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3 June 2019
Metro-PCS Robber Sentenced to 151 Months in Prison for 11 San Diego RobberiesRead the Press Release
Assistant U. S. Attorney Stephen Wong (619) 546-9464
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – June 3, 2019
SAN DIEGO – Justin Wayne Caldwell was sentenced in federal court today to 151 months prison in connection with the robberies of 11 San Diego area businesses in January and February 2017. U.S. District Judge Thomas J. Whelan also ordered Caldwell and his codefendant, Carlos Adolfo Soto, to pay $42,000 restitution to the victims.
Soto was sentenced to 140 months on May 27, 2019.
As described in his plea agreement, the spree of robberies involved 10 Metro PCS stores and a Subway Restaurant, all in San Diego County. The first robbery occurred on January 25, 2017 and the last on February 21, 2017. Soto admitted to committing eight of the eleven robberies, and to being part of a conspiracy that involved 11 robberies. In most of his robberies, Soto used a pellet gun that resembled a pistol during the robberies, pointing the weapon at store clerks and customers and demanding cellular phones and cash.
Soto was dubbed the “pinky bandit” for his distinctive pinky finger, which protruded out from the weapons he held during a string of eleven robberies. In a typical robbery, Soto entered the store holding a weapon such as a machete, tazer, or pellet gun that resembled a firearm. Soto pointed his weapon at store clerks and demanded cellular phones and cash. On one occasion, Soto threatened a store clerk with a machete, which he wielded during the robbery.
According to the government’s sentencing memorandum and admissions in his plea agreement, Caldwell typically waited outside the store in a car, serving as the getaway driver who helped Soto escape the crime scene. On at least one occasion, Caldwell also entered the store with a weapon. For example, on February 14, 2017, Soto and Caldwell pointed an object that resembled a handgun at a store clerk and forced the clerk into a storage area in the back of the store, where he was made to kneel down on his hands and feet, while they loaded a backpack with cellular phones. They then ordered the clerk to open the cash register.
Public filings describe how FBI agents and robbery detectives with the San Diego Police Department and the San Diego Sheriff’s Department collaborated to solve this case. In late January and early February of 2017, investigators noticed a series of robberies around San Diego County that fit a pattern. Ten of the 11 robberies involved Metro PCS cell phone stores and in each case the robbers used similar methods, weapons and disguises. Investigators identified the robbers after one of them registered a cell phone that had been stolen during an earlier robbery. Surveillance ultimately led investigators to the scene of the final robbery in the series. Soto was arrested after a foot chase, during which he dropped merchandise taken during the final robbery. Officers arrested Caldwell in his car, parked at the scene.
DEFENDANTS Case Number 17-CR-558-W
Carlos Adolfo Soto Age: 41 San Diego, CA
Justin Wayne Caldwell Age: 32 San Diego, CA
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Hobbs Act Robbery, 18 U.S.C. § 1951
Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison, $250,000 fine, 3 years’ supervised release
INVESTIGATING AGENCIES
Federal Bureau of Investigation
San Diego Police Department
San Diego Sherriff’s Department
Maryland U.S. Attorney Announces Support to Baltimore City as Part of the National Public Safety Partnership to Combat Violent CrimeRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – As the Department of Justice continues its efforts to fulfill President Donald J. Trump’s commitment to reducing violent crime in America, Attorney General William P. Barr today announced that the city of Baltimore, Maryland was selected to join the National Public Safety Partnership (PSP) initiative. PSP provides a framework for enhancing federal support of state, local and tribal law enforcement officials and prosecutors as they aggressively investigate and pursue violent criminals, specifically those involved in gun crime, drug trafficking, and gang violence.
“The Public Safety Partnership is a successful program that directs federal law enforcement resources to the cities where they can have the greatest impact,” Attorney General Barr said. “These resources help police departments to diagnose where crime is highest—and why—and to find, arrest and prosecute criminals. Several participating cities have already seen dramatic reductions in violent crime over the past two years. As we expand this program to 10 more cities across America, we are determined to replicate that success.”
U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur stated, “Violent crime in Baltimore, especially gun crime, takes far too many lives and undermines our ability to educate our children and build thriving businesses. Federal, state, and local law enforcement are united in our commitment to get guns and violent criminals off our streets and to reduce violent crime in our neighborhoods. All hands are on deck to make Baltimore safer, and the technical assistance available to Baltimore as part of the Justice Department’s Public Safety Partnerships will be crucial to our efforts.”
The Justice Department created PSP and the Task Force on Crime Reduction and Public Safety in response to President Trump’s February 9, 2017, Executive Order charging the agency with leading a national effort to combat violent crime. In June 2017, the Department of Justice announced the formation of the National Public Safety Partnership initiative.
To be considered for selection, a site must have sustained levels of violence that far exceed the national average and demonstrate a commitment to reducing crime. Cities must also display compliance with federal immigration requirements.
The 10 sites announced today are as follows:
- Anniston, Alabama
- Oxford, Alabama
- Anchorage, Alaska
- Davenport, Iowa
- Wichita, Kansas
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- Baltimore, Maryland
- Cleveland, Ohio
- Amarillo, Texas
- Harris County, Texas
More than 30 cities have participated in PSP. The primary participating Justice Department components include the Office of Justice Programs, Office on Violence Against Women, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, FBI, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and U.S. Marshals Service.
More information about PSP can be found at: http://www.nationalpublicsafetypartnership.org.
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Maryland Man Sentenced to 13 Years for Sexually Abusing 9-Year-Old ChildRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Jose Hernandez, 24, of District Heights, Md., was sentenced today to 13 years in prison followed by five years supervised release for sexually abusing a nine-year-old girl, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.
Hernandez pled guilty on November 16, 2018, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to a charge of first-degree child sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances. Following his prison term, Hernandez will be required to register for the rest of his life as a sex offender and complete a five-year term of supervised release. As part of the plea, the government agreed to dismiss a pending gun case. The Honorable Danya A. Dayson sentenced Hernandez today.
According to the government’s evidence, on June 16, 2017, the victim was at her home in Northwest Washington with her 4-year-old brother. The defendant - the victim’s stepfather’s brother - came to the house. The defendant forced the victim into the bathroom. The victim asked her brother for help, but the defendant closed the door on her brother and sexually assaulted the girl. The victim began pushing the defendant off of her, and he got off of her and went back into the living room. The victim went back into the living room and the defendant kept apologizing to her. The defendant asked the victim if she was going to tell her mother, and said that if she told, the defendant would go to jail and she would never see him again. After initially informing the defendant she was going to call her parents, the victim told the defendant she wouldn’t so the defendant wouldn’t get mad at her. The defendant left the home, and the victim locked the door behind him. The victim then called her mother to report the assault.
The defendant was arrested in October 2017 and has been in custody ever since.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Youth and Family Services Division. She also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the U.S. Marshals Service, the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences, the Children’s Advocacy Center, and Children’s National Medical Center. She acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocates Juanita Harris and Tracy Owusu, Paralegal Specialists Brenda Williams, D’Yvonne Key, and T.J. McPhail, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elana Suttenberg and Stuart D. Allen, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Man sentenced for Receiving Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Joe Kelly announced that Mark Ringland, 53, was sentenced on Monday, June 3, 2019, to 168 months in federal prison to be followed by 10 years of supervised release by Senior U.S. District Judge Laurie Smith-Camp in Omaha. A jury convicted Ringland of Receiving Child Pornography after a two-day trial that took place in February. There is no parole in the federal system.
Agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Child Exploitation Task Force received information in the spring of 2017, from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, that a specific email address was receiving child pornography. The investigators were able to determine that it was Ringland’s email. He was arrested on September 1, 2017, and had a cell phone and iPad in his possession. The investigators seized both devices for which they had an authorized search warrant. Searches were done and investigators located more than 900 images of what they believed to be child pornography between the two devices. It was determined that at least one of the images was received by Ringland between April 1, 2017 and September 1, 2017. On the date of his arrest Ringland told the investigators he downloaded child pornography as a “pill for pedophilia,” that is, he looked at the images so that he would not act out himself on children. At his sentencing hearing he blamed Google for providing a forum for child pornography to exist. He claimed to be searching for the images so he could report to Congress they need to change laws with respect to child pornographic content.
This case was investigated by the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force, including members from the FBI, Nebraska State Patrol, and Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.
Man Who Volunteered as Church Bus Driver Pleads Guilty to Aggravated Sexual Abuse of ChildrenRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – A Warren County man who met his victims through his volunteer work as a church bus driver pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court this morning to sexually abusing a minor under the age of 12.
A federal grand jury charged Jory Leedy, 49, of Franklin, Ohio, in April 2016. Leedy was scheduled to begin a jury trial today.
Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Todd A. Wickerham, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Field Division, Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Neil and other members of the Regional Electronics and Computer Investigations (RECI) Task Force announced the plea entered into today before U.S. District Judge Timothy S. Black.
According to court documents, Leedy sexually abused at least two minor boys as young as seven and eight years old. Leedy met the minors through a religious organization in Dayton, where he volunteered as a bus driver.
The children rode the bus, along with their mother, to the ministry on Sunday. Thereafter, Leedy stopped by the residence to play with the boys and eat dinner with the family. Leedy stopped volunteering as a bus driver shortly after.
Leedy began going to the residence on a nightly basis. He began buying the minors clothes and games. Eventually, Leedy ingratiated himself into the family, taking the boys to church in Cincinnati and on trips to the zoo, Cincinnati Reds games and Kings Island. He began taking the boys on vacations out of state. For example, Leedy took the victims to religious concerts and to Disney World.
Leedy arranged for the purchase of a car for the family. He helped enroll the boys in a private school. Further, Leedy assisted the family in securing another home that was owned by a friend of his; Leedy paid for part of the rent.
Leedy had provided the victims’ family with a fake name. His true identity was discovered during an altercation with the victims’ father in which the police were called. Police advised the parents of Leedy’s true identity and that he was a registered sex offender.
The victims told police the abuse took place over the course of two years and occurred in different states, including Kentucky, Florida and New York.
In addition, Leedy admitted in court documents that between 1999 and 2001 he sexually abused a then-minor relative when he would take the boy on trips for sporting events.
The parties involved in this case have recommended a prison sentence of 30 years in prison. Judge Black will consider that recommendation at a future sentencing hearing.
U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the FBI and Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, as well as Assistant United States Attorney Christy L. Muncy and Criminal Chief Kenneth L. Parker, who are prosecuting the case.
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Man Arrested for Transporting Images of Child Sexual AbuseRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A man with citizenship in Lebanon and the United States was arrested this morning after arriving at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York on charges of transporting visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
According to court documents, George Aref Nader, 60, was charged by criminal complaint after he arrived at Washington-Dulles International Airport on Jan. 17, 2018 from Dubai in possession of a cell phone containing visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The charges were unsealed after his arrest this morning.
Nader previously pleaded guilty in the Eastern District of Virginia to the same charge in 1991.
If convicted, Nader faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 40 years. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and John P. Selleck, Acting Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jay V. Prabhu and Laura Fong are prosecuting the case.
This case is being investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, composed of FBI agents and local, state and federal partners.
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. 1:18-mj-196.
A criminal complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
Lorain man and inmate at a federal prison in New Jersey were each sentenced to more than 20 years in prison for their conspiracy to commit murder for hire and to distribute cocaineRead the Press Release
A Lorain man and an inmate at a federal prison in New Jersey were each sentenced to more than 20 years in prison for their conspiracy to commit murder for hire and to distribute cocaine.
Eduardo Rios Velasquez, 38, of Lorain, was sentenced to nearly 24 years in prison. Angel Cordero, 38, an inmate at Fort Dix Federal Correctional Institution, was sentenced to 25 years in prison, to be served consecutive to another 40-year prison sentence he is serving.
A jury convicted both last year on one count of conspiracy to commit murder for hire and one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine.
Velasquez and Cordero had previously been incarcerated together. Cordero was in contact with Velasquez in the summer of 2017 through a contraband cellular phone that had been smuggled into Fort Dix, according to court documents and trial testimony.
Cordero put Velasquez in contact with another inmate. Velasquez offered to pay the other inmate money if he could provide Velasquez with the address for a woman identified in court documents as T.G. Cordero told the inmate that Velasquez had been hired to kill T.G, according to court documents.
Additionally, another person supplied Velasquez with large shipments of cocaine, with Cordero serving as the broker in the deals. Federal law enforcement authorities intercepted a kilogram of cocaine in July that was being shipped to Velasquez, according to court documents and trial testimony.
“This case was an outstanding effort by investigators and prosecutors from multiple states and jurisdictions who came together to avert a tragedy,” U.S. Attorney Justin E. Herdman said. “These prison sentences demonstrate the serious nature of the crimes of these two defendants.”
“This case shows that no one is out of reach from being charged and prosecuted when a crime is committed,” said Angel M. Melendez, special agent in charge of HSI New York. “Even when serving a sentence, Cordero continued his criminal activity with little regard of the consequences.”
“The FBI is pleased with the sentencing handed down today. Velasquez will now have additional time to spend behind bars for his ruthless willingness to kill someone for money,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Eric B. Smith. “The FBI Cleveland Division commends the collaboration between the law enforcement agencies involved in disrupting and prosecuting this murder for hire. Let's hope Mr. Velasquez has learned that he will be prosecuted if he chooses to engage in any more crime, no matter where he is located."
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian McDonough, Brad Beeson and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Hiral Mehta following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s New York office, the DEA’s New York Drug Enforcement Task Force – which is comprised of agents, detectives and investigators of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, New York City Police Department and the New York State Police -- and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Cleveland office, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
Long Island Man Sentenced to 18 Months’ Imprisonment for Threatening to Assault and Murder Two United States SenatorsRead the Press Release
Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Central Islip, Ronald DeRisi was sentenced by United States Circuit Judge Joseph F. Bianco to 18 months’ imprisonment for threatening to assault and kill two sitting United States Senators in retaliation for their support of the nomination and confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court. As part of his sentence, DeRisi was ordered to forfeit two firearms to the United States.
Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Acting Chief Steven Sund, United States Capitol Police, announced the sentence.
“Our political process allows for vigorous debate, but not destruction. Threatening to harm or kill elected officials because one disagrees with their public positions goes far beyond the scope of the First Amendment and will not be tolerated,” stated United States Attorney Donoghue. “We will not allow individuals to influence political decision-making through criminal threats.” Mr. Donoghue thanked the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Suffolk County Police Department for their assistance in the case.
“I also want to thank our USCP investigators, and all of our partners in successfully investigating and prosecuting this case,” said Acting Capitol Police Chief Sund.
In September and October of 2018, DeRisi telephoned and left approximately 12 anonymous, threatening voice-messages at the offices of two United States Senators, both of whom were publicly supporting the nomination and confirmation of Justice Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court. DeRisi’s threats, which were made both before and after Justice Kavanaugh’s confirmation, included threatening to shoot one of the Senators in the head with a 9mm firearm. When DeRisi was arrested on October 19, 2018, members of law enforcement recovered live 9mm ammunition during the execution of a search warrant at his residence.The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Long Island Criminal Division. Assistant United States Attorney Justina L. Geraci is in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
Ronald DeRisi
Age: 75
Smithtown, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 19-CR-090 (JFB)
Lobelville, TennesseeMan Sentenced to 240 Months for Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine and Fentanyl; and Felon in Possession of FirearmsRead the Press Release
Jackson, TN – Daniel Ranger, 33, has been sentenced to 240months imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of actual methamphetamine, aiding and abetting the distribution and attempted distribution of a detectable amount of Fentanyl and being a felon in possession of firearms. U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant announced the sentence today.
This is the latest sentencing in a case involving multiple defendants including Rolando Lopez, Saul Vega Flores, Virginia Torres, Kenneth Edward Garrett, Ronald Lynn Parham, Tammy Ranger, Marcus Jones, and Xavier Demetrius James for charges of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
According to information presented in court, on February 28, 2017, officers with the Lawrenceburg Police Department conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle operated by Ranger. Ranger was found to be in possession of various items located throughout the vehicle to include: a Taurus 9mm handgun, a ballistics vest, three cellular phones, 5.5 grams of methamphetamine/ice and $10,241 in cash. On October 7, 2017, Ranger was again stopped operating a motor vehicle while having a suspended driver’s license. The Perry County Sheriff’s Office searched the vehicle and recovered $98,360 in cash, 37 sildenafil tablets, 50 tadalafil tablets, and a drug ledger. After deputies removed Daniel Ranger from their patrol vehicle, they found a $5 bill, a syringe, and 2.4 grams of methamphetamine/ice in the backseat.
On October 24, 2017, the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call regarding an automobile wreck. The caller advised that a vehicle with front end damage was located in the ditch. Daniel Ranger was identified exiting the scene of the accident. As officers arrived, they began investigating the car crash and observed a blue cooler in the tree line. The cooler contained 222 grams of methamphetamine at 95% purity, 20.15 grams of fentanyl/heroin, a small amount of cocaine, and numerous pills. Also recovered was $20,000 in cash, 195 grams of marijuana, and a drug ledger that listed prices based on drug quantity and money owed by customers.
Later that same day, investigators executed a search warrant at 3439 Red Bank Creek Road in Lobelville, Tennessee, the residence of Daniel Ranger and Tammy Ranger. Investigators found 1.51 kilograms of marijuana in a trash bag in the kitchen. They also located .78 kilograms of methamphetamine/ice and 260 grams of heroin in the dishwasher.
On October 28, 2017, after receiving further information regarding additional narcotics, U.S. currency, and firearms that were still either in the home or on the property, investigators executed a second search warrant at Daniel Ranger and Tammy Ranger’s residence. Inside the residence, investigators found an additional set of digital scales, and assorted pills in sample packs. In a trailer behind the residence, officers located another assortment of sample packs of pills and a Glock pistol case with a 9mm magazine, a Remington five-round magazine, fourteen .223 rounds in a plastic clip, and ten 12-gauge shotgun shells.
U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said, "Fentanyl and Methamphetamine are deadly drugs that destroy lives, and the substantial quantity of illegal narcotics possessed by the defendant for resale could have caused countless injuries and deaths. This armed recidivist drug dealer will now have to pay for his crimes with a 20 year federal prison sentence."
During his guilty plea, Ranger was held accountable for 963.9 grams of actual methamphetamine, 228.15 grams of heroin/fentanyl, and 1,480 grams of marijuana.
On May 31, 2019, U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Anderson sentenced Ranger to 240 months in federal prison followed by 5 years supervised release.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) – Nashville, Jackson, Knoxville, Atlanta; Tennessee Bureau of Investigation; 23rd Judicial Drug Task Force; Metro Nashville Police Department; Jackson Police Department; Carroll County Sheriff’s Office; Madison County Sheriff’s Office; Lewis County Sheriff’s Office; Perry County Sheriff’s Office; Tennessee Highway Patrol; Lawrenceburg Police Department; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); Knox County Sheriff’s Office and Obion County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jerry Kitchen prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
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Loading 168 Pounds of Marijuana Costs KCK Man Four Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Kansas man was sentenced today to four years in federal prison for helping to move 168 pounds of marijuana from one house to another to keep police from finding it, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said.
Felipe Cano-Porras, 32, Kansas City, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute marijuana. Law enforcement had a house in the 900 block of Riverview in Kansas City, Kan., under surveillance when Cano-Porras and another man come out. In the house, investigators found 168 pounds of marijuana in suitcases, 704 grams of methamphetamine, three firearms and more than $25,000 in cash. In his plea, Cano-Porras admitted he and another moved the marijuana, the methamphetamine, the guns and the cash into the house from another residence.
McAllister commended the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Maag for their work on the case.
Langhorne Podiatrist to Pay $75,000 and Cease Prescribing Schedule II Opioids for Two YearsRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain announced that Langhorne podiatrist Dr. Ronald Klein will pay $75,000 and stop prescribing Schedule II opioids, a class of controlled substances with a high potential for abuse, for two years to resolve allegations that he improperly prescribed opioids to one of his patients from October 2014 to October 2016.
The settlement resolves allegations that over two years, Dr. Klein wrote prescriptions for one of his patients that had no legitimate medical purpose and were not issued in the usual course of professional practice. In particular, Klein allegedly wrote improper prescriptions, including for opioids, when multiple prescriptions were written for the same drug on the same day, were written too early based upon the previous prescription’s supply and directions for use, and were not supported by contemporaneous medical histories or physical examinations.
“Healthcare providers have an unwavering duty to their patients to ensure that opioid prescriptions are written for a legitimate medical purpose, and are consistent with the law and the accepted standard of care,” said U.S. Attorney McSwain. “This settlement is the latest example of my Office’s commitment to using all of our enforcement tools to ensure that providers are living up to that duty, and more broadly, of our commitment to taking a multi-pronged approach to combatting the opioid epidemic. We are grateful to our partners at the Drug Enforcement Administration for helping us investigate improper opioid prescriptions.”
This investigation was conducted with the Philadelphia Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration. For the United States Attorney’s Office, Assistant United States Attorney Anthony D. Scicchitano and Auditor Denis Cooke handled the investigation and settlement.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only; there has been no determination of liability.
KC Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Illegal FirearmRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man has been sentenced in federal court for illegally possessing a firearm.
Emmanuel Robinson, 36, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays on Thursday, May 30, to 25 years and five months in federal prison without parole. Robinson was sentenced as an armed career criminal due to his prior felony convictions.
On Dec. 5, 2018, Robinson was convicted at trial of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Evidence introduced during the trial indicated that Robinson, a convicted felon, was in possession of a Taurus .40-caliber handgun on March 10, 2017.
Kansas City police detectives were contacting another individual on an unrelated matter on that date when an altercation occurred between that individual and Robinson. During the altercation, Robinson pushed the other individual and made motions towards his front waistband. The detectives identified themselves and Robinson started to walk away but kept his hands near his front waistband. Both Robinson and the other individual were detained in order to control the situation. During a search, a detective found the loaded handgun concealed in the waistband of Robinson’s pants.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Robinson has two prior felony convictions for unlawful use of a weapon and prior felony convictions for robbery, domestic assault, endangering the welfare of a child, assault, and armed criminal action.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brad K. Kavanaugh and Alison D. Dunning. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.
Project Safe Neighborhoods
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is partnering with federal, state, and local law enforcement to specifically identify criminals responsible for significant violent crime in the Western District of Missouri. A centerpiece of this effort is Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone.Justice Department Announces Addition of 10 Cities and Counties as Part of the National Public Safety Partnership to Combat Violent CrimeRead the Press Release
As the Department of Justice continues its efforts to fulfill President Donald J. Trump’s commitment to reducing violent crime in America, Attorney General William P. Barr today announced 10 new National Public Safety Partnership (PSP) sites in areas with elevated crime rates. The partnership provides a framework for enhancing federal support of state, local and tribal law enforcement officials and prosecutors as they aggressively investigate and pursue violent criminals, specifically those involved in gun crime, drug trafficking and gang violence.
“The Public Safety Partnership is a successful program that directs federal law enforcement resources to the cities where they can have the greatest impact," Attorney General Barr said. "These resources help police departments to diagnose where crime is highest—and why—and to find, arrest and prosecute criminals. Several participating cities have already seen dramatic reductions in violent crime over the past two years. As we expand this program to 10 more cities across America, we are determined to replicate that success.”
The Justice Department created PSP and the Task Force on Crime Reduction and Public Safety in response to President Trump’s February 9, 2017, Executive Order charging the agency with leading a national effort to combat violent crime. In June 2017, the Department of Justice announced the formation of the National Public Safety Partnership initiative.
To be considered for selection, a site must have sustained levels of violence that far exceed the national average and demonstrate a commitment to reducing crime. Cities must also display compliance with federal immigration requirements.
The 10 sites announced today are as follows:
- Anniston, Alabama
- Oxford, Alabama
- Anchorage, Alaska
- Davenport, Iowa
- Wichita, Kansas
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- Baltimore, Maryland
- Cleveland, Ohio
- Amarillo, Texas
- Harris County, Texas
Last week, Attorney General Barr visited one of the new PSP sites in Anchorage, Alaska, and participated in a roundtable where he heard the public safety concerns from many Alaska Native leaders.
“I know through experience as a former U.S. Attorney that the surest way to drive down crime is through a united effort that involves local government leaders and law enforcement agencies at all levels,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Matt M. Dummermuth, who oversees DOJ’s Office of Justice Programs. “The National Public Safety Partnership has been the force behind successful violence reduction efforts in a number of communities, and we intend to carry that success into other high crime neighborhoods.”
More than 30 cities have participated in PSP. The primary participating Justice Department components include the Office of Justice Programs, Office on Violence Against Women, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, FBI, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and U.S. Marshals Service.
“We are proud to provide support to law enforcement in these new Sites, and we’re confident that this collaborative effort will help these jurisdictions reduce violent crime,” said Jon Adler, Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance.
More information about PSP can be found at: http://www.nationalpublicsafetypartnership.org.
Jefferson County man sentenced to 20 years for bank robberyRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Timothy Byers, Jr., of Charles Town, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 240 months incarceration for bank robbery, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Byers, age 48, pled guilty to one count of “Bank Robbery” in March 2019. Byers admitted to robbing the Bank of Charles Town in Charles Town, West Virginia, on May 19, 2018. Byers got away with $7,048.
Byers was also ordered to pay &8,044 in restitution.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberley D. Crockett prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Charles Town Police Department investigated.
Chief U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.
Huntington Man Sentenced for Federal Drug ChargeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A Huntington man was sentenced to 15 months in prison on a federal drug charge, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart. Ralph Wray, 36, previously pled guilty to an indictment charging him with possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.
“Another meth dealer locked up,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “Every week we send more meth dealers to federal prison.”
Wray admitted that on July 23, 2018, he purchased methamphetamine at a home on Oakland Avenue in Huntington. He left the home and an officer with Huntington Police Department saw what appeared to be baggies of methamphetamine hanging from his belt. The officer approached Wray and Wray admitted the baggies contained methamphetamine. The baggies contained approximately 33 grams of methamphetamine.
The Huntington Police Department conducted the investigation.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie S. Taylor handled the prosecution.
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Hermitage Company and Its Owner Plead Guilty to Illegally Importing and Selling “Brain Drugs” Not Approved for Sale by FDARead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A resident of Hermitage, Pennsylvania, and a corporation, also from Hermitage, pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of conspiracy, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
Emil Koledin aka Butch, and Koledin Enterprises, Inc. pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud agencies of the United States before Senior United States District Judge Donetta W. Ambrose.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that Koledin operated a business out of his Hermitage home called Koledin Enterpsises, Inc., that sold various illegal drugs manufactured primarily in Russia and China though the website awakebrain.com. Koledin sold the drugs as "nootripics", which he described as "Smart drugs, memory enhancers, neuro exchangers, and intelligence enhancements." He falsely represented these drugs as legal to sell in the United States. In fact, these are drugs that were illegally imported into the United States and illegal to sell in the United States because they are not approved for sale by the Food and Drug Administration, the products do not contain the proper labeling, directions for use and warnings, and because they were manufactured in unapproved facilities. Some of the illegal drugs Koledin was selling include the following: Adrafinil, aka Noofon; Bromantane; Coluracetam; Etifoxine, aka Stresam; Noopept; Piracetam, a/k/a Nootropil; Phenylpiracetam, aka Phenotropil; Sunifiram; Theanine; and Tianetine,
Judge Ambrose scheduled sentencing for October 7, 2019. For the conspiracy charge relating to Emil Koledin, the law provides for a total sentence of not more than five years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. For the charge against Koledin Enterprises, Inc., the law provides for a total sentence of a fine of $500,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Brendan T. Conway is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Koledin and Koledin Enterprises, Inc.
Hazleton Woman Sentenced to Probation for Firearms OffenseRead the Press Release
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that on May 31, 2019, United States District Court Judge James M. Munley sentenced Jasmine Wing, age 27, of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, to two years of probation and 50 hours of community service, for making false statements in the purchase of firearms.
According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Jasmine Wing purchased six firearms while making false representations that she was the actual buyer, when in fact her father, Theodore Wing, and his co-conspirators selected, paid for, and took possession of the firearms. The firearms were purchased from Bob’s Sporting Goods in Hazleton, PA, and from Dave’s Gun Shop in Drums, PA, between September 19, 2014 and April 14, 2015. The firearms were:
- Glock 19 9mm;
- Glock 23 .40 caliber;
- Taurus PT745Pro .45acp;
- Extar EXP556 5.56;
- CAI/Romarm Micro Draco 7.62x39 (a semiautomatic firearm that is capable of accepting a large capacity magazine); and
- Ruger P91DC .40acp.
Two of the firearms subsequently were recovered in law enforcement operations, including one that had been used in a shooting in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, in February 2015.
Theodore Wing was previously convicted of aiding and abetting the making false statements in the purchase of firearms and on April 24, 2019, was sentenced to 63 months’ imprisonment.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Phillip J. Caraballo prosecuted the cases.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
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Government Contractor Pleads Guilty to Making False StatementsRead the Press Release
CONCORD – Enco Industries, Inc., a company located in Plaistow, New Hampshire, pleaded guilty to making false statements to the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Logistics Agency, announced United States Attorney Scott W. Murray.
According to court documents and statements made during a hearing earlier today, the Defense Logistics Agency (“DLA”) purchases operating supplies (“items”) for the U.S. military from government contractors through the federal supply system. The Department of Defense (“DoD”) requires that all items conform to strict military specifications identified in its contracts. Contract solicitations include the DoD’s specifications for the requested item.
An oil sorbent mat is one item the DLA acquires through the federal supply system. Because the mats are used to absorb flammable liquids, the mats are required to meet specifications requiring them to dissipate electrical charges to the ground.
According to court documents, in December of 2011, the DLA posted a solicitation to acquire approximately 96,000 units of hazardous material mats over a five-year period. The solicitation required, among other things, that the mats pass standards established in National Fire Protection Association for Static Decay and Surface Resistivity. The solicitation also required the selected government contractor to purchase mats manufactured by a company in Tipton, Pennsylvania or another company in Pennsylvania.
Enco has been an approved government contractor since 2004. On January 13, 2012, Enco’s government contracting manager submitted Enco’s bid for the contract. The bid stated that Enco would purchase the mats from the company in Tipton for $29.15 for each unit containing 100 mats during the first year of the five-year annually renewable contract. This statement was false because, at the time the bid was submitted, Enco did not intend to purchase the mats from the company in Tipton.
The court documents further allege that on June 18, 2012, the DLA awarded the contract to Enco and sent the company a purchase order that incorporated all the required specifications for the mats. From June of 2012 to October of 2013, Enco provided approximately 21,700 units to the DLA. To obtain payments, Enco’s office manager submitted claims to the DoD. Most of claims were false because only seven units contained mats that were manufactured by the company in Tipton. Enco received payments totaling $683,513.55 for these claims.
In August of 2013, an independent company concluded that several of the mats it tested did not meet the contract’s requirements for static decay or surface resistivity. As a result, the DLA sent Enco a letter on October 7, 2013, that notified the company that the contract might be terminated due to non-conformance.
In an October 2013-email addressed to the DLA, Enco’s president stated that Enco bought the mats from a non-approved manufacturer because the amount charged by the company in Tipton was prohibitive. In the same email, Enco’s president stated that Enco was not able to identify the non-approved manufacturer. This statement was false because, at the time of the email, Enco was able to identify the manufacturers from whom it had purchased the mats.
While speaking with Special Agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (“NCIS”) and Defense Criminal Investigative Service (“DCIS”) on February 21, 2014, Enco’s president stated that before Enco submitted its bid on the contract, the company received price quotes from the two approved manufacturers. According to the court documents, Enco’s president also stated that Enco decided to buy the mats from the company in Tipton because its price was lower. This statement was false and misleading because when Enco submitted its bid for the contract, it intended to fulfill the contract by purchasing mats from a non-approved manufacturer.
A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for September 11th, 2019. At sentencing, the company could be placed on probation for up to five years and fined up to $500,000.
“Defense procurement fraud is a serious crime that can jeopardize the safety of military personnel,” said U.S. Attorney Murray. “Those who seek to do business with the government should be truthful and candid. We will always work closely with our law enforcement partners to identify and prosecute individuals or entities that seek to defraud the government or who are dishonest in their dealings with federal agencies.”
"Ensuring the integrity of the U.S. Department of Defense's (DoD) procurement process is a top investigative priority for the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS)," said Leigh-Alistair Barzey, Special Agent in Charge of the DCIS Northeast Field Office. "The guilty plea announced today is the direct result of a joint effort and it demonstrates DCIS' ongoing commitment to partner with the U.S. Attorney's Office, NCIS and AFOSI to investigate and prosecute companies that provide false statements to the DoD in an effort to improperly receive defense contracts."
“Fraud is never a victimless crime,” said Special Agent in Charge Leo S. Lamont of the NCIS. “This case of using inferior and substandard materials damaged the readiness and safety of U.S. forces. The victims are not just our men and women in uniform, but all American taxpayers. NCIS will continue to tirelessly pursue all those who seek to take advantage of the Department of the Navy and its interests while keeping the procurement system fair and honest."
"The Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI), along with its law enforcement partners, has, and always will, aggressively identify, investigate and neutralize anyone who attempts to defraud the US Government and put our nation's warfighters at risk," said Special Agent-in-Charge Jason T. Hein, AFOSI, Office of Procurement Fraud.
The case was investigated by the NCIS, DCIS, and the AFOSI, Office of Procurement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Kinsella is prosecuting the case.
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Four men sentenced for roles in methamphetamine conspiracyRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA –Four men have been sentenced today to a combined 116 months incarceration for their roles in a methamphetamine conspiracy, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Corey Bircher, of Elk Garden, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 37 months incarceration. Bircher, age 26, pled guilty to one count of “Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime” in February 2019. Bircher admitted to having a .357 revolver during a methamphetamine distribution crime in February 2018 in Mineral County.
Steve William Gray, of Luray, Virginia, was sentenced to 18 months incarceration. Gray, age 39, pled guilty to one count of “Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine.” He admitted to conspiring with others to distribute methamphetamine from August 2017 to June 2018 in Mineral, Hardy, and Hampshire Counties.
Tyler Allen Whitacre, of Elk Garden, West Virginia, was sentenced to 15 months incarceration. Whitacre, age 25, pled guilty to one count of “Distribution of Methamphetamine” in March 2019. Whitacre admitted to selling methamphetamine in January 2018 in Mineral County.
Joseph Nathaniel Hagan, of Petersburg, West Virginia, was sentenced to 46 months incarceration. Hagan, age 36, pled guilty to one count of “Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine” in March 2019. Hagan admitted to distributing methamphetamine in January 2018 in Hampshire County.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher prosecuted the cases on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, The West Virginia State Police, and the Potomac Highlands Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force investigated.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.
Chief U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.
Former Physician Assistant Sentenced to 48 Months for Kickback SchemeRead the Press Release
Concord - United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced that Christopher Clough, 45, of Dover, New Hampshire was sentenced to 48 months for participating in a scheme in which he received kickbacks in exchange for prescribing a powerful fentanyl spray to patients in violation of federal law.
Court filings and statements made in court established that Clough worked as a physician assistant in New Hampshire. After being approached by a representative of a drug manufacturer in June of 2013, he became a frequent prescriber of a fentanyl spray that had been approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat breakthrough cancer pain. From approximately June of 2013 through the fall of 2014, Clough wrote more than 750 prescriptions for the fentanyl spray in New Hampshire, including more than 215 prescriptions for Medicare patients and several more for Tricare patients. The Medicare program paid over $2.1 million for these prescriptions, and Tricare paid nearly $600,000.
During the time he was writing these prescriptions, the manufacturer of the drug paid Clough to serve as a speaker at more than 40 programs at a rate of approximately $1,000 per event. In many instances, the programs were merely sham events where Clough was paid to have dinner with employees or representatives of the pharmaceutical company. During most dinner programs, Clough did not give any kind of presentation about the drug. Clough and others often forged signatures of attendees on sign-in sheets in an effort to make the dinners appear to be legitimate. Evidence at trial demonstrated that Clough received over $49,000 in payments from the drug manufacturer.
Clough often prescribed the drug for patients who did not have breakthrough cancer pain. He often started patients on high doses of the addictive fentanyl spray and rebuffed patients and their family members who stated that they no longer wanted the drug.
Clough was convicted of one count of conspiracy and seven counts of receipt of kickbacks in relation to a federal healthcare program.
A jury found Clough guilty on December 18, 2018 following a six-day trial.
“Mr. Clough’s actions were a disturbing betrayal of his patients’ trust,” said U.S. Attorney Murray. “Rather than making his prescribing decisions based upon the needs of his patients, his decisions were tainted by the kickbacks he was paid by a pharmaceutical company. This substantial sentence should serve as a warning to all health care providers in New Hampshire that there will be severe consequences if they choose to engage in criminal conduct.”
"Mr. Clough is no better than a street level drug dealer,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “He exploited his patients, betrayed their trust, and accepted kickbacks for his own personal enrichment. Today's sentence marks an important step in holding doctors responsible for their role in fueling the opioid epidemic and be assured, the FBI will continue to identify and bring to justice doctors like him whose practices promote fraud with a total disregard for patient safety."
“Medical professionals taking thinly-veiled bribes to overprescribe opioids threaten the lives of patients for personal gain,” said Phillip Coyne, Special Agent in Charge for the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “OIG, along with our law enforcement partners, will ensure that criminals like Clough pay the price for their actions.”
“Fentanyl is causing tremendous damage to our communities,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Brian D. Boyle. “Those who illegally distribute fentanyl will be held accountable through our court system. Today, Mr. Clough has been held accountable for his actions. The investigation and prosecution of illegal distribution of fentanyl is a top priority of the DEA.”
This matter was jointly investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Diversion Control Division. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles L. Rombeau and Seth R. Aframe.
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Former Narcotics Agent and Co-Conspirator Sentenced in Drug Proceeds Money Laundering CaseRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Chief United States District Court Judge Christopher C. Conner sentenced Timothy B. Riley and John T. Oiler for their roles in a money laundering conspiracy involving $800,000 in drug proceeds following their separate guilty pleas.
According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, both Riley and Oiler pleaded guilty to a conspiracy to launder proceeds of a nation-wide drug trafficking organization. Riley, age 48 of Philadelphia, was sentenced to 36 months’ imprisonment followed by one year of supervised release, and to forfeit up to $800,000. Riley retired from his position as a Narcotics Agent with the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Bureau of Narcotics Investigations shortly after his criminal conduct in this case began. Oiler, age 49 of Georgia, was sentenced to serve 30 months’ imprisonment followed by one year of supervised release and to forfeit up to $800,000. The third co-conspirator, Michael Sean Riley, pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.
Michael Riley arranged with John T. Oiler to rent a storage unit in Baltimore and travel to Pennsylvania to take possession of more than $800,000 of cash drug proceeds Michael Riley skimmed from a larger load of cash. Oiler took the vast majority of those proceeds and stored them in the rented unit in Baltimore. Michael Riley then contacted his cousin, Timothy Riley, then a Narcotics Agent of the PA Attorney General’s Office Bureau of Narcotics Investigations Mobile Street Crimes Unit, and turned over the rest of the cash proceeds to him and other agents from the Mobile Street Crimes Unit. Michael Riley paid Timothy Riley three cash payments totaling $48,000 which Timothy Riley subsequently laundered. Oiler and Michael Riley each netted about $400,000 of the proceeds and each conducted numerous financial transactions with the cash drug proceeds.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
The case was investigated by the Harrisburg Offices of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, with the full assistance of the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General. Assistant U.S. Attorney James T. Clancy is prosecuting the case.
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Former Delaware Physician Sentenced to 30 Months Imprisonment for Making A False Statement to A Financial InstitutionRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, Del. – David C. Weiss, United States Attorney for the District of Delaware, announced today that on Friday, May 31, 2019, District Judge Richard G. Andrews sentenced Zahid Aslam, age 46, of Newark, Delaware, to a 30-month prison sentence for making a false statement to a financial institution. The Court also ordered Aslam to serve three years of supervised release following his sentence.
Aslam, a former physician with practices in Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, previously pleaded guilty in November 2018 to using third-party nominee borrowers to obtain loans on his behalf at two different financial institutions. These loans, which Aslam could not have otherwise qualified for on his own, fueled the growth of his medical practices. At the time of his guilty plea, Aslam and two of his health care entities entered into a separate $3,070,000 civil settlement to resolve health care fraud allegations. One of those entities also pleaded guilty to criminal health care fraud and paid a $100,000 fine.
As a result of his criminal conviction and the civil settlement, Aslam surrendered his medical licenses and has been barred from billing federal healthcare programs. As a non-citizen, Aslam is also subject to removal by immigration authorities.
U.S. Attorney Weiss stated the following, “The Court’s sentence is the culmination of the multi-year investigation and prosecution of former physician Zahid Aslam and his health care entities relating to bank fraud and health care fraud. My Office and our law enforcement partners previously announced a $3,070,000 settlement, as well as a separate corporate guilty plea, to resolve the health care fraud portion of the investigation in November 2018. Today’s sentencing concludes the bank fraud aspect of the investigation. Lying to banks regarding the actual person who is receiving loan proceeds is a serious offense. Here, Aslam acknowledged that he caused over $1,000,000 in losses relating to his fraudulent conduct. The 30-month sentence appropriately punishes Aslam for his offense and sends a strong message that committing bank fraud will result in a lengthy term of imprisonment. My Office remains steadfast in prosecuting criminal conduct that impacts the integrity of our financial system.”
"The FBI in Wilmington will vigorously investigate all forms of financial crimes and this sentence indicates those intent on corrupting our economy will be identified and brought to justice," said Jennifer L. Moore, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Baltimore Office. "Our job is to protect victims who don't see these crimes occurring, but who always end up paying the price."
“We are diligent in unraveling the fraudulent actions of those, such as Zahid Aslam, who scheme to defraud financial institutions,” said IRS-Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Guy Ficco. “This sentence is a reminder that we will vigorously investigate and bring to justice those who engage in these illegal activities.”
“The exclusion of Dr. Aslam from all Federal healthcare programs demonstrates our commitment to hold bad actors accountable," said Maureen Dixon, Special Agent in Charge of the Philadelphia Regional Office for the Department of Health & Human Services Office of Inspector General. "We will continue to investigate and disrupt attempts to undermine healthcare programs.”
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert F. Kravetz and was investigated by FBI Baltimore Division’s Wilmington Office, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, and the Internal Revenue Service –Criminal Investigations Division. Those agencies also received investigative assistance from the State of Delaware Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, the State of Maryland Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, Federal Housing Finance Agency – Office of Inspector General, and the Special Inspector General of the Troubled Asset Relief Program.
Federal Indictment Charges Individuals with Long-Running Scheme to Help Applicants Fraudulently Obtain Massage Therapist LicensesRead the Press Release
DENVER – Two individuals who falsified education credentials and helped applicants cheat on tests to be massage license therapists were indicted by a federal grand jury and arrested, announced U.S. Attorney Jason Dunn and FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Dean Phillips. Yongbo Shen, a/k/a Kevin Shen, age 48, originally of China and currently from Massachusetts, appeared in U.S. District Court in Colorado, and is due back on June 6, 2019, for arraignment. Marla Daniels, age 50, of Oklahoma City was arrested in Oklahoma City and appeared in federal court there where she was released on bond. She is scheduled to make her initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Colorado on June 17, 2019.
Both defendants have been charged with 36 counts of wire fraud and aiding and abetting along with 1 count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. If convicted of wire fraud, each defendant could face up to 20 years in federal prison, and pay up to a $250,000 fine per count.
According to the indictment, between February 16, 2015 and March 3, 2018, defendants Shen and Daniels fraudulently obtained the Colorado state mandated certified test questions and answers. With the help of others, Shen then caused such materials to be translated from English to Chinese. Such packet essentially functioned as an unauthorized question and answer key -- a cheat sheet -- for the examination.
According to the indictment, as part of the scheme, Shen distributed the cheat sheet to multiple applicants in exchange for a fee. Applicants were seeking to pass the standardized test in an effort to obtain massage therapy licensure in Colorado, and at times other states. Cheat sheets allowed unqualified applicants to pass the test and provided applicants with an unfair competitive advantage over other persons taking the test.
As part of the scheme, Daniels and Shen also created and issued multiple bogus diplomas, which falsely certified that applicants graduated from the Majestic Massage Therapy school. Shen worked with Daniels to help create and falsify course transcripts that claimed the applicants completed required course work in massage therapy. Together, the false transcripts and bogus diplomas misrepresented that the applicants had successfully completed the requisite 500 hours of instruction and training from a massage therapy licensure program.
Shen submitted applications for massage therapy licenses to the State of Colorado Department of Regulatory Affairs on behalf of the applicants. In the course of submitting such applications, Shen falsely certified to the State that the information contained within the applications was true and correct, when in fact, Shen knew the applications contained false information regarding the applicants’ educational qualifications and satisfactory completion of examination requirements.
This case was investigated by the FBI Denver Division with substantial assistance from the FBI Kansas City Division, the FBI Oklahoma City Division, the Arvada Police Department, the Colorado State Patrol, the Wheat Ridge Police Department, Lakewood Police Department, Aurora Police Department and the Denver Police Department. The defendants are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tim Neff.
The charges contained in the indictment are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Fayetteville Man Sentenced to 17 Years for Firearm and Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
RALEIGH - United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. announces United States District Court Judge James C. Dever III sentenced RYAN DETRELL ROBINSON, 27, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, to 204 months imprisonment.
On January 10, 2018, ROBINSON was seen on video firing an assault weapon into the air during a dispute with another man outside of the Coliseum Inn, in Fayetteville, North Carolina. After the man attempted to run away, ROBINSON took chase in his vehicle and shot the man, resulting in serious injuries.
Almost two weeks later, on January 23, 2018, law enforcement attempted to pull over a car being driven by ROBINSON, who was inside the car with two other people. ROBINSON led the police on a high-speed chase, driving against traffic before wrecking the car. He then got out of the car and ran from the police before being caught. A firearm and cocaine were found in the car.
ROBINSON was charged twice for being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was also charged with possession with the intent to distribute cocaine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. ROBINSON was originally facing a sentence of 57-71 months; however, the Court, on a motion of this Office, upwardly departed based on the use of a dangerous weapon and the physical injuries sustained as a result.
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.
In support of PSN, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina has implemented the Take Back North Carolina Initiative. This initiative emphasizes the regional assignment of federal prosecutors to work with law enforcement and District Attorney’s Offices on a sustained basis in those communities to reduce the violent crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement.
Investigation of this case was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, and the Fayetteville Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Donald R. Pender handled the prosecution of this case for the government.
East L.A. Gang Member Who Firebombed African-American Residences Sentenced to 13 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
A member of the Big Hazard street gang was sentenced today to 156 months in federal prison for orchestrating and executing the nighttime firebombing of African-American families at the Ramona Gardens Housing Development in Boyle Heights in 2014 in order to force the residents out of their homes.
Jose Saucedo, 25, aka “Lil’ Moe,” of Boyle Heights area of Los Angeles, was sentenced by United States District Judge Christina A. Snyder, who described the incident as ‘a terribly violent crime,’ because the attack targeted particularly vulnerable victims and because the defendant had a leadership role.
Saucedo pleaded guilty in May 2018 to four felonies: conspiracy to violate civil rights, violent crime in aid of racketeering, interference with the Fair Housing Act, and attempted arson of federal property.
“The defendant violently attacked families sleeping peacefully in their homes, because of their race,” said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband of the Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will vigorously prosecute these acts of hate.”
“Racially motivated crimes are among the most disturbing offenses inflicted on a community,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Hanna. “Today’s sentence shows that criminals who are fueled by racial hatred – such as this defendant, who participated in a firebombing attack on innocent families while they slept – will face severe consequences.”
"Violating the civil rights of others by engaging in racial violence is antithetical to our values as Americans," said Paul Delacourt, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office. "The lengthy sentence handed down today for defendant Saucedo should send a strong message that targeting innocent people because of their skin color will not be tolerated and that offenders will spend a significant time behind bars."
On the evening of May 11, 2014, which was Mother’s Day, Saucedo and seven other members of the Big Hazard street gang agreed to firebomb several apartments in the Ramona Gardens complex because the residents were African Americans. Each defendant was given a specific role in the attacks and was provided with items to be used, including masks to conceal their identities and a hammer to break windows.
The defendant gang members smashed the windows of four apartments to allow for cleaner entry and maximum damage of the firebombs, and then threw lit Molotov cocktails into the residences. Three of the four targeted apartments were occupied by African-American families, including women and children, who were sleeping at the time of the unprovoked attack. One of the victims was a Hispanic resident of Ramona Gardens whom the group mistakenly targeted.
Saucedo played a primary role in the attacks, collecting glass bottles to be used as Molotov cocktails, supervising one of the two groups of co-conspirators, and throwing a firebomb into one of the targeted units. After the firebombing, Saucedo continued to intimidate Ramona Gardens residents because of their race, threatening one mixed-race family by referencing the firebombing as an example of what would happen to them if they did not move out of the housing complex.
All of the seven defendants who were charged in this case in 2016 have pleaded guilty to federal hate crime and related offenses. All of those defendants also admitted that they participated in the firebombings because of the victims’ race and color and with the intent to force the victims to move away from the federally funded housing complex.
The investigation into the firebombing was conducted by agents and detectives with the FBI; the Los Angeles Police Department; the Los Angeles Fire Department; and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mack E. Jenkins, Chief of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section; Justice Department Trial Attorney Julia Gegenheimer of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section; and Assistant United States Attorney MiRi Song of the General Crimes Section.
For more information about the Department of Justice’s work to combat and prevent hate crimes, visit www.justice.gov/hatecrimes: a one-stop portal with links to Department of Justice hate crimes resources for law enforcement, media, researchers, victims, advocacy groups, and other organizations and individuals.
Dubois Felon Sentenced to Prison for Illegally Possessing Numerous FirearmsRead the Press Release
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A resident of DuBois, Pa. has been sentenced in federal court to three years and 10 months (46 months) in prison and three years’ supervised release on his conviction of unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
United States District Judge Kim R. Gibson imposed the sentence on Vincent L. Ruchlewicz, 58.
According to information presented to the court, on Mar. 1, 2018, Ruchlewicz was found in possession of numerous firearms. On Feb. 28, 2011, he had been convicted in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, of unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, which is a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year. Federal law prohibits persons who have been convicted of a crime punishable by a term of imprisonment exceeding one year from possessing firearms.
Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie L. Haines prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
Mr. Brady commended the United States Probation Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for the investigation that led to the successful prosecution of Ruchlewicz.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
District Man Pleads Guilty to Second Degree Murder for Hit and Run Fatality in Downtown WashingtonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Morris Harley, 37, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty to second degree murder on Friday stemming from a road rage incident where he struck and killed a pedestrian following a verbal altercation, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Harley pled guilty on May 31, 2019, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The plea calls for a sentence of 15 years in prison. He will be sentenced by the Honorable Juliet McKenna on August 9, 2019.
According to a proffer of facts submitted at the plea hearing, the fatal hit and run took place at approximately 1:45 a.m. on Tuesday, February 5, 2019, at the intersection of 4th and T Streets NW. The victim, Daniel Olaya, was walking on the sidewalk of T Street with two others, when Harley, who was driving a Toyota RAV4, drove past and exchanged words with the group. Nearby surveillance video captured footage of a verbal altercation between Harley and Mr. Olaya after Harley stopped and got out of the idling vehicle on T Street. Harley can be heard threatening Mr. Olaya after Mr. Olaya took a cell phone photograph of the RAV4’s license plate on the video. As Mr. Olaya attempted to walk away, the video shows Harley get into the idling RAV4, and speeding toward Mr. Olaya, and striking him. The video also shows Harley speed away out of the camera’s view after turning onto 4th Street. MPD detectives later identified the striking vehicle from the photo of the license plate taken by Mr. Olaya. The vehicle was later located parked nearby at the residence of Harley’s girlfriend, bearing different license plates.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of the officers and detectives who investigated the case from both the Major Crash Investigations Unit and the Criminal Investigations Division Homicide Branch of the Metropolitan Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin; Forensic Examiner John Marsh; Paralegal Specialist Stephanie Siegerist and Victim/Witness Advocate Marcy Rinker.
Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward A. O’Connell, who prosecuted the matter.
Delaware County Man Indicted on Multiple Child Exploitation ChargesRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney William M. McSwain announced that John C. Dellarocco, Jr., 24, of Holmes, Pennsylvania was indicted today on four counts of use of an interstate commerce facility to entice and attempt to entice a minor to engage in sexual conduct, seven counts of manufacture and attempted manufacture of child pornography, and one count of possession of child pornography.
These charges arise from an investigation into the defendant’s communications with at least eleven minor female children on an Internet-based application in which the defendant persuaded the girls to engage in sexual activity and sexually explicit conduct by photographing themselves engaging in that conduct and transmitting the images to the defendant via the Internet.
“Child exploitation is a pervasive problem – made more so by the accessibility of the Internet and digital media – that demands an aggressive response,” said U.S. Attorney McSwain. “The allegations in this case are particularly disturbing because of the number of children the defendant was able to target and communicate with on the Internet. We stand ready with our federal and local partners to identify and prosecute those who would prey upon minor children.”
“Child predators who produce child pornography are among the worst offenders. The FBI and our law enforcement partners work tirelessly to protect children from predators like Dellarocco. Today's Indictment sends the message that the FBI remains committed to pursuing justice for these young victims,” said FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Michael Harpster.
If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of life imprisonment.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Delaware County District Attorney's Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Roberta Benjamin.
An indictment, information, or criminal complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Defendant in College Admissions Case to Plead GuiltyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A former head coach of women’s soccer at the University of Southern California will plead guilty in connection with the college admissions case.
Ali Khosroshahin, 49, of Fountain Valley, Calif., will plead guilty to conspiracy to commit racketeering. Khosroshahin is cooperating with the government’s investigation. According to the terms of the plea agreement, the government will recommend a sentence at the low end of the Guidelines, one year of supervised release, a fine, restitution and forfeiture.
A plea hearing has not yet been scheduled by the Court.
Case information, including the status of each defendant, charging documents and plea agreements are available here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/investigations-college-admissions-and-testing-bribery-scheme.
The charge of racketeering conspiracy provides for a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater, and restitution. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; and Kristina O’Connell, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eric S. Rosen, Justin D. O’Connell, Leslie A. Wright, and Kristen A. Kearney of Lelling’s Securities and Financial Fraud Unit are prosecuting the cases.
The details contained in the court documents are allegations and the remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Columbia Man Sentenced for Illegal FirearmRead the Press Release
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Columbia, Mo., man who was in a vehicle that led police officers in a pursuit was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing a firearm.
Justin Craig Ewing, 30, was sentenced by U.S. District judge Stephen R. Bough to four years and eight months in federal prison without parole.
On Feb. 5, 2019, Ewing pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Ewing admitted that he was in possession of a loaded Browning .40-caliber handgun.
On Dec. 22, 2017, police officers attempted to stop a 2006 Chevy Impala driven by Jeremy Wade Gerlach, 36, of Harrisburg, Mo., in which Ewing was the passenger. Gerlach had absconded from supervision by the Missouri Board of Probation and Parole and had an active arrest warrant for his parole violation. When Gerlach stopped in the parking lot at the Days Inn Motel, 900 I-70 Drive Southwest, Columbia, Mo., officers pulled in behind the parked vehicle.
As officers approached the vehicle on foot, Gerlach and Ewing fled north in the vehicle through a grassy area next to the motel. As another patrol vehicle arrived from the east side of the motel, the Impala swerved left to go around them and crashed into an electric pole. An officer ran up to the vehicle and pointed his gun at the occupants. When the officer realized Gerlach was trying to put the vehicle in reverse, he ran back to his patrol vehicle and used it to pinch in the rear of the Impala to prevent escape and further jeopardy to officers.
When officers approached the vehicle, the driver’s side windows were up and the doors were locked. An officer used his baton to break the driver’s window, and officers pulled Gerlach out of the Impala through the broken driver’s side window. Other officers removed Ewing from the car and handcuffed him.
When officers removed Gerlach and Ewing from the vehicle, they saw the Browning handgun (which had been reported as stolen) lying on the floorboard where Ewing had been sitting. Ewing was wearing a shoulder handgun holster. Officers also found a loaded Rock Island Armory .45-caliber handgun wedged between the driver’s seat and center console.
In a search of the vehicle officers also found a glass water pipe and a travel bag that contained a digital scale with methamphetamine residue on it, three glass methamphetamine pipes, and a broken Alprazolam pill. Inside Ewing’s wallet, officers found pieces of paper that appeared to be drug ledgers.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Ewing has four prior felony convictions for forgery and prior felony convictions for burglary, resisting arrest, possession of a controlled substance, distribution of a controlled substance, and unlawful use of a weapon.
Gerlach also pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Gerlach was sentenced on April 9, 2019, to four years and nine months in federal prison without parole.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lawrence E. Miller. It was investigated by the Columbia, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Project Safe Neighborhoods
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is partnering with federal, state, and local law enforcement to specifically identify criminals responsible for significant violent crime in the Western District of Missouri. A centerpiece of this effort is Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Safe Neighborhoods is an evidence-based program that identifies the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develops comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, Project Safe Neighborhoods focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.Cleveland one of 10 sites selected for National Public Safety Partnership initiative to combat violent crimeRead the Press Release
As the Department of Justice continues its efforts to fulfill President Donald J. Trump’s commitment to reducing violent crime in America, Attorney General William P. Barr today announced that Cleveland was selected to join the National Public Safety Partnership (PSP) initiative. PSP provides a framework for enhancing federal support of state, local and tribal law enforcement officials and prosecutors as they aggressively investigate and pursue violent criminals, specifically those involved in gun crime, drug trafficking and gang violence.
“The Public Safety Partnership is a successful program that directs federal law enforcement resources to the cities where they can have the greatest impact," Attorney General Barr said. "These resources help police departments to diagnose where crime is highest—and why—and to find, arrest and prosecute criminals. Several participating cities have already seen dramatic reductions in violent crime over the past two years. As we expand this program to 10 more cities across America, we are determined to replicate that success.”
The Justice Department created PSP and the Task Force on Crime Reduction and Public Safety in response to President Trump’s February 9, 2017, Executive Order charging the agency with leading a national effort to combat violent crime. In June 2017, the Department of Justice announced the formation of the National Public Safety Partnership initiative.
To be considered for selection, a site must have sustained levels of violence that far exceed the national average and demonstrate a commitment to reducing crime. Cities must also display compliance with federal immigration requirements.
The 10 sites announced today are as follows:
- Anniston, Alabama
- Oxford, Alabama
- Anchorage, Alaska
- Davenport, Iowa
- Wichita, Kansas
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- Baltimore, Maryland
- Cleveland, Ohio
- Amarillo, Texas
- Harris County, Texas
“This designation will provide the additional training and technical support to law enforcement in Cleveland as we work collaboratively to combat violent crime,” U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman said. “These resources will improve our collective ability to analyze crime trends and direct resources as needed, including enhancements to our current ongoing efforts focused on firearms, carjackings, armed robberies and other crimes of violence.”
More than 30 cities have participated in PSP. The primary participating Justice Department components include the Office of Justice Programs, Office on Violence Against Women, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, FBI, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and U.S. Marshals Service.
More information about PSP can be found at: https://bja.ojp.gov/program/national-public-safety-partnership/overview.
Cedar Rapids Felon Sentenced to More than 12 Years in Federal Prison after Possessing Stolen Firearms during Fiery High Speed Car Chase on Election Day in 2016Read the Press Release
A Cedar Rapids man who tried to run over a deputized federal officer three times and struck a canine officer was sentenced May 30, 2019, to more than 12 years in federal prison.
Kelsey Leroy Beckett, age 24, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a January 7, 2019 guilty plea to one count of possessing a firearm as a felon, one count of escape, and one count of assault with a dangerous and deadly weapon.
In November 2016, Beckett led law enforcement officers on a high-speed car chase through highly populated parts of Cedar Rapids and Hiawatha, Iowa. Beckett drove through the lawns of residences and the parking lot of a daycare center, and struck a skid loader and a parked car. The car Beckett was driving—not his own car—caught on fire in the process. During the fiery chase, Beckett totaled a United States Marshal’s Service (USMS) vehicle and tried three times to run over a USMS task force officer. The officer had his service firearm drawn and his badge displayed. Another officer was so afraid for the officer’s life that he was yelling at the officer to shoot Beckett.
After unsuccessfully attempting to run over the federal officer, Beckett then tried to flee on foot. A K-9 officer’s dog temporarily stopped Beckett, but Beckett struck the dog multiple times. The dog bit Beckett in self-defense. It was the first time the dog had to bite a suspect to preserve the dog’s own life.
Beckett had previously served 30 months in federal prison after possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number in 2013. At the time he fled, Beckett was a fugitive from a residential reentry center, and he had two loaded, stolen firearms in his car. One of the firearms, a Glock .40 caliber pistol, was in plain view on the driver’s side floorboard of the car. It had an extended, 22-round Glock magazine that was full, including one round in the chamber.
Court documents show that Beckett has a long history of assaultive behavior. From as far back as 2009, Beckett beat up a female college student for no apparent reason—attacking her from behind and kicking her while she lay on the ground screaming for help. Just weeks later, Beckett struck a shelter staff member in the head several times with his elbow and put her in a head lock. In 2012, Beckett was convicted of assault causing bodily injury after he fought with loss prevention officers in the course of stealing items from a department store. Beckett also has a history of unlawfully possessing firearms. In 2013, Beckett was convicted in federal court for possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number. After Beckett was released from federal prison in 2015, he had his supervised release revoked twice, including for the November 2016 incident.
Beckett was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Beckett was sentenced to 151 months’ imprisonment. He was ordered to make over $8,000 in restitution to the USMS, because he totaled a USMS vehicle in the chase. He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Beckett’s 151‑month sentence follows a 24‑month sentence he began serving in 2016 for violating his supervised release in his 2013 federal firearms case. Earlier this month, a local woman, Saudia Raquel Watkins, who provided Beckett a car ride and smoked marijuana with him while he was on the lam, was sentenced to 3 months’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to one count of misprision of a felony.
Beckett is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported back to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Timothy L. Vavricek and investigated by the United States Marshal’s Service.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 18-CR-94.
Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
California Woman Sentenced for Delivering Methamphetamine on Behalf of Drug Trafficking OrganizationRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Joseph P. Kelly announced that on June 3, 2019, Senior United States District Judge Laurie Smith Camp sentenced Jessica Medina, of California, to a 70 month term of imprisonment, to be served in the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. Medina pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. During the first few months of 2018, Medina conspired with others to distribute methamphetamine throughout the Omaha/Council Bluffs metropolitan area. Medina functioned as a courier for the organization and delivered methamphetamine to customers on behalf of Jasive Zamora-Carrillo, of Council Bluffs, Iowa. On February 25, 2019, Zamora-Carrillo was sentenced to 168 months imprisonment. Six additional defendants in the case have already been sentenced. Medina’s term of imprisonment will be followed by a three year term of supervised release.
The case was primarily investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration – Omaha Field Division, the Omaha Police Department, and the Southwest Iowa Narcotics Task Force.
California Man Pleads Guilty to Iowa Meth and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
A man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine and illegally possessed a gun pled guilty June 3, 2019, in federal court in Sioux City.
Robinson Nguyen, 38, from Selma, California, was convicted of one count of conspiring to distribute methamphetamine; one count of possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine; and one count of illegally possessing a firearm. Nguyen was previously convicted of at least four felony offenses in California, ranging from thefts to possession of a controlled substance to possession of ammunition by a prohibited person.
At the plea hearing, Nguyen admitted that from about September 2017 through July 2018, he was involved in a conspiracy that distributed over a pound of methamphetamine. Evidence at the hearing showed that Nguyen arranged for co-conspirator Jocelyn Mendoza to travel by bus from Fresno, California to Sioux City, Iowa with approximately ¼ pound of methamphetamine hidden inside a neck rest. Nguyen and others in the conspiracy intended to distribute this methamphetamine. Law enforcement later seized a 9mm pistol from a search of the house where Nguyen resided. Nguyen admitted he possessed the gun for protection from robbery.
Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Nguyen remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Nguyen faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, and four years up to life of supervised release following any imprisonment.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, that consists of law enforcement personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office; South Sioux City, Nebraska, Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; and Woodbury County Attorney’s Office.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 18-4089. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Business Owner Pleads Guilty to Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – An Olathe, Kan., man who conspired with others to control construction businesses that received hundreds of millions of dollars in federal government contracts, pleaded guilty in federal court today to defrauding the government with respect to contracts set aside for service-disabled veterans and certified minorities.
Matthew C. McPherson, 43, waived his right to indictment by a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to an information that charges him with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and major program fraud.
By pleading guilty today, McPherson admitted that he participated in a conspiracy from September 2009 to March 2018 to obtain contracts set aside by the federal government for award to small businesses owned and controlled by veterans, service-disabled veterans, and certified minorities. McPherson, who is neither a certified minority nor a veteran, was the owner of an established construction company in Topeka, Kan. (identified in court documents as Business C) that was not entitled to compete for those federal contracts.
McPherson and his co-conspirators controlled and operated Zieson Construction Company. The business was formed on July 9, 2009, with Stephon Ziegler – an African-American service-disabled veteran – as the nominal owner. Zieson’s primary business was obtaining federal construction contracts set aside for award to small businesses owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans or certified minorities. However, Ziegler did not control the day-to-day operations or the long-term decision making of Zieson. McPherson and his co-conspirators actually controlled and operated Zieson, and received most of the profits from Zieson through the respective business entities.
Between 2009 and 2018, Zieson was awarded approximately 199 federal contracts set aside for award to small businesses, minority-owned small businesses, and veteran-owned small businesses for which the government paid Zieson approximately $335 million. McPherson and his co-conspirators, through their business entities, received approximately $4,183,920 each from Zieson by using false and fraudulent invoices.
Ziegler pleaded guilty on May 21, 2019, to making a false statement to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
In 2014, when Zieson was growing too large to compete for small business contracts, McPherson and his co-conspirators used the minority status of another Zieson employee to set up Simcon Corp as a small business in the state of Missouri. Simcon’s business, like Zieson’s, was to obtain federal construction contracts set aside for award to qualified small businesses. In reality, McPherson and his co-conspirators managed and controlled Simcon. Simcon was awarded a $4,423,638 contract in July 2016 from the U.S. Air Force and a $6,911,404 contract in September 2016 from the U.S. Army.
Zieson and Simcon used the same employees and shared office space and equipment. Zieson and Simcon were located in a building owned by an LLC that was controlled by McPherson and his co-conspirators. Zieson purported to subcontract work to Simcon (which Simcon did not actually perform) to establish alleged past performance and profitability. This allowed Simcon to claim experience and financial strength to successfully compete for federal set-aside contracts.
McPherson and his co-conspirators each received approximately $319,866 from Simcon using false and fraudulent invoices.
McPherson also caused Business C to submit false and fraudulent invoices to Zieson in order to hide and receive profits from the scheme.
As a result of McPherson’s participation in the conspiracy, Business C obtained approximately $5,516,786 in fraud proceeds. Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, McPherson must forfeit those fraud proceeds to the government.
Under federal statutes, McPherson is subject to a sentence of up to five years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stacey Perkins Rock and Paul S. Becker. It was investigated by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General; the Department of Defense Criminal Investigative Service; the U.S. General Services Administration, Office of Inspector General; the U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of Inspector General; the Army Criminal Investigation Command, Major Procurement Fraud Unit; the Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General; IRS-Criminal Investigation; the U.S. Secret Service; the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Procurement Fraud; the Naval Criminal Investigative Service; the Defense Contract Audit Agency - Operations Investigative Support (OIS); the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; and the Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA).
Bridgeport Man Sentenced to More Than 3 Years in Federal Prison for Illegal Gun PossessionRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that TIMOTHY STATON, 24, of Bridgeport, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 37 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for illegal gun possession.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on September 13, 2018, Staton fled from Bridgeport Police officers outside of his Bridgeport residence. During the pursuit, Staton removed a loaded Glock 43 9mm handgun from his waistband and threw it to the ground. Officers apprehended Staton and retrieved the firearm.
In 2010, Staton was convicted in state court of a felony robbery offense. In 2014, he was convicted in state court of narcotics, firearm and racketeering offenses.
It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.
Staton has been detained since his arrest. On February 25, 2019, he pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Bridgeport Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jocelyn Courtney Kaoutzanis.
This prosecution 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 neighborhoods safer for everyone.
Boyle Heights Gang Member Who Firebombed African American Residences Sentenced to 13 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A member of the Big Hazard street gang was sentenced today to 156 months in federal prison for orchestrating and executing the nighttime firebombing of African-American families at the Ramona Gardens Housing Development in Boyle Heights in 2014 in order to force the residents out of their homes.
Jose Saucedo, 25, a.k.a. “Lil’ Moe,” of the Boyle Heights neighborhood of the City of Los Angeles, was sentenced by United States District Judge Christina A. Snyder, who described the incident as “a terribly violent crime” because the attack targeted particularly vulnerable victims and because the defendant had a leadership role.
Saucedo pleaded guilty in May 2018 to four felonies: conspiracy to violate civil rights, violent crime in aid of racketeering, interference with the Fair Housing Act, and attempted arson of federal property.
“Racially motivated crimes are among the most disturbing offenses inflicted on a community,” said United States Attorney Nick Hanna. “Today’s sentence shows that criminals who are fueled by racial hatred – such as this defendant, who participated in a firebombing attack on innocent families while they slept – will face severe consequences.”
“The defendant violently attacked families sleeping peacefully in their homes, because of their race,” said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband of the Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will vigorously prosecute these acts of hate.”
“Violating the civil rights of others by engaging in racial violence is antithetical to our values as Americans,” said Paul Delacourt, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office. “The lengthy sentence handed down today for Jose Saucedo should send a strong message that targeting innocent people because of their skin color will not be tolerated and that offenders will spend a significant time behind bars.”
On the evening of May 11, 2014, which was Mother’s Day, Saucedo and seven other members of the Big Hazard street gang agreed to firebomb several apartments in the Ramona Gardens complex because the residents were African Americans who lived there. Each defendant was given a specific role in the attacks and was provided with items to be used, including masks to conceal their identities and a hammer to break windows.
Once the gang members located their targets, they smashed the windows of four apartments to allow for cleaner entry of the firebombs to maximize damage and threw lit Molotov cocktails into the residences. Three of the four targeted apartments were occupied by African-American families, including women and children, who were sleeping at the time of the unprovoked attack. One of the victims was a Hispanic resident of Ramona Gardens whom the group mistakenly targeted.
Saucedo played a primary role in the attacks, collecting glass bottles to be used as Molotov cocktails, supervising one of the two groups of co-conspirators, and throwing a firebomb into one of the targeted units. After the firebombing, Saucedo continued to intimidate Ramona Gardens residents because of their race, threatening one mixed-race family by referencing the firebombing as an example of what would happen to them if they did not move out of the housing complex.
All seven of the defendants who were charged in this case in 2016 have pleaded guilty to federal hate crime and related offenses. All of those defendants also admitted that they participated in the firebombings because of the victims’ race and color and with the intent to force the victims to move away from the federally funded housing complex. Saucedo, who was given four years credit for time served on a related offense, is the first defendant in this case to be sentenced. The other defendants will be sentenced at later dates.
The investigation into the firebombing was conducted by agents and detectives with the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Los Angeles Police Department; the Los Angeles Fire Department; and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mack E. Jenkins, Chief of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section; Justice Department Trial Attorney Julia Gegenheimer of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section; and Assistant United States Attorney MiRi Song of the General Crimes Section.
Bookkeeper Charged in Nine Count Indictment for Wire FraudRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser announced that LATANYA A. BRITTON, age 41, resident of LaPlace, Louisiana, was indicted on Thursday, May 30, 2019, by a federal grand jury for nine (9) counts of Wire Fraud. BRITTON was arrested by members of the United States Secret Service. She appeared in U.S. Magistrate Court on Monday, June 3, 2019, and was released on a $50,000 bond.
According to the indictment, on January 22, 2018, BRITTON was hired as a bookkeeper in the client accounting services department at Accounting Firm A. Accounting Firm A was located in New Orleans, Louisiana and provided client accounting services to local businesses and individuals. Client B, a restaurant located in the New Orleans French Quarter, was a small business client of Accounting Firm A. BRITTON became the bookkeeper for Client B and was entrusted with the daily accounting and bill paying for Client B’s account. Accounting Firm A utilized a cloud-based accounting software called Restaurant 365 to manage the account for Client B. Restaurant 365 allowed BRITTON authorized access to Client B’s bank account. BRITTON’s position allowed her to issue checks to Client B’s vendors that contained an electronic signature of the managing shareholder of Client B.
On August 16, 2018, BRITTON established an entity named Lagniappe Accounting Services, L.L.C. (“Lagniappe”). Navy Federal Credit Union (“NFCU”) was a domestic financial banking institution headquartered in Vienna, Virginia. All check images received by NFCU either from a NFCU branch, ATM, e-deposit, or other channel, were transmitted to computer servers located in Vienna, Virginia. On August 24, 2018, BRITTON opened bank account No. ******2479 with NFCU under the name Lagniappe.
BRITTON devised and implemented a scheme to defraud Client B by embezzling approximately $32,000 from Client B’s bank account. BRITTON accessed Restaurant 365 software to delete approximately 31 check entries payable to Lagniappe that she fraudulently issued from Client B’s account. BRITTON opened an account with NFCU in the name Lagniappe in order to deposit funds she embezzled from Client B. BRITTON used her NFCU Lagniappe account debit card to pay for personal expenses at retailers such as Bed Bath & Beyond, Dillard’s, JCPenney’s, Old Navy, DSW, and at various nail spas. It was further part of the scheme and artifice to defraud, and in an effort to conceal her conduct, that on or about December 30, 2018, BRITTON made false statements in an email to Client B’s managing shareholder after he contacted BRITTON regarding a suspicious check written to Lagniappe. BRITTON was terminated from Accounting Firm A on January 3, 2019.
U. S. Attorney 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, BRITTON faces a maximum penalty of twenty (20) years imprisonment, followed by up to three (3) years of supervised release, and a $250,000.00 fine per count.
U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser praised the work of the United States Secret Service. The prosecution of the case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba, Supervisor of the Financial Crimes Unit.
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Berkeley County man sentenced for filing false tax returnRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Jay D. Dehaven, of Hedgesville, West Virginia, was sentenced today to five years probation for filing a false tax return, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Dehaven, age 39, pled guilty to one count of “Filing False Income Tax Return” in January 2019. Dehaven admitted to understating his income by more than $136,000, resulting in an unpaid tax of more than $50,000. The crime took place in October 2016 in Berkeley County.Dehaven was ordered to pay a $10,000 fine and $99,640 in restitution.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jarod J. Douglas prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Internal Revenue Service investigated.
Chief U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.
Baltimore man sentenced for drug distribution and having shank in prisonRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Samuel Hogans, of Baltimore, Maryland, was sentenced today to 151 months incarceration for drug distribution and having a weapon, or shank, in prison, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Hogans, also known as Richard Hogans, also known as “Lex,” age 38, was sentenced to 60 months incarceration for having a weapon in prison. He was found guilty by a jury of one count of “Possessing Contraband in Prison” in December 2018. Hogans, an inmate at the Eastern Regional Jail in Berkeley County where he was being held on another federal charge, had a shank in August 2018.
Hogans was also sentenced to 151 months, to be served concurrently with the 60-month sentence, for drug distribution. Hogans pled guilty to one count of “Aiding and Abetting Distribution of Heroin” in December 2018. Hogans admitted to distributing heroin in October 2017 in Berkeley County.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Finucane prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The United States Marshal Service and the West Virginia Division of Corrections investigated.
Chief U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.
1 June 2019
Former Enid Tax Preparer Pleads Guilty to Assisting in Filing a False Tax ReturnRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – TIMOTHY ALONZO EVANS, of Gulfport, Mississippi, has pleaded guilty to a one-count information charging him with assisting in the preparation and presentation to the Internal Revenue Service of a false tax return, announced First Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
According to federal charges filed on April 9, 2019, Evans assisted a taxpayer in submitting a Form 1040 Individual Tax Return that materially misstated the taxpayer’s alleged business losses for the 2014 tax year.
Evans pleaded guilty on May 29, 2019. At the May 29 hearing, Evans admitted he operated a tax preparation business in Enid, Oklahoma, called House of Tax Smart and filed returns in 2014 and 2015 for the 2013 and 2014 tax years. According to plea documents, Evans has agreed to pay restitution to the IRS of $82,227, plus statutory interest.
Sentencing, which will take place in approximately 90 days, will take into account the full scope of Evans’s tax fraud. He faces a sentence of up to three years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000.
These charges are the result of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service–Criminal Investigations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney William E. Farrior.
Reference is made to court filings for further information.
31 May 2019
Wilmington Man Sentenced for Receipt of Child Pornography After Conviction in Federal CourtRead the Press Release
RALEIGH – The United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Robert J. Higdon, Jr., announces that United States District Judge James C. Dever III sentenced RICARDO JEROME BENNETT, SR., 48, of Wilmington, North Carolina to 216 months’ imprisonment, followed by 10 years of supervised released. He was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $10,000.00.
On November 28, 2018, in federal court, BENNETT was found guilty of two counts of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography containing minors under the age of 12 following a three day trial.
In August 2014, the Federal Bureau of Investigation utilized undercover software to identify an IP address downloading child pornography and offering such files for download by others. A search warrant was issued for the home address associated with the IP address. During that search, law enforcement confiscated multiple electronic devices belonging to BENNETT. In addition, BENNETT made a full confession to law enforcement to downloading and possessing child pornography. A forensic examination of those devices revealed more than 1000 files of child pornography, downloaded in the same manner that BENNETT described in his interview. These files included both still images and videos depicting minors, including minors under the age of 12, engaged in sexually explicit activity.
Mr. Higdon commented: “We are very pleased with the decision of the court to hold the defendant accountable for his abuse of children through the collection of child pornography. Every time he downloaded one of the more than 1,000 images he victimized the vulnerable child depicted in those images. His is a crime impacting the most precious and vulnerable among us: our children.”
This case was part of the Project Safe Childhood initiative, a national program aimed at ensuring that criminals exploiting children are effectively prosecuted by making full use of all available law enforcement resources at every level. For more information about this important national project, Project Safe Childhood, go to www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The Federal Bureau of Investigations conducted the criminal investigation of this case. Assistant United States Attorney Melissa Belle Kessler handled the prosecution of this case for the United States.
Violent fleeing felon with firearm sentenced to prisonRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, GA: A Savannah man will spend nearly four years in federal prison on a firearms possession charge that started with his attempt to outrun police.
Elisha Gadson, 26, of Savannah, pled guilty in U.S. District Court to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon and was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison, said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. There is no parole in the federal system.
According to statements made in court and in court filings, Port Wentworth Police Department officers attempted to stop Gadson for a minor traffic violation when he made an illegal U-turn and sped away, endangering others by racing up to 100 mph in a 35 mph zone. Once Gadson was apprehended, Port Wentworth officers recovered a Glock 19 9mm with a fully loaded magazine under the driver’s seat of Gadson’s vehicle and another loaded 9mm magazine in the trunk. Because of prior felony convictions, including a conviction involving violence, Gadson is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition.
“The joyride for this defendant is over, and his next stop will be federal prison,” said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “We commend the Port Wentworth Police Department for their diligence and for successfully removing yet another firearm from the hands of a convicted felon.”
“This case involves an illegally possessed firearm in the hands of a criminal,” said Beau Kolodka, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). “It demonstrate the cooperation that exists between the Port Wentworth Police Department and ATF.”
This case was investigated by the Port Wentworth Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). The case was prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Bearden.
52-19
United States Attorney Scott W. Murray Honors Law Enforcement Personnel for Excellence in the Pursuit of JusticeRead the Press Release
CONCORD – United States Attorney Scott W. Murray recognized 26 officials from federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies for Excellence in the Pursuit of Justice at an awards ceremony today.
“I am pleased to recognize these law enforcement professionals who have demonstrated a commitment to maintaining public safety through the pursuit of justice,” said U.S. Attorney Murray. “Each day, our law enforcement colleagues do tremendous work to protect our community from violent crime, drug trafficking, sexual predators, and many other dangers. These brave law enforcement officers are our first line of defense against crime and they deserve our recognition and respect. I salute all of our award recipients and am grateful for their contributions.”
The event, held at the U.S. District Court in Concord, highlighted investigative teams who worked together on several important investigations, and also honored several individuals for their contributions on multiple cases or special projects. Those honored worked on a variety of matters, including cases involving drug trafficking, violent crime, fraud, and the sexual exploitation of children.
Each honoree was recognized for his or her commitment to Excellence in the Pursuit of Justice and was presented with a commemorative plaque and certificate.
Recognized individuals were:
Special Agent Philip Bleezarde, DHS/ICE
Special Agent Thomas M. Dalton, FBI
Supervisory Special Agent Michael Gibeley, FBI
Special Agent Steven Kimball, FBI
Special Agent Brian P. LeBlanc, FBI
Supervisory Special Agent Philip Christiana, FBI
Norman "Chip" Houle, Criminal Investigator, New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office
U.S. Postal Inspector Bruce Sweet, Postal Inspection Service
Intelligence Analyst Laura Houle Tongbua, DEA
Special Agent David Furtado, FDA-OCI
Detective Matthew Barter, Manchester Police Department
Special Agent Jonathan Posthumus, DHS/HSI
Special Agent Erol Catalan, DHS/HSI
Special Agent Joseph "Lance" Lopez, DHS/HSI
Louisiana State Trooper Georgiana Kibodeaux
Detective Joseph L. Chaput, Concord Police Department
Detective Sergeant Eric Albright, Vermont State Police
Corporal Michael Sorensen, Vermont State Police
Special Agent Shawn Serra, DHS/HSI
Special Agent Ronald M. Morin, DHS/HSI
Det. Scott Tompkins, Derry Police Department
Trooper Sean Sweeney, New Hampshire State Police
Protective Security Advisor Jason Climer, DHS/CISA
Special Agent Casey MacDonald, DEA
Detective Patrick Broderick, Hudson Police Department
Intelligence Analyst Michelle Blais, DEA
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United States Attorney Minkler launches USAO distinguished speaker panel seriesRead the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS - United States Attorney Josh J. Minkler is pleased to announce the creation of the USAO Distinguished Speaker Panel Series, an internal U.S. Department of Justice initiative intended to promote and curate continued leadership development and relationships on behalf of current and former USAO-SDIN staff.
The first panel event will take place on June 4, 2019, at the United States Attorney’s Office located at 10 West Market Street Indianapolis, Indiana at noon on the 20th floor, and will feature Joseph Hogsett, former United States Attorney and current Mayor of the City of Indianapolis. The series is a continuation of the United States Attorney’s dogged determination to continue promoting the mind and spirit of Justice Department servants.
“I am proud to launch this Series by welcoming a visionary leader whose reach and abilities far exceed his time with the Justice Department,” said Minkler. “Our current and former members of staff will be delighted to welcome him back to our hallowed halls and are encouraged by his continued support and friendship.”
The USAO Distinguished Speaker Panel Series will afford opportunities for Justice Department employees, both current and former, to engage in lively discussions with civic-minded leaders representative of government, private industry, and the not-for-profit community. All USAO-SDIN Alumni are welcome and encouraged to attend.
Honorable Mayor Joe Hogsett
Former United States Attorney
U.S. Citizen Extradited from Brazil to Face Wire Fraud ChargesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A U.S. citizen appeared today in federal court in Boston after being extradited from Brazil in connection with a $2 million wire fraud scheme.
Christopher Morris, 48, formerly of Lowell and Chelsea, was extradited from Brazil and arrived in Boston yesterday. Morris was detained following an initial appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge M. Page Kelley. In November 2014, Morris was indicted on four counts of wire fraud and 12 counts of unlawful monetary transactions. Since 2013, Morris had been living in Uruguay and Brazil.
The indictment alleges that Morris, an accounting professional, participated in a wire fraud scheme targeting his employer, PBS Distribution (PBSd), a media distribution business with operations in Allston and elsewhere. Morris’ position gave him access to U.S. mail addressed to PBSd’s accounting department, including checks payable to PBSd. According to the indictment, beginning as early as January 2008 and continuing through September 2012, Morris took more than $2 million in checks under the guise of depositing them into PBSd’s bank accounts, but he instead endorsed them to himself and deposited them into a personal bank account. Morris allegedly used his access to PBSd’s accounting system to conceal the theft by, among other steps, fraudulently causing credits to be issued to the accounts of customers whose checks he stole, and by causing PBSd’s general ledger to be altered to show that the same customers had made payments. It is further alleged that Morris spent the proceeds of the scheme on a lavish lifestyle that included year-long apartment rentals in New York City’s Greenwich Village and Tribeca neighborhoods; the down payment, purchase and upkeep of a waterfront condominium in Chelsea; and luxury clothing, dining and travel, including a $16,000 two-week South American cruise.
The charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000 on each count. The government expects to move to dismiss the charges of unlawful monetary transactions under the Rule of Specialty, a doctrine of international law that permits prosecution upon extradition only as to charges authorized by the extraditing nation. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Joseph W. Cronin, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Field Division; U.S. Marshal John Gibbons for the District of Massachusetts; and Boston Police Commissioner William Gross made the announcement today. The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs provided assistance in securing Morris’ extradition to the United States. The U.S. Attorney’s Office acknowledges Brazilian authorities for their cooperation in this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth B. Kosto, of Lelling’s Cybercrime Unit, is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Two Nicaragua Men Sentenced for Illegal Reentry After DeportationRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that two men from Nicaragua charged with Illegal Reentry After Deportation pled guilty and were sentenced on May 28, 2019, by U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier.
Elvin Evelio Davila-Marin, age 30, was sentenced to time served (193 days), and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Wilson Uriel Davila-Marin, age 27, was sentenced to time served (193 days), and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
The convictions stem from an incident that took place on or about October 10, 2018, when both brothers came into contact with law enforcement in the District of South Dakota. They had both been previously deported from the United States on June 22, 2018, at Alexandria, Louisiana. They both entered the United States illegally and had not obtained the consent of the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security or the Attorney General of the United States to apply for lawful admission into the United States.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Clapper.
Elvin Davila-Marin and Wilson Davila-Marin were remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Two Felons Get Max Sentence for Illegal Possession of Firearms During Home Invasion Style Armed RobberyRead the Press Release
Anchorage, Alaska – U.S. Attorney Bryan Schroder announced that two Anchorage men have each been sentenced to serve 10 years in federal prison for illegally possessing firearms during a 2017 home invasion style armed robbery.
Manee Mulifai, 24, of Anchorage, was sentenced on Wednesday by Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy Burgess to serve 10 years in federal prison, after having pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. His co-defendant, Matthew Adrian Colding, aka “Money,” 24, of Anchorage, was previously sentenced to serve 10 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to the same charge.
According to court documents, on April 21, 2017, the Alaska State Troopers received reports of shots fired at a Wasilla residence. The three occupants of the house (B.W., J.H., and F.A.) reported that an unknown female came to the door asking for help with a broken down car. Shortly thereafter, Colding kicked in the door armed with a handgun. Once inside, Colding asked for his “shit” and his money. Colding then started to pistol whip B.W. and told J.H. to sit down or he would be killed. F.A. ran out of the house but was chased down by both Colding and Mulifai.
The robbery then led to a shootout between the two defendants, and the victims inside the residence. Colding was shot several times and collapsed in the front yard. Mulifai returned fire through the front window of the house before he fled the scene. Prior to law enforcement arriving, Colding crawled to a nearby planter where he attempted to hide his firearm. The investigation revealed that Colding fired four rounds, Mulifai fired 10 rounds, and B.W. fired 10 rounds. During the robbery, a safe and two firearms were stolen from the home. Mulifai was found with the two stolen firearms five days later during a visit to his state probation officer.
The investigation further revealed that Mulifai and Colding are associated with the “Fight Squad” street gang. Mulifai has a previous felony conviction for Burglary in the Second Degree, and Colding has a previous felony conviction for Conspiracy to Commit Robbery in the First Degree. Because of their felony convictions, Mulifai and Colding were both prohibited from possessing firearms.
The Alaska State Troopers (AST), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) conducted the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of this case. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney William A. Taylor.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Two Chicago Women Held Accountable for Falsely Billing 24-7 for Seven Years in $1.7 Million Workers’ Compensation FraudRead the Press Release
Two Chicago, Illinois, women pleaded guilty for their roles in a scheme to defraud the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP) of $1.7 million by falsely billing for services on a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week basis for over seven years.
Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney John R. Lausch Jr. of the Northern District of Illinois, Special Agent in Charge Andre M. Martin of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (Postal-OIG), Acting Special Agent in Charge Irene Lindow of the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG) and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey S. Sallet of the FBI’s Chicago Field Office made the announcement.
Ella Garner, 62, pleaded guilty yesterday to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud before U.S. District Judge Elaine Bucklu of the Northern District of Illinois. On May 24, 2019, Chante Carrothers, 40, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud for her role in the conspiracy. Sentencing for Carrothers has been scheduled for August 16 and for Garner on September 6, both before Judge Bucklu.
As part of their guilty pleas, Carrothers and Garner each admitted that from June 2010 through April 2018, they conspired to defraud OWCP by falsely billing for 24-7 services purportedly provided by Garner to a single person in the home. Garner was not, in fact, providing constant care, the defendants admitted. OWCP paid Carrothers approximately $1.7 million for the bills she submitted for a single patient, purportedly under Garner’s care. Carrothers paid Garner approximately $4,500 per month for her role in the conspiracy, the defendants admitted.
This case was investigated by Postal OIG, DOL-OIG and the FBI. Trial Attorneys Leslie S. Garthwaite and Patrick Mott of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.
The Medicare Fraud Strike Force is part of a joint initiative between the Department of Justice and HHS to focus their efforts to prevent and deter fraud and enforce current anti-fraud laws around the country. Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, which maintains 14 strike forces operating in 23 districts, has charged nearly 4,000 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $14 billion. In addition, the HHS Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.
Two Bergen County Men Admit Roles in Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – Two Bergen County, New Jersey, men have admitted their respective roles in a scheme to defraud financial institutions and others, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced today.
Steve Young Kang, a/k/a “Steven Young Kang” and “Young Tae Kang,” 64, of Ridgefield, New Jersey, and Young Jin Son, a/k/a “Joshua Son,” 49, of Norwood, New Jersey, pleaded guilty on May 30, 2019, before U.S. District Judge William J. Martini in Newark federal court to separate informations charging each defendant with one count of bank fraud and one count of wire fraud.
According to documents filed in these cases and statements made in court:
Kang, Son and others fraudulently induced mortgage lenders to participate in “short sale” transactions. In a typical short sale transactions, a financial institution agrees to allow a house owner in financial distress to sell his or her home for less than they owe on their mortgages. Such transactions are called short sales because the market value of the house is less than the amount owed by the house owner and the lender agrees to accept a payment “short” of the amount owed by the house owner.
Kang, a real estate broker and agent, admitted to a scheme in which, from June 2013 to January 2017, he sold his own properties and recruited others to sell properties in short sales to a co-schemer, Mehdi Kassai, who was able to obtain the properties for substantially less than the properties were actually worth through false documents, straw buyers, cosmetic damage to properties, and restricting the ability of others to bid on and buy those properties. Kassai then sold many of those properties to third-parties at a substantial profit. Kang defrauded financial institutions and others of $2.7 million in this manner.
Son, a real estate broker and agent, admitted recruiting others to sell properties in short sales to Kassai, who obtained the properties for substantially less than they were actually worth through false documents, straw buyers, cosmetic damage to properties, and restricting the ability of others to bid and buy those properties. Kassai sold many of those properties to third-parties at a substantial profit. Son defrauded financial institutions and others of $1.9 million in this manner.
The bank fraud and wire fraud charges each carry a maximum potential statutory penalties of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine. Kang and Son have both agreed to forfeit the proceeds of the scheme. Sentencing for both defendants is scheduled for Oct. 1, 2019. Kassai previously pleaded guilty to his role in the scheme and is awaiting sentencing.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Mark Musella; special agents of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge, Robert Manchak; and special agents of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Brian Michael, with the investigation leading to the guilty pleas.
The government is represented by Senior Trial Counsel Andrew Leven of the Healthcare & Government Fraud Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of New Jersey, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charlie Divine and Kevin Di Gregory of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Office of Inspector General.