work activity review, Gallagher again told Social Security that he had not been working. In 2017, during an audit of Department of Motor Vehicle inspections by the New Hampshire State Police, Gallagher told the inspector that he worked approximately 47 hours per week as both a mechanic and state vehicle inspector. Gallagher subsequently admitted to an investigator from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), that he had worked since 2008 and that he had lied to Social Security when he claimed that he was not working. As a result of his concealment, Gallagher received Social Security disability insurance benefits that he was not entitled to receive from October 2013 through March 2017.
Gallagher previously pleaded guilty on November 13, 2018.
In addition to the sentence, the Court also ordered Gallagher to pay $91,539 in restitution within six months.
“Social Security disability insurance benefits provide essential support to individuals who are unable to work,” said U.S. Attorney Murray. “Lying in order to obtain these benefits is a crime. In order to protect the integrity of Social Security, we will not hesitate to prosecute those who attempt to cheat the system to obtain money they are not entitled to receive.”
“Disability insurance benefits are designed to provide financial assistance to those individuals who are not employed as a result of a medical condition,” said Inspector in Charge Joseph W. Cronin of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division. “Taking advantage of a system that supports those who need it most, will not be tolerated. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and our federal and state law enforcement partners will continue to conduct investigations of those who participate in schemes like these.”
“By prosecuting offenders like Gallagher, we deliver a strong message that this type of fraud won’t be tolerated,” said Scott Antolik, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Social Security OIG’s Boston Field Division. “Today’s sentencing should serve as a warning to those who choose to defraud the Social Security Administration. These cases are vigorously pursued, and we will continue to work jointly with the U.S. Attorney, and our law enforcement partners to identify and prosecute fraud perpetrators in the future.”This matter was investigated by the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the New Hampshire State Police. The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew T. Hunter.
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North Las Vegas Felon Sentenced to Almost Five Years in Prison for Possession of 12-Inch Pipe BombRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – A felon who admitted to threatening to “blow up the house” was sentenced today 57 months in federal prison to be followed by three years of supervised release for possession of a 12-inch pipe bomb, announced United States Attorney Nicholas A. Trutanich of the District of Nevada.
Christopher Michael Robinson, 47, of North Las Vegas, was sentenced by United States District Judge Larry Hicks. Robinson pleaded guilty in November 2018, to unlawful possession of a destructive device. He has multiple prior felony convictions in Nevada and Hawaii, including a prior conviction for possessing a pipe bomb.
According to court documents, on January 11, 2018, the North Las Vegas Police Department requested assistance from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, Las Vegas Fire & Rescue, and the FBI. When bomb technicians arrived at the North Las Vegas house, they located and removed a 12-inch pipe bomb in the house. The pipe bomb had a fuse and contained BBs, match heads, and pyrotechnic powder. After the pipe bomb was rendered safe, law enforcement conducted an interview with the resident who stated that he had evicted Robinson for not paying rent. Robinson then threatened to “blow up the house” and placed the pipe bomb in the house and left. Law enforcement found Robinson hiding in a shed at a nearby house. During an interview with law enforcement, Robinson admitted he constructed the pipe bomb and stated that he was currently on parole in Hawaii for previously manufacturing a pipe bomb.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the North Las Vegas Police Department, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Las Vegas Fire & Rescue Bomb Squad. Assistant U.S. Attorney Linda Mott prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a nationwide program by the Department of Justice that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority. In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, the Department announced the reinvigoration of PSN. For more information about PSN, visit www.justice.gov/usao-nv.
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North Dakota Woman Sentenced for Assaulting a Federal OfficerRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Belcourt, North Dakota, woman convicted of Assaulting a Federal Officer was sentenced on July 8, 2019, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.
Gloria Peltier, age 20, was sentenced to 12 months and 1 day in federal prison, followed by 2 years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Peltier was indicted by a federal grand jury on January 23, 2019. She pled guilty on March 25, 2019.
The conviction stemmed from an incident on December 18, 2018, when Peltier was being held at the Lower Brule Detention Center and was caught with contraband. When a corrections officer took the contraband, Peltier became agitated and correction officers had to remove Peltier from the jail cell. When the officers were removing Peltier from the cell, she balled her hand into a fist and punched one of the officers in the face causing a laceration.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Lower Brule Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy R. Morley prosecuted the case.
Peltier was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Newark Mail Carrier Convicted of Conspiring to Defraud United StatesRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A U.S. Postal Service (USPS) mail carrier was convicted today of conspiring to defraud the United States by getting paid to assist a drug dealer in receiving packages of marijuana through the mails, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Fred Rivers, 47, of Newark, was convicted of one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States by interfering with and obstructing the lawful functions of the USPS to properly deliver only legal and permissible substances and materials through the mails, and for USPS employees to receive only lawful compensation. The jury deliberated for one day, following a four-day trial before U.S. District Judge Esther Salas in Newark federal court. The jury acquitted Rivers of one count of taking bribes.
According to documents filed in this case and the evidence at trial:
Rivers was a mail carrier at the USPS Springfield Station in Newark. From October 2016 through September 2017, he accepted cash payments from Glenn Blackstone in exchange for intercepting packages containing pounds of marijuana that were sent through the mail. Rivers removed the packages – which were addressed to fake names, but real addresses in Newark – and delivered them to Blackstone in the employee parking lot of the Springfield Station. Rivers used a scanner to falsely indicate in USPS records that the packages had been delivered to the addresses on the labels. Rivers received cash payments of approximately $100 from Blackstone for each delivery. Rivers began delivering the intercepted parcels to Blackstone in exchange for cash after another mail carrier, Leonard Gresham, asked Rivers to make the deliveries when Gresham was unavailable to do so.
The conspiracy charge carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain from the offense. Rivers is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 29, 2019.
On Feb. 13, 2018, Gresham pleaded guilty to bribery for his role in the scheme; on April 17, 2018, Blackstone pleaded guilty to marijuana trafficking and bribery. Both are awaiting sentencing before Judge Salas.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents with the USPS, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Matthew Modafferi, Northeast Area Field Office, and inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Inspector in Charge James Buthorn, with the investigation leading to today’s verdict.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Farrell of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Special Prosecutions Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee M. Cortes Jr., Deputy Chief of the Special Prosecutions Division.
Mount Airy Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison in Child Pornography Case That Involved Online Solicitation of MinorsRead the Press Release
GREENSBORO, N.C. – A man who pleaded guilty to transportation of child pornography was sentenced today, announced Matthew G.T. Martin, United States Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina.
JARED THOMAS MARVIN, 24, of Mount Airy, North Carolina, pleaded guilty on January 9, 2019, to one count of transportation of child pornography. He was sentenced by United States District Judge Catherine C. Eagles to 144 months of imprisonment followed by 10 years of supervised release.
In 2017, the Surry County Sheriff’s Office received information from Massachusetts law enforcement that an individual residing in Mount Airy, North Carolina solicited child pornography from a 10 year old girl. Investigators with Surry County identified the individual as MARVIN and took possession of his electronic devices. In his online communication with the minor girl, MARVIN purported to be a pre-teen girl and distributed child pornography to the minor in an attempt to induce her to create and send him the same.
When questioned by investigators, MARVIN explained that he saw the 10 year old minor’s profile while browsing the social networking application Musical.ly. MARVIN admitted to possessing hundreds of child pornography files. He estimated that, over the years, he asked 100 girls between 11 and 15 years of age for images depicting their private parts and advised that his requests were successful 65-70% of the time.
“This case serves as a frightening reminder that predators lurk on popular social media applications and websites,” said United States Attorney Martin. “It is also a reminder that online sexual exploitation is a borderless crime that requires, as in this case, the hard work and cooperation of geographically distant law enforcement agencies. The United States Attorney’s Office is committed to ensuring that those who harm and endanger our children will face punishment for their repugnant behavior.”
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) reviewed MARVIN’s devices and assisted with the investigation. SBI agents found 1,417 images and 673 videos constituting child pornography on four devices owned by MARVIN. Further, agents were able to identify and contact several minor girls with whom MARVIN inappropriately communicated.
This case was investigated by the Surry County Sheriff’s Office and North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, both are members of the North Carolina Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Eric L. Iverson.
It was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat online child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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Mobile County Man Sentenced to 57 Months for Possession of a Firearm After Conviction of a FelonyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Richard W. Moore of the Southern District of Alabama announced that Ryan Cody Goodman, a 29 year old resident of Mobile, Alabama was sentenced to 57 months of incarceration for possession of a five stolen firearms.
On March 28, 2019, Goodman entered a guilty plea pursuant to a plea agreement and admitted in open court that on July 6, 2018, Goodman borrowed a friend’s gray four door vehicle. Goodman then travelled to an address in Semmes, AL and burglarized the residence. During the commission of the burglary, the owner came home, observed a four door gray vehicle outside of his home and the front door open. He walked inside of his home and saw Goodman. When Goodman saw the homeowner, he retreated to a bedroom, jumped out of a window, and ran while holding a pillowcase with several items that belonged to the homeowner stolen during the burglary. The items stolen included ammunition, several knives, numerous coins and five firearms. The homeowner called the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office and reported the burglary. At that time, Goodman had been convicted of at least four felonies, namely, Burglary 2nd Degree, Receiving Stolen Property, 1st Degree, and two convictions for Burglary 3rd Degree.
Deputies of the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office along with special agents of the FBI investigated the case and brought it to the U. S. Attorney's Office for prosecution. The prosecutor assigned to the case is Assistant United States Attorney, Gina S. Vann.
Mobile County Man Receives 12 Months for Distribution of Marijuana with a U.S. Postal Service Mail CarrierRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Richard W. Moore of the Southern District of Alabama announces that Uford Davis, a 44 year old resident of Mobile, Alabama was sentenced to 12 months in prison as a result of his conviction for possession with intent to distribute marijuana.
On March 20, 2019, Davis entered a guilty plea pursuant to a plea agreement and admitted in open court that in 2018, he conspired with U. S. mail carrier Unterria Rogers to distribute marijuana. Specifically, Rogers’s duty station as a mail carrier was Midtown Station in Mobile. Davis occasionally met Rogers along Rogers’s mail route and Rogers gave packages of marijuana to Davis who then paid Rogers quantities of cash.
On May 23, 2018, a surveillance operation determined Rogers met with Davis who was driving a Ford F150 along his route and handed off drug parcels with various addresses to Davis in exchange for the cash. This meeting was observed, and video recorded by a police helicopter. A short time later, Rogers was arrested. He was found to have $2,610 in cash on his person and additional drug parcels in his postal truck, one of which was assigned to another route. Davis was also simultaneously arrested and his vehicle searched. Two parcels of marijuana just given to him by Rogers were seized from the F150 driven by Davis.
Davis was Mirandized and interviewed that day. Davis said that he heard that Rogers worked for the postal service and could deliver marijuana to him. Davis said that Rogers provided him with names and addresses to be put on packages. Davis then passed that information on to his marijuana drug connection in California. The California drug connection d then shipped marijuana to Mobile in the names of these people. Davis received marijuana packages once or twice a week for the past six months. Rogers made about eight to 10 successful delivers to Davis during that time. Rogers attempted to deliver five more marijuana packages to Davis but was unsuccessful. Davis paid $500 per pound of marijuana to his California connection and $250 per pound of marijuana to Rogers. The two boxes seized from Davis F150 on May 23, 2018, contained 19 pounds of marijuana. Rogers was paid $500 for the two packages he provided to Davis on May 23, 2018. The total amount of marijuana attributed to Davis is approximately 123 pounds.Inspectors of the United States Postal Inspection Service along with special agents of the United States Postal Service/Office of the Inspector General investigated the case and brought it to the U. S. Attorney's Office for prosecution. The prosecutor assigned to the case is Assistant United States Attorney Gina S. Vann.
Mobile County Mail Carrier Receives 60 Months for Co-Conspirators Use of a Firearm in Furtherance of Marijuana DistributionRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Richard W. Moore of the Southern District of Alabama announces that Unterria Rogers, a 33 year old resident of Mobile, Alabama, was sentenced to 60 months in prison as a result of his conviction for use of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
On March 29, 2019, Rogers entered a guilty plea pursuant to a plea agreement and admitted in open court that in 2018, he was a United States mail Carrier. During that year, the United States mail delivery databases showed a high volume of parcels suspected of containing narcotics destined to Mobile, Alabama city carrier route 009, a route assigned to Rogers. Further analysis by United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG) special agents of the U. S. Postal Service databases identified numerous suspected drug parcels scanned delivered by Rogers away from the intended delivery addresses on his route. An internal investigation by the USPS-OIG disclosed Rogers was utilizing his position as a city mail carrier to provide addresses from his assigned route to a drug source in California, so he could control, divert, and distribute drug parcels utilizing the U. S. Mail. These drug parcels contained illegal quantities of marijuana which he diverted and distributed to outside non-USPS employees in exchange for cash payments as he delivered mail along his assigned route. Further, surveillance video disclosed Rogers rifling U.S. Mail that came into is possession to be delivered to addresses along his route to locate the quantities of marijuana. Rogers is also captured on video leaving his mail truck to deliver the found quantities of marijuana to co-conspirators who met him at predetermined locations along his mail route. Rogers was captured returning to his postal truck sitting in the driver’s seat counting amounts of cash he received from the co-conspirators in exchange for the quantities of marijuana.
Rogers was interviewed. In total, Rogers admitted to opening approximately 25-30 U.S. mail parcels inside his postal truck. Further, Rogers admitted to receiving cash in exchange for marijuana parcels being sent to his route and providing them to the three people. Rogers admitted to receiving on more than one occasion $250.00 per package. In addition, Rogers provided verbal consent to a search of his residence and identified the key for entry into his residence.
Rogers stated that he acted as a middle man and provided addresses and account information to a local drug dealer who then provided the information to his California contact. During a consent search of Rogers’s residence, $3,269 in U.S. currency, a DVR for house surveillance, and a set of digital scale were seized by agents. The money was seized from the pocket of Rogers’s postal uniform. A review of Rogers’s DVR in-house video showed Rogers seated in front of a coffee table that had a handgun, a small quantity of marijuana and a set of digital scales in arms distance from him. Firearms are tools of the drug trade used by illegal drug dealers to protect themselves and their product. The firearm was brought to Rogers’s home for protection of them and their illegal drug activities by a co-conspirator, Lakeddrick Green.The total amount of marijuana attributed to Rogers in the conspiracy was approximately 133 pounds.
Inspectors of the United States Postal Inspection Service along with special agents of the United States Postal Service/Office of the Inspector General investigated the case and brought it to the U. S. Attorney's Office for prosecution. The prosecutor assigned to the case is Assistant United States Attorney Gina S. Vann.
Michigan Man Sentenced to 39 Months for Bank Fraud and Aggravated Identity TheftRead the Press Release
CONCORD - United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced that Deandray Buckley, 27, of Belleville, Michigan, was sentenced on Monday to 39 months in federal prison for bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Buckley was part of an interstate scheme with others to steal people’s personal identifying information, including social security numbers and bank account information. Buckley obtained this identification information from his accomplices and online and then used it to obtain fake driver’s licenses with other people’s identifying information and his or an accomplice’s photograph. Buckley and an accomplice used the fake driver’s licenses to impersonate bank customers and withdraw or attempt to withdraw money from those bank customers’ accounts. When entering a bank branch, Buckley or an accomplice wore slings on their arms or bandaged their fingers together in case bank tellers asked why the signature on the withdrawal slip did not match the account owners’ signature on file at the bank.
Between October 2017 and February 2018, Buckley or an accomplice entered over 17 bank branches in New Hampshire, Kansas, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Ohio, and Rhode Island and stole or attempted to steal over $90,000 from other people’s bank accounts. On February 27, 2018, Buckley was arrested by the Salem Police Department after attempting to withdraw $6,000 from another person’s bank account at a Citizen’s Bank branch in Salem. Branch employees recognized Buckley from previous internal fraud alerts, denied the transaction, and called the police. In addition to identifying information from the known fraud victims, Buckley and an accomplice’s cell phones contained bank account information or social security numbers of at least 52 other individuals.
Buckley previously pleaded guilty on March 15, 2019.
“Identity theft crimes can have a devastating impact on victims, including financial losses and disruption of their lives,” said U.S. Attorney Murray. “The law enforcement community will work to protect citizens from these crimes and to hold identity thieves accountable for their actions. Those who commit these crimes should understand that their conduct will result in federal prison time.”
“The United States Secret Service is committed to investigating financial crimes including the unauthorized use of personally identifiable information for financial gain,” said Timothy Benitez, Resident Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service, Manchester Resident Office. “The success of this investigation is a result of the cooperation between federal and local law enforcement partners across numerous states.”
“Today’s sentencing is the result of a coordinated effort with our state and federal partners,” said Inspector in Charge Joseph W. Cronin of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division. “These types of financial losses can create hardships and long lasting impacts for the victims. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service will continue to conduct investigations of individuals who compromise the personal information of our customers and jeopardize the integrity the U.S. Mail.”
This matter was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service, the United States Secret Service, and the Overland Park Kansas Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew T. Hunter from the District of New Hampshire and Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Oakley from the District of Kansas.
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Miami Drug Trafficker Sentenced to More Than Ten Years for Cocaine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Richard W. Moore of the Southern District of Alabama announced that James Bernard Braddy, 43, of Miami, Florida, was sentenced in federal court. Braddy pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 62 kilograms of cocaine. Court documents reflect that Braddy was stopped by Saraland police officers on Interstate 65 for a traffic violation. During the stop, a police dog gave a positive indication for the odor of a controlled substance emanating from Braddy’s vehicle. A search of the vehicle resulted in the discovery of the cocaine, along with a bag containing $40,000 in cash. Braddy was found guilty of the two charges after a bench trial on February 11, 2019.
United States District Court Judge Callie V. S. Granade imposed a sentence of 121 months imprisonment on the two charges, but ordered that the sentences would run concurrently. She also ordered that Braddy serve a five-year term of supervised release when he is released from custody. No fine was imposed in his case, but Braddy was also ordered to pay $200 in special assessments.
The case was investigated by the Saraland Police Department and the Department of Homeland Security. It was prosecuted in the United States Attorney’s Office by Assistant United States Attorney Gloria Bedwell.
Mexican National and Leader of Georgia-Based Drug Trafficking Organization Sentenced to 17 Years in Prison for Distributing Large Amounts of Methamphetamine in Central FloridaRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Roy. B. Dalton, Jr. has sentenced Juan Alberto Flores-Jimenez (34, Tamaulipas, Mexico), a/k/a Juan Cantu, a/k/a Stoner, to 17 years in federal prison for conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Flores-Jimenez had pleaded guilty on February 7, 2019.
According to court documents, Flores-Jimenez, an alien residing illegally within the United States, was the leader of a drug-trafficking organization (DTO) distributing kilogram amounts of methamphetamine from Georgia to other DTOs located in central Florida. Between April 2017 and September 13, 2018, Flores-Jimenez was responsible for distributing at least 4.5 kilograms of methamphetamine in the Middle District of Florida.
Flores-Jimenez, a native and citizen of Mexico, was ordered removed/deported from the United States in 2014 and again in 2015. On September 13, 2018, law enforcement officers arrested Flores-Jimenez and charged him with illegal reentry into the United States after being previously removed. On January 2, 2019, Flores-Jimenez pleaded guilty to that charge. He was sentenced to 60 months’ imprisonment in the immigration case—that sentence is to run concurrently with the 17-year drug sentence.
This case was investigated by the FBI, the DEA, the Volusia Bureau of Investigation, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, and the Daytona Beach Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sean P. Shecter.
Medical Billing Company Owner Sentenced to Prison for Health Care FraudRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The owner of a medical and dental billing company was sentenced in U.S. District Court today for her role in committing more than $2 million in health care fraud.
Cindy Dahdah, 61, of Beavercreek, was sentenced to 60 months in prison.
Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Lamont Pugh III, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, Todd A. Wickerham, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced the sentence imposed today by Chief U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr.
According to court documents and testimony, Dahdah and her late husband, Dr. Salim Dahdah, conspired to commit health care fraud from 2007 until 2015.
The defendants provided medically unnecessary medical tests and procedures – including nuclear stress tests and invasive cardiac procedures – exposing patients to the risk of serious physical harm.
Cindy Dahdah pleaded guilty in October 2018 to conspiracy to commit and committing health care fraud and making false statements related to health care matters.
Salim Dahdah was a licensed cardiologist and owner of Ohio Institute of Cardiac Care (OICC) in Springfield, Ohio. The practice was originally incorporated in 1986 and eventually used the name Advanced Cardiology Associates, Inc. Cindy Dahdah incorporated ACCU-BIL Management, Inc., a privately held medical and dental billing company established in 2001 in Beavercreek. The couple also owned a primary care practice located in the same building as the cardiology practice.
OICC focused on treating patients who suffered from cardiac related illnesses, including coronary artery disease. Most of the practice’s patients were elderly and of lower socio-economic class.
As part of their conspiracy, the couple created aggressive medical protocols for cardiac related tests and procedures that they required OICC and ACCU-BIL staff to follow regardless of the medical necessity of the procedures.
The Dahdahs would name a patient’s last seen physician as a referring physician for invasive and unnecessary procedures, even though the last physician never ordered the procedures. In order to ensure their protocols were strictly followed, Cindy Dahdah would often reprimand, humiliate or threaten to terminate employees who refused to schedule the medical tests.
Cindy Dahdah also threatened to terminate primary care patients who refused to be treated by a cardiologist at OICC.
In order to increase revenue, Salim Dahdah intentionally misinterpreted cardiac tests, including heart catheterizations, to justify risky procedures like the insertion of heart defibrillators when they were medically unnecessary.
For example, Salim Dahdah told a patient in his/her thirties that (s)he needed a heart surgery or (s)he would die. The patient underwent the surgery in 2013 in order for Dahdah to implant an AICD (an implantable defibrillator). Later, the patient sought the services of another cardiologist and determined the AICD had been unnecessary, and had to undergo a second risky heart surgery to have it removed.
As a result of the health care fraud scheme, the defendants caused more than 2,000 fraudulent claims to be submitted to Medicare, Ohio Medicaid and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield totaling approximately $2 million.
“The Dahdahs subjected patients to unnecessary nuclear stress tests and invasive cardiac procedures in order to make a quick buck off Medicare and Medicaid,” said U.S. Attorney Glassman. “What an unconscionable business model. The defendant’s prison term is well deserved.”
“The human cost of this couple’s crimes far outweighs the financial cost,” Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said. “These patients believed their life-altering treatments were medically necessary, but it was all a ploy aimed at squeezing more money out of the state. Nothing – not even this sentence – can erase the anguish inflicted upon this couple’s victims.”
The couple was indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2017. Salim Dahdah also pleaded guilty in October 2018 to the same crimes as Cindy Dahdah. He died prior to being sentenced.
U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the cooperative investigation by HHS-OIG, the FBI and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, as well as Assistant United States Attorneys Kenneth F. Affeldt and Maritsa A. Flaherty, who are representing the United States in this case.
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Mascoutah Man Sentenced to 35 Years for Online Extortion, Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
A prolific sextortionist has been brought to justice in the Southern District of Illinois. Joshua P. Breckel, 21, of Mascoutah, Illinois, was sentenced today to 420 months in federal prison after spending years exploiting and blackmailing young girls over the internet. The sentencing comes three months after Breckel pleaded guilty to a 10-count felony information as part of a negotiated plea deal with the U.S. Attorney’s Office. United States District Judge Staci M. Yandle accepted the terms of the deal, including the stipulated 35-year sentence she handed down today.
Beginning in early 2016 and continuing until his arrest on July 8, 2018, Breckel repeatedly used computers, mobile phones, interactive computer services, and the internet to obtain sexually explicit images and videos from dozens of minor females located throughout the United States and internationally. Breckel found his victims on social media and messaging applications, including Facebook, Instagram, LiveMe, Kik, and Snapchat. He was able to persuade them to send him nude images by feigning a romantic interest in them, offering them money, or threatening them.
To ensure he was getting true images of the girls, Breckel often asked them to include their faces in the pictures or to hold up three fingers. Most of the girls who sent Breckel naked pictures and videos did so using Snapchat, a multi-media messaging application known for making message content inaccessible to recipients shortly after it is received. But Breckel used a screen recording device to capture and save the compromising images before they disappeared. He would then threaten to send their salacious photos to their family, friends, and online contacts unless the victims sent him additional photos and videos per his instructions.
Some victims complied with Breckel’s demands, while others did not. Those who complied were often subjected to escalating extortion demands and more threats, until they eventually stopped communicating with him. Breckel traded some of the explicit images and videos he obtained with other internet users using Kik, a mobile messaging application.
Law enforcement first became aware of Breckel in April 2018, when a 15 year old girl in New Jersey identified as C.S. reported to her mother that she had been threatened online by someone on Whisper with the screen name "User_Pure" and Snapchat account "thatonekidukno1." Local authorities were able to track the user back to Breckel’s home in Mascoutah, Illinois.
As part of his plea deal with the United States, Breckel admitted sending threatening communications to C.S. in an attempt to obtain sexually explicit photos and videos of her. Breckel also pleaded guilty to producing and distributing child pornography and sending extortionate threats over the internet. Among his many victims were three 15 year old girls from California, Pennsylvania, and Illinois, a 12 year old girl from Illinois, and a 10 year old girl from Ohio. Breckel admitted that he threatened to kill the Ohio girl if she didn’t send him naked pictures of herself.
In imposing sentence, Judge Yandle found that the 35 year sentence was appropriate for the important purpose of sending a general deterrence message to other would-be offenders. Judge Yandle noted that as a society "we are living in a different world. A world where it is common for young people to engage in online relationships, share intimate digital photos and not be bothered by cyber intimidation and bullying."
Judge Yandle further noted that the long sentence would ensure the protection of the public. The mother of one victim gave an impact statement at sentencing and discussed the damage that the crime had done to her daughter. She stated that her daughter had become very depressed, withdrawn from her friends, and lost interest in hobbies and school activities. Judge Yandle noted how destructive the defendant’s actions had been to his victims and their families She stated that Breckel "would not be back on the street until he had received treatment." Breckel’s term of imprisonment will be followed by a lifetime period of supervised release.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
The investigation was conducted by the FBI, the Mascoutah Police Department, and the Middlesex, New Jersey Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Christopher Hoell and Nathan D. Stump.
Maryland U.S. Attorney Announces Justice Department Launch of National Public Safety Partnership with Baltimore Police DepartmentRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Today, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur, officials from the Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Baltimore Police Department, the Office of the State’s Attorney’s for Baltimore City, and other federal law enforcement officials convened in Baltimore to initiate the National Public Safety Partnership (PSP) program with the Baltimore Police Department. This Justice Department program is a three-year engagement that seeks to leverage department assets in support of a local jurisdictions' commitment to drive down violent crime.
On June 3, 2019, Attorney General William Barr announced the selection of the Baltimore Police Department as one of ten FY 2019 PSP sites where the Justice Department will work collaboratively to provide training and technical assistance in areas such as crime analytics, emerging technology and community engagement.
Since 2017, the Justice Department has directed nearly $14.9 million in customized training and technical assistance to help build crime fighting capacity in PSP sites, including $6.6 million to support the FY 2019 sites through FY 2022. PSP seeks to bring law enforcement stakeholders together to work collaboratively in reducing violent crime attributed to felonious firearm use, drug trafficking and human trafficking.
“Reducing violent crime in Baltimore is job one. It’s what we in law enforcement think about morning, noon, and night,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur. “We will continue to do everything we can to prosecute the violent criminals who wreak havoc in and terrorize Baltimore’s neighborhoods.”
“Today our team is on-site in Baltimore to collaborate with local law enforcement officials in their mission to improve public safety and drive down violent crime,” said Jon Adler, Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance. "Through the Public Safety Partnership, we are committed to fulfilling the Attorney General's priority of supporting local law enforcement combat violent gangs, felonious firearms use and drug trafficking," added Adler.
“Reducing violent crime in Baltimore will require the hard work and dedication of people on the local, state and federal levels. This partnership is exactly the kind of collaboration that is needed to help make Baltimore a safer city,” added Superintendent Harrison.
Since 2017, the Justice Department has worked with more than 30 local jurisdictions under the nationwide PSP program. Many participating cities have already seen dramatic reductions in violent crime. New Orleans ended 2018 with 146 murders, the lowest number of murders since the early 1970s. In Milwaukee, homicides declined in 2018 for a third straight year after hitting a deadly peak in 2015.
Agencies in attendance at this meeting will include the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Maryland; the Office of Justice Programs; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the U.S. Marshals Service; the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; the Department of Homeland Security; the Baltimore Police Department; the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office; and Mayor Bernard “Jack” Young‘s Office.
For more information about PSP, visit https://www.nationalpublicsafetypartnership.org.
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Manhattan U.S. Attorney Announces Extradition of Iranian National and Unsealing of Charges Against Two Other Men for Exporting Carbon Fiber from the United States to IranRead the Press Release
Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, John C. Demers, the Assistant Attorney General for National Security, John Brown, Assistant Director of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division, and William F. Sweeney Jr., the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced the extradition of BEHZAD POURGHANNAD and the unsealing today of a three-count indictment charging POURGHANNAD, ALI REZA SHOKRI, and FARZIN FARIDMANESH with exporting carbon fiber from the United States to Iran. POURGHANNAD, an Iranian national, was arrested on those charges on May 3, 2017, in Germany and was extradited to the U.S. POURGHANNAD arrived in the Southern District of New York yesterday, and was presented today in White Plains federal court before U.S. Magistrate Judge Judith C. McCarthy. SHOKRI and FARIDMANESH remain at large.
U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman stated: “Carbon fiber has many aerospace and defense applications, and is strictly controlled to ensure that it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. Pourghannad and his co-defendants allegedly went to great lengths to circumvent these controls and the United States’ export laws. Together with our law enforcement partners, we will continue to protect our nation’s assets and protect our national security.”
Assistant Attorney General John Demers said: “Pourghannad is alleged to have sought to procure for Iran large amounts of carbon fiber — a commodity that can be used in the enrichment of uranium. U.S. sanctions exist to prevent behavior, like this, which endangers our country, and the Department is committed to vigorously enforcing them. Pourghannad and others who would attempt to thwart these laws need to know that their actions, which benefit Iran’s destabilizing efforts and make Americans less safe, will not go unpunished.”
Assistant Director John Brown of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division said: “This case shows the FBI aggressively pursues those who allegedly break the law and violate sanctions against Iran. Iran remains determined to acquire U.S. technology with military applications, and the FBI is just as determined to stop such illegal activity. The charges against these three Iranian nationals, and the extradition of Mr. Pourghannad, demonstrate we take Iran's actions extremely seriously and will work with our partners to defeat them.”
FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William F. Sweeney Jr. said: “Iran’s continued pursuit of technology and materials to advance its nuclear program remains a threat to the US and the rest of the world. The FBI New York and SDNY will continue to pursue these illicit proliferation activities, and bring the full investigative and law enforcement capabilities of the U.S. to bear on those who would help Iran advance its dangerous agenda. If you aid Iran in its efforts, you will be held accountable.”
According to the allegations contained in the Indictment, unsealed in White Plains federal court[1]:
Between 2008 and July 2013, POURGHANNAD, SHOKRI, and FARIDMANESH lived and worked in Iran. During that period, they worked together to obtain carbon fiber from the U.S. and surreptitiously export it to Iran via third countries. In particular, SHOKRI worked to procure many tons of carbon fiber from the U.S.; POURGHANNAD agreed to serve as the financial guarantor for large carbon fiber transactions; and FARIDMANESH agreed to serve as the trans-shipper. Carbon fiber has a wide variety of uses, including in missiles, aerospace engineering, and gas centrifuges that enrich uranium.
In late 2007 and early 2008, SHOKRI and a Turkey-based co-conspirator (“CC-2”) successfully arranged for the illegal export and trans-shipment of carbon fiber from the U.S. to an Iranian company associated with SHOKRI (“Iranian Company-1”). Specifically, CC-2 contacted a U.S. supplier of carbon fiber, who in turn enlisted a third individual (“Individual-1”) for assistance with the transaction. Through Individual-1, CC-2 purchased carbon fiber from the U.S. supplier and arranged for the shipment of the carbon fiber from the U.S., through Europe and Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to Iranian Company-1, operated by SHOKRI, in Iran.
In May 2009, POURGHANNAD and SHOKRI attempted to arrange another illegal purchase and trans-shipment of carbon fiber from the U.S. to Iran. Specifically, Individual-1 returned a signed contract to POURGHANNAD for SHOKRI’s purchase of a large quantity of carbon fiber. Individual-1 then purchased the carbon fiber from a U.S. supplier and arranged for the carbon fiber to be exported from the U.S. to a third country (“Country-1”), en route to Iran. Country-1 authorities, however, interdicted the carbon fiber shipment before it could be trans-shipped to Iran.
In 2013, POURGHANNAD, SHOKRI, and FARIDMANESH again attempted to illegally procure and export carbon fiber from the U.S. to Iran. In the 2013 transaction, SHOKRI and POURGHANNAD negotiated with Individual-1 for the purchase and trans-shipment to Iran of more than 5 tons of carbon fiber. FARIDMANESH and POURGHANNAD further agreed with Individual-1 that the carbon fiber would be trans-shipped from the U.S. to Iran through Tbilisi, Georgia, with FARIDMANESH to serve as the trans-shipper. FARIDMANESH specifically instructed Individual-1 to change the shipping labels on the carbon fiber to reference “acrylic” or “polyester,” rather than “carbon fiber.” POURGHANNAD provided Individual-1 with the bank guarantee that was to serve as surety for a portion of the carbon fiber. In June 2013, Individual-1 informed POURGHANNAD, SHOKRI, and FARIDMANESH that the carbon fiber would soon be shipped from Manhattan and that Individual-1 would replace the carbon fiber labels with shipping labels referencing “acrylic” to evade U.S. export controls.
No one involved in these transactions obtained permission from the U.S. Department of Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control, to export the carbon fiber from the U.S.
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POURGHANNAD, 65, SHOKRI, 61, and FARIDMANESH, 48, all of whom are Iranian citizens, are each charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (“IEEPA”), which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and two counts of violation and attempted violation of IEEPA, each of which also carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI, and thanked the New York Field Office of the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Security Division and Office of International Affairs, the U.S. Marshals Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement for their assistance. Mr. Berman also thanked German law enforcement for their assistance in the arrest and apprehension of POURGHANNAD.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit, with assistance from the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section of the National Security Division. Assistant United States Attorney Gillian Grossman is in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment and the descriptions of the Indictment constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Madison County Woman Agrees to Pay Damages for Submitting False Claims to AmeriCorps ProgramRead the Press Release
LEXINGTON, Ky. – A Madison County woman has agreed to resolve civil allegations that she violated the False Claims Act, a federal law that prohibits the submission of false or fraudulent claims, agreeing to pay the federal government, after admitting that she falsified timesheets that caused her to wrongfully receive federal funds from the AmeriCorps Program.
The Madison County woman was a member of AmeriCorps, a national service initiative administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). AmeriCorps is a federally funded network of national service programs that address critical community needs like increasing academic achievement, mentoring youth, fighting poverty, sustaining national parks, preparing for disasters, and more. Frequently, federal AmeriCorps grants are provided to state service commissions, tribes, and local, regional, and national organizations to execute these service initiatives. Members of AmeriCorps commit to service for a period of three months to a year in exchange for a living allowance, educational benefits, and other perks.
The PartnerCorps Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (“PartnerCorps STEM”) AmeriCorps program, operated by Berea College, is a recipient of AmeriCorps grants. PartnerCorps STEM increases student competency in STEM fields through the mentorship and tutoring of high school students in Madison County, Kentucky. The AmeriCorps members who provide these services receive a monthly living allowance for the service performed.
During the 2017-2018 school year, the AmeriCorps member in question committed to service with PartnerCorps STEM. In exchange for her tutoring and mentoring activities at Madison Southern High School (“MSHS”), the member received a monthly living allowance. From January to March 2018, however, the member did not report to her service site or perform any AmeriCorps service; nevertheless, she submitted six timesheets falsely representing that she had performed her duties at MSHS during the relevant time period. Relying on the false timesheets, PartnerCorps STEM provided the member with a CNCS-funded living allowance in January 2018 and February 2018. Further, when PartnerCorps STEM realized that the AmeriCorps member had stopped reporting to serve and withheld her living allowance for March 2018, the AmeriCorps member escalated her fraud scheme by inquiring as to the status of her missed payment, knowing that her timesheets were false and that she had performed no service during that time frame.
“When false claims are submitted to national service programs, it depletes their limited resources and undermines their valuable work, which is designed to benefit and improve our communities,” said Robert M. Duncan, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky. “In this case, each false timesheet resulted in more than simply the loss of money; it caused a loss of valuable high school tutoring, increased college opportunities within a community, and the promotion of critical academic fields that support and benefit our entire community. We recognize these cases have both monetary and non-monetary impacts and we remain committed to serving as stewards for the integrity of these important programs.”
“AmeriCorps’ purpose is to engage young adults in serving their communities, not stealing from them,” said Inspector General Deborah J. Jeffrey. “We applaud our DOJ partners for recognizing that timesheet fraud is serious and that it has an even greater impact when it involves national service. The loss in these cases is measured not only by the theft of taxpayer funds, but in the loss of critical assistance to our at-risk communities. We will continue to vigorously pursue timesheet fraud against CNCS programs and its beneficiaries.”
The Corporation for National and Community Service, Office of Inspector General, performed the investigation, and Assistant United States Attorney Mary Melton handled the matter for the United States.
Luzerne County Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Armed Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Derek Spaide, age 27, of Hanover Township, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on July 15, 2019, by United States District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion to 14 years’ imprisonment for the armed robbery of a bank in Luzerne County.
According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Spaide previously pleaded guilty to the charges of armed bank robbery and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence in connection with the robbery of the Luzerne National Bank in Plains Township, Luzerne County, which occurred on May 16, 2018. On that date, Spaide placed a t-shirt over his face, entered the bank, pointed a rifle at bank employees, and demanded money. Approximately $8,204 was taken in the robbery. Spaide then entered a vehicle driven by his co-defendant, Gerald Pambianco, age 29, of Plains Township, and a high-speed chase with the police ensued. Police were able to disable the getaway vehicle on Route 309 in Plains Township. Spaide then fled from the disabled vehicle and attempted to enter the vehicle of a bystander stopped in traffic. Spaide was then apprehended by the police.
Gerald Pambianco is awaiting sentencing.
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Plains Township Police Department, and the Hanover Township Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. O’Hara prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The 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 enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce crime.
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Local Businessman Pleads Guilty to Bribery Scheme Involving Former St. Louis County Executive Steve StengerRead the Press Release
St. Louis, MO –John Rallo, 53, formerly of St. Louis County, pleaded guilty to three counts of Honest Services Mail Fraud/Bribery. Rallo appeared in federal court this afternoon before U.S. District Judge E. Richard Webber who accepted his plea and set sentencing for October 15, 2019.
According to court documents, beginning in October 2014 and continuing through December 31, 2018, former St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger schemed to defraud and deprive the citizens of St. Louis County of their right to his honest and faithful services, and the honest and faithful services of former CEO of the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership, Sheila Sweeney, through a pay to play bribery scheme. The purpose of the scheme was for Stenger to secretly use his official position to enrich himself through soliciting and accepting campaign contributions from businessman John Rallo and other individuals in exchange for favorable official action in the awarding of contracts and grants through St. Louis County and the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership.
Stenger, in exchange for campaign donations and several fundraising events hosted by John Rallo, took official action to insure that Rallo and his company, Cardinal Insurance, obtained insurance contracts through St. Louis County during 2015 and 2016. Further, Stenger took official action to insure that John Rallo and his company, Cardinal Creative Consulting, obtained a sham 2016 consulting contract through the St. Louis County Port Authority. Additionally, Stenger took official action to insure that John Rallo and his company, Wellston Holdings, LLC, obtained land contracts for two industrial properties in Wellston, Missouri which were held by the Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority of St. Louis County during 2016 and 2017. Rallo, Stenger, and Sweeney took steps to hide, conceal and cover up the illegal bribery scheme, including making false public statements.
Rallo faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count. Restitution is also mandatory.
In determining the actual sentences, a judge is required to consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide recommended sentencing ranges.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Postal Inspection Service are investigating this case with the assistance of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Lloyd Kidd Convicted in Manhattan Federal Court of Sex Trafficking and Child Pornography Production OffensesRead the Press Release
Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that a federal jury yesterday found LLOYD KIDD, a/k/a “Chris Kidd,” a/k/a “Gerard Agard,” a/k/a “Red,” guilty of sex trafficking of a minor and enticement of a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct, following a six-day jury trial before U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said: “Lloyd Kidd has rightly been convicted of the shameless and exploitive victimization of an underage girl. Kidd preyed on a particularly vulnerable victim, recruiting a minor residing at a foster care facility. He now awaits sentencing for his appalling crimes.”
According to the allegations contained in the Indictment and evidence presented during the trial in Manhattan federal court:
From at least in or about spring 2015 through at least February 2017, KIDD engaged in sex trafficking of a minor and enticement of a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct. The defendant recruited, enticed, harbored, transported, provided, obtained, and maintained a minor victim (“Victim-1”) for the purpose of commercial sex.
The defendant recruited Victim-1 when she was living in a foster care facility in New York, New York. The defendant used Backpage.com to post advertisements of Victim-1 for commercial sex, and then directed Victim-1 to meet customers to engage in commercial sex out of his apartment in Brooklyn, New York.
In addition, the defendant produced sexually explicit images and a video recording of Victim-1 performing sexually explicit activities, which constituted child pornography. The defendant used at least one of the sexually explicit images of Victim-1 to advertise her for commercial sex.
This prosecution is part of an ongoing investigation that, including KIDD, has charged 19 defendants, set forth in eight indictments, for the sex trafficking of at least 13 minor girls and young adults in New York State’s social services system.
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KIDD, 28, of Brooklyn, New York, was convicted of one count of sex trafficking of a minor, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life in prison, and one count of enticement of a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years. The mandatory minimum sentences and maximum potential sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
KIDD will be sentenced by Judge Marrero on November 1, 2019.
Any individuals who believe that they have information that may be relevant to this investigation should contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) at 1-212-384-1000 or https://tips.fbi.gov/.
Mr. Berman thanked the FBI and the New York City Police Department for their outstanding work in this matter and, in particular, the New York Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.
This case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Mollie Bracewell, Elinor Tarlow, Jacob Gutwillig, and Sagar Ravi are in charge of the prosecution.
Lempster Man Sentenced to 150 Months for Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
CONCORD - Jesse R. Lohman, 37, of Lempster, was sentenced on Monday to 150 months in federal prison for possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced today.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on August 31, 2018, police encountered Lohman in the driver’s seat of a parked car at the Route 3A Park and Ride parking lot in Bow, New Hampshire. Lohman was alone in the car. After determining that there was a warrant for Lohman’s arrest, officers detained him and impounded the car. During a subsequent search of the car, officers discovered six bags inside a glass case that contained approximately 76.1 grams of 99 percent pure methamphetamine.
Lohman was a known member of the Brothers of White Warriors (“BOWW”), a prison gang.
Lohman previously pleaded guilty on March 29, 2019. After serving his prison sentence, he will be on supervised release for ten years.
“The heavy prison term imposed in this case should send a message to those inclined to trade in methamphetamine in New Hampshire,” said U.S. Attorney Murray. “This is a dangerous substance, made more dangerous when appearing in this highly pure form. In order to deter the distribution of this drug, we will continue to aggressively seek the imposition of lengthy sentences against dealers.”
"The methamphetamine Mr. Lohman was prepared to poison our communities with was concealed in a glasses case - an item that may have seemed completely innocuous to even his would-be victims. But there was nothing harmless about the highly addictive and potentially lethal drug that was hidden inside," said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. "Today's sentence prevents one more violent, career criminal from staking his claim to the bleak landscape of addiction here in New Hampshire, and the FBI will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to disrupt the drug trafficking activities of others like him."
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bow Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John S. Davis.
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Lackawanna Man Going to Prison for Selling CocaineRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051Buffalo, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Grant Easley, 33, of Lackawanna, NY, who was convicted of possessing with intent to distribute and distributing crack cocaine, was sentenced to serve 40 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth T. Molisani, who handled the case, stated that the Hamburg and Lackawanna Police Departments, and the Drug Enforcement Administration began investigating the narcotics trafficking activities of the defendant in July 2018. During the course of the investigation, officers conducted a total of five controlled purchases of cocaine and/or crack cocaine from Easley between July 13 and August 21, 2018.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Lackawanna Police Department, under the direction of Chief James Michel; the Hamburg Police Department, under the direction of Chief Gregory Wickett; and the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Ray Donovan, New York Field Division.
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Knoxville Man Sentenced to 324 Months in Prison for Production and Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
KNOXVILLE, Tennessee - Dustin Schaud Fox, 29, of Knoxville, Tennessee, was sentenced by the Honorable Pamela L. Reeves, Chief U.S. District, to serve 324 months in federal prison for coercing a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing child pornography and for possessing child pornography. Following his imprisonment, Fox will be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for 20 years and will be required to register with the state sex offender registry in any state in which he lives, works, or attends school.
The investigation arose after the mother of a 14 year-old girl in Texas informed a local law enforcement agency that an adult male, later identified as Fox, had established an online relationship with her daughter and had directed the minor to record videos of herself engaged in sexually explicit conduct and send them to him through social media.
“This prosecution represents part of our ongoing efforts to work with law enforcement agencies to protect children from persons who would manipulate them online for child pornography,” said J. Douglas Overbey, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee. U.S. Attorney Overbey encouraged parents to be vigilant concerning the online activities of their children, stating, “These child predators secretly operate from the shadows of the internet, seek out vulnerable minors, pretend to befriend them, and then prey upon the minors’ vulnerability, unbeknownst to the parents.”
The case was investigated locally by the Knoxville Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew T. Morris represented the United States at trial.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about PSC, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Kansas Sex Offender Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A previously convicted sex offender was sentenced today in federal court in Boston to 30 years in prison for distributing child pornography.
Christopher Saemisch, 61, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge George A. O’Toole Jr. to 30 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release. In March 2019, a federal jury convicted Saemisch of distributing child pornography to a currently incarcerated federal inmate.
In 1997, Saemisch was convicted in federal court for conspiring to sexually exploit children, aiding and abetting the sexual exploitation of children, conspiring to distribute and receive child pornography, and distributing and receiving child pornography. He was also convicted by a Kansas court in 1999 for aggravated indecent liberties with a child under 14.
In April 2016, agents received information from a federal inmate that Saemisch, who at the time was living in Kansas City, Kansas, admitted to looking at and storing child pornography and wanting to travel to Europe to have sex with children. Saemisch boasted to the inmate about his access to children and his new job babysitting four children.
During the inmate’s communications with Saemisch, they used special coded language to discuss the collection and distribution of child pornography. The inmate confirmed that he and Saemisch used the code word “antiques,” when referring to child pornography and the code word “puppies,” to refer to children.
On May 3, 2016, agents, pretending to be the inmate, began communicating with Saemisch. During the monitored conversations on various messaging apps and web platforms, Saemisch directed the undercover agents to set-up accounts to receive and exchange child pornography. He also sent them child pornography that he had stored on various file storage sites. Saemisch was arrested on May 6, 2016, while attending an event at a nudist campsite.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Peter C. Fitzhugh, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; and J. Ray Ormond, Northeast Regional Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, made the announcement. Assistance was also provided by the United States Attorney’s Office in the District of Kansas, as well as the Johnson County and Leavenworth County Sheriffs’ Departments in Kansas. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jordi de Llano, James Herbert and Anne Paruti of Lelling’s Criminal Division prosecuted the case.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.
Kansas City, Missouri, Woman Sentenced to Prison for Wire Fraud and Using Stolen Identities to File False Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
A Kansas City, Missouri, woman was sentenced to prison today for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft related to the filing of false tax returns announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Stephen R. McAllister for the District of Kansas.
U.S. District Court Judge Carlos Murguia of the District of Kansas sentenced Antoinette Winston, also known as Tweety, to 34 months in prison and ordered her to pay $165,392.48 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). On Aug. 21, 2018, Winston pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.
According to documents filed with the court, from 2012 to May 2015, Winston stole and used personal identifying information, including names and social security numbers of other individuals in order to file fraudulent income tax returns requesting refunds from the IRS. Winston also used this information to obtain pre-paid debit cards in the names of these individuals, and directed the IRS to pay the fraudulent refunds to these pre-paid debit cards. After the IRS deposited the refunds on the pre-paid debit cards, Winston used the cards to withdraw cash at banks and retail stores. The intended tax loss to the IRS from Winston’s scheme was more than $250,000.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Zuckerman and U.S. Attorney McAllister commended special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, who conducted the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Rask and Assistant Chief Matthew J. Kluge of the Tax Division, who prosecuted the case.
Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the division’s website.
Kansas City Woman Sentenced for Wire Fraud and Using Stolen Identities to File False Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A Kansas City, Missouri, woman was sentenced to prison today for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft related to the filing of false tax returns announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Stephen R. McAllister for the District of Kansas.
U.S. District Court Judge Carlos Murguia of the District of Kansas sentenced Antoinette Winston, also known as Tweety, to 34 months in prison and ordered her to pay $165,392.48 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). On Aug. 21, 2018, Winston pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.
According to documents filed with the court, from 2012 to May 2015, Winston stole and used personal identifying information, including names and social security numbers of other individuals in order to file fraudulent income tax returns requesting refunds from the IRS. Winston also used this information to obtain pre-paid debit cards in the names of these individuals, and directed the IRS to pay the fraudulent refunds to these pre-paid debit cards. After the IRS deposited the refunds on the pre-paid debit cards, Winston used the cards to withdraw cash at banks and retail stores. The intended tax loss to the IRS from Winston’s scheme was more than $250,000.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Zuckerman and U.S. Attorney McAllister commended special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, who conducted the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Rask and Assistant Chief Matthew J. Kluge of the Tax Division, who prosecuted the case.
Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the division’s website.