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Tuesday 9 July 2019
Member of New Haven Drug Trafficking Ring Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that STEPHEN JONES, also known as “EVX” and “Stevie D,” 35, of New Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to 60 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for his role in a heroin and cocaine trafficking ring.
This matter stems from a joint investigation headed by the DEA New Haven Task Force, FBI and New Haven Police Department into a New Haven-based drug trafficking organization that acquired and distributed heroin and cocaine. According to court documents and statements made in court, Jones packaged narcotics for street sale and, at times, delivered drugs to customers.
On April 19, 2018, a grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment charging Jones and 18 other individuals with narcotics trafficking offenses. Jones and several other members of the conspiracy were arrested on April 25, 2019. On January 29, 2019, Jones pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute heroin and cocaine.
During the investigation, law enforcement officers seized more than 500 grams of heroin, more than 300 grams of fentanyl, more than one kilogram of cocaine, three firearms, over $90,000 in cash, vehicles, jewelry and precious metals.
The DEA New Haven Task Force includes participants from the U.S. Marshals Service, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, and the New Haven, Hamden, West Haven, North Haven, Branford, Ansonia, Meriden, Derby, Middletown, Naugatuck and Waterbury Police Departments. The Connecticut Department of Correction, Milford Police Department and East Haven Police Department have assisted the investigation.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney H. Gordon Hall.
Media Advisory JacksonvilleRead the Press Release
MEDIA ADVISORY
WHEN: Wednesday, July 10, 2019 at 2:00 PM
WHERE: Jacksonville Department of Public Safety
206 Marine Blvd.
Jacksonville, NC 28540
Re: Operation “Straight Outta of Niru” Press Conference
RALEIGH – The United States Attorney’s Office announces a press conference to discuss the sentencing of multiple defendants in a multi-year crack cocaine drug trafficking organization operating in Jacksonville, North Carolina. The following agencies took part in the Operation: The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), U.S. Marshal’s Service, Jacksonville Police Department and the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office.
In addition to United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. we anticipate members of ATF, U.S. Marshal’s Service, Jacksonville Police Department, and the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office to be present at this event.
Man Sentenced for Attempt to Sell Firearm and Bulletproof VestRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man was sentenced today to nine and a half years in prison for possessing and attempting to sell a 9mm pistol with an obliterated serial number and a bulletproof vest.
“Criminals typically remove serial numbers from guns to make them harder to trace, so they can be used in future crimes,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Coupled with the bulletproof vest, Jones attempted to introduce to the community the necessary materials intended to commit serious acts of violence. My sincere thanks to our local and federal law enforcement partners for their effort in making our streets safer with the successful prosecution of this felon.”
According to court documents, Dominic Jones, 29, agreed to sell a firearm and a bulletproof vest for $500 to a confidential informant working for the ATF. In August 2018, Jones arrived by vehicle to meet the informant in the 1900 block of Mechanicsville Turnpike of Richmond, to make the sale. Upon Jones’s arrival, Richmond Police officers located Jones sitting in the backseat of a vehicle, approached the vehicle, and asked Jones to step out. As Jones exited the vehicle, RPD officers immediately noticed in plain view a firearm at Jones’s feet.
RPD officers recovered the firearm and determined it to be a Taurus, model PT111, 9mm caliber, semi-automatic pistol, with an obliterated serial number. On the seat next to Jones, RPD officers recovered a black bag containing a bulletproof vest. A records check revealed Jones as a convicted felon and he was placed under arrest. A search of Jones revealed a syringe of suspected heroin. RPD officers later recovered multiple text messages from Jones’s cellphone to the confidential informant setting up the sale of the firearm.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division, and William C. Smith, Interim Chief of Richmond Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge M. Hannah Lauck. Assistant U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:19-cr-17.
Madison Felon Sentenced for Possessing FirearmRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Scott C. Blader, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Billy Shell, Jr., 21, Madison, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by U.S. District William M. Conley to 24 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. This prison term will be followed by three years of supervised release. Shell pleaded guilty to this offense on April 16, 2019.
On October 5, 2018, Madison police officers approached a car that was parked illegally. Shell was one of the people in the car. The owner of the car consented to a search, which revealed a 9 mm handgun under a seat in the area where Shell had been sitting. The investigation revealed that the handgun was stolen, and was equipped with a fully loaded extended magazine.
The charge against Shell was the result of an investigation conducted by the Madison Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The prosecution of the case has been handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Pfluger.
Logan County Man Pleads Guilty to Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Mike Stuart announced that David Lee Walls, 57, of Logan County, West Virginia, pled guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the U.S. 119 Task Force conducted the investigation.
Walls admitted that he had possessed ten different firearms despite his status as a convicted felon. Walls faces up to 10 years in prison when he is sentenced on October 11, 2019.
Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney L. Alexander Hamner is handling the prosecution.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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Leader of Online Car Sales Scam Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The leader of an online car sales scam that cheated hundreds of victims around the country pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today and agreed to pay restitution of $9,262,238.90.
Terry J. Boutwell, 36, of Columbus, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and William Cheung, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigation, announced the plea entered before Chief U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus Jr.
Two co-conspirators, Tiffany A. Strobl, 39, of Columbus, Ohio, and Shalitha R. Schexnayder, 39, of Miami, Fla., have also entered guilty pleas and are awaiting sentencing.
Court documents outline the scheme which began in 2015 and continued until the three were indicted in October 2018. The defendants were part of a network that attracted online customers through fraudulent postings for vehicle sales. They communicated with victims through email and telephone posing as employees of eBay, and used third parties to open bank accounts in the names of shell corporations that appeared to be affiliated with eBay. They instructed victims to wire funds to various third-party bank accounts they set up. They claimed to be affiliated with eBay’s Buyer Protection Program, when in fact, no such relationship existed.
“The accounts he controlled received more than $9 million from more than 800 victims around the country,” Glassman said. “Our efforts now will focus on doing as much as we can to collect the restitution and help the victims as the investigation continues.”
“The sophistication and brazenness of the defendant’s on-line car sales scam created havoc on innocent victims and deserves to be punished to the fullest extent of the law,” said William Cheung, Acting Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office.
Boutwell was arrested in January when the indictment was announced. Judge Sargus ordered him to remain in custody. The crime is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, followed by up to three years of supervised release and a fine not to exceed $500,000. However, any sentence will be imposed by the court after consideration of U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and applicable federal statutes. The court will determine a date to sentence Boutwell and the others.
U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the IRS Criminal Investigation and the assistance of United States Secret Service in Toledo, Ohio and Miami, Fla.; the FBI’s Baltimore field office; United States Postal Inspection Service in Detroit; New York State Police; the Canton, Ohio, Butler Village, Ohio, Mayfield Heights, Ohio, Bloomfield Township, Mich., Marlboro Township, New Jersey and Janesville, Wis. police departments; and the Walworth County, Wis. and Clarke County, Ala. sheriff’s offices. Assistant United States Attorney Noah Litton is representing the United States in this case.
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Latin King Gang Member Convicted at Trial of Conspiracy to Participate in Racketeering Activity, Including Two MurdersRead the Press Release
HAMMOND-Jeremiah Farmer, 38, of Hammond, Indiana, and a member of the Chicago-based Latin Kings street gang, was convicted by a federal jury of conspiracy to participate in racketeering activity and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute illegal drugs ( cocaine, marijuana, and alprazolam) , announced U.S. Attorney Kirsch.
Farmer was convicted after a ten-day jury trial before U.S. District Court Judge Philip P. Simon. The jury found that Farmer, as part of the racketeering conspiracy, on June 25, 1999, beat Marion Lowry, 74, and Harvey Siegers, 67, to death with a hammer at their Hammond business, Calumet Auto Rebuilders. The jury also found that Farmer conspired to distribute or possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine as part of the racketeering conspiracy. The jury also found that Farmer conspired to distribute or possess with intent to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana as part of the drug conspiracy.
U.S. Attorney Kirsch said, “I am very pleased with the guilty verdict announced today and with the work of Assistant United States Attorneys David Nozick and Nicholas Padilla in presenting this case to the jury over the past several weeks. The victims’ families have waited a long time for this day. My office will continue to aggressively prosecute cases involving violent street gangs and senseless acts of gang violence and bring these criminal gang members to justice.”
Approximately 43 defendants have been charged with racketeering conspiracy as members of the Latin Kings street gang in a criminal conspiracy extending back to 1999. The racketeering conspiracy charge alleges that gang members and associates were participants in a racketeering conspiracy that involved murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault, sex trafficking, and narcotics distribution.
This case is the result of the investigative efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the East Chicago Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Gary Police Department, the Hammond Police Department, the Lake County, Indiana, Sheriff’s Department and Lake County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area officers and agents. The Lake County Prosecutor’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Illinois, have also provided assistance. The Latin King racketeering case was prosecuted by Northern District of Indiana Assistant U.S. Attorneys David J. Nozick and Nicholas J. Padilla
Kansas Chiropractors Pay $350,000 to Settle False Claim AllegationsRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, KAN. - Two Kansas City area chiropractors have paid $350,000 to settle allegations that they submitted false claims to Medicare, U.S. Attorney Steven McAllister said today.
Brothers Ryan Schell and Tyler Schell, and their former clinic, Kansas City Health and Wellness Clinic, P.A., agreed to pay the United States to settle allegations that they violated the False Claims Act. The Schells’ clinic was located in Lenexa, Kansas.
In an action filed in federal court in Kansas, the United States alleged that the Schells claimed they provided treatments for peripheral neuropathy and charged Medicare for procedures that were not medically necessary, not actually provided, or not covered by the program. Peripheral neuropathy affects nerves in the hands and feet and includes symptoms such loss of sensation and/or a burning sensation.
The claimed procedures included nerve conduction tests, nerve block injections, ultrasound needle guidance and the purported use of vasopneumatic devices. The complaint filed by the United States alleged that claims for the nerve tests falsely stated that they were performed by doctors when they were not actually interpreted by any qualified health care professional; that the nerve block injections and needle guidance were not medically necessary; and that the Schells’ claims for the vasopneumatic devices were instead merely for the use of mechanical massage chairs.
Brian Holt, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations (HHS OIG/OI), Kansas City Region, stated, “Our office will continue to focus our efforts on those providers receiving improper payments for services not covered by Medicare in order to ensure the integrity of HHS programs.”
According to the agreement, the Schells and their clinic deny any wrongdoing.
The federal district court case is United States v. Schell et al. No. 18-CV-02706. HHS OIG/OI and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas investigated. Assistant United States Attorney Jon Fleenor represented the government.
Justice Department Reaches ADA Settlement with Los Angeles Spa Owner Who Denied Blind Customer Access to Its FacilitiesRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – C.J. Spa Group, Inc., a company that operates Spa Palace in the Westlake neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, has entered into a settlement agreement with the Department of Justice to ensure that individuals with disabilities can access the spa’s facilities.
The settlement agreement resolves a complaint under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) that Spa Palace staff denied entry to a blind customer, telling him that “his kind” would not be able to follow instructions and that a massage therapist could not care for him. Spa Palace also maintained a policy requiring individuals with disabilities to be accompanied at all times by a personal attendant. \
In the settlement, Spa Palace has agreed to change its policies and implement training to ensure that individuals with disabilities will not be discriminated against. In addition, Spa Palace agreed to pay $5,000 in damages to the complainant and a civil penalty of $5,000 to the U.S. Treasury.
“Individuals with disabilities, including those who are blind, should not be excluded from activities or services on the basis of stereotypes or false assumptions,” said United States Attorney Nick Hanna. “My office will continue to enforce the law to ensure equal treatment for people with disabilities.”
Assistant United States Attorney Acrivi Coromelas of the Civil Division’s Civil Rights Section handled this matter.
For more information on the ADA or this settlement agreement, please call the toll-free ADA Information Line at (800) 514-0301 or (800) 514-0383 (TDD), or access the ADA website at http://www.ada.gov.
Jury Finds Defendants Guilty in KCK Meth Lab FireRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A federal court jury today returned guilty verdicts against two defendants who were arrested after their meth lab caught fire, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said.
The jury verdict was as follows:
Orlando Cortez-Nieto, 42, Kansas City, Kan.: Guilty on count one (conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine), count two (manufacturing methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of Klamm Park playground), count three (possession with intention to distribute methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of Klamm Park playground) and count four (maintaining a residence in furtherance of drug trafficking.
Jesus Cervantes-Aguiler, 22, Kansas City, Kan.: Guilty on count one (conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine), count two (manufacturing methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of Klamm Park playground, count three (possession with intention to distribute methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of Klamm Park playground and count four (maintaining a residence in furtherance of drug trafficking.
During trial, prosecutors presented evidence that on Dec. 1, 2017, firefighters responded to a house fire at 2739 Cleveland in Kansas City, Kan. They discovered a methamphetamine conversion lab inside the house. Prosecutors introduced evidence tying the defendants to the drug lab, including a blue spiral notebook in which cash transactions were recorded, as well as business surveillance video showing a defending buying items found in the meth lab.
Sentencing is set for Oct. 29. The counts on which the defendants were convicted carry the following penalties:
- Counts one, two and three (conspiracy, manufacturing and possession with intent to distribute): Not less than 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $20 million.
- Count four: Maintaining a residence in furtherance of drug trafficking: Not less than a year and not more than 40 years and a fine up to $1 million.
McAllister commended the Drug Enforcement Administration, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Flannigan and Assistant U.S. Attorney Trent Krug for their work on the case.
Indian National Sentenced to One Year in Prison for Role in Conspiracy to Smuggle Foreign Nationals into United States via Commercial FlightsRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – An Indian national was sentenced today to 12 months and one day in prison for his role in an international conspiracy to smuggle foreign nationals into the United States via commercial airline flights, New Jersey U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Bhavin Patel, 39, of India, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John M. Vazquez to a superseding information charging him with conspiracy to smuggle foreign nationals into the United States for private financial gain. Judge Vazquez imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Agents for the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) received information that a smuggling operation run by Patel was attempting to find methods to bring foreign nationals from India into the United States. The investigation revealed that the smuggling organization recruited Indian nationals and others to pay fees in exchange for passage to the United States.
Beginning in October 2013, an undercover law enforcement officer posing as a smuggler began meeting with Patel in Bangkok, Thailand. Patel told the undercover law enforcement officer that he wanted to smuggle Indian nationals into the United States. On three different occasions, Patel or his conspirator transported the Indian nationals to an airport in Thailand, at which point the undercover law enforcement officer would presumably use his contacts to smuggle them into the United States via commercial airline flights. Patel agreed to wire down payments for each individual to be smuggled into the United States and to pay a balance of tens of thousands of dollars for each individual once the foreign nationals arrived in the United States.
Over the ensuing months, Patel arranged for six Indian nationals to be brought to Thailand for smuggling into the United States via Newark Liberty International Airport. Patel was arrested on Dec. 7, 2018, upon his arrival at Newark.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Vazquez sentenced Patel to one year of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Brian Michael in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Thomas S. Kearney of the U.S Attorney’s Office National Security Unit in Newark.
Honduran Man Sentenced to Prison for Illegally Reentering the United States After Three Prior DeportationsRead the Press Release
A man who illegally returned to the United States after being deported three times was sentenced today to almost three months in federal prison.
Joel Martinez-Reyes, age 34, a citizen of Honduras illegally present in the United States and residing in Iowa City, Iowa, received the prison term after a May 15, 2019, guilty plea to one count of illegal reentry into the United States.
At the guilty plea, Martinez-Reyes admitted he had previously been deported from the United States in October 2009, February 2010, and October 2013 and illegally reentered the United States without the permission of the United States government. Martinez-Reyes was found by immigration agents in April 2019 illegally working in Cedar Rapids.
In September 2009, Martinez-Reyes was convicted in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas of illegal entry into the United States from Mexico by crossing by Rio Grande River.
Martinez-Reyes was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Martinez-Reyes was sentenced to 89 days’ imprisonment. He must also serve a one-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Martinez-Reyes is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be turned over to immigration officials.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel C. Tvedt and investigated by Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 19-CR-40.
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Hinds County Man Pleads Guilty under Project EJECT to Illegal Possession of FirearmRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – Estvanico Mack, 35, of Jackson, pled guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Carlton W. Reeves to being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Dana K. Nichols with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Mack was previously convicted of felonious false pretense in Hinds County in 2010 as well as felonious vehicular burglary in 2008. On April 25, 2018, Mack was found in possession of a firearm while he was parked at a gas station on Northside Drive in Jackson.
Mack will be sentenced by Judge Reeves on October 10, 2019 at 9:30 a.m. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
This case is part of Project EJECT, an initiative by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi under the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). EJECT is a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach to fighting and reducing violent crime through prosecution, prevention, re-entry and awareness. EJECT stands for “Empower Justice Expel Crime Together.” PSN is bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Jackson Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Andrew W. Eichner.
Heart Butte man admits distributing meth to minorRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS – Gary Allen Jimenez, a Heart Butte resident, admitted drug distribution charges today for providing a minor with methamphetamine on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Jimenez, 24, pleaded guilty to distribution of a controlled substance to a person under 21. Jimenez faces a minimum mandatory one year to 40 years in prison, a $2 million fine and at least six years to life of supervised release.
U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided and set sentencing for Oct. 24. Jimenez is detained.
The prosecution said in court records that in early 2017, FBI agents began investigating allegations that persons on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation were providing meth and other drugs to minors. A juvenile girl was identified as being involved in such activity and communicated with potential meth dealers through Facebook. A search of the juvenile’s Facebook accounts identified Jimenez as being involved in illicit transactions with the juvenile, who at the time was between 12 and 14 years of age. The juvenile told law enforcement that he provided her with meth on multiple occasions and that they had smoked it together.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeff Starnes prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI and Blackfeet Tribal law enforcement.
The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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Harrison County man indicted for firearms violationsRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Robert Given, Jr., of Lost Creek, West Virginia, was indicted by a federal grand jury today for firearms violations, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Given, age 47, is charged with one count of “Possession of an Unlawful Firearm” and one count of “Possession of Machinegun.” Given is accused of knowingly having a .223 caliber rifle with a shortened barrel that wasn’t registered to him. He is also accused of having a machine gun. Both crimes are alleged to have occurred in February 2019 in Harrison County.
Given faces up to 10 years incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000 for each count. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). Project Safe Neighborhoods is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Traci M. Cook is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office, Marion County Sheriff’s Office, the Clarksburg Police Department, and the Bridgeport Police Department investigated.
An indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Gaithersburg Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Kidnapping ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced Reynaldo Alexis Granados-Vasquez, a/k/a “Fuego,” age 23, of Gaithersburg, Maryland, today to 20 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for a kidnapping conspiracy.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Acting Special Agent in Charge Cardell T. Morant of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) Baltimore Office; Acting Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department; and Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy.
“With today’s sentence, three MS-13 members and associates will now be prevented from inflicting any further harm on our community for years to come,” said United States Attorney Robert K. Hur. “This case and our ongoing work with our law enforcement partners to bring other gang members to justice, demonstrates our unflagging commitment to eliminate MS-13 and its campaign of violence.”
According to Granada-Vasquez’s plea agreement, he conspired with Jose Israel Melendez-Rivera, a/k/a “Liar,” and Neris Moreno-Martinez to trick a victim, Jordy Mejia, to travel from New Jersey to Maryland, under the false promise that Mejia would meet a woman. As detailed in court documents, Granados-Vasquez, Melendez-Rivera, and Moreno-Martinez were all members and associates of MS-13.
MS-13 is a gang composed primarily of immigrants or descendants of immigrants from El Salvador, with members operating in the State of Maryland, including Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, and Frederick County, and throughout the United States. In Maryland and elsewhere MS-13 members are organized in “cliques,” smaller groups that operate in a specific city of region. MS-13 members are required to commit acts of violence, both to maintain membership and discipline within the gang and against rival gangs. One of the principal rules of MS-13 is that its members must attack and kill rivals, known as “chavalas,” whenever possible.
According to the plea agreement, Moreno-Martinez traveled to Maryland on October 15, 2016. Later that day, Mejia also traveled to Maryland. Granados-Vasquez admitted that he traveled with Melendez-Rivera and Moreno-Martinez to a wooded area in Maryland. As a result of Mejia being tricked into coming from New Jersey to Maryland, Mejia was murdered in that same wooded area.
Melendez-Rivera, age 21, of Gaithersburg, Maryland, was sentenced on June 17, 2019 to 20 years in federal prison. Moreno-Martinez, age 22, of New Jersey, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison on June 25, 2019.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended HSI, the Montgomery County Police Department, and the Montgomery County State’s Attorney Office for their work in the investigation and thanked the Gaithersburg Police Department and the Guttenburg, New Jersey Police Department for their assistance. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas P. Windom and Timothy F. Hagan, Jr., who prosecuted this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.
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GBK Gang Member Sentenced to 16+ Years in Prison for Conspiring to Distribute Crack Cocaine in Greenway ProjectsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH – A Pittsburgh-area gang member has been sentenced in federal court to 16 years and eight months (200 months) in prison on his conviction of conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
Senior United States District Judge Arthur J. Schwab imposed the sentence on Brett Rodgers, 33, of Pittsburgh, PA.
According to information presented to the court, in 2017, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration initiated a wiretap investigation, primarily targeting the Greenway Boy Killas (GBK) street gang and drug trafficking in and around an area known as the Greenway Projects, located in the West End of the City of Pittsburgh. The wiretap investigation revealed that from in and around November 2017 through in and around June 2018, Brett Rodgers conspired to distribute 28 grams or more of crack cocaine, primarily in and around the Greenway Projects.
"Brett Rodgers is one of 28 members and associates of the violent GBK street gang charged last June with drug trafficking. Gangs like GBK terrorize their communities and force law-abiding citizens to live in fear," said U.S. Attorney Brady. "The people of the West End are safer today than they were last year, while Rodgers will have the next decade-and-a-half to reflect on his illegal conduct."
Assistant United States Attorneys Tonya Sulia Goodman and Yvonne M. Saadi prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Brady commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration jointly with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, Pennsylvania State Police, Robinson Township Police Department, Stowe Township Police Department, Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, Wilkinsburg Borough Police Department, and the McKees Rocks Police Department, for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Rodgers.
The investigation was funded by the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Program (OCDETF). The OCDETF program supplies critical federal funding and coordination that allows federal and state agencies to work together to successfully identify, investigate, and prosecute major interstate and international drug trafficking organizations and other criminal enterprises.
Four Men Indicted for Defrauding Banks in Mortgage Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – Four men have been indicted for carrying out a scheme to use phony information and simultaneous loan applications at multiple banks to fraudulently obtain home equity lines of credit (HELOCs), U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Jorge Flores, 48, of Oakdale, New York; Joseph A. Gonzalez, 45, of Henderson, Nevada; and Jose L. Piedrahita, 57, and Yorce Yotagri, 52, both of Freeport, New York; are each charged by indictment with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Flores and Gonzalez are also charged with two substantive counts of bank fraud. Yotagri was arraigned July 8, 2019, before U.S. District Judge John Michael Vazquez in Newark federal court. Flores and Piedrahita remain at large. Gonzalez will be arraigned at a date to be determined.
According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court:
From 2010 through 2018, Flores and Simon Curanaj, a real estate broker in the Bronx who has previously pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing, ran a mortgage fraud scheme in which they applied for more than $9 million in HELOCs from banks on residential properties in New Jersey and New York.
For instance, Gonzalez and Flores used a property in Jersey City, New Jersey, as part of the scheme. Gonzalez had been allowed to live at the property by the owner in exchange for management services, but neither he nor Flores owned the property. Gonzalez also recruited an individual with good credit to act as a straw buyer (Individual 1). Later, unbeknownst to the owner of the property, a “quitclaim” deed – a deed which contains no warranties of title – was prepared transferring the property to Individual 1. The signatures on the deed were forged.
Gonzalez and Flores then applied for two HELOCs from multiple banks using the Jersey City property as collateral in Individual 1’s name. They concealed the fact that the property offered as collateral was either already subject to senior liens that had not yet been recorded, or that the same property was offered as collateral for a line of credit from another lender. The applications also contained false information concerning Individual1’s income, which was stated to be higher than his actual income. At the time the applications were made, the value of the property was less than the amount of the HELOC loans for which Gonzalez and Flores applied.
The victim banks eventually issued loans to Individual 1 in excess of $500,000. After the victim banks funded the HELOCs and deposited money into Individual 1’s bank account, Individual 1 disbursed almost all of it to Gonzalez, Flores, and others. Gonzalez used $43,000 of the illicit proceeds to buy a luxury car. Individual 1 eventually defaulted on both HELOC loans.
In another example, Flores, Piedrahita, and Yotagri used a property in Freeport, New York, to carry out a similar scheme.
The conspiracy to commit bank fraud and substantive bank fraud counts carry a maximum potential penalty of 30 years in prison, a fine of $1 million or twice the gross pecuniary gain to the defendants or twice the gross pecuniary loss to others, whichever is greater.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Robert Manchak; and special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie in Newark, with the investigation leading to the charges.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason S. Gould of the U.S. Attorney’s Criminal Division in Newark and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin DiGregory of the FHFA, Office of the Inspector General.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presume innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Four Charged in Stolen ID, Credit Card Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – Four men have been charged in federal court in Providence with allegedly participating in a conspiracy to use stolen identities and stolen credit card information to purchase tens of thousands of dollars worth of construction materials and tools at home improvement stores in several Rhode Island and Massachusetts communities.
It is alleged in court documents that the defendants participated in a conspiracy that ordered construction supplies and tools online, via telephone, or in person at or from home improvement stores. Stolen credit card information and stolen personal identifying information were used to pay for the items at pick-up.
It is alleged that in each instance, an individual would provide payment information by telephone to store cashiers. The cashiers were unaware that the personal identifying information and credit card information provided for payment were stolen. Once payment was approved, a member of the conspiracy would leave the store with the purchased items.
It is alleged that the defendants carried out this scheme on multiple occasions in at least six stores in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, visiting some stores on multiple occasions. Purchases ranged from approximately $1,000 to more than $4,000.
The matter first came to light during an investigation by Smithfield Police in September 2018, into a complaint by a Smithfield resident who reported the fraudulent use of their credit card information for the purchase of more than $2,100 worth of construction items and tools at a home improvement store in Smithfield. Working jointly with the United States Secret Service, it has been determined that members of the conspiracy have allegedly carried out this scheme from at least September 2018 through January 2019.
The investigation is continuing.
Charged by way of criminal complaint with conspiracy to commit access fraud, access device fraud, and aggravated identity theft are Jose R. Delarosa, 42, of Cranston, Jose G, Rivera, 42, address unknown, and Miguel Rodrigues, 48, of Providence. Charged by way of criminal complaint with conspiracy to commit access fraud is Jose Brens, 38, of Providence.
The charges are announced by United States Attorney Aaron L. Weisman, Smithfield Police Chief Richard P. St.Sauveur, Jr., and Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service Stephen Marks.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Terrence P. Donnelly and William J. Ferland.
A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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Fort Thompson Woman Sentenced for Conspiracy to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Fort Thompson, South Dakota, woman convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance was sentenced on May 13, 2019, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.
Brooke Kristen Shields, age 32, was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison, 5 years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Shields was indicted by a federal grand jury on November 14, 2018.
She pled guilty on February 19, 2019.The conviction stemmed from her involvement in a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy beginning at some point before January 1, 2017, and continuing until November 14, 2018. Shields conspired to knowingly and intentionally distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
This case was investigated by the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron J. Cook prosecuted the case.
Shields was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Former Tidewater Businessman Sentenced for Tax and Fraud CrimesRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A North Carolina man was sentenced today to more than 12 years in prison for conspiracy to defraud the United States, tax fraud related to a fraudulent tax shelter, mail and wire fraud and money laundering.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Byron Hale Delavan, 63, of Asheville, engaged in a fraudulent tax and investment fraud scheme from approximately 2011 to 2017 that resulted to individual victims of over $1.1 million and a separate tax loss to the United States of over $400,000.”
“Delavan’s crimes were not a rash or foolhardy act of someone that could not appreciate the consequences of his actions,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Delavan operated sophisticated and comprehensive fraud schemes, including a Ponzi-type investment scheme and tax fraud that resulted in losses of over $1.5 million.”
The evidence at trial revealed that Delavan offered a fraudulent tax program to various individuals in the Tidewater area and elsewhere whereby individuals paid Delavan between $10,000 and $12,500 in order to obtain fraudulent losses to offset income on their tax returns. In doing so, Delavan purported to deduct business bad debts from non-operational entities he controlled, passing through these losses to client returns as if the clients were actually involved in these entities. Furthermore, Delavan solicited business loans and investments from some of the same and additional clients that he falsely represented would be used for business purposes. Contrary to this, Delavan used such funds for personal use, including the repayment of prior clients and personal expenses, such as private school tuition. Finally, Delavan purported to sell gold to certain clients, but made false representations related to the value or existence of the gold or the purpose of the funds obtained.
“Delavan realized today that crime does not pay,” said Kelly R. Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Washington, D.C. Field Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI). “Delavan not only evaded paying his fair share of taxes to the IRS, but betrayed the public trust by bilking over a million dollars out of victims.”
G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Kelly R. Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Washington, D.C. Field Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian J. Samuels prosecuted the case.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service provided assistance through the Newport News Financial Crimes Task Force. Also, the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC) staff cooperated with federal authorities regarding this matter.
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. 4:18-cr-23.
Former State Department Employee Sentenced for Conspiring with Chinese AgentsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Candace Marie Claiborne, a former employee of the U.S. Department of State, was sentenced today to 40 months in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $40,000, for conspiracy to defraud the United States, by lying to law enforcement and background investigators, and hiding her extensive contacts with, and gifts from, agents of the People’s Republic of China, in exchange for providing them with internal documents from the U.S. State Department.
The announcement was made by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu of the District of Columbia, Acting Assistant Director in Charge John P. Selleck of the FBI’s Washington Field Office and Deputy Assistant Secretary Ricardo Colón, Domestic Operations, U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS).
“Chinese intelligence agents convinced Candace Marie Claiborne to trade her integrity and confidential information of the United States government for cash and other gifts for herself and her family,” said Assistant Attorney General Demers. “Claiborne withheld information and lied repeatedly about these foreign intelligence contacts. Violations of the public’s trust are an affront to our citizens and to all those who honor their oaths. With this sentencing, justice has been imposed for these dishonorable criminal acts.”
“Candace Claiborne received gifts from foreign officials and lied to investigators repeatedly about her role in defrauding the U.S. government,” said U.S. Attorney Liu. “Claiborne violated her oath as a State Department employee, and we will continue to hold accountable those abuse their positions of trust.”
“Claiborne was entrusted with privileged information as a U.S. government employee, and she abused that trust at the expense of our nation’s security,” said John P. Selleck, Acting Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office. “The targeting of U.S. security clearance holders by Chinese intelligence services is a constant threat we face, and today’s sentencing shows that those who betray the trust of the American people will be held accountable for their actions. I would like to thank the men and women of the FBI Washington Field Office and our partners at the Department of Justice for their work in investigating and prosecuting this case.”
“This sentence makes a strong statement to those who would attempt to commit crimes that violate the public trust and damage our national security. The Diplomatic Security Service is dedicated to working with the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to ensure that those who commit these crimes are brought to justice,” said Deputy Assistant Secretary Colón.”
Claiborne, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty in April 2019 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to a charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States. She was sentenced by the Honorable Randolph D. Moss.
According to the plea documents, Claiborne began working as an Office Management Specialist for the Department of State in 1999. She has served overseas at a number of posts, including embassies and consulates in Baghdad, Iraq, Khartoum, Sudan, and Beijing and Shanghai, China. As a condition of her employment, Claiborne maintained a TOP SECRET security clearance. Claiborne also was required to report any contacts with persons suspected of affiliation with a foreign intelligence agency.
Despite such a requirement, Claiborne failed to report repeated contacts with two intelligence agents of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), even though these agents provided tens of thousands of dollars in gifts and benefits to Claiborne and her family over five years. The gifts and benefits included cash wired to Claiborne’s USAA account, Chinese New Year’s gifts, international travel and vacations, tuition at a Chinese fashion school, a fully furnished apartment, and a monthly stipend. Some of these gifts and benefits were provided directly to Claiborne, while others were provided through a co-conspirator.
In exchange for these gifts and benefits, Claiborne provided copies of internal documents from the Department of State on topics ranging from economics to visits by dignitaries between the two countries.
Claiborne noted in her journal that she could “Generate 20k in 1 year” working with one of the PRC agents, who tasked her with providing internal U.S. Government analyses on a U.S.-Sino Strategic Economic Dialogue that had just concluded.
Claiborne, who confided to a co-conspirator that the PRC agents were “spies,” willfully misled State Department background investigators and FBI investigators about her contacts with those agents, the plea documents state. After the State Department and FBI investigators contacted her, Claiborne also instructed her co-conspirators to delete evidence connecting her to the PRC agents.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas A. Gillice, John L. Hill, and Deputy Chief Julie Edelstein and Trial Attorney Evan Turgeon of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.
Former State Department Employee Sentenced for Conspiring with Chinese AgentsRead the Press Release
Candace Marie Claiborne, a former employee of the U.S. Department of State, was sentenced today to 40 months in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $40,000 for conspiracy to defraud the United States, by lying to law enforcement and background investigators, and hiding her extensive contacts with, and gifts from, agents of the People’s Republic of China, in exchange for providing them with internal documents from the U.S. State Department.
The announcement was made by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu of the District of Columbia, Acting Assistant Director John P. Selleck of the FBI’s Washington Field Office and Deputy Assistant Secretary Ricardo Colón, Domestic Operations, U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service.
“Chinese intelligence agents convinced Candace Marie Claiborne to trade her integrity and confidential information of the United States government for cash and other gifts for herself and her family,” said Assistant Attorney General Demers. “Claiborne withheld information and lied repeatedly about these foreign intelligence contacts. Violations of the public’s trust are an affront to our citizens and to all those who honor their oaths. With this sentencing, justice has been imposed for these dishonorable criminal acts.”
“Candace Claiborne received gifts from foreign officials and lied to investigators repeatedly about her role in defrauding the U.S. government,” said U.S. Attorney Liu. “Claiborne violated her oath as a State Department employee and today’s sentence should send a message to those who abuse their positions of trust. We will continue to seek prosecution and hold those accountable for their illegal actions.”
“Claiborne was entrusted with privileged information as a U.S. government employee, and she abused that trust at the expense of our nation’s security,” said Acting Assistant Director Selleck. “The targeting of U.S. security clearance holders by Chinese intelligence services is a constant threat we face, and today’s sentencing shows that those who betray the trust of the American people will be held accountable for their actions. I would like to thank the men and women of the FBI Washington Field Office and our partners at the Department of Justice for their work in investigating and prosecuting this case.”
“This sentence makes a strong statement to those who would attempt to commit crimes that violate the public trust and damage our national security,” said Deputy Assistant Secretary Colón. “The Diplomatic Security Service is dedicated to working with the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to ensure that those who commit these crimes are brought to justice.”
Claiborne, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty in April 2019, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to a charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States. She was sentenced by the Honorable Randolph D. Moss.
According to the plea documents, Claiborne began working as an Office Management Specialist for the Department of State in 1999. She has served overseas at a number of posts, including embassies and consulates in Baghdad, Iraq, Khartoum, Sudan, and Beijing and Shanghai, China. As a condition of her employment, Claiborne maintained a TOP SECRET security clearance. Claiborne also was required to report any contacts with persons suspected of affiliation with a foreign intelligence agency.
Despite such a requirement, Claiborne failed to report repeated contacts with two intelligence agents of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), even though these agents provided tens of thousands of dollars in gifts and benefits to Claiborne and her family over five years. The gifts and benefits included cash wired to Claiborne’s USAA account, Chinese New Year’s gifts, international travel and vacations, tuition at a Chinese fashion school, a fully furnished apartment, and a monthly stipend. Some of these gifts and benefits were provided directly to Claiborne, while others were provided through a co-conspirator.
In exchange for these gifts and benefits, Claiborne provided copies of internal documents from the Department of State on topics ranging from economics to visits by dignitaries between the two countries.
Claiborne noted in her journal that she could “Generate 20k in 1 year” working with one of the PRC agents, who tasked her with providing internal U.S. Government analyses on a U.S.-Sino Strategic Economic Dialogue that had just concluded.
Claiborne, who confided to a co-conspirator that the PRC agents were “spies,” willfully misled State Department background investigators and FBI investigators about her contacts with those agents, the plea documents state. After the State Department and FBI investigators contacted her, Claiborne also instructed her co-conspirators to delete evidence connecting her to the PRC agents.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas A. Gillice John L. Hill for the District of Columbia, and Deputy Chief Julie A. Edelstein and Trial Attorney Evan Turgeon of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.
Former Postal Employee Sentenced for Mail TheftRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – Calvin Taylor, 51, of Yazoo City, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Carlton W. Reeves to 48 months of supervised probation for embezzling parcels of mail during the course of his employment with the U.S. Postal Service, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Christopher Cave with the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, Southern Area Field Office. Taylor was also ordered to pay a $2,000 fine.
On April 4, 2018, Postal Service Office of Inspector General special agents arrested Taylor after an investigation revealed him purposefully failing to deliver parcels of mail and stealing articles of clothing and shoes from the undelivered parcels.
On January 8, 2019, Taylor was charged in a federal indictment for theft of mail while a postal employee. He pled guilty before Judge Reeves on March 22, 2019.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Bert Carraway.
Former IT Administrator Sentenced to More than 2 Years in Prison for Hacking into His Ex-Employer’s Computers, Deleting Their FilesRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – An Arizona man has been sentenced to 27 months in federal prison for breaking federal computer intrusion laws governing the deletion of electronic files after he hacked into computer systems operated by his former employer, an Irvine-based company, and then deleted its website and marketing materials in retaliation for being stripped of some of his job duties.
Nikishna Polequaptewa, 37, of Avondale, Arizona, was sentenced on Monday afternoon by United States District Judge Cormac J. Carney, who also ordered him to pay $53,305 in restitution to his former employer.
Polequaptewa, who was a Garden Grove resident during the criminal conduct, was indicted by a federal grand jury in 2016. After a five-day trial in November 2018, a jury found him guilty of one felony count of unauthorized impairment of the integrity and availability of data, programs, systems, and information.
Beginning in April 2014, Polequaptewa worked at Blue Stone Strategy Group, which provided consulting services to Native American tribal governments throughout the United States. In addition to his consulting responsibilities, Polequaptewa led information technology and marketing at Blue Stone.
After he began falling behind on work, Polequaptewa was relieved of IT and marketing duties in November 2014. Polequaptewa then was assigned to a consulting project in Florida for the Seminole Tribe. While on that project and angry that he had been stripped of his other job duties, Polequaptewa retaliated against Blue Stone by deleted the website and marketing materials that the company had developed over eight years. Polequaptewa’s deletions cost Blue Stone more than $50,000 to restore its system to its state before Polequaptewa’s deletions.
After he resigned from the Florida project in November 2014, Polequaptewa continued to delete Blue Stone files, including client information, Blue Stone work product, and the company’s backup files held by a third-party. Polequaptewa’s final deletion was done by sending a “wipe” command to a Blue Stone desktop computer in Irvine. Polequaptewa’s deletions were first detected when an employee in Irvine saw files being deleted from a Google drive account by Polequaptewa while he was working on the Florida project.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Broward County Sheriff’s Office in Florida and the Irvine Police Department provided assistance.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Vibhav Mittal and Bradley E. Marrett of the Santa Ana Branch Office.
Former Executive Director Convicted of Stealing Nearly One Million Dollars from Long Island CharityRead the Press Release
Wafa Abboud, the former Executive Director of Human First, a not-for-profit organization based in Nassau County, New York, that provides services to developmentally disabled individuals, was convicted today by a federal jury in Brooklyn of all counts of a superseding indictment charging her with embezzling funds, bank fraud and money laundering. The verdict followed a two-week trial before United States District Judge Edward R. Korman. When sentenced, Abboud faces up to 30 years’ imprisonment.
Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, announced the verdict.
“With today’s verdict, Abboud has been held accountable for abusing her position of trust as the Executive Director of a charity and funding her elaborate lifestyle with money intended to serve the needs of vulnerable individuals in the community,” stated United States Attorney Donoghue. Mr. Donoghue expressed his grateful appreciation to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office, the New York State Office of the Attorney General and the New York State Office of the Inspector General for their work on the case.
From January 2011 until she was terminated on May 27, 2016, Abboud was Human First’s Executive Director and authorized the disbursement of all of the charity’s funds. Between May 2011 and February 2016, Abboud caused Human First to issue approximately $16,000 a month in purported consultant fees to MPB Management Services LLC (MPB), a company controlled by co-conspirator Marcelle Bailey. Every month, Abboud wrote two checks payable to MPB, each for $8,000, and deposited one of the checks into bank accounts in MPB’s name that Abboud controlled. In total, Abboud diverted $420,000 of Human First funds into the accounts and used the embezzled funds to pay for her personal expenses, including a trip to Disneyland in California, tickets to the Broadway show “Newsies,” visits to luxury spas and high-end beauty salons, cosmetic surgeries and international wire transfers. Abboud also withdrew nearly $120,000 in cash from the accounts.
Abboud also embezzled more than $440,000 from Human First with her co-conspirator Rami Taha, another consultant who Abboud hired to work at Human First. In furtherance of this scheme, the defendant approved inflated construction invoices that were submitted to Human First by Taha. Abboud issued Human First checks to companies controlled by Taha, who in turn diverted the embezzled funds back to Abboud. Abboud used the funds toward the down payment for her residence and to pay for extensive renovations to the residence. When Abboud’s mortgage lender asked her about the source of the funds, Abboud, to conceal the embezzlement, falsely represented to the lender that the funds were part of a settlement payment that she had received for damage to her prior residence. The evidence at trial also established that the defendant awarded herself an annual salary increase to $479,000, without obtaining the required approval from Human First’s Board of Directors, in order to obtain the mortgage loan.
Bailey pleaded guilty in December 2017 to embezzling funds and bank fraud, and Taha pleaded guilty in May 2019 to embezzling funds. A fourth defendant, Arkadiusz Swiechowicz, pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice in September 2018. They are awaiting sentencing.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Public Integrity Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Robert Polemeni and F. Turner Buford are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
WAFA ABBOUD
Age: 51
Merrick, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 16-CR-396 (ERK)
Former Clairton Resident Sentenced for Distributing Fentanyl and Illegally Possessing FirearmsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA - A former resident of Clairton, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to nine years’ imprisonment, followed by 10 years’ supervised release, on his conviction of conspiring to distribute narcotics and unlawful possession of firearms, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
United States District Judge Arthur J. Schwab imposed the sentence on Elliot Page, 38.
According to information presented to the court, Page supplied fentanyl to his codefendants, Skyler Carter and Cecil Shields, and others, for further distribution in the Clairton area. Agents seized approximately one kilogram of fentanyl and three firearms during the execution of a federal search warrant at Page’s residence on July 6, 2017. Page had three prior felony drug offenses and was forbidden from possessing a firearm.
Assistant United States Attorney Carolyn J. Bloch prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation led the multi-agency investigation of this case, which also included the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, the Allegheny County Police Department, and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police. The investigation was funded by the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Program (OCDETF). The OCDETF program supplies critical federal funding and coordination that allows federal and state agencies to work together to successfully identify, investigate, and prosecute major interstate and international drug trafficking organizations and other criminal enterprises.
Florida Attorney Sentenced to 60 Months in Prison for Multi-Million Dollar Pornography Film Copyright Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
A Florida attorney was sentenced to 60 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release for his role in a multi-million dollar fraud scheme to obtain payments from extortion victims to settle sham copyright infringement lawsuits by lying to state and federal courts throughout the country, announced Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Erica H. MacDonald of the District of Minnesota.
John L. Steele, 48, who pleaded guilty on March 6, 2017, was sentenced today before U.S. District Judge Joan N. Ericksen of the District of Minnesota who also ordered Steele to pay restitution in the amount of $1,541,527.37.
According to his guilty plea and documents filed in court, between 2011 and 2014, Steele and his co-defendant Paul R. Hansmeier, both practicing lawyers, executed a scheme to obtain millions of dollars by threatening copyright lawsuits against individuals who allegedly downloaded pornographic movies from file-sharing websites. Steele admitted in court during his plea that he and Hansmeier created a series of sham entities, which they surreptitiously controlled, to obtain copyrights to pornographic movies – some of which they filmed themselves – and then uploaded those movies to file-sharing websites like “The Pirate Bay” in order to lure people to download the movies. Steele and Hansmeier then filed bogus copyright infringement lawsuits that concealed both their role in distributing the movies, and their personal stake in the outcome of the litigation. After filing the lawsuits, the defendants gained authority from the courts to subpoena internet service providers for identification information of the subscriber who controlled the IP address used to download the movie. With that information, the defendants used extortionate tactics such as letters and phone calls to threaten victims with enormous financial penalties and public embarrassment unless they agreed to pay a $3,000 settlement fee.
According to the indictment, the plea agreement and other court documents, in November 2011, in order to distance themselves from the specious lawsuits and any potential fallout, Steele and Hansmeier created and used Prenda Law, among other law firms, to pursue their fraudulent lawsuits. Steele acknowledged at his plea hearing that he and Hansmeier exerted de facto control over Prenda Law throughout the scheme, but recruited a now-deceased Illinois attorney to pretend to own and control the law firm.
In October 2012, the defendants changed their tactics and began filing lawsuits falsely alleging that computer systems belonging to their sham clients had been hacked. To facilitate their phony “hacking” lawsuits, the defendants recruited individuals who had been caught downloading pornography from a file-sharing website, to act as ruse “defendants.” These ruse defendants agreed to be sued and permit Steele and Hansmeier to conduct early discovery against their supposed “co-conspirators” in exchange for Steele and Hansmeier waiving their settlement fees. During his plea hearing, Steele admitted that the allegations of “hacking” in these complaints were made up.
In total, Steele and Hansmeier obtained approximately $3 million from the fraudulent copyright lawsuits.
This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and IRS-Criminal Investigations.
Senior Counsel Brian Levine of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin F. Langner and David J. MacLaughlin of the District of Minnesota prosecuted the case.
Florida Attorney Sentenced to 60 Months in Prison for Multi-Million Dollar Pornography Film Copyright Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced the sentencing of JOHN L. STEELE, 48, to 60 months in prison for his role in a multi-million dollar fraud scheme to obtain payments from extortion victims to settle sham copyright infringement lawsuits by lying to state and federal courts throughout the country. STEELE, who pleaded guilty on March 6, 2017, was sentenced earlier today before Judge Joan N. Ericksen in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
According to his guilty plea and documents filed in court, between 2011 and 2014, STEELE and his co-defendant PAUL R. HANSMEIER, both practicing lawyers, executed a scheme to obtain millions of dollars by threatening copyright lawsuits against individuals who allegedly downloaded pornographic movies from file-sharing websites. STEELE admitted in court during his plea that he and HANSMEIER created a series of sham entities, which they surreptitiously controlled, to obtain copyrights to pornographic movies – some of which they filmed themselves – and then uploaded those movies to file-sharing websites like “The Pirate Bay” in order to lure people to download the movies. STEELE and HANSMEIER then filed bogus copyright infringement lawsuits that concealed both their role in distributing the movies, and their personal stake in the outcome of the litigation. After filing the lawsuits, the defendants gained authority from the courts to subpoena internet service providers (“ISPs”) for identification information of the subscriber who controlled the IP address used to download the movie. With that information, the defendants used extortionate tactics such as letters and phone calls to threaten victims with enormous financial penalties and public embarrassment unless they agreed to pay a $3,000 settlement fee.
According to the indictment, the plea agreement, and other court documents, in November 2011, in order to distance themselves from the specious lawsuits and any potential fallout, STEELE and HANSMEIER created and used Prenda Law, among other law firms, to pursue their fraudulent lawsuits. STEELE acknowledged at his plea hearing that he and HANSMEIER exerted de facto control over Prenda Law throughout the scheme, but recruited a now-deceased Illinois attorney to pretend to own and control the law firm.
In October 2012, the defendants changed their tactics and began filing lawsuits falsely alleging that computer systems belonging to their sham clients had been hacked. To facilitate their phony “hacking” lawsuits, the defendants recruited individuals who had been caught downloading pornography from a file-sharing website, to act as ruse “defendants.” These ruse defendants agreed to be sued and permit STEELE and HANSMEIER to conduct early discovery against their supposed “co-conspirators” in exchange for STEELE and HANSMEIER waiving their settlement fees. During his plea hearing, STEELE admitted that the allegations of “hacking” in these complaints were made up.
In total, STEELE and HANSMEIER obtained approximately $3 million from the fraudulent copyright lawsuits.
This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the Criminal Investigation Division of the IRS.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin F. Langner and David J. MacLaughlin of the District of Minnesota, and Senior Counsel Brian Levine of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, prosecuted the case.
Defendant Information:
JOHN L. STEELE, 48
Unknown, Fla.
Convicted:
- Conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, 1 count
- Conspiracy to commit money laundering, 1 count
Sentenced:
- 60 months in prison
- Two years of supervised release
- Restitution in the amount of $1,541,527.37
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United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota: (612) 664-5600
Federal Indictment Charges 16 in Violent Baltimore Drug Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has returned a superseding indictment charging 16 individuals in a violent drug distribution conspiracy operating in the Edmondson Village neighborhood in southwest Baltimore. The indictment was returned on June 20, 2019 and unsealed on July 3, 2019. Fourteen defendants have been arrested and of those, 12 have been ordered to be detained pending trial, including Justin Antoine, who had his detention hearing yesterday. The following defendants, all from Baltimore, are charged in the indictment:
Justin Antoine, a/k/a Justo, age 23;
Rodney Bass, a/k/a Boo, age 57;
Corey Bell, a/k/a Bell, age 38;
Davon Boykin, age 33;
Calvin Claxton, a/k/a Cal, age 39;
Cortney Crawley, a/k/a C Murda, age 25;
Eryica Davis, a/k/a Miss Cookie, age 45;
Cedric Hite, a/k/a Hector, age 68;
William Jackson, age 56;
Raekwon Jones, a/k/a Kwon, age 20;
Ronald Jones, age 51;
Shelton Lewis, age 54;
Adam Martin, a/k/a Fats, age 36;
Rodney Matthews, a/k/a Rod, age 20;
Neal Pinkney, age 52; and
Robert Williams, a/k/a Uncle Rob, age 62.The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Jennifer C. Boone of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.
“Federal, state, and local law enforcement are working together to target members of violent drug gangs operating in Baltimore City,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur. “This indictment alleges that this drug trafficking organization brought danger to our community through the deadly combination of guns and drugs. Now they will face years in federal prison, where there is no parole—ever. Please, put down the guns and save a life—maybe even your own.”
The six-count superseding indictment alleges that from at least 2018 to June 20, 2019, the defendants were members and associates of the Adam Martin and Calvin Claxton drug trafficking organization, and conspired to distribute heroin, powder cocaine, and crack cocaine to drug users and redistributors in and around the Edmondson Village neighborhood of southwest Baltimore. According to the superseding indictment, members of the drug trafficking organization used residences in and around Baltimore to process, cut, package, and prepare the drugs for distribution. The defendants allegedly changed cell phones frequently to prevent the interception of their communications by law enforcement, and possessed firearms in furtherance of their drug trafficking activities.
According to the superseding indictment, the members of the conspiracy used violence to retaliate against those seeking to rob or cheat the drug trafficking organization. The superseding indictment details several of these acts, including a shooting murder on May 5, 2018, a gunfight on October 16, 2018 in which an unarmed bystander was struck in the crossfire, and the planned robbery of an unlicensed taxi driver.
As detailed in the superseding indictment, during the course of the investigation law enforcement seized at least ten firearms, ammunition, drugs, and more than $20,000 in drug proceeds.
If convicted, the defendants each face a maximum sentence of life in prison for the conspiracy. Justin Antoine, Eryica Davis, and Shelton Lewis also face a maximum of life in prison for possession of a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime. Antoine also faces a maximum of 40 years in prison for possession with intent to distribute heroin and cocaine; Lewis faces a maximum of life in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm; and Robert Williams faces a maximum of three years in prison for selling and offering to sell drug paraphernalia. Law enforcement are still seeking Davon Boykin and Cedric Hite.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.
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. Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI, the ATF, and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation and thanked the Anne Arundel County Police Department for its assistance. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew DellaBetta and Michael Goldsticker, who are prosecuting the case.
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El Reno Man Sentenced to 48 Months for Firearm PossessionRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Homer Lee Basquez, age 38, of El Reno, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 48 months’ imprisonment and 3 years of supervised release for Felon In Possession Of Firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2). The charges arose from an investigation by the Okmulgee County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Safe Trails Task Force.
The Indictment alleges that in November, 2018, the defendant, having been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, knowingly possessed in and affecting commerce, a firearm which had been shipped and transported in interstate and foreign commerce.
“The defendant, a convicted felon, possessed firearms unlawful for him to possess. Enforcing federal firearms laws is an effective way the Department of Justice can assist state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies combat violent crime,” said United States Attorney Brian J. Kuester. “The FBI Safe Trails Task Force and member agencies are making a difference in the communities they serve in the Eastern District. This investigation and prosecution is a result of their work.”
The Honorable Ronald A. White, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Muskogee, presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Dean Burris represented the United States.Eagle Butte Woman Sentenced for Methamphetamine ChargesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that an Eagle Butte, South Dakota, woman convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance was sentenced on June 17, 2019, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.
Marilyn Ducheneaux, age 22, was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison, 5 years of supervised release, a $500 fine, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Ducheneaux was indicted by a federal grand jury on October 16, 2018. She pled guilty on April 1, 2019.
The conviction stemmed from conduct that occurred beginning at a time unknown, but no later than on January 1, 2016, and continuing to October 16, 2018, in South Dakota, when Ducheneaux knowingly and intentionally conspired with others to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance.
This case was investigated by the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan N. Dilges prosecuted the case.
Ducheneaux was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Eagle Butte Man Sentenced on Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that an Eagle Butte, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of an Unregistered Firearm was sentenced on June 18, 2019, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.
Devin Dolphus, a/k/a Devin Pretty Weasel, age 19, was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison, 3 years of supervised release, forfeiture of a firearm and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Dolphus was indicted by a federal grand jury on March 12, 2019. He pled guilty on April 3, 2019.
The conviction stemmed from an incident that occurred on January 16, 2019. Law enforcement responded to a call of an unknown individual sleeping in a vehicle. Once on scene, law enforcement found and seized a firearm from Dolphus’ vehicle, the firearm had a barrel length of less than 18 inches, and was not registered to Dolphus in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of its renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and local communities to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
This case was investigated by the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan N. Dilges prosecuted the case.
Dolphus was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Eagle Butte Man Charged with Burglary, Larceny, and Firearm OffensesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that an Eagle Butte, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for First Degree Burglary, Larceny, Possession of a Stolen Firearm, and Possession of a Firearm by a Felon.
Judson His Law, age 24, was indicted on May 14, 2019. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on May 30, 2019, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is 25 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, 3 years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that on February 13, 2019, His Law unlawfully entered and remained in an occupied residence with the intent to commit the crime of larceny and that he in fact stole a firearm and a Dodge Challenger Hellcat from the residence. The Indictment further alleges that His Law possessed a firearm having previously been convicted of a felony offense.
The charges are merely accusations and His Law is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron J. Cook is prosecuting the case.
His Law was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
Dupree Man Sentenced for Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Dupree, South Dakota, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance and Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance was sentenced on May 14, 2019, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.
Waylon Young Bird, age 50, was sentenced to 136 months in federal prison, 5 years of supervised release, a fine in the amount of $1,000, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Young Bird was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 15, 2018. He was found guilty by a Jury on April 4, 2019.
The conviction stemmed from incidents that occurred from January 1, 2016 until May 15, 2018, when Young Bird knowingly and intentionally combined, conspired, confederated, and agreed with others to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute over 500 grams of methamphetamine, which is a Schedule II controlled substance, on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation. The Jury also convicted Young Bird of knowingly and intentionally possessing with the intent to distribute a detectable amount of methamphetamine from a March 9, 2018, traffic stop. During this stop, Young Bird was found to have just under 10 grams of methamphetamine hidden in his sock in eight little baggies.
The investigation was conducted by the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan N. Dilges prosecuted the case.
Young Bird was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Doddridge County man indicted for sex offender registry violationRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Tyler Patrick Pietschmann, of Greenwood, West Virginia, was indicted by a federal grand jury today for failing to register as a sex offender, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Pietschmann, age 21, is charged with one count of “Failure to Update Sex Offender Registration.” Pietschmann, a person required to register as a sex offender, is accused of traveling from Pennsylvania to West Virginia without updating his sex offender registration from December 2018 to February 2019.
Pietschamnn faces up to 10 years incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
This case is prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ 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 http://www.justice.gov/psc/.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah E. Wagner is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The United States Marshal Service investigated.
An indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
District Man Sentenced to 23 Years in Prison on Federal and D.C. Sexual Offenses and Other ChargesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Donnell Pollard, 27, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 23 years in prison on a series of sexual assault and other felony offenses stemming from an April 2017 crime spree following his escape from a halfway house in which he was serving time for a another sexual offense, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Pollard pled guilty on June 12, 2018, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one federal offense, the commission of a crime of violence while failing to register as a sex offender, and five D.C. Superior Court offenses, including kidnapping while armed and third degree sexual abuse while armed. He was sentenced by the Honorable James E. Boasberg. Following release, he will be placed on supervised release for life. He will also be required to register as a sex offender for life.
According to the Government’s evidence, in 2012 Pollard pled guilty in D.C. Superior Court to Assault with Intent to Commit First Degree Sexual Abuse and was sentenced to a term of incarceration. In addition, as a result of his conviction, Pollard was required to register a sex offender for life. On or about July 8, 2016, the defendant was residing at a halfway house in Baltimore, Maryland as part of his sentence, when he escaped that facility. Pollard then moved to D.C. He failed to update his sex offender registration information with his new residence and, in fact, did not register at all until the time of his arrest in April 2017. In April 2017, while the defendant was in violation of his sex offender registration requirements, he committed five offenses against a total of five victims, including sexually assaulting two victims and kidnapping and stabbing another.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of the members of the U.S. Marshals Service, MPD Criminal Investigations Division, Special Investigations Branch Sexual Assault Unit, and MPD Sixth District. She acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrea Hertzfeld, Nicholas Miranda, and Marisa West; Paralegal Specialists Tiffany Jones and Leah Welch; and Victim/Witness Advocates Lezlie Richardson and Yvonne Bryant.
District Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Multiple Firearms While Trafficking NarcoticsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Kevin Fields, 38, of Southeast, D.C., pled guilty yesterday to possessing multiple firearms in furtherance of his drug trafficking, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and Charles A. Dayoub, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Criminal Division, FBI Washington Field Office.
Fields pled guilty before the Honorable Paul L. Friedman in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. The plea agreement, which was accepted and approved by the Court, requires a sentence of ten years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. Judge Friedman scheduled Fields’ sentencing for October 8, 2019.
According to the government’s evidence, on February 9, 2019, MPD officers executed a search warrant at Fields’ residence located in the 1900 block of Naylor Road, Southeast. After entering the apartment, MPD officers located Fields in the back bedroom. In that same room, officers located three loaded firearms, a Glock 21 .45 caliber firearm, a Ruger LC95 9mm caliber firearm, and an Intratec AB-10 firearm. An additional magazine with ammunition was also recovered. Law enforcement also discovered crack cocaine, heroin, multiple digital scales, razor blades, extensive drug packaging material, and U.S. currency in the residence. As part of his plea agreement, Fields acknowledged that all three firearms belonged to him and that he possessed them in furtherance of his drug trafficking. As part of the government’s investigation, the FBI and ATF assisted law enforcement by investigating the history of the firearms and their connection to other crimes committed in the District.
When Fields was arrested for trafficking narcotics and possessing firearms in the present case, he was on supervision with the U.S. Parole Commission following a 2012 D.C. Superior Court felony drug trafficking conviction. Fields also had a prior 2002 D.C. Superior Court conviction for assault with intent to kill, where he was incarcerated for twelve years.
This case was investigated in support of the Felon in Possession initiative, a joint partnership between MPD and federal law enforcement agencies including FBI, ATF, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Columbia, in an effort to reduce gun violence within the District of Columbia.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu, Chief Newsham, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Dayoub, commended the work of those who investigated the case. They also cited the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including Paralegal Specialist Candace Battle, Legal Assistant Peter Gaboton, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Macchiaroli of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Section, who conducted the underlying investigation, indicted the case, and prosecuted the defendant.
District Man Pleads Guilty to Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Thomas Moir, 37, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty to distribution of child pornography stemming from his actions sharing child pornography with users on a social networking site from October 2018 –January 2019, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu.
Moir pled guilty today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of distribution of child pornography. He will be sentenced on October 1, 2019, by the Honorable John D. Bates. Moir faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years. Following release, he will also be required to register as a sex offender.
Moir was chief of staff for the D.C. Mayor’s Office of Legal Counsel at the time of the offense, though there is no evidence that he used Government property to commit the offense or that his role had anything to do with the offense.
According to the Government’s evidence, beginning on or about October 10, 2018, Moir uploaded multiple images depicting child pornography to a social networking site in order to share and discuss these images with other users. He used multiple accounts to upload and share child pornography and did so on multiple occasions from October 2018 to January 2019. Images that Moir uploaded from at least one account were flagged as child pornography by the social networking site and sent to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for review. These images were then sent to the FBI, which traced them back to devices used by Moir.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of the FBI’s Washington Field Office and members of the FBI-MPDC Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force who investigated the case. She acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrea Hertzfeld and Nicholas Miranda; Paralegal Specialists Tiffany Jones and Leah Welch; and Victim/Witness Advocate Yvonne Bryant. She also thanked the Mayor’s Office for its assistance throughout the investigation.
Defendant Sentenced to More Than 12 Years’ Imprisonment for Armed Robbery of Brooklyn Heights Jewelry StoreRead the Press Release
Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Lashawn Williams, also known as “Ron Johnson,” was sentenced to 147 months’ imprisonment for his role in the May 25, 2017 armed robbery of a jewelry store on Court Street in Brooklyn. The Court also ordered Williams to pay $95,000 in restitution. Williams pleaded guilty in September 2018 to Hobbs Act robbery and brandishing a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence. The sentencing proceeding was held before United States District Court Judge Brian M. Cogan. Previously, Williams’s co-defendants Darryl Odom, Kenneth Davis and Shaka Davis were sentenced to 171, 165 and 54 months’ imprisonment, respectively, following their guilty pleas.
Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, John B. Devito, Special Agent-in-Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, New York Field Division (ATF), and James P. O’Neill, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the sentence.
On May 25, 2017, at 5:15 p.m., Williams, armed with a firearm, entered the Court Street jewelry store with Odom and a co-conspirator, while Kenneth Davis stood lookout outside and Shaka Davis waited in a getaway car a few blocks away. To shield their identities and avoid notice by passersby, the defendants disguised themselves in construction-workers gear, including neon vests, hardhats, gloves and dust masks. Inside the store, the defendants beat the store owner, pistol-whipping, punching and kicking him. They then stole hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and jewelry, and fled the scene. When subsequently tracked down and arrested, law enforcement agents and officers seized several pieces of the stolen jewelry.
“Defendant Lashawn Williams and his co-defendants have now been held accountable for the brutal armed robbery of a jewelry store in busy downtown Brooklyn that not only severely injured the store owner but also endangered the customers and passersby,” stated United States Attorney Donoghue. Mr. Donoghue expressed his grateful appreciation to the law enforcement agents and officers for their work in this case.
“Lashawn Williams and his codefendants committed a brazen armed robbery that endangered innocent lives and left a store owner severely injured and traumatized,” stated ATF Special Agent-in-Charge DeVito. “Williams is yet another example of the type of violent individuals that presents a clear and present danger to the law abiding citizens in the community. ATF and our NYPD partners in the Joint Robbery Task Force stand committed to protecting the public from individuals like Williams; that spread fear and perpetuate violence within the community. I would like to thank the United States Attorney’s Office for their leadership and proactive support in furtherance of this investigation.”
Assistant United States Attorney Josh Hafetz is in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant Sentenced Today:
LASHAWN WILLIAMS (aka “Ron Johnson”)
Age: 50
Bronx, New YorkDefendants Previously Sentenced:
DARRYL ODOM
Age: 55
New York, New YorkKENNETH DAVIS
Age: 54
Brooklyn, New YorkSHAKA DAVIS
Age: 30
Brooklyn, NY, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 17-CR-432 (S-1) (BMC)
Convicted Felon and Organized Crime Associate Sentenced to 72 Months’ Imprisonment for Possession of MachinegunsRead the Press Release
Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, Paul Ragusa, an associate of the Bonanno and Gambino organized crime families, was sentenced by United States District Judge Pamela K. Chen to 72 months’ imprisonment for possessing nine firearms, including three automatic assault rifles and a silencer. Ragusa possessed the firearms while serving a custodial sentence at a residential re-entry facility in connection with three prior felony convictions. Ragusa pleaded guilty to the firearms charge in October 2018.
Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, announced the sentence.
“While serving a prior sentence for violent crimes involving machineguns, Ragusa was ready and willing to transport more guns, including assault rifles,” stated United States Attorney Donoghue. “Today’s sentence incapacitates the defendant, who clearly continues to pose a danger to the community.” Mr. Donoghue thanked the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and New York City Police Department, as well as law enforcement partners in Canada, including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the GTA Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit Public Prosecution Service of Canada, Ontario Regional Office.
Between July and October 2017, Ragusa met with a cooperating witness (CW) whom he knew through their prior affiliation with the Giannini Crew, a criminal enterprise responsible for numerous violent crimes. During recorded conversations with the CW, Ragusa agreed to commit a murder-for-hire. Ragusa stated that he did not need a gun, because he would stick an “ice pick” through the victim’s head.
On October 25, 2017, the CW asked Ragusa if he knew anyone who could transport firearms. Ragusa responded, “Yeah, me! I’ll do it!” On November 2, 2017, Ragusa met an undercover FBI agent who drove him to a warehouse in Nassau County, where Ragusa packed nine firearms, including two AK-47 assault rifles and one M16 rifle, into a large bag. Ragusa and the agent drove to a parking lot in Queens, where Ragusa loaded the firearms into a waiting undercover FBI vehicle. Ragusa was paid $2,000 in cash. Unbeknownst to Ragusa, the firearms were the property of the FBI and had been rendered inoperable.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Tanya Hajjar and Drew Rolle are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
PAUL RAGUSA
Age: 48
Brooklyn, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 17-CR-613 (PKC)
Convicted by Jury, Two Defendants Sentenced to Prison on Multiple Drug-Related ChargesRead the Press Release
ALBANY – Two defendants found guilty by a citizen jury on multiple drug related charges earlier this year were sentenced today by a federal judge, said U.S. Attorney Charles “Charlie” Peeler. Thyrone Jones, 44, of Pelham, GA was convicted on eight counts of Distribution of Cocaine and one count of Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute following a three day trial that began on March 18, 2019. His co-defendant, Kareda McGee, 31, also of Pelham, GA, was convicted on two counts of Distribution of Cocaine and one count of Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute. The jury deliberated for approximately 90 minutes before returning a guilty verdict on all charges. Tuesday afternoon, The Honorable Leslie Gardner sentenced Mr. Jones to 240 months imprisonment plus nine years supervised release and Ms. McGee to 21 months to serve consecutive to any probation revocation imposed by Mitchell County Superior Court for her 2015 conviction for Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute. Mr. Jones has a prior federal conviction for Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute. There is no parole in the federal system.
According to the facts presented at trial, Mr. Jones sold various amounts of cocaine to confidential informants under surveillance on eight separate occasions from February 2018 to July 2018, all within Pelham city limits. Ms. McGee was involved in the illegal transactions during three of those sales. When a search warrant was executed in July 2018 at the residence shared by Mr. Jones and Ms. McGee, Pelham Police found more than $15,000 in cash, quantities of cocaine and a set of digital scales, along with multiple text messages requesting illegal drugs.
“Today’s sentencing shows that drug dealers who continue to endanger the public will face serious federal prison time in Middle Georgia” said Charlie Peeler, the U.S. Attorney. “I want to commend the Pelham Police Department, and thank those officers for their commitment to making their hometown a safer place for people to live and work.”
The case was investigated by the Pelham Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Leah McEwen prosecuted the case for the Government. Questions can be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603 or Melissa Hodges, Public Affairs Director (Contractor), United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 765-2362.
Congolese National with Rape Conviction from the UK Pleads Guilty to Asylum Fraud OffenseRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that PATRICK NDAYA KATAMBWA, also known as KASEBA KATAMBWA, 50, pleaded guilty today in Hartford federal court to one count of making a false statement in an immigration document.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Katambwa was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (“DRC”). Between approximately 1996 and November 2017, Katambwa resided in the United Kingdom under the assumed identity of Kaseba Katambwa. While in the U.K. using his assumed identity, Katambwa was arrested, prosecuted, convicted and incarcerated for rape, entering into an arrangement to facilitate the acquisition or use of criminal property, and dishonestly retaining a wrongful credit.
In April 2018, Katambwa stated in a U.S. asylum application that his name was “Patrick Ndaya Katambwa,” “Katambwa Patrick Ndaya,” and “Patrick Katambwa Ndaya”; that he had resided in the DRC from February 1969 to January 2018; and that he had been arrested, convicted and sentenced, or imprisoned solely in the DRC, and not in any country other than the U.S.
Katambwa, who most recently resided in Bridgeport, has been detained since his arrest on a federal criminal complaint on February 1, 2019.
Katambwa is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny on September 18, 2019, at which he faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.
This matter is being investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS). The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Chen.
U.S. Attorney Durham thanked the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs for its assistance in this matter.
Columbus men admit to roles in cocaine and heroin distribution operationRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Two men have admitted to their roles in a cocaine and heroin distribution operation, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Michael L. Forrest, Jr., also known as “Flip,” of Columbus, Ohio, pled guilty to one count of “Aiding and Abetting the Distribution of Cocaine Base within 1,000 feet of a Protected Location.” Forrest, age 28, admitted to selling cocaine near the Pulaski Playground in Ohio County in August 2018.
Brandon Suel, of Columbus, Ohio, pled guilty to one count of “Aiding and Abetting the Distribution of Cocaine Base within 1,000 feet of a Protected Location.” Suel, age 31, admitted to selling cocaine near Jensen Playground on Wheeling Island in May 2018.
Forrest and Suel are each facing no less than one and up to 40 years incarceration and a fine of up to $2,000,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen L. Vogrin is prosecuting the cases on behalf of the government. The investigation was led by the Ohio County Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative. The task force is comprised of the Drug Enforcement Administration, West Virginia State Police, the Ohio County Sheriff’s Office, and the Wheeling Police Department. Those assisting in the arrests are the United States Marshal Service; Marshall County Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; the Hancock-Brooke-Weirton Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; the Martins Ferry, Ohio Police Department; and the Columbus, Ohio Police Department.
U.S. Magistrate Judge James P. Mazzone presided.
Chamberlain Man Indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Chamberlain, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance.
Philip Battese, a/k/a Philip Anthony Battese, Jr., age 37, was indicted on April 9, 2019. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on June 3, 2019, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to life in prison and/or a $10,000,000 fine, a lifetime of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that beginning no later than on or about January 1, 2016, and continuing to April 9, 2019, in South Dakota, Battese knowingly and intentionally, combined, conspired, confederated, and agreed with others to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
The charge is merely an accusation and Battese is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan N. Dilges is prosecuting the case.
Battese was released on bond pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
Casey Hannah Howen Sentenced to Serve 14 Years in Prison for Conspiring to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Greeneville, Tenn. – Casey Hannah Howren, 27, of Elizabethton, Tennessee, was sentenced on July 8, 2019, by the Honorable J. Ronnie Greer, Senior U.S. District Court Judge, to serve 14 years in federal prison. Federal sentences cannot be considered for parole.
Howren pleaded guilty in December 2018 for conspiring with Pedro Cortez Gomez and Kayla Leanne Reaves to distribute over 50 grams of methamphetamine.
Pedro Cortez-Gomez, 36, of Greeneville, Tennessee, a citizen of Mexico, was sentenced on April 29, 2019, by Judge Greer to serve 15 years in federal prison.
Kayla Leanne Reaves, 25, of Afton, Tennessee, was sentenced by Judge Greer on April 22, 2019, to serve 41 months in prison.
Agencies involved in this investigation included the Third Judicial District Drug Task Force, Greene County Sheriff’s Department, Carter County Sheriff’s Department, Johnson City Police Department, FBI, ATF and DEA. J. Christian Lampe and Robert M. Reeves, Assistant U.S. Attorneys, represented the United States in court proceedings.
This case was a result of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s drug supply reduction strategy. OCDETF was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multi-level attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. Today, OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s drug supply.
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Bucks County Ambulance Companies and their Owners Agree to $450K+ Judgment for Defrauding MedicareRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney William M. McSwain announced that ambulance companies Unicare Ambulance LLC and PA Paramedics LLC, d/b/a EasternCare Ambulance based in Bensalem, PA, their owners, Damon Wade, and Wade’s ex-wife, Amy Wade, also of Bensalem, have agreed to a judgment against them jointly and severally in the amount of $459,907.42 to resolve allegations made by the United States that they made repeated false statements to state and federal officials. As part of the settlement, each defendant has also agreed to a term of exclusion of not less than five years from all federal health care programs.
According to the allegations in the complaint filed in U.S. District Court, the defendants individually or collectively made repeated false statements, from September 2015 through August 2016, in order to avoid overpayment debts to the United States’ Medicare program and to hide the fact that Damon Wade’s state paramedic license had previously been suspended because he had admitted to forging a physician’s signature. When the Pennsylvania Department of Health eventually learned the truth, it immediately revoked Unicare’s ambulance license. Despite this revocation, Unicare continued to provide and bill Medicare for ambulance services, continued to make false statements about its ownership to state and federal authorities, and kept its fraudulently-obtained reimbursement funds.
The suspicious activity at Unicare and PA Paramedics was detected initially by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, its local Medicare Administrative Contractor (Novitas Solutions, Inc.), and the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of the General Counsel. In early 2018, the CMS Center for Program Integrity revoked Unicare’s Medicare enrollment for three years for this abusive and fraudulent conduct, and suspended all pending pre-revocation Medicare payments to Unicare.
“Ownership disclosure and licensing requirements ensure that healthcare in Pennsylvania is provided by qualified, competent, and trustworthy professionals,” said U.S. Attorney McSwain. “Attempts to undermine or defraud those systems put Pennsylvanians at risk and allow sleazy operators to continue providing services under new corporate identities. This settlement is the latest example of my Office’s commitment to using all of our enforcement tools to ensure that healthcare providers are legitimate and that any debts that they incur to American taxpayers are paid.”
“Medicare providers and suppliers cannot avoid repaying their overpayment debts by submitting false and misleading information in an attempt to mask their true identity,” said Alec Alexander, Deputy Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and Director for its Center for Program Integrity. “As this case shows, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services uses its regulatory authorities and works closely with our partners, including the Department of Justice and the Office of Inspector General, to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse from the Medicare and Medicaid programs.”
“Health companies that deceive regulators and taxpayers, as contended by the government in this case, cannot be tolerated,” said Maureen R. Dixon, Special Agent in Charge for the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “Accordingly, the defendants have been barred from participating in all federal health programs for at least five years.”
This investigation was conducted with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of General Counsel. For the United States Attorney’s Office, Assistant United States Attorneys Paul W. Kaufman and Matthew E. K. Howatt and auditor Denis Cooke handled the investigation and settlement.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only; there has been no determination of liability.
Bridgeport Woman Admits to Credit Card Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Joseph W. Cronin, Inspector in Charge of the Boston Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, announced that LATRICE M. COLVIN, 32, of Bridgeport, waived her right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton in New Haven to one count of mail fraud related to a credit card fraud scheme.
According to court documents and statements made in court, between September 2015 and July 2017, Colvin used the internet, including the dark web, to obtain the personal identifying info of numerous victims. She then contacted credit card companies and used the victims’ information to change the mailing address on certain accounts to her own address, and also to apply for and obtain fraudulent credit cards in the names of victims. After fraudulently obtained cards were mailed to her residence, she used them and to buy merchandise in person and online, and to obtain cash advances at ATMs.
Through this scheme, Colvin defrauded 37 victims of a total of $24,796.
Judge Arterton scheduled sentencing for December 5, 2019, at which time Colvin faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 30 years.
Colvin is released on a $25,000 bond pending sentencing.
This matter is being investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Deborah R. Slater.
Bergen County, New Jersey, Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Distributing Images of Child Sexual AbuseRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Bergen County, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 60 months in prison for distributing images of child sexual abuse, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Barry Goldstein, 46, of Bergenfield, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo to an information charging him with one count of distribution of images of child sexual abuse. Judge Arleo imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From May 2018 through August 2018, an undercover law enforcement officer (the “UC”) communicated over an instant messaging mobile application (the “IM App”) with Goldstein. The IM App allows users to transmit and receive content after users register a username. Goldstein maintained an account on the IM App, which was accessed from Internet Protocol addresses associated with Goldstein’s home.
In May and June 2018, after engaging in explicit conversations with the UC regarding the sexual abuse of children, Goldstein used his account on the IM App to share with the UC multiple files depicting child sexual abuse. On Aug. 29, 2018, law enforcement officers searched Goldstein’s residence, interviewed Goldstein and arrested him.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Arleo sentenced Goldstein to 15 years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Brian Michael, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.
The government is represented by Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney Zach Intrater of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Newark.
Baker City, Oregon Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Attempted Travel with Intent to Engage in Illicit Sexual ConductRead the Press Release
BOISE – Shawn Thomas Conaway, 45, of Baker City, Oregon, was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court to 60 months in federal prison for attempted travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced. U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill ordered that Conaway be placed on supervised release for five years following his prison sentence. Conaway pleaded guilty on March 5, 2019.
According to court records, on November 3, 2018, a detective with the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force posted an advertisement on Craigslist indicating a man and a woman had an interest in a sexual encounter in exchange for drugs. Conaway responded to the advertisement and communicated with the detective. The detective posed as a 19-year-old male, and as the male’s 15-year-old girlfriend. Conaway proposed having sexual contact with the 15-year-old, and offered to bring “weed and ADHD stuff” for the minor to use.
Conaway drove from Baker City to a specified location in Caldwell, Idaho, to meet the minor. Officers arrested Conaway and discovered a bag of marijuana and a prescription bottle containing amphetamine/dextroamphetamine. Conaway admitted traveling across the Oregon/Idaho border in an attempt to meet and have sexual contact with the 15-year-old in exchange for marijuana and ADHD medication.
At sentencing, Judge Winmill also ordered Conaway to forfeit the cellular phone he used in the commission of the offense. As a result of his conviction, Conaway will be required to register as a sex offender.
The investigation was part of “Operation Grand Canyon,” a joint state and federal undercover operation conducted in Canyon County, Idaho in November of 2018 to identify individuals predisposed to meet minors for sexual contact. Participating agencies included U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Idaho ICAC Task Force, the United States Marshal’s Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Canyon County Sheriff’s Office, the Caldwell Police Department, the Idaho State Police, the Ada County Sheriff’s Office, the Idaho Attorney General’s Office Special Investigation Unit, the Idaho Criminal Intelligence Center, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Canyon County Prosecutor’s Office, and the United States Attorney’s Office.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. As part of Project Safe Childhood, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho and the Idaho Attorney General’s Office partner to marshal federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
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