Latest Records
Newest first across public DOJ and U.S. Attorney press releases.
26 July 2019
Two McAlester Individuals Indicted for Drug Conspiracy, Heroin Distribution Resulting in DeathRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that McAlester, Oklahoma, residents Callie Marie Woolsey, age 31, and Darron Ray Aldridge, age 41, were each Indicted for Drug Conspiracy Resulting In Death, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C), and for Distribution And Use Of Heroin Resulting In Death, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C) and Title 18, United States Code, Section 2.
The Indictment alleges that beginning on or about December 16, 2018 and continuing until on or about December 17, 2018, Callie Marie Woolsey and Darron Ray Aldridge knowingly and intentionally conspired together to knowingly and intentionally distribute heroin, a Schedule I controlled substance. The Indictment also alleges the defendants knowingly and intentionally distributed heroin, and serious bodily injury to and the death of A.B. resulted from use of the heroin.
The McAlester Police Department, the Pittsburg County Sheriff’s Office, the District 18 Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force, and the Drug Enforcement Administration each participated in the investigation that lead to the Indictment. Assistant United States Attorney Sarah McAmis represents the United States.
The above named individuals have been charged with a federal crime or crimes by the return of an indictment by the Grand Jury. A grand jury Indictment does not constitute evidence of guilt. A grand jury Indictment is a method of bringing formal charges against the defendant. A defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and may not be found guilty unless evidence establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. United States Sentencing Guidelines may be considered, upon conviction, by the sentencing court. Federal prison sentences are non-parolable.
Two Eastern Kentucky Counties Agree to Settle Overpayment Liability for Ambulance ClaimsRead the Press Release
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Two Eastern Kentucky counties have agreed to pay a total of $130,393 to the United States, resolving assertions that the submission of their claims to Medicare for non-emergency ambulance transports that did not meet Medicare’s reimbursement criteria.
Medicare pays for scheduled non-emergency ambulance transports only if the patient’s condition is such that taking other forms of transport would endanger the patient’s health and a physician provides a written order certifying that condition (known as “physician certification statements”).
Gallatin County Fiscal Court has agreed to pay $100,000 to the federal government to resolve claims that it routinely transported a Medicare beneficiary to and from dialysis, without medical need and without a physician certification statement, from January 1, 2013 to November 30, 2016. In addition to the monetary payment, Gallatin County also agreed to provide to all of its ambulance employees training on Medicare’s coverage requirements, including medical necessity and physician certification requirements.
Wayne County Fiscal Court has agreed to pay $30,393 to the federal government for the transport of a Medicare beneficiary to and from dialysis, without a proper physician certification statement, from September 1, 2013 to November 30, 2013. Wayne County self-disclosed the overpayments arising from the invalid certification statement and fully cooperated with the United States’ investigation. As part of the settlement agreement, Wayne County has agreed to provide training to other county ambulance services on what it has learned about medical necessity and physician certification requirements.
“When the Medicare Program pays for services that have not been properly justified, it deprives the program of precious resources to meet the needs of its beneficiaries,” said Robert M. Duncan, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky. “Non-emergency ambulance transports to and from dialysis can be as frequent as several times a week and represent a significant cost to the Program. Because these services represent significant taxpayer expenses, it is critical that ambulance providers understand and comply with Medicare’s rules on medical necessity. A physician certification statement is not merely a technical requirement, but ensures that Medicare is only reimbursing these services for patients who truly need it. We appreciate Wayne County for self-disclosing and are glad both counties are willing to educate themselves and others on these rules.”
The Gallatin County case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorneys Christine Corndorf, Jennifer Williams, and Mary Melton represented the United States in these matters.
The United States Concludes Prosecution of the Ñeta Prison GangRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, P.R. – Yesterday, the United States successfully concluded its third trial against the top leaders and enforcers of La Asociación ÑETA prison gang in Puerto Rico. The three RICO trials resulted in the conviction of 14 ÑETA members to include the organization’s supreme leader and his main lieutenants and assassins. In total, the prosecution of La Asociación ÑETA resulted in the conviction of over 40 of the gang’s most important members.
The United States’ prosecution of La Asociación ÑETA began in the year 2016 when a federal grand jury issued an indictment charging over 40 members of this group for conspiring to violate the RICO Act, drug trafficking, and murder in aid of racketeering. La Asociación ÑETA was a criminal organization that engaged in drug trafficking and murder in the prisons of the Puerto Rico Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (“PRDCR”). The main purpose of the organization was to make money. Originally, inmates formed La Asociación ÑETA as a means to advocate for the rights of inmates of the PRDCR. The enterprise, however, evolved into a criminal organization that engaged in drug trafficking and murder within the prisons of the PRDCR.
The enterprise made money from introducing and distributing multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine, marijuana, and heroin into the PRDCR prisons for profit and engaging in murders for hire. They introduced drugs into the prisons with the help of corrupt PRDCR correctional officers, civilians that worked inside of the prison system, people who visited inmates, and persons that from outside the prisons, threw drugs into the facilities (known as “pitcheos”), which were caught by members of the enterprise. In addition, members of the enterprise and their associates introduced cellular telephones into the prisons and charged a fee to other inmates for using the same. Members of the enterprise would use cellular phones to engage in drug trafficking and murder. Specifically, people outside of prison hired La Asociación ÑETA to kill persons who were incarcerated in the prisons of the PRDCR. Murders perpetrated by the organization included that of Mario Montañez-Gómez, a.k.a. “Emme” on August 27, 2014, and Alexis Rodríguez-Rodríguez, a.k.a. “Alexis El Loco” on November 6, 2014.
The convicted defendants included the leadership of the enterprise, its drug trafficking network, corrupt PRDCR correctional officers, and the members that perpetrated murder in furtherance of the enterprise. The ÑETA prosecution disrupted and decimated the gang. As a result, the United States helped clean up the PRDCR by ridding it of corrupt officials and holding accountable those responsible for introducing drugs and murdering others in prison for profit.
“I want to acknowledge the dedication and commitment of the Assistant US Attorneys and support staff who worked so hard in the investigation and prosecution of this violent gang, the FBI, and the Department of Corrections agents and officials who participated in this substantial investigation which after three years resulted in today’s convictions,” said Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez, U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. “The success of this operation shows the continued teamwork of federal law enforcement and our state and local partners to reduce gang violence inside the prisons in Puerto Rico.”
“This prison cartel, which specialized in murder, assault, and drug trafficking, was as dangerous, and as sophisticated, as any organized crime network in modern history. Today’s verdicts represent a major milestone in federal law enforcement’s ability to investigate and prosecute violent crime, regardless of where it takes place,” said Douglas A. Leff, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI, San Juan Field Office.
Assistant United States Attorney Victor O. Acevedo-Hernández led the prosecution of this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Alexander Alum and Scott Anderson were co-counsel at trial. The Federal Bureau of Investigation worked with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico in the investigation.
As a result of the ÑETA prosecution the following defendants are serving sentences that go up to life imprisonment: Fernando García-Marquez, a.k.a. “Fernan Sandwich/Emparedado/ Fernan/Carlos Vega;” Cynthia González-Landrau, a.k.a. “La Cana/La Princesa/La Presidenta;” Rolando Millán-Machuca, a.k.a. “Rolo;” Miguel Rivera-Calcaño, a.k.a. “Guelo/ Kikirimiau;” Roberto Casado-Berríos, a.k.a. “Bobe/Bobel;” Iván Ayala-Hernández, a.k.a. “Bambani/Bambo;” Giordano Santana-Meléndez, a.k.a. “Viejo Ten;” Carlos Báez-Figueroa, a.k.a. “Carlitos Guaynabo;” José Trinidad-Jorge, a.k.a. “Trini;” Ángel Bermúdez-Cartagena, a.k.a. “Apache/El Doctor;” José Cintrón-Mojica, a.k.a. “Jowito;” Victor Solano-Moreta, a.k.a. “Caballo;” José Castoire-Sánchez; Luis Ayuso-Walker, a.k.a. “Buringo;” Juan Lozada-Delgado, a.k.a. “Chino San Lorenzo;” Billy Andino-De Jesús, a.k.a. “Billy Cupey/Billy El Calvo;” Luis Rojas-Llanos, a.k.a. “Cachorro/Kchorro;” George Torres-Rodríguez, a.k.a. “Gordo Comerio;” José L. Nieves-Torres; Orlando Ruiz-Acevedo, a.k.a. “Gordo Ponce;” Raul D. Rosario-Maldonado, a.k.a. “Davi/Davo;” Juan R. Cruz-Santana, a.k.a. “Roldán;” José Marrero-Figueroa, a.k.a. “Tito San José;” Ramón Morales-Sáez, a.k.a. “Moncho/Monchi;” Carlos Santiago-Rivera, a.k.a. “Black/Blacky/El Negro;” José Díaz-López, a.k.a. “Culo De Pollo;” Jesús P. O’neill-Gómez, a.k.a. “Pastor;” Ángel I. Díaz-Santiago; and Pedro Fontanez-Pérez.
The following defendants were likewise convicted and are awaiting their sentence: Avelino Millán-Machuca, a.k.a. “Papito Machuca/El Fuerte/Viejo/Gordo;” Aníbal Miranda-Montañez, a.k.a. “Jowy;” Freddie Sánchez-Martínez, a.k.a. “Casco;” Ángel Cruz-Barrientos, a.k.a. “Diego/Cloche;” Alex Miguel Cruz-Santos, a.k.a. “Alex Cuquito;” José J. Folch-Colón, a.k.a. “Joel Folch/Gordo Folch;” Juan J. Claudio-Morales, a.k.a. “Claudio Canales/Claudio El Gordo;” Eduardo Rosario-Orangel, a.k.a. “Barba/Cholón;” Luis H. Quiñonez-Santiago, a.k.a. “Hiram;” Augusto Christopher-Lind, a.k.a. “Bengie Loiza;” Luis D. Ramos-Báez, a.k.a. “Danny Power;” David González-De León, a.k.a. “Bebe Cupey;” Osvaldo Torres-Santiago, a.k.a. “Bombilla/Baldo/Baldito;” José Velázquez-Maldonado, a.k.a. “Batata;” Roberto Martínez-Rivera, a.k.a. “Matatan;” José Sánchez-Laureano, a.k.a. “Veterano;” José González-Gerena, a.k.a. “Perpetua;” Andrés Del Valle-Ortega, a.k.a. “Randy/Andy Caimito;” and José R. Andino-Morales, a.k.a. “Gladiola.”
Texas Man Convicted of Multiple Federal Criminal Charges for Orchestrating Phishing Attack on Los Angeles County Superior CourtRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A suburban Houston resident has been found guilty by a jury of 27 federal criminal charges for hacking into the Los Angeles Superior Court computer system and then using it to send approximately 2 million malicious phishing emails.
Oriyomi Sadiq Aloba, 33, of Katy, Texas, was found guilty late Thursday afternoon after a three-day trial. The jury found Aloba guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, 15 counts of wire fraud, one count of attempted wire fraud, one count of unauthorized impairment of a protected computer, five counts of unauthorized access to a protected computer to obtain information, and four counts of aggravated identity theft. Aloba was taken into federal custody immediately after the verdict was read.
According to the evidence presented at trial, in July 2017, Aloba and his co-conspirators targeted the Los Angeles Superior Court for a phishing attack. During the attack, one court employee’s email account was compromised and sent an email – without her authorization – to co-workers purporting to be from the file hosting service Dropbox. In fact, it was a phishing email that contained a link to a phishing website that asked for the users’ Superior Court email addresses and passwords, court papers state. Thousands of court employees received the Dropbox email and hundreds disclosed their email credentials to the attacker. Multiple court employees’ emails then were used by the attacker to send out millions of phishing emails.
These additional phishing emails purported to be communications from American Express, Wells Fargo, and other companies, and led victims to a webpage that asked for their banking login credentials, personal identifying information, and credit card information. The link for the fake American Express website used source code that designated Aloba’s email account as the delivery address for the information that the victims input into the website, according to court documents.
Investigators executed a search warrant at Aloba’s residence in Texas, which revealed a thumb drive in a toilet, a damaged iPhone in a bathroom sink, and – in the closet of a spare bedroom – a laptop computer with a smashed screen that was smeared with fresh blood. Nearby, agents found a broken mug, which apparently was used to smash the laptop computer. At the time of his arrest, Aloba had blood on his hands and agents saw him picking something out of his hands.
During the search, agents retrieved from the thumb drive and bloody laptop dozens of phishing kits, which is software designed to facilitate a phishing attack, including the American Express phishing kit used in the court attack.
As a result of the phishing attack, the court suffered monetary losses, including more than $45,000 in employee time paid to respond to the attack that would have otherwise been spent on ordinary work activities. Additionally, there were more than $15,000 in combined actual and intended losses to credit card victims, according to court documents.
United States District Judge R. Gary Klausner has scheduled a sentencing hearing for October 21, where Aloba will face a statutory maximum sentence of more than 350 years in federal prison.
Aloba was initially charged by the Los Angeles County District Attorney, but the matter was referred to the United States Attorney’s Office for federal prosecution.
A co-defendant, Robert Charles Nicholson, 28, of Brooklyn, New York, pleaded guilty last month to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for September 30. Aloba’s other three co-defendants remain at large outside the United States.
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Robyn K. Bacon and Ryan White of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section.
Suspect in Gun Store Burglaries in Two Different Counties Charged in Federal CourtRead the Press Release
A 38-year-old man was charged today in U.S. District Court in Seattle with two counts of theft from a federal firearms licensee in connection with gun store burglaries in Clallam and Skagit Counties, announced U.S. Attorney Brian T. Moran. JOEY A. MAILLET will make his initial appearance on the complaint at 2:00 today. MAILLET has been held on local burglary charges since May 10, 2019, when he was arrested by Ferndale Police. MAILLET was transferred to federal custody from Clallam County.
According to records filed in the case, forensic evidence and surveillance video link MAILLET to the April 13, 2019, burglary of Fred’s Guns in Sequim, Washington. In that case, the suspect used a backhoe to ram the doors of the store and then broke glass display cases to steal 26 firearms. While the Sequim burglary was still under investigation, there was a second gun store burglary on May 3, 2019, at All American Armory in Bow, Washington. In that case, surveillance showed the suspect used a stolen pick-up truck to back into the doors of the store, shattering them. The suspect then used a garbage can to load up 13 rifles from the store and drove away with them in the stolen pick-up.
The pick-up truck was ultimately found abandoned in Birch Bay State Park in Whatcom County, Washington. Shattered glass was in the truck bed, as well as a stolen boat motor and battery. The truck was reported stolen from an agricultural operation not far from the Bow gun store, and the boat motor and battery were reported stolen by a resident of Ferndale, Washington.
On May 10, 2019, a Ferndale Police Officer encountered MAILLET and arrested him on an outstanding warrant for an Everett, Washington, burglary. After obtaining a court-authorized search warrant, investigators determined items in MAILLET’s backpack linked him to the thefts at the Bow gun store.
MAILLET was held on state charges in Clallam County in connection with the Fred’s Guns burglary. Those charges were dismissed earlier this week in favor of federal prosecution.
Only one of the stolen firearms has been recovered.
The charges contained in the criminal complaint are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Theft from a federal firearms licensee is punishable by up to ten years in prison.
The case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), with assistance from the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office, Sequim Police Department, Washington State Patrol, Skagit County Sheriff’s Office, Ferndale Police Department, and Washington State Parks Rangers.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Erin H. Becker with assistance from Clallam County Deputy Prosecutor Jesse Espinoza.
maillet_complaint.pdfSt. Croix ManWho Escaped from Golden Grove and Was Found in Guayanilla, Puerto Rico Sentenced for Escape from CustodyRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI – Nathaniel Thomas, Jr., 30 of St. Croix, was sentenced Friday for escape from custody, United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced.
Chief District Court Judge Wilma A. Lewis sentenced Thomas to 28 months of imprisonment consecutive to the federal sentence he is currently serving, and three years of supervised release. Judge Lewis also ordered him to pay a $100 special assessment.
On March 19, 2019, Thomas pleaded guilty to escape from custody. According to the plea agreement filed in court, on March 13, 2018, the defendant was convicted in March of 2018 of federal and local criminal charges, including felon in possession of a firearm; unauthorized possession of a firearm; and reckless endangerment in the first degree in the District Court of the Virgin Islands, St. Croix Division. Upon his conviction, the District Court Judge remanded the defendant into custody pending sentencing.
The U.S. Marshal Service transported the defendant to the Golden Grove Adult Correctional Facility on St. Croix, where federal prisoners are detained pursuant to an agreement with the Attorney General of the United States. On March 15, 2018, two days after being convicted by a federal jury, the defendant escaped from the Golden Grove facility. Following an extensive manhunt by federal and territorial law enforcement, Thomas was located in Guayanilla, PR on April 7, 2018 and taken into custody.
This case was investigated by the United States Marshal Service. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rhonda Williams-Henry.
St. Augustine Man Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Entice and Meet Two Young Children to Engage in Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – Brian Ray Dunlap (67, St. Augustine) has pleaded guilty to attempting to entice two young children to engage in illegal sexual activity. Dunlap faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years, and up to life, in federal prison, and a potential life term of supervised release. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to court documents, on October 6, 2018, a detective with the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, who was posing online as a custodial family member of two children (ages 9 and 12), received an email message from Dunlap, who identified himself as “Brian.” Between October 6, 2018 and October 9, 2018, Dunlap and the undercover detective exchanged emails and text messages about Dunlap’s desire to meet the “children” to engage in sexual activity with them. Dunlap advised that he was an amateur photographer and that he wanted to “[t]ake their pictures naked” and perform oral sex on them. Dunlap further provided the undercover detective with graphic details about the sexual acts that he wished to perform on the two “children,” and offered to pay the undercover detective $200 for sex with them and pornographic pictures of the “children.”
On October 9, 2018, Dunlap traveled to a prearranged location in St. Johns County to meet the undercover detective and the two “children.” Upon his arrival, he was arrested. During an interview, Dunlap admitted that he had responded to the online notice posted by the undercover detective, had engaged in online conversation with that person, and that he had traveled to the particular location to meet that person and the two “children.”
This case was investigated by the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (Jacksonville Office). It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please
visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Rochester Man Pleads Guilty to Two Armed RobberiesRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Malik Lott, 25, of Rochester, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford to two counts of Hobbs Act Robbery. The charges each carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean C. Eldridge, who is handling the case, stated that in the early morning hours of December 28, 2018, Lott went to the McDonald’s restaurant on East Avenue in Rochester with co-defendants Lavon Wims and Juwan Baldwin. Lott and Wims entered the restaurant, and Wims held a knife to the throat of an employee. Wims then dragged the employee to the cash register—and then to the safe—and demanded money. At the same time, Lott displayed what appeared to be a handgun to another McDonald’s employee. Wims and Lott then fled the McDonald’s with the stolen cash.
On January 23, 2019, Lott went to Jordy’s Spirits on Dewey Avenue in Rochester with co-defendants Lavon Wims and Kayla Dade. Lott and Wims entered the store, and Wims pointed what appeared to be a gun at the store employee, and demanded money. Lott waited by the front door of the store, and after Wims told the employee to give them money, Lott then assisted Wims in removing cash from the register drawer. Wims and Lott then fled the store with the stolen cash.
Charges remain pending against co-defendants Baldwin, Wims, and Dade. The fact that defendants have been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Violent Crimes Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Gary Loeffert; the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Eric Laughton; and the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief La’Ron Singletary.
Sentencing is scheduled for October 28, 2019, at 3:30 p.m. before Judge Wolford.
# # # #
Rochester Man Pleads Guilty in Gun Store BurglaryRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Luis D. Marcano-Agosto, 34, of Rochester, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford to theft of firearms from a Federal Firearms Licensee and possession of firearms by a convicted felon. The charges each carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brett A. Harvey, who is handling the case, stated that Marcano-Agosto, along with co-defendants Dakota Sarfaty and Marcos D. Guzman, broke into Chinappi’s Firearms & Supplies, a gun store located at 5016 West Ridge Road in Spencerport, NY, in the early morning hours of August 16, 2018. Sarfaty entered the basement through the hole in the wall and, together with Marcano-Agosto and Guzman, stole approximately 87 firearms, almost all of which were handguns. Thereafter, Guzman, Sarfaty and Marcano-Agosto sold many of the firearms on the streets of Rochester. Investigators recovered 14 of the stolen firearms the day after the theft.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge John B. Devito, New York Field Division; the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Todd Baxter; and the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief La’Ron Singletary.
Sentencing is scheduled for October 28, 2019, at 4:00 p.m. before Judge Wolford.
# # # #
Repeat offender sentenced to prison for second federal firearm convictionRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Mark Antonio Sanders has been sentenced for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Sanders has previous felony convictions related to multiple Atlanta shootings, including a 2004 federal conviction for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
“Repeat offenders in possession of a firearm pose one of the most serious threats to public safety in our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “Sanders’ history of armed violence demonstrates his lack of concern for the welfare of others and his disregard for the law.”
“This case involves the illegally possessed firearm in the hands of a criminal,” said ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Beau Kolodka. “It demonstrates the cooperation that exists between the Atlanta Police Department and ATF.”
“We appreciate the U.S. Attorney’s Office commitment to ensuring these armed felons serve meaningful prison sentences,” said Chief Erika Shields. “We see, all too often, the havoc that the proliferation and use of guns by criminals causes on our streets.”
According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: On May 6, 2017, Atlanta Police Department officers responded to gunfire on the porch of a residence in Atlanta. The victim notified police that an unknown man, later identified as Sanders, struck him on the side of his face with a firearm and then shot him through the top of his foot. On May 30, 2017, officers spotted Sanders a few blocks from the scene of the shooting. Sanders then led police on a foot chase during which he briefly crouched behind the “Welcome to East Atlanta” sign. Once Sanders was detained, officers searched behind the sign and located a loaded Jiminez Arms 9mm pistol with a scratched off serial number.
Mark Antonio Sanders, 50, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced to seven years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release as a result of a guilty plea on April 30, 2019.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Atlanta Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Irina Dutcher prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as a part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). In keeping with the Attorney General’s mission to reduce violent crime, the Northern District of Georgia’s PSN program focuses on prosecuting those individuals who most significantly drive violence in our communities, and supports and fosters partnerships between law enforcement and schools, the faith community, and local community leaders to prevent and deter future criminal conduct.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
President of Labor Union Arrested for Demanding and Accepting BribesRead the Press Release
Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Michael C. Mikulka, Special Agent-in-Charge, New York Region, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General (“DOL-OIG”), Darren Cohen, New York Regional Director, U.S. Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration (“DOL-EBSA”), and William F. Sweeney Jr., the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced that GLENN BLICHT, who currently serves as the president of a labor union (the “Union”), was arrested today for honest services fraud and a violation of the Taft-Hartley Act for demanding and accepting at least $150,000 in bribe payments from an employer (the “Employer”). BLICHT will be presented today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Stewart D. Aaron.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “As alleged, Glenn Blicht abused his position as the president of a labor union to line his own pockets. He allegedly demanded and received bribes and, in return, he did not fight for his union members – the hard-working individuals whose interests he was duty-bound to protect. Together with our law enforcement partners, this Office is committed to rooting out corruption in union leadership.”
DOL-OIG New York Region Special Agent-in-Charge Michael C. Mikulka said: “Labor racketeering investigations that involve bribing union officials are an important part of the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General’s mission. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to vigorously investigate all types of labor racketeering allegations.”
FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William F. Sweeney Jr. said: “Criminals are asked to do things all the time for money, but sometimes they’re asked not to do things for money. Glenn Blicht was supposed to be representing the best interests of hundreds of people who had faith in the fact that he was helping them, but he allegedly decided to help himself to bribes the other side was offering him. It’s often hard to see what’s actually going on just under the surface, but as the FBI, we have the ability to dig into criminal behavior and expose fraudsters for what they truly are.”
According to the allegations contained in the Complaint against GLENN BLICHT[1]:
From 2009 through the present, BLICHT served as an officer of the Union, including as its president for many years. In that role, BLICHT had a duty to act in the best interests of the Union and its members, including by avoiding personal financial conflicts of interest with the Union. Nevertheless, BLICHT demanded and received cash payments from the Employer, which employed a number of members of the Union. In exchange for these bribes, BLICHT declined to file arbitration claims on behalf of Union members. In total, BLICHT received at least approximately $150,000 in bribes from the Employer over approximately 10 years.
In communications, a number of which were recorded, BLICHT repeatedly referred to the bribe payments as “tickets,” in which each ticket equaled a $1,000 bribe. BLICHT instructed an official of the Employer (the “Official”) as to the number of “tickets” to pay BLICHT each time. Indeed, during the past year, the Official met with BLICHT several times and paid him bribes on approximately three occasions, at the direction of law enforcement. Each of these meetings was recorded.
* * *
BLICHT, 57, of Wilton, Connecticut, is charged with one count of honest services fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and one count of demanding or receiving prohibited payments as a labor union official, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. The statutory maximum sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Berman praised the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Division, DOL-OIG, IRS-CI, FBI, and DOL-EBSA for their outstanding work on the investigation. He added that the investigation is continuing.
This matter is being handled by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Michael D. Neff and Andrew D. Beaty are in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the description of the Complaint set forth below constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Pittsfield Man Sentenced for Failing to Register as A Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Pittsfield man was sentenced in federal court in Springfield yesterday for failing to register as a sex offender.
Anthony Robertson, 37, was sentenced to two years in prison and eight years of supervised release. In May 2019, Robertson pleaded guilty to one count of failure to register as a sex offender. Robertson was arrested and charged in February 2018 and has been in custody since.
In 2001, Robertson was convicted of second degree rape, and in 2006, he was convicted of third degree rape. As a result, Robertson is required to register as a sex offender and has received many notices of his obligation to register. In 2014, he was convicted in a New York state court of failure to register as a sex offender. In approximately May 2017, Robertson traveled from New York to Pittsfield, where he established residence. In June 2017, Robertson was told by a New York detective that he was wanted for failing to register as a sex offender in New York, and was told to turn himself in. Robertson neither turned himself in, nor did he register as a sex offender in Massachusetts until after he was arrested on Aug. 25, 2017, on unrelated drug and firearm charges.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and John Gibbons, United States Marshal for the District of Massachusetts, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex J. Grant of Lelling’s Springfield Branch Office prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Pittsburgh Woman Sentenced for Attempted Distribution of HeroinRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A resident of Pittsburgh, PA, has been sentenced in federal court to three years’ probation on her conviction of attempted distribution of heroin, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
United States District Judge Nora Barry Fischer imposed the sentence on Ada Johnson, age 33, of Pittsburgh, PA.
According to information presented to the court, In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that Ada Johnson was indicted in connection with a DEA wiretap investigation. The intercepted wiretap communications revealed that in June 2016, Johnson traveled to Mechanicsburg, PA to meet with a heroin supplier to attempt to bring nearly 400 bricks of heroin back to Pittsburgh for distribution of the heroin by members of the conspiracy.
Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Fischer stated that the sentence was sufficient but not greater than necessary to achieve the goals of sentencing.
Assistant United States Attorney Tonya Sulia Goodman prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
The investigation was funded by the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Program (OCDETF). The OCDETF program supplies critical federal funding and coordination that allows federal and state agencies to work together to successfully identify, investigate, and prosecute major interstate and international drug trafficking organizations and other criminal enterprises. United States Attorney Brady commended the Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, and Pennsylvania State Police for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Johnson.
Pennsylvania Man Sentenced for International Email Impersonation and Fraud ScamRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Pennsylvania man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston in connection with a scam in which he and co-conspirators defrauded victims by pretending to be employees of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Frank Gregory Cedeno, 28, of Mahanoy City, Penn., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Senior Judge George A. O’Toole, Jr. to three years in prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $366,552 in restitution. In December 2018, Cedeno pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
From at least April 2016 through January 2018, Cedeno conspired with others to defraud victims by pretending to be employees of the SEC, demanding money from victims and directing them to send it to members of the conspiracy, including Cedeno, who was then living in Ocoee, Fla. The conspirators who received the money generally withdrew it from bank accounts quickly, then forwarded much of it to individuals in the Dominican Republic. In one common version of the scam, victims received e-mails that used official-seeming documentation and the SEC seal to induce the victim to pay a fee in order to receive a portion of a legal settlement. In another version, victims received e-mails and official-seeming documents labeling the victim a defendant in a civil lawsuit, in which the victim owed tens of thousands of dollars in supposed disgorgement, penalties and fees. The documents gave the victim a choice of either appearing in court to contest the lawsuit or paying a smaller fee.
In August 2018, co-conspirator Leonel Alexis Valerio Santana, 30, of Boston, was sentenced to 63 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution of $105,869 after pleading guilty to his role in the scheme.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Carl W. Hoecker, Inspector General of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Office of Inspector General; and Kristina O’Connell, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian A. Pérez-Daple of Lelling’s Criminal Division prosecuted the case.
Pelham Man Charged with Fraud Schemes Involving the Sale of Fraudulent Surety BondsRead the Press Release
CONCORD - Leo Rush, 77, of Pelham, New Hampshire, has been charged with five counts of mail fraud and five counts of wire fraud, United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced today.
According to an indictment that was unsealed today, Rush managed the business activities of Newport Insurance Company, Inc., which was not licensed to sell insurance in any state. The indictment alleges that Rush sold Newport Insurance surety bonds for construction projects in several different states. The indictment alleges that Rush knew that Newport’s surety bonds were fraudulent and illusory because Newport was not a licensed insurer and it did not have the financial ability to make payments equal to the amount of the bonds.
Rush appeared in federal court today and pleaded not guilty. His trial date has not been set.
The charges in the indictment are only allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case is being investigated by the New Hampshire Insurance Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Kinsella.
###
Owners of Minneapolis Adult Day Care Charged with Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced a federal indictment against FAYSAL SAYID, 40, and MUHUMED ALI, 36, charging them with multiple counts of income tax evasion and with conspiracy to defraud the United States. SAYID and ALI are currently scheduled to make their initial appearances on August 9, 2019, before Magistrate Judge Hildy Bowbeer in U.S. District Court in St. Paul, Minnesota.
According to the indictment, SAYID and ALI co-owned and operated Meisa Group, LLC, which provided adult day care services to individuals enrolled in the Minnesota Medicaid program. Between 2012 and 2014, SAYID and ALI each received more than $1 million from Meisa’s operating accounts and used much of the funds to pay for their own living expenses, including clothing, travel, entertainment, and automobiles. According to the indictment, SAYID and ALI created falsified financial records including profit and loss statements, fabricated invoices, and failed to report or pay individual income taxes on the income.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Criminal Investigation Division of the IRS, and the Civil division of the IRS.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John Kokkinen is prosecuting the case.
Defendant Information:
FAYSAL SAYID, 40
Minneapolis, Minn.
Charges:
- Conspiracy to defraud the united states, 1 count
- Income tax evasion, 3 counts
MUHUMED ALI, 36
Minneapolis, Minn.
Charges:
- Conspiracy to defraud the united states, 1 count
- Income tax evasion, 2 counts
###
Additional news available on our website.
Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota: (612) 664-5600
The charges contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Owner of Lee County Truck Driving School Charged with Bribery and Wire Fraud OffensesRead the Press Release
Montgomery, AL – On Thursday, July 25, 2019, James Welburn, 72, a resident of Columbus, Georgia and the owner of American Truck Driving Academy, located in Lee County, Alabama, was arrested after being indicted by a federal grand jury sitting in Montgomery, Alabama, announced United States Attorney Louis V. Franklin, Sr.
The indictment charges that Welburn paid bribes to a commercial driver’s license (CDL) examiner in exchange for the examiner showing preferential treatment to American Truck Driving Academy students when those students took CDL driving exams. Specifically, Welburn paid the examiner $25 per student tested by the examiner. In exchange for these $20 bribes, the examiner agreed to do things like: (1) test students even though students had not possessed learner’s permits for at least 14 days, as required by federal regulations; (2) test more than five students in a single day, in violation of state law; and (3) refrain from testing students on certain trucking maneuvers if the students were unlikely to be able to perform the maneuvers. Additionally, the examiner agreed to give American Truck Driving Academy students “the benefit of the doubt” on all road tests.
The indictment charges Welburn with conspiracy, bribery, and wire fraud offenses. If convicted of the most serious charges, Welburn faces a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment on each count. He also faces substantial monetary penalties and restitution.
An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case was investigated by the United States Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General with assistance from the Georgia Department of Drivers Services, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the United States Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General, and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Assistant United States Attorneys Jonathan S. Ross and Thomas R. Govan, Jr. are prosecuting the case.
Ohio County man sentenced for firearms chargeRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Xavier C. Coyle, of Wheeling, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 24 months incarceration for a firearms charge, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Coyle, age 29, pled guilty to one count of “Unlawful Possession of a Firearm” in May 2019. Coyle, having previously been convicted of a felony, admitted to having 9mm pistol in December 2019 in Marshall County.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). Project Safe Neighborhoods is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert H. McWilliams, Jr. prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Marshall County Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.
Senior U.S. District Judge Frederick P. Stamp, Jr. presided.
Oakland Resident Pleads Guilty to Conducting Illegal Gambling Business in Sacramento and ElsewhereRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Eran Buhbut, 34, of Oakland, pleaded guilty today to conducting an illegal gambling business, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.
According to court documents, from at least September 2015 through November 2017, Buhbut conducted an illegal gambling business in concert with his co-defendants, as a part of the Gohar organization. In violation of California law, members of the Gohar organization, including Buhbut, installed and maintained video slot machines at businesses open to the public across Northern California. Buhbut and other members of the Gohar organization then split the proceeds from these illegal gambling machines with the owners of the small businesses in which the machines were installed.
According to the plea agreement, evidence seized at Buhbut’s residence included over $28,000 in cash in low dollar amounts consistent with video slot machine collections, 16 motherboards used in such machines, ledgers describing cash “in” and “out” amounts, seven different phones, and a specialized set of security keys consistent with the type of locks found on the Gohar organization’s video slot machines. The gambling business is alleged to have 500 machines across California.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and California Department of Justice – Bureau of Gambling Control. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew M. Yelovich and Miriam R. Hinman are prosecuting the case.
Yaniv Gohar, 36, formerly of Berkeley; and Orel Gohar, 28, formerly of San Francisco, fled the United States upon their release in December 2017. Yaniv Gohar was extradited from Israel and faces additional charges. Orel Gohar remains at large. Anyone with information about his whereabouts should call the Federal Bureau of Investigation at (916) 746-7000. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
May Levy, 28, of Walnut Creek; Atir Dadon, 34, of Sherman Oaks; Bar Shani, 27, of San Francisco; and Adam Atari, 35, of Sherman Oaks, have pleaded guilty. Levy was sentenced to two years’ probation; Dadon was sentenced to 22 months in prison; Shani was sentenced to 20 months in prison, and Atari is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 30.
Raz Razla, 48, of Sherman Oaks, is charged with making false statements to the grand jury. The charge is only an allegation; he is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Buhbut is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Garland E. Burrell Jr. on Feb. 28, 2020. Buhbut faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
North Andover Woman Indicted for Performing Illegal Silicone InjectionsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A federal grand jury has indicted a North Andover woman in connection with offering illegal silicone injections in exchange for money.
Gladys Araceli Ceron, 71, was indicted on four counts of delivery for pay of an adulterated or misbranded medical device received in interstate commerce with the intent to defraud or mislead. Ceron will appear before U.S. Magistrate Court Judge Donald L. Cabell on Aug. 8, 2019. Ceron was previously charged by criminal complaint on May 15, 2019.
According to the charging documents, Ceron, who operated her business in Lawrence, has been obtaining “gluteal material” from a source in Florida for over eight years. During a search executed at the source’s residence in 2016, plastic bottles of suspected cosmetic silicone fillers were sized. Lab tests subsequently confirmed that those fillers contained silicone oil, which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns can travel through blood vessels and cause a stroke, death or permanent disfigurement.
In 2018, a cooperating witness working with agents began making recorded phone calls to Ceron in order to arrange for buttock enhancing and facial injections. During a recorded meeting on May 24, 2018, Ceron allegedly told the cooperating witness that she charges $500 for buttock injections and $60 for each wrinkle-filling injection. A search of Ceron’s business in Lawrence in June 2018 resulted in the seizure of several bottles and syringes of a substance that tests revealed to be silicone oil. Numerous uncapped, used, syringes were also recovered from the business.
The indictment further alleges that Ceron performed illegal injections to augment the buttock or fill wrinkles of three other women in exchange for money, and that she misled her victims about her qualifications, and the identity and safety of the material that she was injecting.
Members of the public who believe they may be a victim of this crime should contact [email protected].
The charging statute provides for a sentence of up to three years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Derek Roy, Resident Agent in Charge of the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations, Metro Washington Field Office; and Justin D. Green, Special Agent in Charge of the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations’ Miami Field Office, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel Y. Hemani of Lelling’s Health Care Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Minnesota Farmer Sentenced to Prison for Converting USDA Farm Loan Collateral for Personal UseRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced the sentencing of DANIEL L. KLUENDER, 41, to a year and a day in prison and ordered to pay $880,143.01, for illegally selling hundreds of thousands of dollars in property that was pledged as collateral for a USDA-backed farm loan. KLUENDER, who pleaded guilty on March 7, 2019, was sentenced yesterday before Chief Judge John R. Tunheim in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
According to his guilty plea and documents filed in court, in May 2013, KLUENDER took out a loan in the amount of $1,302,000 from Farmers State Bank, which operates in the vicinity of Albert Lea, Minnesota. This loan was guaranteed by the Farm Service Agency (“FSA”) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (“USDA”). Under the terms of the loan, KLUENDER was required to pledge specific items as collateral, including, among other things, crops, livestock, farm equipment, and vehicles. KLUENDER agreed that any and all proceeds from the sale of these items were obligated to be applied to his loan payments. Between 2013 and 2017, in violation of the terms of the loan, KLUENDER began selling pledged collateral without authorization or permission from the FSA. Moreover, KLUENDER retained the proceeds and diverted the funds for his personal use. In the course of committing this offense, KLUENDER also filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy during which he testified falsely about his ownership of pledged property.
According to documents filed in court, in July 2015, Farmers State Bank began efforts to repossess collateral from KLUENDER to collect on the loan. In response to the repossession efforts, KLUENDER resorted to physical violence against a bank employee, engaged in vandalism of pledged collateral, and continued to illegally convert pledged collateral.
This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture-Office of Inspector General.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Katharine T. Buzicky and Matthew S. Ebert.
Defendant Information:
DANIEL L. KLUENDER, 41
Walters, Minn.
Convicted:
- Conversion of property mortgaged or pledged to farm credit agencies, 1 count
Sentenced:
- One year and one day in prison
- Two years of supervised release
- $314,003.18 in restitution to Farmers State Bank
- $566,139.83 in restitution to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency
###
Additional news available on our website.
Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota: (612) 664-5600
Milford Man Guilty of Marijuana Trafficking OffensesRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that a jury in New Haven has found Robert Capelli, 33, of Milford, guilty of offenses related to his involvement in a large-scale marijuana trafficking conspiracy. A trial before U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton began on July 22 and the jury returned a split verdict late yesterday.
According to the evidence presented during the trial and in other court proceedings, in 2016, the Federal Aviation Administration began investigating a Piper single-engine aircraft, owned by Donald Burns of Milford, that was making regular flights between Stratford, Connecticut, and northern California via the southwest United States. On June 28, 2017, Burns flew the aircraft from northern California to Lubbock, Texas. The next day, Burns flew the aircraft from Texas to Arkansas, and then to West Virginia and Connecticut, where he landed in the evening at Sikorsky Airport in Stratford. After it landed, a law enforcement search of the plane revealed approximately 400 pounds of marijuana in vacuum-sealed packages, and Burns was arrested. Investigators determined that the marijuana was intended for Capelli and others to distribute in Connecticut. Capelli and his associate, Scott Bodnar of Ansonia, were arrested later that day.
The investigation revealed that, over a period of approximately two years, Capelli and his associates earned millions of dollars by trafficking nearly two tons of marijuana from California to Connecticut. Members of the conspiracy also laundered more than $6 million to purchase marijuana in California, maintain properties for distribution in Connecticut, pay Burns to transport the marijuana, and for other expenses related to the conspiracy.
Capelli was convicted of one count of conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, 100 kilograms or more of marijuana, and one count of possession with intent to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana. Capelli was found not guilty of one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, and one count of money laundering. Judge Arterton scheduled sentencing for October 25, 2019, at which time Capelli faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 80 years.
In addition, Capelli has forfeited approximately $90,000 to date, and additional forfeiture proceedings are pending.
On May 2, 2019, Bodnar pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, 1,000 kilograms or more of marijuana, and one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. On May 3, Capelli’s associate, Terrell Givens of Beacon Falls, pleaded guilty to the same charges. On May 6, Burns pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, 1,000 kilograms or more of marijuana. In pleading guilty, the defendants also agreed to the forfeiture of cash and various items, including Burns’ Piper aircraft, a 2012 Toyota Camry belonging to Bodnar, and a 2009 Jaguar XF and approximately $8,000 in jewelry belonging to Givens.
This matter has been investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Haven Task Force, the Federal Aviation Administration’s Law Enforcement Assistance Program (LEAP), the Customs and Border Protection’s Air and Marine Operations Center, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Stratford, Derby and West Haven Police Departments, and the Second Judicial Drug Task Force in Jonesboro, Arkansas.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rahul Kale and Marc Silverman.
Member of New York-Based Robbery Crew Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Kidnapping, Torture and Murder of VictimRead the Press Release
Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Wendell Alomar-Cabrera, a citizen of the Dominican Republic, was sentenced by United States District Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis to 25 years’ imprisonment for his role in the October 16, 2006, murder of Luis Sifuentes in Durham, North Carolina. In November 2013, Alomar-Cabrera pleaded guilty to the murder of Sifuentes, which was committed during the course of a kidnapping and robbery.
Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, announced the sentence.
“Through his involvement in violent armed robberies and a murder, Alomar-Cabrera earned today’s sentence,” stated United States Attorney Donoghue. “This Office and our law enforcement partners will continue to use every available resource to investigate and prosecute violent criminals like this defendant.” Mr. Donoghue expressed his grateful appreciation to the Bronx County District Attorney’s Office, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration and New York City Police Department for their outstanding role leading the investigation, and thanked the New York State Police, the Durham County District Attorney’s Office and the Durham, North Carolina Police, Special Operations Division, Major Crimes Unit for their assistance.
Between May 2003 and August 2008, the robbery crew was responsible for more than 100 violent, armed robberies of narcotics traffickers along the east coast of the United States. Crew members posed as police officers to subdue narcotics traffickers and their families, and then kidnapped, tortured and robbed the victims. Alomar-Cabrera participated in approximately 15 of the robberies that netted approximately 80 kilograms of cocaine, a quantity of marijuana and multiple guns.
In 2006, Alomar-Cabrera and other members of the crew traveled from New York to North Carolina for the purpose of robbing drug traffickers. On October 16, 2006, crew members drove a vehicle equipped with lights and sirens, and executed a police-style stop of Sifuentes’ pickup truck after he left a nightclub. The crew kidnapped Sifuentes near Durham and drove him to a rented house where, for several hours, Alomar-Cabrera and other crew members beat Sifuentes with their fists and a wooden stick, pushed his head under water in a bathtub and burned him with a hot knife in an effort to learn the location of the victim’s drugs and drug money. Several hours later, crew members carried Sifuentes outside, put him in his truck and shot him twice, killing him. Alomar-Cabrera then poured gasoline throughout the truck and set it on fire.
Alomar-Cabrera’s sentence is the most recent of more than 50 convictions and sentencings in a group of interlocking cases brought in the Eastern District of New York against members of violent drug robbery crews who impersonated police officers and frequently committed robberies with real police officers. Four other defendants have previously been sentenced for their roles in the murder of Sifuentes.
The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Douglas M. Pravda.
The Defendant:
WENDELL ALOMAR-CABRERA (also known as “Gregorio”)
Age: 40
Dominican RepublicE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 08-CR-115 (NGG)
Man Sentenced for Shipping over 700 Pounds of Marijuana to VirginiaRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Virginia Beach man was sentenced today to six years in prison for his involvement in a large scale marijuana distribution network and money laundering.
According to court documents, Tyrell Jones, 23, started and managed a large-scale marijuana distribution operation involving several other co-conspirators. The marijuana conspiracy lasted from April 2017 through October 2018 when Jones secured a source of supply in California, while he was attending college. During the course of the conspiracy, frequent shipments of marijuana were sent from California to Hampton Roads, with most of it shipped through the U.S. Postal Service using various Ship ‘n Click accounts. Jones and other co-conspirators shipped a total of 222 packages of marijuana with a total weight of 724 pounds of marijuana. Sometimes the marijuana was secreted inside vehicles and driven from California to Virginia, where it was then broken down into smaller quantities and sold on the streets.
G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Jesse R. Fong, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Field Division, Kelly R. Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Washington, D.C. Field Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and Peter R. Rendina, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Mark S. Davis. Assistant U.S. Attorneys William D. Muhr and Kevin Hudson 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. 2:19-cr-55.
Man Pleads Guilty to Illegally Purchasing 20 FirearmsRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Maryland man pleaded guilty today to 10 counts of making false statements to acquire firearms.
“Yesterday in Washington, D.C., I stood alongside federal and local law enforcement leaders and affirmed our commitment to prosecuting the illegal purchase and transportation of firearms,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “This case is representative of that commitment: We will continue to use federal firearms laws to hold individuals accountable for coming into Virginia to illegally purchase firearms. Every illegally purchased firearm is a gun that can wind up in the hands of a prohibited person and poses a significant danger to law enforcement and our communities.”
According to court documents, between November 2018 and April 2019, Quayshawn Shymel Simmons, 28, of Baltimore, purchased 20 firearms from Federal Firearm Licensees in Virginia using a false address in Hampton. Police in Washington, D.C. have recovered some of the firearms Simmons purchased from other individuals, including individuals convicted of a felony and/or in possession of distribution quantities of Oxycodone and crack cocaine at the time of their arrest.
“This case perfectly highlights why ATF will continue working diligently to combat firearms trafficking to curb violent crime,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Ashan M. Benedict of the Washington Field Division. “Gun traffickers are not simply committing paperwork violations. These criminals put guns in the hands of serious criminals who pose a significant threat to the safety of our communities. We are putting all gun traffickers on notice that we will find you; you will be held accountable; and you will be punished under the law.”
Simmons pleaded guilty to making false statements and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison when sentenced on October 25. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This case 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, and Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas U. Murphy II and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Annie Zanobini are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:19-cr-181.
Man Pleads Guilty to Interference with Flight CrewRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Peter G. Strasser announced that RODNEY JAMES, age 47, a resident of Phoenix City, Alabama, pled guilty to a one-count indictment for interference with a flight crew, in violation of Title 49, United States Code, Section 46504.
According to court records, on November 14, 2018, Rodney James interfered with a flight crew, travelling from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Los Angeles, California, by being disruptive, yelling loudly, refusing to sit down, aggressively pursuing a flight crew member across the cabin, and threatening the flight crew, all causing the aircraft to be diverted to New Orleans.
U.S. Attorney Strasser praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney G. Dall Kammer, Supervisor of the General Crimes Unit, is in charge of the prosecution.
Lawrence Man Pleads Guilty to DrugTraffickingRead the Press Release
CONCORD – Fidel Pereyra, 23, of Lawrence, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty in federal court to possession of fentanyl, cocaine, and crack cocaine with intent to distribute, United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced today.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in the evening hours of January 25, 2019, Salem police officers stopped Pereyra after observing him drive a vehicle without any headlights on. During the stop, Pereyra was unable to produce any driver’s license or other identification and was initially arrested for driving without a license. Approximately $4,200 was found on his person, and a later a search warrant revealed approximately 57 grams of fentanyl, 4.5 grams of cocaine, and 4.6 grams of crack cocaine. Pereyra admitted to transporting the narcotics into New Hampshire for sale.
Pereyra is scheduled to be sentenced on November 7th 2019.
“Traffickers who try to sell drugs in New Hampshire will be brought to justice,” said U.S. Attorney Murray. “In order to stop drug trafficking and maintain the safety of our community, we will pursue federal charges against those who transport dangerous drugs into the Granite State.”
This matter was investigated by the Salem Police Department, with assistance from the New Hampshire State Police, Windham Police Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Charles L. Rombeau.
###
Kyle Man Sentenced to 8 Years in Prison for Sexual Abuse of a MinorRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Kyle, South Dakota, man convicted of Sexual Abuse of a Minor was sentenced on July 22, 2019, by Chief Judge Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Court.
David Herman, age 21, was sentenced to 8 years in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Herman was indicted by a federal grand jury in October 2018. The conviction stemmed from Herman forcing the minor victim to perform a sexual act on him between 2016 and 2017 at Pine Ridge.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Poppen prosecuted the case.
Herman was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Kansas Priest Pleads Guilty to Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Kansas priest pleaded guilty in federal court here today to possessing child pornography, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said.
In his plea, Christopher Rossman, 46, who formerly served at the Annunciation Catholic Church in Baldwin City, Kan., admitted that investigators found child pornography on his Samsung Galaxy tablet. The crime occurred in September 2016 when monitoring software installed on Rossman’s computer devices reported he had visited adult pornography and child pornography websites. The archdiocese forwarded the report to law enforcement.
When investigators tried to find Rossman in Baldwin City, they learned that his sister had taken possession of the Galaxy tablet and tried to run over it a number of times. A forensics examination found files on the device depicting prepubescent females engaged in sexual activities.
Sentencing will scheduled at a later date. The crime carries a penalty of up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister commended FBI task force agent Angie Jones for her work on the case and the Archdiocese for it its cooperation. McAllister and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Zabel are prosecuting.
Justice Department Settles with T-Mobile and Sprint in Their Proposed Merger by Requiring a Package of Divestitures to DishRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice announced today that it and the Attorneys General for five states reached a settlement with T-Mobile and Sprint regarding their proposed merger. The settlement requires a substantial divestiture package in order to enable a viable facilities-based competitor to enter the market. Further, the settlement will facilitate the expeditious deployment of multiple high-quality 5G networks for the benefit of American consumers and entrepreneurs.
The Department’s Antitrust Division, along with the offices of five state Attorneys General (Plaintiff States), filed a civil antitrust lawsuit today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to block the proposed transaction. At the same time, the Department and the Plaintiff States filed a proposed settlement that, if approved by the court, would resolve the Department’s and the Plaintiff States’ competitive concerns. The participating state Attorneys General offices represent Nebraska, Kansas, Ohio, Oklahoma, and South Dakota.
Under the terms of the proposed settlement, T-Mobile and Sprint must divest Sprint’s prepaid business, including Boost Mobile, Virgin Mobile, and Sprint prepaid, to Dish Network Corp., a Colorado-based satellite television provider. The proposed settlement also provides for the divestiture of certain spectrum assets to Dish. Additionally, T-Mobile and Sprint must make available to Dish at least 20,000 cell sites and hundreds of retail locations. T-Mobile must also provide Dish with robust access to the T-Mobile network for a period of seven years while Dish builds out its own 5G network.
“With this merger and accompanying divestiture, we are expanding output significantly by ensuring that large amounts of currently unused or underused spectrum are made available to American consumers in the form of high quality 5G networks,” said Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “Today’s settlement will provide Dish with the assets and transitional services required to become a facilities-based mobile network operator that can provide a full range of mobile wireless services nationwide. I want to thank our state partners for joining us in this settlement.” Delrahim added, “In crafting this remedy, we are also mindful of the significant commitments T-Mobile, Sprint, and Dish have made to the Federal Communications Commission.”
The Department and the Plaintiff States said that, without the divestiture, the proposed acquisition would eliminate competition between two of only four facilities-based suppliers of nationwide mobile wireless services. According to the complaint, T-Mobile and Sprint both operate mobile networks and offer nationwide coverage to consumers, and they are particularly close competitors to each other for the roughly 30% of retail subscribers who purchase prepaid mobile wireless service. The combination of T-Mobile and Sprint would eliminate head-to-head competition between the companies and threaten the benefits that customers have realized from that competition in the form of lower prices and better service.
T-Mobile US Inc. is a Delaware corporation headquartered in Bellevue, Washington. In 2018, T-Mobile posted revenues of more than $43 billion. Deutsche Telekom AG, a German corporation headquartered in Bonn, Germany, is the controlling shareholder of T-Mobile US Inc.
Sprint Corporation is a Delaware corporation headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas. In 2018, its posted revenue was over $32 billion. Sprint is controlled by SoftBank Group Corp., a Japanese Corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.
As required by the Tunney Act, the proposed consent decree, along with the Department’s competitive impact statement, will be published in the Federal Register. Any person may submit written comments concerning the proposed settlement within 60 days of its publication to Scott Scheele, Chief, Telecommunications and Broadband Section, Antitrust Division, U.S. Department of Justice, 450 Fifth Street, N.W., Suite 7000, Washington, D.C. 20530. At the conclusion of the 60-day comment period, the court may enter the final judgment upon a finding that it serves the public interest.
Justice Department Launches National Public Safety Partnership with Harris County Sheriff’s OfficeRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – Federal and local officials convened in Houston today to initiate the National Public Safety Partnership (PSP) program, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick along with Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance Jon Adler and Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.
This Justice Department program is a three-year engagement that seeks to leverage department assets in support of a local jurisdictions' commitment to drive down violent crime.
On June 3, 2019, Attorney General William Barr announced the selection of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) as one of 10 fiscal year (FY) 2019 PSP sites where the Justice Department will work collaboratively to provide training and technical assistance in areas such as crime analytics, emerging technology and community engagement.
Since 2017, the Justice Department has directed nearly $14.9 million in customized training and technical assistance to help build crime fighting capacity in PSP sites. This includes $6.6 million to support the FY 2019 sites through FY 2022. PSP seeks to bring law enforcement stakeholders together to work collaboratively in reducing violent crime attributed to felonious firearm use, drug trafficking and human trafficking.
“Adding unincorporated Harris County to the PSP program, which already includes the Houston Police Department (HPD), compliments the technical assistance and formal collaboration in the greater metro area,” said Patrick. “My office is committed to working with local law enforcement in reducing violent crime. HCSO is already a great law enforcement partner, and this new effort will make those ties stronger.”
“Today our team is on-site in Houston to collaborate with local law enforcement officials in their mission to improve public safety and drive down violent crime,” said Adler. “Through the PSP, we are committed to fulfilling the Attorney General's priority of supporting local law enforcement combat violent gangs, felonious firearms use and drug trafficking.”
“Combating violent crime requires strategic coordination among all the law enforcement agencies serving our community,” said Gonzalez. “The Justice Department’s National PSP gives front-line deputies the technical training and expertise they need to keep our neighborhoods safe.”
Since 2017, the Justice Department has worked with more than 30 local jurisdictions under the nationwide PSP program. Many participating cities have already seen dramatic reductions in violent crime. New Orleans ended 2018 with 146 murders, the lowest number of murders since the early 1970s. In Milwaukee, homicides declined in 2018 for a third straight year after hitting a deadly peak in 2015.
Agencies in attendance at this meeting will include the U.S. Attorney’s Office; Office of Justice Programs; HCSO; FBI; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Drug Enforcement Administration; Harris County District Attorney’s Office; HPD; Institute for Intergovernmental Research; and CNA.
Jury Convicts Final Defendant in Grocery Store Armed Robbery SpreeRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A federal jury convicted a Virginia Beach man today on armed robbery and conspiracy charges for his role in a spree of grocery store robberies that ended with the shooting of the manager at a local Harris Teeter.
“This verdict is justice not only for the victims, but for the citizens of this community who want to live in freedom from this kind of senseless gun violence,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “We cannot undo the misery that this defendant and his co-conspirators caused others to suffer, but we can take some solace that they have been held accountable and will receive the just punishment their crimes deserve.”
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Darrius A. Heuser-Whitaker, 19, was one of two masked gunmen who robbed a Virginia Beach Food Lion grocery store and attempted to rob a Harris Teeter grocery store, also in Virginia Beach. During the robberies, Heuser-Whitaker pushed a semi-automatic handgun equipped with a laser sight into the backs of the store managers while demanding money from the safe.
“Today’s verdict is the result of a collaborative effort with our partners from the Virginia Beach and Chesapeake Police Departments and U.S. Attorney’s Office to ensure this dangerous crime spree was stopped before anyone else was hurt, and to hold accountable every person responsible for terrorizing the community and harming innocent citizens,” said Martin Culbreth, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office. “This successful investigation is just one example of the longstanding commitment and teamwork among law enforcement partners in Hampton Roads to protect the public from violent criminals.”
Heuser-Whitaker and his nine co-conspirators worked in at least six-man teams for each robbery, which included inside and outside look-outs, getaway drivers, and two gunmen. The robbery crew used police scanners to monitor law enforcement activity and earpieces to communicate with one another. The gunmen were in and out of the stores within minutes. In the final attempted robbery at the Harris Teeter store, the other gunman, Devonta Doyle, shot the manager after the manager was unable to open the safe. Heuser-Whitaker, Doyle, and others fled the scene and threw their shoes out of their getaway car in an area near Regent University. The FBI and Virginia Beach Police Department located the shoes and submitted them for analysis, which tied one of the shoes to Heuser-Whitaker. Investigators were able to link eight of the ten co-conspirators to a group of friends who attended Tallwood High School and lived in the College Park neighborhood of Virginia Beach.
Heuser-Whitaker faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 17 years and a maximum penalty of life in prison when sentenced on October 24. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Heuser-Whitaker’s nine co-conspirators pleaded guilty to various robbery and gun charges on the dates below:
Name, Age
Hometown
Convicted
Cato M. Battle, 19
Virginia Beach
February 27, 2019
Willey E. Brooks, 27
Norfolk
February 26, 2019
Quayshawn Davidson, 22
Virginia Beach
May 24, 2019
Devonta Doyle, 23
Virginia Beach
July 2, 2019
Monica Perkins, 30
Norfolk
February 27, 2019
Brennan K. Smith, 22
Virginia Beach
July 18, 2019
Brandon C. Tisdale, 21
Virginia Beach
February 28, 2019
Trevor L. Tisdale, 25
Virginia Beach
February 26, 2019
Keonte K. Yorkshire, 22
Virginia Beach
February 5, 2019
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, Mark Herring, Attorney General of Virginia, Martin Culbreth, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, James A. Cervera, Chief of Virginia Beach Police, and Col. K.L. Wright, Chief of Chesapeake Police, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson accepted the verdict. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John F. Butler and Andrew Bosse, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristin Bird, are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:18-cr-177
Israel Extradites Fugitive Charged with Failure to Appear, Conducting Illegal Gambling Business, and Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Following the successful extradition from Israel, Yaniv Gohar, 36, formerly of Berkeley, will be arraigned today on a superseding indictment that adds the charge of failure to appear to the original charges relating to an illegal gambling business, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.
According to court documents, Gohar was arrested on December 8, 2017, in connection with his initial charges. On December 21, he was released on bond over the government’s objection. Four days later, he allegedly crashed his Porsche Panamera into a parked car in Berkeley and did not immediately stop, but rather continued driving until cited by the Berkeley Police Department for reckless driving. On January 3, 2018, he failed to appear as ordered for his pretrial services violation hearing and has remained at large since that time. In September 2018, a grand jury returned a superseding indictment charging Gohar with, among other offenses, failure to appear.
This case is the product of an investigation by the FBI and California Department of Justice – Bureau of Gambling Control. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew M. Yelovich and Miriam R. Hinman are prosecuting the case. Significant assistance was provided by the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs and by Israeli authorities.
Yaniv Gohar’s brother and co-defendant, Orel Gohar, 28, fled the United States in December 2017 and remains at large. Anyone with information about his whereabouts should call the Federal Bureau of Investigation at (916) 746-7000.
If convicted, Yaniv Gohar faces five years in prison for the failure to appear to be served consecutively to the other sentences imposed. If convicted, he also faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison for the illegal gambling offense and 20 years in prison for the money laundering conspiracy. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Illegal Alien Facing Federal Indictment for Sex Trafficking of a Minor and Related ChargesRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury returned an indictment on July 25 2019, charging Feliciano de Jesus Diaz-Martinez, a/k/a Alex, age 41, of Owings Mills, Maryland, for sex trafficking of a child, enticement of a minor to engage in prostitution, sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, and distribution of a controlled substance. Diaz-Martinez is in custody and is scheduled to have an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Baltimore on July 29, 2019.
The indictment 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 (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department; and Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger.
According to the seven-count indictment, beginning no later than 2016 and continuing through May 22, 2019, Diaz-Martinez, a Guatemalan national in the United States illegally, caused more than 25 individuals, including minors, to engage in commercial sex acts for his own financial benefit by means of force, fraud, and coercion. Diaz-Martinez knew that Victim 1 was 16 years old when he first caused her to engage in commercial sex acts. Victim 1 continued to work for Diaz-Martinez until she was approximately 18 years old. The indictment alleges that nearly all of the victims that Diaz-Martinez caused to engage in commercial sex acts suffered from serious substance abuse disorders, including addictions to heroin, crack cocaine, and Xanax. Diaz-Martinez allegedly took half or all of the money earned by the victims working for him, and sold some of the victims narcotics, often at prices significantly higher than he paid to purchase the drugs.
As alleged in the indictment, Diaz-Martinez maintained a network of friends and associates who paid to engage in commercial sex acts with the victims Diaz-Martinez advertised and made available to them. Diaz-Martinez sent his customers pictures of the victims available for commercial sex and set the prices that customers would pay to engage in sex acts with the victims he controlled. Diaz-Martinez allegedly transported, or caused to be transported, victims to his customers’ homes, or to hotel rooms he rented, to engage in commercial sex acts and/or invited customers to engage in commercial sex acts with victims in his apartment and in a storage unit that he rented.
Diaz-Martinez allegedly maintained several different accounts, using alias names, on a social media platform which he used to recruit and communicate with the victims in order to entice them to work for him and engage in commercial sex acts, including many users he had never met. According to the indictment, Diaz-Martinez sometimes offered the users he communicated with heroin and crack cocaine, referred to as “boy” and “girl,” in exchange for engaging in commercial sex with his customers. Diaz-Martinez also directed the victims working for him to recruit their friends, many of whom were also addicted to narcotics, to engage in commercial sex for his financial benefit.
According to the indictment, Diaz-Martinez frequently demanded that the victims engage in sex acts with him, free of charge, and retaliated against victims if he was not personally satisfied with the sexual encounter. The indictment further alleges that Diaz-Martinez retaliated against the victims who violated his rules, failed to earn sufficient money from commercial sex, or otherwise displeased him in a number of ways, including abandoning them at customers’ homes and on roadsides without their belongings or transportation, and withholding drugs from the victims whom he knew to be addicted.
Diaz-Martinez faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison for sex trafficking of a minor and for enticement of a minor to engage in prostitution; a minimum mandatory sentence of 15 years and up to life in prison for each of four counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion, and a maximum of 20 years in prison for distribution of controlled substances.
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 was investigated by the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force, formed in 2007 to discover and rescue victims of human trafficking while identifying and prosecuting offenders. Members include federal, state and local law enforcement, as well as victim service providers and local community members. For more information about the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force, please visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/md/priorities_human.html.
Report suspected instances of human trafficking to HSI's tip line at 866-DHS-2ICE (1-866-347-2423) or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended HSI Baltimore, the Baltimore County Police Department and the Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zachary A. Myers and Mary W. Setzer, who are prosecuting the case.
# # #
Herndon Man Sentenced to Prison for CyberstalkingRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Herndon man was sentenced today to one year in prison for cyberstalking a victim in New York.
According to court documents, Brandon Theresa, 21, engaged in an extensive cyberstalking campaign against a victim from at least May 2015 through December 2018. During that time, he accessed the victim’s online accounts without her permission; created fake accounts in her name; and sent sensitive information from her account in order to embarrass her. When the victim tried to cut off communication with him, Theresa took more serious steps to maintain an unwanted presence in her life. For example, using the personal information of the victim and the victim’s friends and family, Theresa established U.S. Postal Service Informed Delivery accounts in their names to receive a steady stream of notifications about the mail sent to those individuals’ homes. He used this information to track the victim’s activities and learn about the people in her life. He continued to send veiled threats to the victim, using anonymizing technologies that made it difficult for the victim to block the communications. Theresa’s harassment of the victim continued well after the victim informed him that she was reporting his conduct to the police and did not cease until federal authorities executed a search warrant at his home in December 2018.
G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Michael Ray, Inspector in Charge of Analytics/Cyber Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Charles Dayoub, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Criminal Division, FBI Washington Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Fong 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. 1:19-cr-118.
Henrietta Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051ROCHESTER, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Mark Buechler, 45, of Henrietta, NY, who was convicted of production of child pornography involving two prepubescent minors, was sentenced to serve 30 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle P. Rossi, who handled the case, stated that on May 3, 2018, an 11-year-old boy, minor victim 1, disclosed to his school counselor that the defendant performed various sexual acts on him on an ongoing basis at Buechler’s home in Henrietta. The counselor contacted Child Protective Services (CPS) to report the alleged incidents. A Monroe County CPS Investigator and a Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Investigator interviewed the minor victim and Buechler was arrested that day.
Also on May 3, 2018, a state search warrant was executed at the defendant’s Stone Road residence. Multiple digital and storage devices were seized, including computers, tablets, phones, SD cards, thumb drives, and digital cameras.
On May 7, 2018, Sheriff’s Office Investigators interviewed minor victim 2, an 18-year-old boy who had visited Buechler’s residence when he was younger. Minor victim 2 also disclosed that he was sexually abused by the defendant over an extended period of time. A second state search warrant was executed on May 7, 2018, at which time additional digital devices were seized.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation was contacted, and on May 24, 2018, a federal search warrant was obtained to review the items seized during the execution of the state search warrants. A review of some of the items seized uncovered approximately 8,700 images and two videos of child pornography produced by Buechler, some of which depicted the defendant abusing the minor victims. Buechler’s federal conviction follows a state court conviction secured by the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office in October 2018.“We must protect our children, the most vulnerable and precious members of our community, from predators such as this defendant,” stated U.S. Attorney Kennedy. “By combining efforts with our tremendous law enforcement partners in Monroe County, we have teamed up to ensure that we communicate—in the most forceful terms possible—that those who bring harm to our children have no place in our community.”
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Major Crimes Unit, under the direction of Sheriff Todd Baxter; the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office, Special Victims Unit, under the direction of District Attorney Sandra Doorley; Monroe County Child Protective Services, under the direction of Amy Natale-McConnell; the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Gary Loeffert; and the Bivona Child Advocacy Center, under the direction of Executive Director Deb Rosen.
# # # #
Henderson Man Sentenced to Six Years in Federal Prison for Heroin and Gun ConvictionRead the Press Release
RALEIGH – Robert J. Higdon, Jr., the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, announces that United States District Judge James C. Dever, III, sentenced DOMINIQUE WILLIAMS, 31, of Henderson to 72 months’ imprisonment, followed by 5 years of supervised released.
On March 12, 2019, WILLIAMS pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute a quantity of heroin and possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime. On March 17, 2018, the Norlina and Warrenton Police Departments conducted a joint-agency license check on U.S. Highway 1 South in Warrenton, NC. As a part of that license check, a car occupied by WILLIAMS was stopped and officers detected the odor of marijuana emanating from the vehicle. A search of WILLIAMS revealed 10 bindles of heroin in his pocket. A search of the car revealed a loaded 9mm handgun which had been reported stolen.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Since 2017 the United States Department of Justice has reinvigorated the PSN program and has targeted violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
This case is also part of the Take Back North Carolina Initiative of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina. This initiative emphasizes the regional assignment of federal prosecutors to work with law enforcement and District Attorney’s Offices on a sustained basis in those communities to reduce the violence crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement.
The investigation of this case was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Warrenton Police Department, and the Norlina Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. Dodson prosecuted the case for the government.
Galeton Man Convicted of Distributing Fentanyl Resulting in Serious Bodily InjuryRead the Press Release
WILLIAMSPORT - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that David Piaquadio, age 62, of Galeton, Pennsylvania, was found guilty yesterday following a non-jury trial of conspiracy to distribute Oxycodone, Fentanyl and Heroin, distribution of Oxycodone and Fentanyl, and attempted distribution of Oxycodone.
In finding him guilty of the four counts in the indictment, Chief U.S. District Judge Christopher C, Conner also found that on March 12, 2015 Piaquadio delivered Fentanyl to an individual who overdosed after using the drug. According to Judge Conner’s memorandum, after receiving the Fentanyl from Piaquadio, the individual heated the drug on a spoon and then injected it. The overdose victim was found by his mother unconscious with a syringe stuck in his right arm in close proximity to a metal spoon containing fentanyl residue. In returning the guilty verdict, Chief Judge Conner found beyond a reasonable doubt that the use of the Fentanyl distributed by Piaquadio as charged in Counts 1 and 4 resulted in serious bodily injury to the individual who overdosed. Based on that finding, at sentencing Piaquadio faces a 20-year mandatory sentence and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
In the memorandum filed in support of the verdict, Chief Judge Conner found that Piaquadio admitted that he and his girlfriend, Jane Flynn, who is deceased, sold between 100 to 120 Oxycodone tablets and one or two Fentanyl patches per month. According to the memorandum, on the morning of March 12, 2015 the day he delivered Fentanyl to the overdose victim, Piaquadio filled a prescription for 150 Oxycodone tablets and 10 Fentanyl patches
U.S. Attorney David J. Freed commended the efforts of first responders from Galeton Borough Police Department, Galeton Hose Ambulance, Medic 6, and the emergency medicine staff at UPMC Soldiers and Sailors in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania in treating the overdose victim who used Fentanyl supplied by Piaquadio. Mr. Freed noted that Chief Judge Conner found that the overdose victim “suffered serious bodily injury in the form of a drug overdose that placed him at serious risk of brain death or physical death without medical intervention.”
The federal investigation was conducted by the Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Pennsylvania State Police, with the assistance of the Galeton Borough Police Department and the Potter County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Geoffrey W. MacArthur and George J. Rocktashel were assigned to the prosecution of this matter.
This case was brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of Heroin and Opioids like Fentanyl and Oxycodone. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Heroin Initiative targets Opioid traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit heroin related offenses.
A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is life imprisonment, a 20-year mandatory minimum sentence because the drug offense resulted in serious bodily injury, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.
# # #
Four Florida Men Sentenced in Connection with Multi-Million Dollar Fraud Against Xerox CorporationRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Kyle Haynes, Bryan Day, Jason Haynes, and David Haynes of the Daytona, Florida area, were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford for their involvement in a fraud scheme to defraud Xerox Corporation of more than $20,000,000 worth of toner.
Kyle Haynes, Bryan Day, and Jason Haynes were convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and filing a false tax return, and were sentenced to serve 30 months, 27 months, and six months in prison respectively. David Haynes, who was convicted of filing a false tax return, was sentenced to a three year term of probation.
In addition, Kyle Haynes, Bryan Day, and Jason Haynes were ordered to pay $9,475,000 in restitution to Xerox. David Haynes was ordered to pay $884,000 in restitution to Xerox. All four defendants were also ordered also to pay approximately $25,000 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard A. Resnick, who handled the case, stated that Xerox is located in, among other places, Webster, NY, and sells and leases office equipment, including printers. The company sells or leases the office equipment directly to end-user customers or to authorized resellers, like Robert Fisher, a co-conspirator and owner of RBM Imaging, who then resell or lease the office equipment to end-user customers, like the four defendants. The office equipment requires toner and other products to operate. End-user customers order the toner for their printers from Xerox. Rather than pay Xerox upfront for the toner, however, the end-user customers pay Xerox based on the number of prints made with the toner. Until consumed by the end-user customers, the toner belongs to Xerox. At no time may the end-user customers sell the toner.
The Haynes’ and Day set up a sham company, HDH Graphics, to obtain approximately 63 Xerox printers from Robert Fisher. Although HDH Graphics made few, if any, prints with the printers, the defendants fraudulently represented to Xerox that HDH Graphics was making prints, using much more toner than the industry average. In executing the scheme, the defendants repeatedly misrepresented to Xerox that they were making millions of prints with the toner, even though they never took most of the printers out of their boxes. Their deception caused Xerox to ship approximately $25,000,000 worth of toner to HDH Graphics. The defendants then sold the fraudulently obtained toner for approximately $11,000,000 to an individual in Miami, Florida. The Haynes’, Day and Fisher shared the profits from the fraudulent sale of the Xerox toner.
The Haynes’ and Day also filed false personal income tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service for the years 2008 through 2013. Their personal tax returns failed to report net income HDH Graphics earned from the fraudulent sale of the Xerox toner. Because HDH Graphics was a partnership, all of its net income flowed through to the defendants’ personal tax returns. Therefore, the underreporting of the net income on HDH Graphics’ tax returns resulted in the underreporting of the income on the defendants personal tax returns.
The Haynes’ and Day underreported the net income earned by HDH Graphics by falsely claiming that they had personally paid and incurred travel and shipping expenses on behalf of HDH Graphics. They then had HDH Graphics reimburse them for the falsely claimed expenses and falsely reported such expenses as deductions on HDH Graphics’ tax returns. The falsely reported deductions on HDH Graphics’ tax returns were approximately $265,154, resulting in approximately $265,154 less in net income being reported on the corporate returns. As a result, 25 percent of such income, that is, approximately $66,288.50, should have flowed through as income to the defendant’s personal tax returns.
The defendants agreed to forfeiture of over $600,000 in cash in lieu of the forfeiture of several real properties that were purchased and funded with fraud proceeds.
“Prosecutions such as this should send the message that fraudulent gains are never secure,” stated U.S. Attorney Kennedy. “This Office, together with our federal law enforcement partners, will continue aggressively to investigate and prosecute those who seek to profit through dishonesty.”
“The truth about scams like this is that losses suffered by companies often get passed on to the consumer in the forms of higher prices, which is why we must hold the operators of these schemes accountable,” said Kevin Kelly, Special Agent-in-Charge for HSI Buffalo. “HSI special agents will continue to use their broad authorities to uncover financial schemes and ensure that those who seek to blatantly disregard the law for their own financial gain are brought to justice.”
The sentencings are the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly, and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, under the direction of Jonathan D. Larsen, Special Agent-in-Charge.
# # # #
Former Nurse at Grace Healthcare Sentenced on Tampering ChargeRead the Press Release
Abingdon, VIRGINIA – Amanda Kilgore, a former LPN at Grace Healthcare in Abingdon, was sentenced yesterday to 36 months in federal prison for tampering with consumer products. United States Attorney Thomas T. Cullen made the announcement today following a hearing Thursday in U.S. District Court in Abingdon.
“This health-care provider put her addiction over patient care and violated the trust of those who relied on her,” U.S. Attorney Cullen stated today. “I am grateful for the hard work of the FDA and the Virginia State Police in bringing this defendant to justice.”
“Patients deserve to have confidence that they are receiving the proper treatment from those entrusted with providing their medical care,” said Special Agent in Charge Mark S. McCormack, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations Metro Washington Field Office. “As part of the FDA’s comprehensive work to address the opioid epidemic, we will continue to hold medical personnel accountable when they take advantage of their unique position and tamper with drugs needed by their patients, especially when such tampering could cause unnecessary pain and suffering.”
Kilgore, 34, of Louisville, Tenn., pleaded guilty in April 2019 to one count of tampering with consumer products. The defendant admitted that on various dates of her employment, she tampered with oxycodone in order to divert drugs prescribed to patients for her personal use.
The investigation of the case was conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration - Office of Criminal Investigations and Virginia State Police with the assistance of the Virginia Department of Health Professions, Tennessee Department of Health – Office of Investigations, City of Kingsport Police Department, and Sullivan County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Randy Ramseyer prosecuted the case for the United States.
Former New Orleans Church Official Indicted for Wire Fraud and Making False Statements to the FBIRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Peter G. Strasser announced that CHARLES WILLIAMS, JR. (“WILLIAMS”), age 49, of New Orleans, Louisiana, was indicted by a federal grand jury on July 18, 2019 and charged with twenty-two (22) counts of wire fraud and three (3) counts of making false statements to special agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”).
According to the Indictment, in January 2017, the defendant was elected Senior Warden of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church (“St. Luke’s”) located at 1222 North Dorgenois Street in New Orleans. In his role as Senior Warden, WILLIAMS was responsible for paying all of St. Luke’s bills including insurance, salaries, and utilities. WILLIAMS took over the finances of the church and reduced or eliminated other church members’ access to church finances shortly after becoming the Senior Warden at St. Luke’s. WILLIAMS did not share church bank statements with other church members in an effort to conceal his embezzlement of church funds and he transferred church funds from one bank account to another account before withdrawing the funds. During his tenure, WILLIAMS embezzled approximately $89,000 from St. Luke’s in his capacity as Senior Warden. WILLIAMS deposited much of the money into his various Chase accounts and used some of the stolen money to support his pizza restaurant located in the Esplanade Mall.
On August 29, 2018, FBI special agents interviewed WILLIAMS. During the interview, WILLIAMS made three false statements to the FBI agents. Specifically, WILLIAMS said he used cash withdrawn from a St. Luke’s account to fund a $2,500 Chase cashier check dated February 21, 2018, with Remitter: St. Luke’s Episcopal Church/Operating Account. When the agents specifically asked whether bank records would show the money for the cashier’s check came from a St. Luke’s account, he denied that bank records would show the $2,500 coming from the church account. Further, he told the agents that the $2,500 had come from his personal account. The statements were false because WILLIAMS knew that on February 21, 2018, he had withdrawn $2,900. from St. Luke’s operating account ending x1224 and then used $2,500 of those funds to purchase the above described cashier’s check made payable to the Esplanade Mall for the benefit of his pizza restaurant. WILLIAMS also lied to the agents when he told them he had invested St. Luke’s money with a particular company. Lastly, he lied when he claimed he had not used any of St. Luke’s money for his business or for personal use. The FBI’s investigation determined that all of these assertions were in fact false.
U. S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser reiterated that the indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
If convicted, WILLIAMS faces a maximum penalty of twenty (20) years imprisonment for each of the wire fraud counts and five (5) years as to each of the false statement counts. Upon release from prison, WILLIAMS faces up to three (3) years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000 per count.
U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba, Supervisor of the Financial Crimes Unit.
Former Mexican Municipal Police Officer Charged with Trafficking Enough Fentanyl to Kill 10 MillionRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury in Amarillo, Texas has indicted a former Mexican municipal police officer for fentanyl trafficking, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox.
In a superseding indictment filed Thursday evening, Assmir Contreras-Martinez, 30, of Tucson, Arizona, was charged with conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid 50 times more potent than heroin.
He was allegedly discovered with roughly 33 kilograms of the drug – likely enough to kill more than 10 million people, according to DEA experts.
“Fentanyl is devastating communities across the country,” said U.S. Attorney Nealy Cox. “We cannot tolerate the trafficking of this deadly drug through North Texas— especially by those who are charged with protecting our communities, foreign or domestic.”
“Fentanyl is the number one threat causing our opioid epidemic in the United States,” said Clyde E. Shelley, Jr., DEA Special Agent in Charge of the Dallas Field Division. “This seizure alone has potentially save millions of lives.”
According to a criminal complaint filed earlier this summer, Mr. Contreras-Martinez was pulled over by a Texas DPS trooper driving eastbound on Interstate 40 in Amarillo in May 2019.
A search of his vehicle, a 2007 Ford Explorer, allegedly revealed approximately 33 kilograms of a white powdery substance, which the trooper suspected to be drugs, likely cocaine. Subsequent testing revealed the substance was actually fentanyl.
After being advised of his rights, Mr. Contreras-Martinez allegedly admitted he was paid $6,000 to transport illegal contraband from California to Florida. This was his second such trip, he said.
During that interview, Mr. Contreras-Martinez allegedly stated that before his unlawful immigration to the United States seven months prior, he had been employed for eight years as a municipal police officer in Cananea, Sonora, Mexico.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
If convicted, Mr. Contreras-Martinez faces 30 years to life in federal prison, and may face deportation proceedings after serving his sentence.
Overdoses involving synthetic opioids like fentanyl killed almost 32,000 Americans last year, according to provisional data released by the CDC last week. Because of the drug’s deadly potency, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas has a zero-tolerance policy on fentanyl, taking federally any case that involves the substance or its unlawful analogues, no matter the quantity.
The Texas Department of Public Safety and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the above investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Marie Bell is prosecuting the case.
Former Head Nurse at Rockbridge Regional Jail Convicted of Falsifying DocumentsRead the Press Release
Lynchburg, VIRGINIA – A federal jury in U.S. District Court in Lynchburg today convicted Gary Hassler, the former head nurse at Rockbridge Regional Jail, of falsifying documents in order to impede a federal investigation into civil rights abuses at the facility, First Assistant United States Attorney Daniel P. Bubar announced.
“Today’s conviction shows that no person or institution can take steps to interfere in a federal investigation,” First Assistant Bubar stated. “I am grateful for the work of the FBI, Virginia State Police and Office of the Rockbridge County Commonwealth’s Attorney in bringing this case to justice.”
Hassler, 59, of Buena Vista, Va., was indicted in August 2018 and charged with two counts of falsifying documents in order to impede a federal investigation. Today, the jury convicted Hassler of one count of impeding a federal investigation into civil rights violations at the Rockbridge Regional Jail by falsifying a document. Evidence at trial showed that on March 5, 2017, Hassler falsified a document to claim an inmate at the jail refused medical care.
The investigation of the case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Virginia State Police. The Commonwealth Attorney’s Office for Rockbridge County assisted with the investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Zachary T. Lee and Matthew Miller prosecuted the case for the United States.
Former Employee Pleads Guilty to Theft from the Woman’s Coalition of St. CroixRead the Press Release
St. Croix, USVI – Kira Lee Encarnacion, 41, of St. Croix, pled guilty on July 26, 2019, in District Court to one count of Federal Program Theft, United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced.
According to court documents, from November 2014, through May 2015, Encarnacion was employed as a bookkeeper with the Women’s Coalition of St. Croix (WCSC). As the bookkeeper, Encarnacion’s duties included issuing legitimate payments to vendors in support of the organization’s functions, using an accounting software program. However, during this period, she fraudulently caused 39 WCSC checks to be issued to herself, totaling $85,510. Encarnacion disguised the checks in the accounting software program as payments to legitimate vendors of WCSC. The defendant then deposited the checks into her personal bank account and used the funds to pay for personal matters.
WCSC receives in excess of $10,000 a year in federal grants and benefits, which gave rise to the federal prosecution.
This offense carries a possible sentence of incarceration of up to 10 years, a maximum fine of up to $250,000 dollars, and a term of supervised release up to 3 years. Sentencing is set for November 27, 2019.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI). Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel H. Huston prosecuted the case.
Former DMV Employee Sentenced for a Scheme to Issue Commercial Licenses to Unqualified DriversRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Kari Scattaglia, 40, of Sylmar, was sentenced today to two years and eight months in prison for a conspiracy to take bribes to provide Class A commercial driver licenses without the buyer having to take or pass the required tests, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.
“The FBI is committed to working with law enforcement and agency partners to root out corruption, especially when it puts the lives of our fellow citizens at risk,” said Special Agent in Charge Sean Ragan of the FBI Sacramento Field Office. “Scattaglia’s greed led her to value self‑enrichment over the safety of the millions of people accessing California and interstate highways. Instead of performing her job honestly, she took bribes in exchange for enabling drivers of tractor-trailer trucks to operate in California without passing the tests required to ensure they could operate safely.”
“Individuals in positions of trust who exploit federal and state law for personal gain pose a significant threat to public safety and national security,” said Jerry C. Templet Jr, Deputy Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (San Francisco and Northern California). “HSI will continue working with our local, state, and federal partners to investigate these types of public corruption cases and bring those responsible to justice.”
On November 3, 2017, Scattaglia and former DMV employee co-defendant Lisa Terraciano, 52, of North Hollywood, pleaded guilty to a conspiracy to commit bribery, to commit identity fraud, and to commit unauthorized access of a computer.
According to court documents, since April 2007, Scattaglia worked at the DMV. Between 2014 and 2017, she was a manager, assistant manager, and a Licensing-Registration Examiner (LRE) at the Arleta DMV and the Granada Hills Driver License Processing Center. Terraciano worked for the DMV since June 2005 and was a Motor Vehicle Representative (MVR) in the Winnetka DMV office from 2014 through 2017. Among other things, Scattaglia and Terraciano were responsible for processing applications for California commercial driver licenses (CDLs). A CDL is required to drive passenger buses and to operate tractor-trailer trucks on California and interstate highways, including, in some cases, transporting hazardous materials.
In exchange for money, Scattaglia and Terraciano each accessed the DMV’s database in Sacramento to alter the records of applicants to fraudulently show that the applicants had passed the required written tests when, in truth, the applicants had not passed the tests or, at times, even taken the written tests. In so doing, this caused the DMV to issue permits to those drivers as well as issue completed CDLs upon the applicants’ passing the behind-the-wheel driving tests. In addition, Scattaglia also accessed the DMV database to fraudulently alter applicants’ records to show that the applicants had passed the driving tests despite the applicants not having taken or passed those tests.
According to the plea agreements, Scattaglia caused at least 68 fraudulent CDLs, including permits, to be issued, and Terraciano caused at least 148 fraudulent CDLs, including permits, to be issued.
This case is the product of an investigation by the California Department of Motor Vehicles, Office of Internal Affairs, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rosanne L. Rust is prosecuting the case.
Terraciano is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Garland E. Burrell Jr. on Sept. 27. Terraciano faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
Former CVS Employee Pleads Guilty to Stealing over $2 Million Dollars Worth of Diabetic Test StripsRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Antonio Rivera, 35, of Williamsville, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford to wire fraud. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Marangola, who is handling the case, stated that since February 2007, the defendant was employed as a Senior Assistant Purchasing Associate for CVS Pharmacy. This position required Rivera to order a variety of retail products sold by CVS, including diabetic test strips.
In July, 2018, CVS's internal systems red flagged the purchasing of diabetic test strips at a CVS located in Rochester, NY. A package located in the store’s shipping area did not have a CVS label, included Rivera’s return address, and came from a company with which CVS does not do business. A subsequent internal investigation by CVS determined that Rivera routinely purchased diabetic test strips in excessive amounts, well over the need for that CVS location. The audit could not account for 20,203 boxes purchased by Rivera, for a total financial loss of approximately $2,535,307.62.
The defendant ordered the excessive amounts of diabetic test strips and then intercepted the shipments once they arrived. He then sold the stolen product to a third party located in the State of Florida. A forensic accounting of Rivera’s bank accounts identified payments for the fraudulently obtained diabetic test strips that were deposited into the defendant’s bank accounts.
“While business owners hate to think that their employees would steal from them, employee theft is, unfortunately, not that uncommon,” stated U.S. Attorney Kennedy. “What does stand out in this instance, however, is the brazenness and extent of the fraud.”
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Rochester Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Gary Loeffert, and the New York State Department of Financial Services, under the direction of Superintendent Linda Lacewell.
Sentencing is scheduled for October 30, 2019, before Judge Wolford.
# # # #
Five defendants in Operation Vanilla Gorilla sentenced for drug conspiracy, weapons crimesRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, GA.: Five drug-trafficking conspirators and affiliates of the violent Ghost Face Gangsters criminal street gang are being sent to federal prison just days after prosecutors notched the final convictions of all 43 defendants in Operation Vanilla Gorilla.
Those sentenced this week for drug trafficking conspiracy and firearms violations include a purported leader of the conspiracy and an enforcer of gang rules, said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.
“Outstanding work from our law enforcement partners and prosecutors wrapped up these cases with convictions of every defendant just eight short months after their indictments,” U.S. Attorney Christine said. “The significant federal prison sentences for these criminals should make it clear that we will not tolerate street gangs who peddle poison in our neighborhoods and violate the safety of our citizens. We will find them, and we will shut them down.”
U.S. District Judge R. Stan Baker sentenced five more of the 43 defendants to substantial prison terms, and upon completion of their sentences each will serve an additional three to five years of supervised release. To date, 21 defendants have been sentenced for their roles in the criminal conspiracy. Those sentenced this week are:
David McCloskey, a/k/a “Larchmont,” 47, of Augusta, Ga., was sentenced to nearly 24 years in prison: 165 months for Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine, and 120 months for being a Prohibited Person in Possession of a Firearm. McCloskey was a leader in the drug conspiracy.
Joshua McNelly, 26, Savannah, was sentenced to 210 months in prison for Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute 5 Grams or More of Methamphetamine;
Dillon Myrick, a/k/a “Country Crack,” 31, of Port Wentworth, Ga., was sentenced to 120 months in prison for Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute a Quantity of Methamphetamine. As a “violator” in the Ghost Face Gangsters, Myrick’s job was to collect drug debts, settle disputes, and assault those believed to be enemies of the street gang.
Crystal Wilson, 37, of Bloomingdale, Ga., was sentenced to 65 months in prison for Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute a Quantity of Methamphetamine; and,
Kari Neely, 27, of Statesboro, Ga., was sentenced to 24 months in prison for Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute a Quantity of Methamphetamine.
Some of these defendants were on probation or parole when they committed the offenses, so the federal sentences will run consecutive to the sentences for violating state probation or parole. There is no parole in the federal system.
As noted in court, these five defendants had a combined total of at least 19 state convictions, including at least three felony convictions, and had previously violated state probation at least four times.
These five defendants were members of a major drug trafficking organization that distributed kilogram quantities of crystal methamphetamine (“ice”) in the Southern District of Georgia and elsewhere. McCloskey received pounds of crystal methamphetamine and delivered it for others to distribute. When Effingham County deputies arrested McCloskey on April 16, 2018, he had in his possession a kilogram of crystal methamphetamine, a firearm with two fully loaded magazines, $2,225 in cash, and drug trafficking scales. McNelly transported and distributed kilograms of crystal methamphetamine and possessed firearms. Myrick served as a “violator” for the Ghost Face Gangsters, and both Wilson and Neely stored, transported, and distributed drugs for the organization.
“These sentences will ensure the incarceration of dangerous criminals and contribute to the restoration of order and peace,” said Beau Kolodka, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Operation Vanilla Gorilla was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), the premier U.S. Department of Justice program to dismantle multi-jurisdictional drug trafficking organizations. The case was investigated by the ATF, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team (CNT), the Georgia Department of Corrections Intelligence Division, the Savannah Police Department, the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office, the Bryan County Sheriff’s Office, the Richmond Hill Police Department, the Pooler Police Department, the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office and the Bloomingdale Police Department, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys E. Greg Gilluly Jr. and Frank Pennington.
Five Defendants Sentenced to More Than 37 Years Combined for Trafficking Drugs in Southern ArkansasRead the Press Release
Texarkana, Arkansas – Duane (DAK) Kees, United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas and L. Diane Upchurch, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI announced that in July 2019, five individuals were sentenced by the United States District Court for their roles in an MDMA, Cocaine, and Methamphetamine trafficking ring operating in Miller and Columbia Counties, and elsewhere in Arkansas. The Honorable Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing hearings in the United States District Court in Texarkana, Arkansas.
According to court records, on January 23, 2018, a federal grand jury returned a twenty-five (25) count Second Superseding Indictment against Fredrico Bradley, Christopher Manning, James Manuel, Ladarrius Robinson, and Ricardo Walker in the Western District of Arkansas, Texarkana Division for activities in a large-scale drug trafficking conspiracy. In 2017, this drug trafficking ring was responsible for pushing substantial quantities of MDMA, cocaine, and methamphetamine onto the streets of south and southwest Arkansas. Multi-agency operations conducted several controlled purchases of MDMA, cocaine, and methamphetamine from the defendants.
Manuel, a resident of Texas, personally delivered controlled substances to Bradley in the Western District of Arkansas on multiple occasions. Bradley received between 2 and 4 ounces of powder cocaine or as many as 2,000 MDMA or methamphetamine pills from Manuel during each delivery. Manning received controlled substances, including MDMA, cocaine, and methamphetamine, from Bradley in Texarkana. Manning received the controlled substances as part of an agreement and understanding with Bradley that Manning would distribute them in the Western District of Arkansas. Manning converted some of the powder cocaine he received from Bradley into cocaine base, commonly known as “crack” cocaine, before re-selling it.
Manning, in turn, employed Robinson, Walker, and others to distribute those drugs to customers in the Western District of Arkansas – primarily in Columbia County and surrounding areas. Manning sold most of the drugs he received from Bradley in the Columbia County area, with the aid of co-conspirators residing in and around Waldo, Arkansas, including Robinson and Walker. Those co-conspirators maintained Manning’s Waldo-based stock of cocaine, MDMA, and methamphetamine and brokered or facilitated their sale to Manning’s customers in and around Columbia County.
Defendants in this conspiracy received the following sentences:
Christopher Manning, age 47, of Texarkana, Arkansas was sentenced July 24, 2019, to 120 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count of Conspiracy to Distribute MDMA, Cocaine, and Methamphetamine. Manning was first indicted in the Western District of Arkansas in December 2017 and entered his guilty plea on August 21, 2018.
Fredrico Bradley, age 46, of Texarkana, Arkansas was sentenced July 25, 2019, to 63 months in federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, on one count of Conspiracy to Distribute MDMA, Cocaine, and Methamphetamine. Bradley was also sentenced to serve a consecutive 41 months for violating the terms of an existing period of supervision, leaving him a total of 104 months to be served. Bradley was first indicted in the Western District of Arkansas in October 2017 and entered his guilty plea in May 17, 2018.
James Manuel, age 33, of Houston, Texas, was sentenced July 26, 2019, to 78 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count of Conspiracy to Distribute MDMA, Cocaine, and Methamphetamine. Manuel was indicted in the Western District of Arkansas in October 2017 and entered his guilty plea on November 9, 2018.
Ladarrius Robinson, age 27, of Waldo, Arkansas, was sentenced July 16, 2019 to 100 months in federal prison followed by four years of supervised release on one count of Distribution of More Than 5 Grams of Actual Methamphetamine. Robinson was first indicted in the Western District of Arkansas in December 2017 and entered his guilty plea on October 3, 2018.
Ricardo Walker, age 28, of Waldo, Arkansas, was sentenced July 24, 2019 to 46 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count of Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine. Walker was first indicted in the Western District of Arkansas in December 2017 and entered his guilty plea on October 3, 2018.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Magnolia, Arkansas, Police Department, the Columbia County Sheriff’s Department, the Texarkana, Arkansas, Police Department, the Miller County Sheriff’s Department, the 13th Judicial District Drug Task Force and the Arkansas State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Graham Jones prosecuted the case for the United States.
Final Defendant Pleads Guilty in Robbery of I-81 Travel Plaza in Wythe CountyRead the Press Release
Abingdon, VIRGINIA – A third Florida resident has admitted to traveling in a stolen vehicle and committing the May 2018 armed robbery of the I-81 Travel Plaza in Wythe County, according to a plea agreement entered in U.S. District Court yesterday in Abingdon and announced today by United States Attorney Thomas T. Cullen.
Christyen Sumpter, 27, of Sarasota, Fla., pleaded guilty yesterday to one count of robbery by threatening physical violence, one count of transporting a vehicle in interstate commerce knowing the same vehicle to have been stolen, and one count of conspiracy to commit robbery, possess a motor vehicle that had crossed a state boundary after being stolen, and transporting in interstate commerce a vehicle that had been stolen. Earlier this month, Michael Anthony Wilson and Perla Isel Pineda-Osorio, also of Sarasota, pled guilty to the same charges in relation to the robbery.
“The United States Attorney’s Office will continue to take all acts of violence and those crimes involving firearms seriously,” United States Attorney Cullen stated today. “We will work with our federal, state, and local partners to prosecute violent offenders and make our communities safer.”
According to court documents, on May 28, 2018, an individual in South Carolina picked up Pineda-Osorio, Sumpter, and Wilson, who posed as hitchhikers. The three defendants pulled guns on the driver and demanded that he take them to various ATMs to withdraw money from his account. After taking the driver’s money, they abandoned him on the side of the rode and stole his vehicle. Pineda-Osorio, Sumpter, and Wilson then proceeded to Charlotte, North Carolina, where they robbed a convenience store. The three committed a similar armed robbery at a store in Jonesville, North Carolina. Later that same night, all three committed another robbery at the I-81 Travel Plaza in Wythe County, Virginia. Soon after the robbery, law enforcement spotted the stolen vehicle in which they were traveling and a high-speed chase ensued. The vehicle eventually crashed and the defendants were taken into custody. The guns used in the robberies were recovered and, while looking like real firearms, were determined to be BB guns.
All three defendants will be sentenced on October 16, 2019, at 2:30 p.m. At sentencing, the defendants each face a maximum of thirty-five years in prison.
The investigation of the case was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and Wythe County (VA) Sheriff’s Office, with assistance by Charlotte Mecklenburg (NC) Police Department, Jonesville (NC) Police Department, Montgomery County (VA) Sheriff’s Office, New River Valley (VA) Regional Jail, Orangeburg (SC) Department of Public Safety, Pulaski County (VA) Sheriff’s Office, Sarasota (FL) Police Department, South Carolina State Police, and Virginia State Police.
Assistant United States Attorney Randy Ramseyer is prosecuting the case for the United States.
Final Defendant Convicted in June 2018 St. Croix Federal Jury Trial is Sentenced to 300 Months for Conspiracy and Attempted Possession of CocaineRead the Press Release
St. Croix, USVI – Anibal Vega-Arizmendi, age 29, of Puerto Rico, was sentenced today to 135 months in prison for conspiracy to possess cocaine with intent to distribute and attempted possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, by District Court Judge Wilma A. Lewis, announced United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert. Judge Lewis also sentenced Vega-Arizmendi to five years of supervised release, and ordered him to pay a fine of $2,000.000 and a special assessment of $300.00.
On June 26, 2018, a federal jury convicted Vega-Arizmendi along with five co-defendants on cocaine-related charges. Evidence at trial revealed that the organization planned the mid-sea retrieval of over 300 kilograms of cocaine during the period of the conspiracy, January 2014 through March 2016. Approximately 223 kilograms of cocaine were actually distributed by the drug organization. Law enforcement efforts to interdict some of the the drug shipments were successful, beginning in 2015. In October 2014, Vega-Arizmendi and others effected the mid-sea retrieval of 71 kilograms of cocaine. Between December 13 and 15, 2014, he assisted others in attempts to retrieve 30 kilograms of cocaine mid-sea. Witnessed testified that Vega-Arizmendi functioned as a boat operator. Between November 7, 2015 and November 12, 2015, he and others made several unsuccessful attempts to retrieve 87 kilograms of cocaine from mid-sea.
Fourteen individuals were originally charged as part of the drug trafficking organization. Prior to trial, six defendants entered guilty pleas and were sentenced. Of the six that were convicted on June 26, 2018, five have been sentenced and one is awaiting sentence.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alphonso G. Andrews, Jr. and Everard E. Potter.