Latest Records
Newest first across public DOJ and U.S. Attorney press releases.
25 April 2019
Brothers Plead Guilty to Violating the Federal Controlled Substances ActRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser announced that DUSTIN DINET, age 32, of New Orleans, and STEVEN DINET, age 44, of Jonesboro, Arkansas, pleaded guilty today before United States District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo to conspiring to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute 28 grams or more of crack cocaine and 100 grams or more of heroin.
According to paperwork filed with the court, the DINETs, who are brothers, admitted to conspiring together to deal crack cocaine and heroin. The DINETs acknowledged making three sales of an ounce of crack each to an undercover source. They also admitted that approximately ¼ kilogram of heroin and $78,000 discovered during the execution of a search warrant at a residence in Marrero, La. belonged to them. Each of the brothers faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison up to forty years, at least four years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment, a fine of up to $5 million, and a mandatory special assessment of $100. Sentencing is set before Judge Milazzo on July 25, 2019.
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.
U.S. Attorney Strasser praised the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office in investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Haller is in charge of the prosecution.
* * *
Bookkeeper Pleads Guilty to Embezzling Money from Best Western Oak Mountain Inn; Co-Conspirator Indicted on Related ChargesRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM – Earlier this week, a former bookkeeper at a Pelham-area accounting firm pled guilty to charges that she embezzled money from a local hotel, and on Thursday, a grand jury returned an indictment against the bookkeeper’s alleged co-conspirator on related charges, announced U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town and United States Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Michael Williams.
In a one-count information filed in U.S. District Court, the United States Attorney charged DELAINE DAWSON SUMMERVILLE, 50, with wire fraud for her role in an embezzlement scheme targeting one of her accounting firm’s clients, the Best Western Oak Mountain Inn, located in Pelham, Alabama. A plea agreement was also filed. According to the plea agreement, Summerville had been employed as a bookkeeper at Bryan L. Parker, CPA. During 2016 and 2017, the Best Western Oak Mountain Inn was among Parker CPA’s clients. Summerville provided bookkeeping, accounting, and payroll services to the hotel, and in that role she had the ability to create checks drawn on the hotel’s bank account. During the latter half of 2016 and early 2017, Summerville created dozens of checks payable to herself from the hotel’s bank account, which she cashed or deposited. Summerville also created dozens of checks payable to another individual, DANA MISCHELLE BRAXTON. In all, the embezzlement totaled more than $175,000, according to Summerville’s plea agreement.
DANA MISCHELLE BRAXTON, 51, of Leeds, was charged in a six-count indictment filed in U.S. District Court with wire fraud and aggravated identity theft for her role in the embezzlement scheme. According to the indictment, between June 2016 and February 2017, Braxton received checks from Summerville drawn on Best Western Oak Mountain Inn’s bank account. During this time, Braxton either cashed the checks or deposited them into a bank account that she controlled. Braxton was not an employed by Parker CPA or by the Best Western Oak Mountain Inn, and cashed or deposited the checks without knowledge or authorization of either entity.
“This case is about a hard-working hotel owner who had hundreds of thousands of dollars stolen from him by someone he trusted,” Town said. “Our office will continue to work tirelessly to bring the perpetrators of such frauds to justice.”
The maximum penalty for wire fraud is 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
The penalty for aggravated identity theft is two years in prison.
The Secret Service investigated the cases, which Assistant U.S. Attorney John B. Ward is prosecuting.
An indictment contains only charges. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Berkeley County woman admits to drug chargeRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Shannon L. Keiffer, of Martinsburg, West Virginia, has admitted to a drug charge, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Keiffer, age 33, pled guilty to one count of “Distribution of Heroin.” Keiffer admitted to selling heroin in July 2018 in Berkeley County.
Keiffer faces up to 20 years incarceration and a fine of up to $1,000,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy D. Helman is prosecuting the cases on behalf of the government. The Eastern Panhandle Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, 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.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided.
Benton Man Sentenced to 24 Months’ Imprisonment for Possessing Illegal FirearmsRead the Press Release
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that on April 23, 2019, United States District Court Judge James M. Munley sentenced John Jacob Hasay, age 22, of Benton, Pennsylvania, to 24 months’ imprisonment and a two-year term of supervised release, for the illegal possession of a machinegun.
According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Hasay came to the attention of federal law enforcement after he posted content in online forums espousing racist and anti-Semitic statements, and threatened to commit a hate crime. Investigators determined that Hasay obtained an auto-sear, which is a device used to convert semi-automatic handguns to fully automatic capabilities, by smuggling it through U.S. Customs from Russia, disguised as a motorcycle part.
During the execution of a search warrant at Hasay’s residence, federal agents recovered several illegal firearms and associated components and ammunition. Those firearms and items were forfeited at Hasay’s sentencing, and included:
- Glock 19 9mm bearing an auto sear;
- CAA Model G3, Micro Roni pistol carbine conversion bearing a scope;
- IWI Model MP Uzi bearing a shortened barrel (a semiautomatic firearm that is capable of accepting a large capacity magazine);
- GSG Model 522 bearing a shortened barrel and a Black and Brown optic (a semiautomatic firearm that is capable of accepting a large capacity magazine);
- Charter Arms Model AR-7 Explorer bearing a shortened barrel (a semiautomatic firearm that is capable of accepting a large capacity magazine);
- Mossberg Model 500A bearing a shortened barrel;
- I.O. Inc. Sporter bearing a suppressor (a semiautomatic firearm that is capable of accepting a large capacity magazine); and
- Two suppressors.
Hasay has remained in detention since his arrest on August 23, 2018.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Phillip J. Caraballo.
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.
# # #
Attorney's fraud victims to begin receiving share of proceeds after United States wins appealRead the Press Release
STATESBORO, Ga: Multiple victims defrauded by a former attorney will begin receiving a share of restitution now that the U.S. Attorney’s Office has won the case challenging ownership of part of those proceeds.
The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the ruling of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia that said funds from an investment settlement should go to restitution in the case against Wilson R. Smith, 67, of Lyons, Ga., rather than to his former wife, said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.
Frances Smith had challenged ownership of $433,096 awarded to her former husband as part of a settlement with BlinkMind, a Texas company in which Wilson Smith had invested while they were married. The District Court ruled, and the 11th Circuit affirmed, that the settlement funds instead should be seized by the United States and applied to the restitution Wilson Smith owed after his sentence for Mail Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft.
According to court documents, Wilson Smith, a personal-injury attorney, admitted to settling the cases of multiple clients without their knowledge, consent, or approval, then collecting more than $1 million in proceeds for his own benefit while lying to the clients about the status of their cases. Some of those injured clients were forced into poverty in the absence of settlements that they never received, even as Smith and his wife enjoyed a comfortable lifestyle.
After pleading guilty, Smith was sentenced in October 2015 to 96 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $1.285 million in restitution. In January 2018, Frances Smith learned of the pending $433,096 settlement owed to her husband as a BlinkMind investor. A month later she filed for divorce; it was granted in March, and in April, Wilson Smith moved that the court transfer the BlinkMind funds into the divorce settlement even though, until that point, he had paid only $51,370 of the funds he owed in restitution.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office and its Asset Recovery Unit asserted the funds should instead go to satisfy Wilson Smith’s restitution; the courts agreed.
“Wilson Smith’s actions in defrauding his clients represent a particularly egregious example of legal malfeasance,” said Southern District of Georgia U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine. “Being forced to drag out the claim to these funds only made it worse for the victims who were hurt once in a personal injury case, and then victimized again by their dishonest, greedy lawyer. We hope this resolution will give them at least a small measure of redemption.”
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and prosecuted for the United States by Xavier Cunningham, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia and Section Chief of the Asset Recovery Unit, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad Patrick, with assistance from Litigation Support Specialist Dean Athanasopoulos.
Alien and Citizen of Mexico sentenced to 16 months in Federal Prison for CockfightingRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Joe Kelly announced that Fabian Castro, age 48, a citizen of Mexico, was sentenced on April 24, 2019, to 16 months of imprisonment by Chief United States District Judge John M. Gerrard. In addition to the imprisonment, Castro will be placed on two years of supervised release after he is released from custody. Castro pleaded guilty to one violation of participation in an animal fighting venture.
Evidence at Castro’s change of plea hearing revealed that Castro was in possession of 31 gamecocks at the time that USDA conducted a search of Juan Pablo Sanchez Delgado’s ranch where Castro trained the birds to fight in matches and where others would gamble on the outcome of the fights. Several of the birds had visible injuries and deformities from both their training and from participating in fights. Castro served as the trainer for Juan Pablo Sanchez Delgado’s animal fighting venture.
Juan Pablo Sanchez Delgado is scheduled to be sentenced on July 10 at 10 a.m. before the Honorable John M. Gerrard.
This case was investigated by Lincoln USDA.
14 Gang Members and Associates Charged with Committing Violent Crimes in MassachusettsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – Members and associates of Primeiro Comando da Massachusetts (PCM) were charged today in federal court in Boston in connection with perpetrating violent crimes in Massachusetts, including drug and firearms trafficking, robberies and kidnappings.
“Violent gangs that proliferate violence are a scourge on our communities,” said United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling. “Over recent months, members and associates of Primeiro Comando da Massachusetts have been committing serious, violent crimes: brazenly robbing community businesses, dealing drugs, trafficking illegal firearms, and even kidnapping a young woman. We will not standby and allow these criminals to disrupt the safety and peace of our communities. Let today’s arrests and charges be a message to gang members and their associates: if you threaten the safety and well-being of Massachusetts residents, we will arrest and prosecute you using all of the federal resources at our disposal.”
“ATF will continue to partner with our federal, state and local law enforcement counterparts to dismantle criminal street gangs to reduce violence committed through their use of firearms,” said Kelly D. Brady, ATF Special Agent in Charge Field of the Boston Field Division. “Furthermore, it demonstrates that law enforcement will not standby and allow these criminal street gangs to get away with such acts, which creates fear for the residents within the community”
“Today’s enforcement action represents the culmination of a long term, multi-agency investigative effort to disrupt and dismantle a violent transnational criminal organization which represents a significant threat to our public safety. Many of the defendants in this case are illegally present in the United States, and violated the rule of law with reckless abandon, conducting acts of violence, while profiting from the sale of narcotics and weapons,” said Peter C. Fitzhugh, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Boston. “Together with our state, local and federal partners, the special agents of Homeland Security Investigations remain committed to using every tool available to ensure that our communities are safe and that justice is served. The fact of the matter is, the Commonwealth is a safer place with the arrests that were conducted today. We are committed to seeing this investigation through to a successful criminal prosecution.”
The following defendants were charged today.
- Marcio Costa, a/k/a “Marcino” and “Marcinn,” 28, of Malden, is the alleged leader of PCM and was arrested and charged with RICO conspiracy, conspiracy to commit robbery, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, and engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license;
- Joao Pedro Marques Guimares Gama, a/k/a “Bahianinho,” 21, a Brazilian national illegally residing in Malden, was arrested and charged with RICO conspiracy, conspiracy to commit robbery, engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license, and being an alien in possession of a firearm;
- Breno Henrique DaSilva, 20, a Brazilian national illegally residing in Somerville, was arrested and charged with RICO conspiracy, conspiracy to commit robbery, and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances;
- Alvaro Dos Santos Melo, 22, a Brazilian national illegally residing in Everett, was arrested and charged with RICO conspiracy, conspiracy to commit robbery, and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances;
- Edson DaSilva, 19, previously resided in Whitman and is currently in state custody on kidnapping and firearms charges, and was federally charged with RICO conspiracy and robbery;
- Igor Costa, 20, previously resided in Framingham and is currently in state custody, and was federally charged with RICO conspiracy and robbery;
- Vinicius Goncalves de Assis, previously resided in Revere and is currently in state custody, and was federally charged with RICO conspiracy;
- Rodrigo Tevares, 19, a Brazilian nation illegally residing in Stoughton, was arrested and charged with being an alien in possession of a firearm and engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license;
- Rony DaFreitas, 21, of Lowell, was arrested and charged with engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license;
- Elwood Cortes-Navedo, 23, of Lowell, was arrested and charged with engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license;
- Fernando DeOliveira, 24, a Brazilian nation illegally residing in Brighton, was arrested and charged with being an alien in possession of a firearm and engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license;
- Mouad Nessassi, 21, of Boston, was arrested and charged with engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license, distribution of 28 grams or more of cocaine base, and possession of an unregistered firearm;
- Fadwa Chimal, 19, was arrested and charged with engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license; and
- Jennifer Romero, 26, of Chelsea, was charged with engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license and distribution of 28 grams or more of cocaine base.
According to court documents, in September 2018, federal, state and local law enforcement began investigating members and associates of PCM, a gang with Brazilian origins, which first appeared in Massachusetts approximately two years ago. It is alleged that members and associates of PCM are actively involved in violent crimes including the illegal sale of firearms, drug trafficking, robberies, kidnappings and armed assaults in numerous communities in Massachusetts, including Boston, Malden, Everett, Somerville, Framingham, and Peabody, among others. During the investigation, law enforcement seized 31 firearms, including 27 handguns, two sawed-off shotguns, one shotgun, one rifle and several hundred rounds of ammunition.
The defendants allegedly committed various criminal offenses, some of which they admitted to cooperating witnesses. For example, Gama told cooperating witnesses that PCM not only committed robberies in Massachusetts, but also had targeted and robbed a drug dealer and his family in Connecticut. Gama stated that during the robbery, he held a gun to the head of the dealer’s daughter. In addition, during the investigation, Costa allegedly discussed a planned armed robbery with an undercover federal agent and repeatedly stated that it was likely that the gang members/associates would commit murder as part of the robbery.
Additional robberies alleged by the court documents include: an Oct. 18, 2018, armed robbery of a market in Boston committed by Goncalves; a Dec. 9, 2018, armed robbery of a pizza delivery person in Everett committed by DaSilva; and a Jan. 17, 2019, armed robbery of a gas station in Weymouth committed by Igor Costa. In addition, on Feb. 7, 2019, DaSilva and Henrique were involved in the kidnapping of a young woman who they believed could help them target a rival gang member. DaSilva and Henrique lured the young woman out of a residence in Peabody and eventually took her to a residence in Maynard where she was held at gunpoint and threatened. A cooperating witness alerted law enforcement, who responded to the scene and eventually arrested DaSilva.
On numerous occasions in 2018 and 2019, it is alleged that the defendants illegally sold firearms and drugs to cooperating witnesses.
In addition to the 14 charged criminally, four individuals were arrested administratively by ICE today.
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. The charge of conspiracy to commit robbery and robbery provides for a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of $250,000 and restitution. The charge of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances provides for a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, at least three years up to life supervised release, and a fine of $1 million. The charge of engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license provides for a sentence of no greater than five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. The charge of being an alien in possession of a firearm provides for a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. The charge of distribution of 28 grams or more of cocaine base provides for a sentence of at least five and up to 40 years in prison, at least four up to life supervised release, and a fine of $2,000,000. The charge of possession of an unregistered firearm provides for a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $10,000. Defendants illegally present in the U.S. will be subject to deportation proceedings. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Lelling, ATF SAC Brady; HSI SAC Fitzhugh; and Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, made the announcement today. The Chelsea, Lowell, Malden, Marlborough, Somerville, and Weymouth Police Departments and the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office provided assistance with the investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys in Lelling’s Organized Crime and Gang Unit.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
24 April 2019
Yankton Woman Sentenced in Methamphetamine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Yankton, South Dakota, woman convicted of conspiring to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine was sentenced on April 22, 2019, by U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier.
April Villagomez, age 38, was sentenced to 100 months in custody, to be followed by 5 years of supervised release. She was also ordered to pay $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Villagomez was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury on April 4, 2018. She pled guilty on January 31, 2019.
Villagomez had co‑conspirators in Arizona mail her packages of methamphetamine and sold it to drug customers in South Dakota. On March 21, 2018, search warrants were executed on a package mailed to her address and on her home. The package contained 85.94 grams of methamphetamine, and over $4,000 in cash was located in the home. It is estimated based upon the number of packages delivered to her home that Villagomez received and distributed over 1,800 grams of methamphetamine during a six-month period.
This case was investigated by the Yankton Police Department, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Tamara Nash prosecuted the case.
Villagomez was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Waterbury Felon Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun ChargeRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that GLENN JAMISON, 37, of Waterbury, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to one count of possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon.
According to court documents and statement made in court, on January 10, 2018, Jamison possessed a loaded 9mm Ruger LC9 handgun in Waterbury. At the time, he was on state probation and had two outstanding warrants for his arrest.
Jamison’s criminal history includes numerous felony convictions. 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.
Judge Hall scheduled sentencing for July 17, 2019, at which time Jamison faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.
Jamison has been detained since his arrest on January 10, 2018.
This matter is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Waterbury Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Natasha Freismuth.
This prosecution has been brought through Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone.
University Tennis Coach Pleads Guilty in College Admissions CaseRead the Press Release
BOSTON – The former head coach of the men’s tennis team at the University of Texas at Austin pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston in connection with accepting a $100,000 bribe to secure the admission of a purported student-athlete to the university.
Michael Center, 54, of Austin, Texas, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns scheduled sentencing for Oct. 30, 2019. Center was initially charged by criminal complaint on March 12, 2019.
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 conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud provides for a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; 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 case.
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.
United States Attorney Murray Encourages Participation in DEA's National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on April 27, 2019Read the Press Release
CONCORD – United States Attorney Scott W. Murray encourages the public to participate in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 27, 2019. This biannual event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at thousands of collection sites around the country, including over 100 here in New Hampshire. This event is an important effort to rid homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.
“One of the simplest ways that all citizens of the Granite State can help to combat the opioid crisis is to ensure that unwanted medications do not fall into the wrong hands,” said U.S. Attorney Murray. “Far too many individuals started on the path to addiction by misusing prescription drugs. I encourage everyone to take a few minutes to dispose of any prescription drugs that they no longer need in order to help protect their families and their communities.”
“DEA has touched a nerve in America with its recent Take Back events, as evidenced by the millions of pounds of pills collected during our previous 16 events,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Brian D. Boyle. “These events are only made possible through the dedicated work and commitment of our local, state and federal partners, and DEA thanks each and every one of them for their continuous efforts on behalf of the American people.”
Last October Americans turned in 457 tons (900,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at almost 6,000 sites operated by the DEA and more than 4,800 of its state and local law enforcement partners. Overall, in its 16 previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in over 11 million pounds—more than 5,400 tons—of pills. The disposal service is free and anonymous, no questions asked. (The DEA cannot accept liquids, needles, or sharps, only pills or patches.)
Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 91 Americans die each day from an opioid overdose. Some painkiller abusers move on to heroin: Four out of five new heroin users started with painkillers.
Flushing medications down the toilet or throwing them in the trash pose potential safety and health hazards. This initiative addresses the public safety and public health issues that surround medications languishing in home cabinets, becoming highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse.
For more information or to locate a collection site near you, go the DEA Prescription Drug Take Back Day web site at https://takebackday.dea.gov/#collection-locator where you can search by zip code, city, or state.
###
U.S. Attorney, DEA and Alexandria Sheriff Support DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back DayRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – United States Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger will be joined by DEA Chief of Diversion Control John Martin and Alexandria Sheriff Dana Lawhorne at The Neighborhood Pharmacy in Del Ray on Saturday at 11 a.m. for the DEA’s 17th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.
“Safely disposing of prescription drugs keeps dangerous narcotics out of the wrong hands and out of our communities,” said Terwilliger. “One source of drug abusers’ narcotics are from friends and family, often from the home medicine cabinet. The good people of Alexandria can help us fight the opioid epidemic by ridding their homes of unwanted and unneeded prescription meds and bringing them to a local collection site like the one here in Del Ray.”
The semiannual event will be held at thousands of collection sites around the country, including here in the Alexandria community of Del Ray at The Neighborhood Pharmacy, 2204 Mount Vernon Avenue. The event is an effort to rid homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.
“Saturday’s event will see more law enforcement partners and registered take back sites than any previous DEA event,” said DEA Chief of Diversion Control John Martin. “Our partnerships with federal, state, local and tribal leaders are vital to the success of this important program and we remain committed to providing communities across the United States with safe and convenient drug disposal options.”
Last October, Americans turned in 457 tons (900,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at almost 6,000 sites operated by the DEA and more than 4,800 of its state and local law enforcement partners. Overall, in its 16 previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in over 11 million pounds—more than 5,400 tons—of pills. The disposal service is free and anonymous, no questions asked. (The DEA cannot accept liquids, needles, or sharps, only pills or patches.)
“We greatly appreciate our dedicated partners who join us in fighting the opioid problem with initiatives like Drug Take Back,” said Lawhorne. “Thanks to business partners like The Neighborhood Pharmacy, law enforcement leaders like U.S. Attorney Terwilliger, and our caring community, we can work together to make Alexandria safer.”
Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 91 Americans die each day from an opioid overdose. Some painkiller abusers move on to heroin: Four out of five new heroin users started with painkillers.
Flushing medications down the toilet or throwing them in the trash pose potential safety and health hazards. This initiative addresses the public safety and public health issues that surround medications languishing in home cabinets, becoming highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse.
For more information or to locate a collection site near you, go the DEA Prescription Drug Take Back Day web site at www.deatakeback.com where you can search by zip code, city, or state.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
U.S. Attorney's Office and DEA Encourage Nevadans to Take Part in National Prescription Drug Take Back DayRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The 17th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day will be held on Saturday, April 27, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas A. Trutanich for the District of Nevada and Assistant Special Agent in Charge Daniel W. Neill for the DEA Las Vegas office.
“Prevention starts at home. Cleaning out the family medicine cabinet could save a life,” said U.S. Attorney Trutanich. “I encourage Nevadans to be responsible citizens and safely dispose of unwanted, unused, and expired prescription medications at a collection site on Take Back Day before the pills end up lost, stolen or misused.”
“This is an excellent opportunity for all Nevadans to empty out their medicine cabinets to prevent misuse,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Neill.
On April 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., partner law enforcement agencies will collect prescription medications at more than 30 collection sites throughout Nevada. The public can find a nearby collection site at www.DEATakeBack.com or by calling 1-800-882-9539. DEA cannot accept liquids, needles or sharps. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
Last October, Americans turned in 457 tons (914,236 pounds) of prescription drugs at more than 5,800 sites operated by the DEA and almost 4,800 of its local and tribal law enforcement partners. Overall, the DEA and its partners have taken in almost 11 million pounds (nearly 5,500 tons) of pills at past Take Back Days.
This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. For more information about the safe disposal of prescription drugs or about the April 27 Take Back Day event, go to www.DEATakeBack.com.
###
National Prescription Drug Take Back Day Collection Sites
Saturday, April 27, 2019, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Collection Site
Address
City
Lander County Sheriff Department
#2 State Route 305
Battle Mountain
Food Maxx Parking Lot
3325 Hwy 50 East
Carson City
Smith’s Food & Drug Front of Store
599 E. Williams St.
Carson City
Save Mart Front of Store
3620 North Carson St.
Carson City
Save Mart Front of Store
4348 South Carson St.
Carson City
Walmart Parking Lot
3770 Hwy 395
Carson City
Lyon County Sheriff’s Office, Dayton Substation
801 Overland Loop
Dayton
Fallon Tribal Health Clinic Parking Lot
1001 Rio Vista Dr.
Fallon
CVS Pharmacy Parking Lot
461 W. Williams Ave.
Fallon
Walgreens Pharmacy Parking Lot
2020 Reno Hwy.
Fallon
Lyon County Sheriff’s Office, Fernley Substation
555 E. Main St.
Fernley
Walgreens Parking Lot
1342 U.S. Hwy 395
Gardnerville
Tillman Substation Parking Lot
1281 Kimmerling Rd.
Gardnerville
Henderson Police Department,
West Police Station
300 S. Greenvalley Pkwy.
Henderson
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, South East Area Command
3675 E. Harmon Ave.
Las Vegas
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, Downtown Area Command
621 N. 9th St.
Las Vegas
Smith’s Pharmacy Parking Lot
8555 W. Sahara Ave.
Las Vegas
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, Enterprise Area Command Parking Lot
6975 W. Windmill
Las Vegas
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, Northwest Area Command
9850 W. Cheyenne
Las Vegas
Summerlin’s Farmer’s Market
1980 Festival Plaza
Las Vegas
Pershing County Sheriff’s Office
395 9th St.
Lovelock
Walmart Parking Lot
1807 W. Craig Rd.
North Las Vegas
North Las Vegas Police Department, Northwest Area Command Station
3755 W. Washburn Rd.
North Las Vegas
CVS
3360 S. McCarran Blvd.
Reno
Smith’s Food and Drug
750 S. Meadows Pkwy.
Reno
Smith’s Food and Drug Center Front Entrance
175 Lemmon Dr.
Reno
Save Mart
4995 Kietzke Lane
Reno
Raley’s Market & Pharmacy Inside Entrance
18144 Wedge Pkwy.
Reno
Walmart Front Entrance
5260 W. 7th St.
Reno
Smith’s Food and Drug Front Entrance
1255 Baring Blvd.
Sparks
East Fire Station #4 Inside Station
1476 Albite Rd.
Wellington
Ridley’s Market Parking Lot
1125 W. Winnemucca Blvd.
Winnemucca
Lyon County Sheriff’s Office
911 Harvey
Yerington
Yerington Police Department Parking Lot
30 Nevin Way
Yerington
Safeway Store Parking Lot
212 Elks Point Rd.
Zephyr Cove
Two Nigerian Nationals Indicted in Bitcoin Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams announced today that two Nigerian nationals have been charged in a 13-count indictment alleging they engaged in an online scheme to defraud victims of bitcoin virtual currency.
In an indictment filed on April 18, 2019, Onwuemerie Ogor Gift, 24, and Kelvin Usifoh, age unknown, were charged with one count each of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering and 11 counts of wire fraud.
As alleged in the indictment, the scheme began when Gift and Usifoh purchased the URL www.wealthcurrency.com and published various webpages promising investors 20-50 percent returns on investments of bitcoin with zero risk and instant withdrawals. They actively encouraged victims to transfer bitcoin to private virtual currency wallets and made numerous false claims including that their bitcoins would be invested using “unique trading methods” and they would maintain a “constant high interest rate.” They created additional websites perpetuating the same scheme including www.boomcurrency.com and www.merrycurrency.com.
Beginning in December 2017 and continuing until at June 2018, Gift and Usifoh are alleged to have knowingly conspired to defraud three victims, one residing in Oregon and two in California. A photo of a fourth victim was used to create a false persona used in furtherance of the scheme. After receiving bitcoin transfers from their victims, Gift and Usifoh would transfer the bitcoin to other accounts and eventually exchange it for Nigerian Naira. The indictment alleges that in just over six months, the defendants stole 10.88 bitcoins worth approximately $59,000 from the three victims. In total, the government alleges Gift and Usifoh received more than 50 bitcoins as part of the scheme.
This case was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Quinn P. Harrington, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
An indictment is only an accusation of a crime, and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The Securities and Exchange Commission's Office of Investor Education and Advocacy today issued an Investor Alert to warn investors about investment scams involving websites touting advisory and trading businesses related to digital assets.
Two More Members of Deadly Elmira Opioid Trafficking Organization Sentenced to PrisonRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Carlito Rios, Jr., 32, of Corning, NY, who was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, 100 grams or more of a fentanyl analogue, was sentenced to time served and three years of supervised release by Chief U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr. In addition, Jordan Jones, 25, of Elmira, NY, who was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, acetyl fentanyl, was sentenced by Chief Judge Geraci to serve 20 months in federal prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brett A. Harvey, who handled the case, stated that Jones was a distributor in a large-scale opioid manufacturing and trafficking organization in the Southern Tier of New York and northern Pennsylvania between 2015 and May 2017. As part of the conspiracy, the leaders of the organization, Robert Ian Thatcher and Maximillian Sams, imported bulk quantities of furanyl fentanyl, acetyl fentanyl, and U-47700 from overseas suppliers in China. They ordered the drugs on what is known as “the dark web,” and used different people and addresses in New York and Pennsylvania to receive the shipments. Rivera arranged for some of his friends and associates to receive packages of controlled substances from overseas on behalf of Thatcher and Sams. Thatcher and Sams purchased equipment and materials – including pill presses/mechanical tableting machines, microcrystalline cellulose, lactose magnesium stearate, and powdered food coloring – which they used to manufacture tens of thousands of blue pills containing furanyl fentanyl, acetyl fentanyl and U-47700. The pills were made to look like legitimate 15 milligram and 30 milligram Percocet pills.
At least two individuals – a 21 year old female, and a 25 year-old male – died after ingesting the blue pills containing furanyl fentanyl and U-47700. In addition, at least one individual overdosed on more than one occasion after using the blue pills manufactured and distributed by the organization, but survived after being treated by first responders with Narcan.
Thatcher and Sams used residences at 604 South Lehigh Avenue in Sayre, Pennsylvania, and 665 Sawdey Road in Catlin, NY, to manufacture and process the pills for distribution. During the execution of a search warrant at the Sayre location on May 16, 2017, law enforcement agents recovered, among other things, 244 blue pills containing furanyl fentanyl, four long guns and ammunition. In addition, during the execution of a search warrant at the Catlin location on May 18, 2017, law enforcement agents recovered, among other things, materials used by Thatcher and Sams to manufacture the pills for distribution. During the conspiracy, Thatcher also possessed several firearms at the Pennsylvania location and his residence in Elmira.
After manufacturing the pills, Thatcher and Sams would distribute them in large quantities to other co-conspirators – including Jesus Rivera, Anthony Prettyman, Terrance Washington, and Dwayne Banks, a/k/a Fizzle, a/k/a Fizz – who would then distribute the pills to various street-level customers in the Elmira area. In March 2016, Jones obtained a supply of pills containing acetyl fentanyl from Rivera, and distributed some of those pills to a customer in Elmira.
Sams also supplied pills to an individual in the Charlotte, North Carolina area. As part of the conspiracy, Sams used co-conspirator Anthony Prettyman to transport 5,330 blue pills containing furanyl fentanyl from Elmira to North Carolina in October 2016. On October 25, 2016, in North Carolina, deputies with the Iredell County (NC) Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle in which Prettyman was traveling. During a subsequent search, the deputies recovered and seized a paint can with a false bottom containing the 5,330 blue pills from inside Prettyman’s vehicle.
In early 2017, Thatcher arranged for a package of furanyl fentanyl, that he ordered over the dark web, to be sent to Carlito Rios, Jr. On March 13, 2017, Customs and Border Protection officers at the John F. Kennedy International Airport Mail Branch in Queens, NY, examined a United States Postal Service package addressed to co-conspirator Rios at 1015 Oak Street in Elmira. The sender was listed as an entity in China. Upon inspection, the package was found to contain approximately 249 grams of furanyl fentanyl. Sams and Thatcher intended to use the seized furanyl fentanyl to manufacture and distribute additional quantities of the blue pills. As part of the conspiracy, Rios agreed to accept the package of furanyl fentanyl for Thatcher.
The sentencings mark the fourteenth and fifteenth defendants to have been sentenced in this investigation:
Thatcher was sentenced to serve 23 years in federal prison;
Sams was sentenced to 210 months in federal prison;
Prettyman was sentenced to 125 months in federal prison;
Banks was sentenced to 108 months in federal prison;
Rivera was sentenced to 108 months in federal prison;
Thatcher’s girlfriend, Amber Bates, who was convicted of money laundering conspiracy, was sentenced to five years probation to include six months of home detention;
Robert J. Elford was sentenced to 121 months in federal prison;
Edward Barrett was sentenced to 90 months in federal prison;
Scott Fairbanks was sentenced to 90 months in federal prison;
Dusty Pemberton was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison;
Deven Hill was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison,
Chad Smith was sentenced to 22 months in federal prison; and
Isaiah McLaurin, who was convicted of witness tampering after threatening an individual working with the Drug Enforcement Administration on Facebook, was sentenced to serve 57 months in federal prison.
As U.S. Attorney Kennedy has previously stated, “That the members of this organization sought to profit by pushing poison on addicts, is reprehensible. In my view, however, what is even more insidious about their behavior was their effort to press this poison into counterfeit pills, thereby giving their customers a false sense of security that there was some quality and dosage control associated with their manufacture.”
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Rochester Resident Office and Scranton PA Resident Office, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Ray Donovan, New York Field Division; the New York State Police, Community Narcotics Enforcement Team Southern Tier, under the direction of Major Mary Clark and Lieutenant Kevin P. Sucher; the Elmira Police Department, under the direction of Chief Joseph Kane; Immigration and Custom Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge John B. Devito, New York Field Division; the Pennsylvania State Police, under the direction of Acting Commissioner Lieutenant Colonel Robert Evanchick; the Chemung County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Christopher J. Moss; the Iredell, NC County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Darren E. Campbell, and Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Unit, under the direction of Director Brian Manaher. Additional assistance was provided by the Northeast Regional Laboratory.
# # # #
Two Former Arriva Medical Executives Agree to Pay $1 Million to Settle Diabetic Testing Supply Fraud AllegationsRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – April 24, 2019 – David Wallace of Boca Raton, Florida and Timothy Stocksdale, of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, two former executives of Arriva Medical, LLC (Arriva), agreed to pay $500,000 each to settle the United States’ allegations that they had violated the False Claims Act, announced U.S. Attorney Don Cochran for the Middle District of Tennessee.
Arriva is a mail-order diabetic testing supply company based in Coral Springs, Florida, which, at one point, had operations including a customer call center in Antioch, Tennessee. Wallace and Stocksdale co-founded Arriva and after its November 2011 sale to Alere, Inc. (Alere), they remained employed as Arriva executives. Wallace served as Arriva’s president from November 23, 2011 through August 30, 2013, and Stocksdale served as Arriva’s vice president during the same period.
The settlement resolves the United States’ claims that Wallace and Stocksdale caused Arriva to submit false claims to Medicare that were tainted by kickbacks paid to beneficiaries in the form of free or no cost home blood glucose meters or waived or uncollected copayments during the period from November 23, 2011 through August 30, 2013. The settlement also resolves the United States’ claims that Wallace and Stocksdale caused Arriva to bill Medicare for medically unnecessary home blood glucose meters during the same period.
On February 8, 2019, the United States separately intervened in a False Claims Act case alleging that Arriva and Alere submitted and/or caused to be submitted false claims to the Medicare program for medically unnecessary glucometers and diabetic testing supplies that were tainted by the payment of kickbacks in the form of free home blood glucose meters and routine copayment waivers. Alere is a large medical device company based in Waltham, Massachusetts. Both Arriva and Alere were acquired by Abbott Laboratories in September 2017.
In October 2016, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) revoked Arriva’s billing number for billing Medicare for durable medical equipment that was shipped to a beneficiary more than 14 days after the beneficiary’s death. Arriva subsequently stopped operating in late 2017.
The case was handled by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee and investigated by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ellen Bowden McIntyre represented the United States.
# # # # #
Two Chinese Nationals Facing Federal Indictment for Conspiracy to Traffick in Counterfeit Goods and Mail FraudRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has indicted Xiaoying Xu, age 34, a Chinese citizen, and Yiwen Zhu, age 34, a Chinese citizen and legal permanent resident of the United States, both residing in Covina, California, on a federal conspiracy charge, mail fraud, and trafficking in counterfeit goods. The indictment was returned on April 23, 2019, and the defendants were arrested today.
The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Acting Special Agent in Charge Jennifer L. Moore of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Acting Special Agent in Charge Cardell T. Morant of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Postal Inspector in Charge Peter R. Rendina of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division; and Casey Durst, Director of Field Operations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection - Baltimore Field Office.
“These defendants allegedly imported counterfeit goods from China and sold them as legitimate merchandise using the registered trademarks of legitimate companies.” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur. “Those who traffick in counterfeit goods are committing a crime which results in American jobs lost, American business profits stolen, and American consumers tricked into receiving substandard products.”
According to the 13-count indictment, from about August 2016 until approximately April 2019, Xu and Zhu conspired with others to defraud e-commerce customers by importing and selling counterfeit consumer goods, specifically Pandora jewelry and Ray-Ban sunglasses. The indictment alleges that the defendants used their residence and offices in El Monte and Alhambra, California, as destination points for shipments of counterfeit goods shipped from Hong Kong and China. Xu and Zhu allegedly repackaged the counterfeit goods, then mailed them to unsuspecting customers throughout the United States who believed they had purchased authentic goods.
The defendants allegedly used fraudulent accounts set up with e-commerce marketplace companies to sell the counterfeit goods, misrepresenting to customers that they were authentic. Xu and Zhu obtained funds from the victims of the counterfeit scheme through fraudulently acquired customer accounts opened in the names of other people at a global online payment company. The online payment company sent the victims’ money to Xu and Zhu by electronic transfer to bank accounts or by check, which the defendants then cashed at ATMs. The indictment alleges that the defendants then transferred the proceeds of the scheme from their bank accounts to other bank accounts opened in the names of other Chinese nationals.
If convicted, the defendants face a maximum sentence of five years in prison for conspiracy to commit mail fraud and traffick in counterfeit goods; a maximum of 20 years in prison for each of six counts of mail fraud; and a maximum of 10 years in prison for each of six counts of trafficking in counterfeit goods. The defendants are expected to have an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in the Central District of California. No court appearance has been scheduled yet in Maryland.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI, HSI, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, in Maryland and in Los Angeles, California; Seattle, Washington; and Tampa, Florida for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Martin J. Clarke and Peter J. Martinez, who are prosecuting the case.
# # #
Troy Man Charged with Possessing a Firearm as a FelonRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Dyshawn Fisher, age 24, of Troy, New York, was arraigned Monday on a charge of unlawful possession of a firearm as a felon.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and James N. Hendricks, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
The indictment alleges that on June 26, 2018, Fisher, a felon, was in possession of a .38 caliber revolver. The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
On Monday, Fisher appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Christian F. Hummel, who ordered him detained pending further proceedings.
If convicted, Fisher faces up to 10 years in prison, a term of post-release supervision of up to 3 years, and a fine of up to $250,000. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
This case is being investigated by the FBI and its Capital District Safe Streets Gang Task Force, which includes FBI Special Agents and members of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, including the Troy Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashlyn Miranda and Alicia Suarez.
Three Sioux Falls Residents Sentenced for Counterfeiting U.S. Currency, Passing U.S. Currency, and Possession of Stolen FirearmsRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that two men and one woman from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, convicted of Counterfeiting United States Currency and Possession of Stolen Firearms, were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier.
Shalene Paige Ball, age 29, was sentenced to 7 months in custody, followed by 3 years of supervised release, restitution in the amount of $3,000, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Michael Scott Norton, a/k/a Michael Scott Carey, age 59, was sentenced to 59 days in federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, restitution in the amount of $1,500, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Chester Lee Kempf, age 62, was sentenced to 42 months in federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, restitution in the amount of $3,000, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Ball, Kempf, and Norton were indicted by a federal grand jury on June 6, 2018. Ball pled guilty on December 27, 2018, to Passing Counterfeit U.S. Currency; Kempf pled guilty on January 17, 2019, to Passing Counterfeit U.S. Currency and Possession of a Stolen Firearm; and Norton pled guilty on November 14, 2018, to Making Counterfeit U.S. Currency.
The conviction stemmed from incidents in August and November of 2017, when Ball and Kempf passed counterfeit $100 bills to several businesses in and around Sioux Falls. The investigation revealed that Norton created the counterfeit bills for Kempf and Ball. Ball and Kempf then used the fake bills at local businesses to make small purchases and receive genuine currency as change. The real money was used to purchase illegal drugs.
Kempf was also indicted in another matter by a federal grand jury on May 8, 2018. He pled guilty on January 17, 2019. That conviction stemmed from an incident on or about December 9, 2017. On that day, Ball called 911 to report that Kempf was unresponsive and struggling to breathe. When police and paramedics arrived, they learned that Kempf had overdosed on heroin and also had a stolen handgun in his possession.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Clapper prosecuted the cases.
Ball had already served her time in custody prior to sentencing, while Kempf and Norton were turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Thomaston Man Sentenced to 46 Months in Federal Prison for Distributing Heroin and CrackRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ALEXANDER CALDERON, 23, of Thomaston, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny in Hartford to 46 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for trafficking heroin and crack cocaine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in the fall of 2017, the FBI, ATF and Waterbury Police Department began an investigation into drug trafficking by suspected members of “Addicted to Money,” also known as “ATM,” a violent street gang operating in Waterbury. The investigation, which included court-authorized wiretaps, physical surveillance and controlled purchases of heroin and crack cocaine, resulted in federal charges against Calderon and 10 other individuals.
The investigation revealed that Calderon regularly sold heroin and crack cocaine to customers.
Calderon has been detained since his arrest on July 17, 2018. On January 15, 2019, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, heroin and cocaine base (“crack”).
This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Waterbury Police Department’s Gang Task Force. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick F. Caruso and Natasha M. Freismuth, with assistance from Cynthia Serafini and Don Therkildsen of the Waterbury State’s Attorney’s Office.
Tennessee Man Sentenced to Prison for Possession of Stolen Mail and Aggravated Identity TheftRead the Press Release
Gulfport, Miss – Ernest Eugene Leffew, 47, a former resident of Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola, Jr. to serve a total of 49 months in federal prison for possession of stolen mail and aggravated identity theft, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Inspector in Charge Adrian Gonzalez with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Leffew was also ordered to pay a $2,000 fine and $2,514 in restitution to multiple victims.
From August 2016, to January 2017, Leffew, who was living as a transient in Mississippi, was found to be in possession of stolen mail when encountered by law enforcement in Hancock and Harrison Counties. An investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service revealed that Leffew possessed multiple pieces of mail as well as checks, debit cards and credit cards not belonging to him. He also had a notebook containing handwritten personal information of other people, including names, social security numbers, dates of birth, addresses and associated account numbers.
As part of Leffew’s scheme to defraud, Leffew altered checks in his possession which he had stolen from the United States mail, and added the name of a victim to the payable section and the victim’s alleged signature to the back of a stolen check. Leffew also committed aggravated identify theft by obtaining a Walmart credit card in the name of one of the victims, and upon his receipt of the card in the victim’s name at an address Leffew used, he used it to make purchases without the victim’s knowledge or permission.
This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Jones.
Stamford Men Charged with Trafficking Counterfeit Oxycodone Pills Containing Fentanyl AnaloguesRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, Joseph W. Cronin, Inspector in Charge of the Boston Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England, and Stamford Police Chief Jonathan Fontneau today announced the unsealing of three-count indictment charging VINCENT DECARO, 29, ARBER ISAKU, 29 and DAVID REICHARD, 30, all of Stamford, with offenses related to the trafficking of fentanyl analogues.
The indictment was returned on August 7, 2018. Decaro and Isaku, who were extradited from Albania, appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge William I. Garfinkel in Bridgeport and entered pleas of not guilty to the charges. They are detained pending trial.
As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, Decaro and Isaku purchased fentanyl analogues from suppliers in China and, working out of Decaro’s residence at 77 West Hill Circle in Stamford, pressed the drug into counterfeit oxycodone pills, which they sold to customers on dark web markets. Reichard, who lived for a short time at Decaro’s residence, helped Decaro and Isaku press pills and mail the pills to customers.
On April 3, 2018, a court-authorized search of Decaro’s Stamford residence revealed numerous pills containing approximately 330 grams of fentanyl and acetyl fentanyl, approximately 40 grams of fentanyl analogues in powder form, three pill presses, instructions on how to prepare the fentanyl analogue Carfentanil, a hazardous material suit, a gas/respirator-type mask, and numerous U.S. Postal mail envelopes.
Prior to that date, on August 23, 2017, Isaku was arrested by the Connecticut State Police after he accepted delivery of a package containing approximately 160 grams of fentanyl at his Mitchell Street residence in Stamford.
At the time of the search of Decaro’s home in April 2018, Decaro and Isaku were in Europe. They have been detained since September 21, 2018, when they were arrested by Albanian State Police as they were attempting to cross the border from Albania into Kosovo. A search of an apartment in Tirana where they had been staying revealed alprazolam, fentanyl and other controlled substances; tools and dies for pressing pills, and instructions for synthesizing fentanyl.
The indictment charges Decaro, Isaku and Reichard with one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of fentanyl analogues, and Decaro and Reichard with one count of possession with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of fentanyl analogues. Both offenses carry a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life. Isaku is also charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl analogues, and offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.
Reichard was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on April 13, 2018. He previously entered a plea of not guilty to the charges in the indictment.
U.S. Attorney Durham stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, Connecticut State Police and Stamford Police Department, with the assistance of the Albanian State Police. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas P. Morabito.
U.S. Attorney Durham thanked the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of International Affairs and Rome Attaché Cristina Posa for coordinating the extradition proceedings in this matter.
decaro_vincent_et_al_indictment.pdfStamford Man Sentenced to 42 Months in Prison for Drug Dealing, Violating Supervised ReleaseRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that ALBERT LEE ROBINSON, 58, of Stamford, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to 42 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for distributing narcotics and for violating the conditions of his supervised release from a prior federal conviction.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on January 16, 2004, Judge Underhill sentenced Robinson to 188 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for distributing crack cocaine. Robinson was sentenced as a career offender based on prior convictions for burglary, narcotics and robbery offenses. Robinson was released from prison in August 2017 and began serving his five-year term of supervised release.
On August 14, 2018, Stamford Police arrested Robinson on state charges after he was found in possession more than 300 bags of heroin and more than 200 bags of crack cocaine, as well as baggies of powder cocaine and a jar containing marijuana. Officers also seized a digital scale and $2,052 in cash.
On September 5, 2018, a federal grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment charging Robinson with one count of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. The next day, members of the DEA’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force and Stamford Police Department executed a federal arrest warrant for Robinson. At this time of his arrest, Robinson possessed a bag of powder cocaine on his person.
Robinson has been detained since his federal arrest on September 6. On December 18, he pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and admitted violating the conditions of his supervised release.
Judge Underhill sentenced Robinson to 42 months of imprisonment for distributing narcotics, and a concurrent 12-month sentence for violating the conditions of his supervised release.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony E. Kaplan and Elena L. Coronado.
Rochester Man Pleads Guilty to Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Donald L. White, 24, of Rochester, NY, pleaded guilty to bank robbery. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both.
Assistant U.S. Charles E. Moynihan, who is handling the prosecution of the case, stated that on November 16, 2016, the defendant entered the Chase Bank at 36 Genesee Street in Rochester at about 9:47 a.m. and passed the bank teller a note stating that he was serious, directing the teller not to get the attention of others, and to provide him with money. In the note, White also said he did not want a dye pack and told the teller that she had 20 seconds to comply. The teller provided the defendant with an amount of United States currency, which he took before leaving the bank.
White also admitted to robbing the same Chase Bank a month earlier on October 11, 2016, during which the defendant displayed a similar note demanding money.
White was subsequently in Georgia where he committed additional crimes for which he is now imprisoned.
The plea is the culmination of an investigation on the part of Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Gary Loeffert, as well as officers from the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief La'Ron D. Singletary.
Sentencing is scheduled for July 17, 2019, at 4:00 p.m. before Judge Geraci.# # # #
Ringleader Sentenced to 22 Years for Nine Bank RobberiesRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Scott C. Blader, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Jonathan L. Thompson, 31, Madison, Wisconsin, was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison today by U.S. District Court Judge William M. Conley on nine counts of aiding and abetting bank robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm. Thompson was convicted on January 30, 2019, after a three-day jury trial.
This case involved a series of nine bank robberies that were planned by Thompson, who was also the getaway driver. The robberies took place at banks in Madison, Middleton, Sun Prairie, and Fitchburg and occurred between January 8 and February 22, 2018. Robert Minette, Kiefah Marbra, and Thompson were indicted by a federal grand jury for these bank robberies on May 30, 2018. Minette was involved in the first two robberies and Marbra was involved in the latter eight of them.
Thompson chose the banks he wanted to rob and dropped off Marbra and Minette, who would enter the bank, brandish a gun, and demand money. After the robberies, Thompson would drive them back to his apartment where he would divide the proceeds.
In sentencing Thompson, Judge Conley found that Thompson was the leader and organizer in all of these robberies. Judge Conley was troubled by the fact that Thompson brought his teenage nephew, Marbra, into this scheme and put Marbra out front to be the fall guy. Judge Conley said that Thompson’s actions were “cynically calculated,” and that he lacked remorse for involving his nephew. Further, Judge Conley noted the severity of these violent crimes and the impact on the victims.
On January 15, 2019, both Marbra and Minette pleaded guilty to one count of brandishing a firearm. Marbra also pled to the eight bank robberies that he was involved in, while Minette pled to the two bank robberies in which he was involved. Marbra was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison on April 16. Minette was sentenced on March 28 to nine years in federal prison.
The charges in this case are the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Madison Police Department, Middleton Police Department, Sun Prairie Police Department, Fitchburg Police Department, and Dane County Sheriff’s Office. The Dane County District Attorney’s Office also assisted in this case. The prosecution of the case was handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Corey Stephan and Daniel Graber.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the U.S. Justice Department’s program to reduce violent crime. The PSN approach emphasizes coordination between state and federal prosecutors and all levels of law enforcement to address gun crime, especially felons illegally possessing firearms and ammunition and violent and drug crimes that involve the use of firearms.
Rhode Island Man Arrested for Threatening Massachusetts ProfessorRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Rhode Island man was arrested today and charged with sending a series of violent and threatening emails to a college professor in Massachusetts and to a professional school at the university where the professor teaches.
Matthew Haviland, 30, of North Kingstown, R.I., was charged by complaint with cyberstalking and with transmitting a threat in interstate commerce. Haviland will appear today at 3:00 p.m. in federal court in Boston.
“As I have said before, this office will take a hard line on threats of violence motivated by politicized issues, regardless of whether those issues arise on the right or the left,” said United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling. “Americans are responsible for what they say, and if they put others in fear for their lives, we will prosecute.”
“Simply put, words matter, and today’s arrest of Matthew Haviland should serve as a warning to others who think they can use the internet to terrorize people. Don’t do it,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “Everyone has the right to express their opinion, but when you threaten, harass, intimidate, and put others in fear for their lives, it’s a federal crime.”
Over the span of several hours on March 10, 2019, Haviland allegedly sent a Massachusetts professor a string of approximately 28 e-mails containing messages that included such threats as, “I will rip every limb from your body and eat it, piece by piece,” and “I will bite through your eyeballs while you’re still alive, and I will laugh while you scream.” According to the complaint, the professor to whom Haviland sent the threats—referred to as Victim 1 in the complaint—has published and spoken in favor of abortion rights, and several of Haviland’s emails made reference to abortion. In two successive e-mails, for example, Haviland wrote, “You will be held accountable for every [expletive] baby you murdered through your horrible deception of they are not humans,” and “You will have your face ripped off and eaten by me, personally. I will enjoy raping your body after you’re dead. And that will only be the start.”
The complaint includes a description of additional, abortion-related messages Haviland is alleged to have sent or posted on the internet. Those messages included approximately 114 voice messages that Haviland left overnight at a women’s medical center beginning April 4, 2019, and text messages Haviland sent to an acquaintance that included the following: “It never was a Woman’s rights issue. It’s literally killing babies. That’s All it is, and We want you to stop it. Or we will kill you to do it. It’s that Serious. It’s not a Joke.” In an internet posting allegedly written on March 29, 2019, Haviland wrote, “You guys are so evil and so brainwashed, I would kill every one of you with my bare hands—or AT LEAST kill every abortion doctor.”
It is alleged that between the evening of March 15, 2019, and the early morning of March 16, 2019, Haviland sent approximately 12 e-mails to a professional school at Victim 1’s university. These e-mails touched on the subjects of race, gender, and physical disability, and included the messages: “[Expletive], my existence is not a blight on society. Yours is, for pushing the idea that if you are able-bodied or white or okay WITH THE [EXPLETIVE] GENDER YOU WERE BORN WITH, you are a bad person. You people are Evil, putrid, and somebody shoudl [sic] BOMB your school for spreading the idea that it’s okay to HATE people because of their race.” A later e-mail to the professional school said only, “You should be Murdered in cold blood.”
The charges of cyberstalking and transmitting a threat in interstate commerce provide for a sentence of no greater than five years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss resulting from the offense, 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.
U.S. Attorney Lelling and FBI SAC Bonavolonta made the announcement today. Boston FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is conducting the investigations with the assistance of Warwick and North Kingstown (R.I.) Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian A. Pérez Daple of Lelling’s National Security Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Reliance Man Sentenced for AssaultRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Reliance, South Dakota, man convicted of Assault by Striking, Beating, and Wounding plead guilty and was sentenced on April 22, 2019, by U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno.
Roger Bishop, age 27, was sentenced to 3 years of probation, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $25.
Bishop was indicted by a federal grand jury on September 11, 2018.
The conviction stemmed from an incident on April 14, 2018, when Bishop got into a heated argument with the victim, and threw her to the ground causing her to sprain her wrist.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Lower Brule Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy R. Morley prosecuted the case.
Randolph County residents admit to methamphetamine chargesRead the Press Release
ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA – Patsy Meredith DeMary, of Beverly, West Virginia, and Scott Jackson Hamrick, of Elkins, West Virginia, have admitted to distributing methamphetamine, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
DeMary, age 41, pled guilty to one count of “Aiding and Abetting Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.”
Hamrick, also known as “Basic,” age 38, pled guilty to one count of “Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine” and one count of “Possess a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime.”
DeMary and Hamrick admitted to working with one another to distribute methamphetamine in Randolph County in 2017.Hamrick also admitted to having a firearm during a drug trafficking crime in June 2017.
DeMary and Hamrick each face at least five years and up to 40 years incarceration and a fine of up to $5,000,000 for the distribution charge. Hamrick also faces at least five years incarceration and fine of up to $250,000 for the firearms count. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen D. Warner is prosecuting the cases on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco and Explosives, The Mountain Region Drug & Violent Crime Task Force, the Greater Harrison Drug &Violent Crime Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, the West Virginia State Police, Upshur County Sheriff’s Office, Lewis County Sheriff’s Office, the Buckhannon Police Department, and the Weston Police Department 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.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.
Randolph County man admits to methamphetamine distributionRead the Press Release
ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA – Jonathan Allen Mowery, of Harman, West Virginia, has admitted to distributing methamphetamine, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Mowery, age 36, pled guilty to one count of “Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.” Mowery admitted to distributing methamphetamine, also known as “ice,” in March 2017 in Randolph County.
Mowery faces up to 20 years incarceration and a fine of up to $1,000,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen D. Warner is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco and Explosives and the Mountain Region Drug & Violent Crime 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.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.
Project Safe Neighborhoods Federal Grant Monies Available for Violent-Crime Reduction ProgramsRead the Press Release
Indianapolis – Josh J. Minkler, the United States Attorney, is pleased to announce that Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) federal grant dollars are available for State and local government agencies to partner with federal law enforcement on targeted and prioritized violent-crime reduction programs, which include community engagement, prevention and reentry efforts. PSN grants monies may be used for criminal justice-related initiatives, technical assistance, training, personnel, equipment, supplies, contracted support, information systems, research and evaluation.
Applicants are encouraged to propose evidence-based, effective, promising or best practices cited in an academic, journal, a recognized list of evaluated programs or causal evidence from an outcome evaluation. Applications must enhance or expand, not replace, existing funds.
“The Justice Department is pleased to offer opportunities for community members to partner with state and local government agencies in an effort to reduce the gun-related violence that currently plagues our communities,” said United States Attorney Josh Minkler. “We would like to recognize and thank our PSN Task Force partners, ICJI, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office, the Indiana Department of Education, the Indianapolis Marion County Forensic Services Agency, and community volunteer Gloria Riggs, for their persistence tackling these challenges over time and their innovative efforts to drive down the violence.”
Project Safe Neighborhoods is the Justice Department’s flagship Violence Reduction initiative and was reinvigorated in 2018. In the Southern District of Indiana, United States Attorney Minkler appointed Kendra Klump, Assistant U.S. Attorney, to lead the PSN Task Force efforts in coordination with Marshall Depew of IMPD.
This funding opportunity runs from October 2019 through September 2020. Applications may be submitted through May 24, 2019 using the IntellGrants system at http://intelligrants.IN.gov. For assistance with submitting an application, contact [email protected], Terrie Grantham at [email protected] or Leann Jaggers at [email protected]
###
Porum Man Pleads Guilty to Methamphetamine DistributionRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Anthony Michael Grant, age 35, of Porum, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to Possession With Intent To Distribute Methamphetamine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(A), punishable by not less than 10 years and not more than life imprisonment, a fine up to $10,000,000.00, or both.
The Indictment alleges that on or about October 28, 2018, within the Eastern District of Oklahoma, the defendant did knowingly and intentionally possess with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine (actual), a Schedule II controlled substance.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Porum Police Department, the McIntosh County Sheriff’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The Honorable Kimberly E. West, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Muskogee, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
Assistant United States Attorney Clay Compton represented the United States.
Philadelphia Police Officer Charged with Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA - James Strohm, 47, a Philadelphia police officer and resident of Philadelphia, was charged today by Complaint and Warrant with distribution and attempted distribution of child pornography, announced United States Attorney William M. McSwain. If convicted of this offense the defendant faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years’ incarceration.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Meaghan A. Flannery.
An Indictment, Information or Criminal Complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Passaic County, New Jersey, Man Admits Role in Business Email SchemeRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – A Passaic County, New Jersey, man today admitted opening bank accounts and recruiting others to open bank accounts as a conduit for stolen funds in connection with a wide-ranging business email compromise scheme, U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Craig Carpenito announced.
Lawrence Espaillat, 41, of Clifton, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Peter G. Sheridan in Trenton federal court to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
According to documents filed in this and other cases and statements made in court:
From March 2017 to June 2018, Espaillat, conspirators Corry Pringley and Amanda Suazo, and others participated in the scheme to steal more than $1 million dollars from individual and corporate victims. The scheme involved recruiting “mules” – including Espaillat, before he rose to the level of recruiter – Suazo and Pringley, to provide their personal identifying information. This information was used to incorporate sham businesses with the N.J. Department of the Treasury under the mules’ names. The mules eventually opened bank accounts in the names of the sham corporations.
A related cyberattack aspect of the scheme involved creating email addresses mimicking – but differing slightly from – legitimate email addresses of supervisory employees at various companies, vendors that did business with those victim companies, mortgage lenders that dealt with individuals in connection with real estate purchases, and brokerage firms and accountants who provided financial services. The conspirators used these deceptive email addresses to send emails that appeared to be requests for payment of legitimate invoices or debts owed by the victims. The victims were deceived into transferring funds by wire into the bogus bank accounts opened by the money mules and controlled by the conspirators. After the victims complied with the fraudulent wiring instructions, Espaillat, Suazo and Pringley, under the direction of other conspirators, quickly debited thousands of dollars from the accounts through in-person and ATM withdrawals and debit card purchases. They also transferred the funds to foreign bank accounts they controlled. Espaillat, Suazo and Pringley kept a fraction of the proceeds as payment.
For example, over a three-day period in April 2018, a corporate victim in Texas deposited $3.8 million dollars in a bank account opened by Pringley and controlled by Espaillat, Pringley and Suazo, who withdrew or transferred more than $1 million from the account.
The conspiracy charge to which Espaillat pleaded guilty carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000, or twice the gross pecuniary gain/loss. Sentencing is scheduled for July 30, 2019.
Suazo and Pringley pleaded guilty on Jan. 17, 2019, and Feb. 14, 2019, respectively, to separate informations charging each with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. They are awaiting sentencing.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie in Newark, and special agents of the U.S. Secret Service, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Mark McKevitt, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric A. Boden of the U.S. Attorney’s Trenton office.
Parker Doctor Sentenced for Illegally Distributing Controlled SubstancesRead the Press Release
DENVER – Dr. John Alan Littleford, DO, age 73, of Manhattan, Kansas and formerly of Parker, Colorado, was sentenced yesterday by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Robert E. Blackburn to serve 87 months in federal prison followed by 3 years on supervised release for charges related to the illegal distribution of controlled substances and money laundering, U.S. Attorney Jason Dunn, DEA Denver Division Special Agent in Charge Tim McDermott and IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Steven Osborne announced. Littleford was ordered to report to a facility once designated by the Bureau of Prisons.
According to the stipulated facts contained in the defendant’s plea agreement as well as court filings, Dr. Littleford owned and operated the Pain & Injury Clinic in Parker, Colorado. Dr. Littleford held himself out as a practitioner in the field of “pain management,” although he did not have any certification in that field and had not completed a medical residency which would have been directly applicable to the field of pain management.
The DEA opened a criminal investigation into Dr. Littleford in late February 2012 because doctors and pharmacists throughout the Denver metropolitan area expressed concerns about the prescribing practices they were seeing and local law enforcement had repeated encounters with Dr. Littleford’s patients. On October 31, 2012, the Colorado Medical Board issued an Order of Summary Suspension which suspended Dr. Littleford’s license to practice medicine in Colorado, effective on November 5, 2012, until final resolution of additional proceedings for suspension or revocation. On November 9, 2012, the defendant voluntarily surrendered his DEA registration. On November 14, 2012, the defendant entered into a Stipulation and Final Agency Order with the Colorado Medical Board which voluntarily and permanently relinquished his license to practice medicine in Colorado, effective November 16, 2012.
Evidence offered in support of Littleford’s sentencing showed he routinely prescribed large quantities of opioids, often in conjunction with benzodiazepines, without any diagnosis and with very little documentation in the patient files. On one occasion, Littleford’s notes which accompanied prescriptions for 840 oxycodone 30mg tablets; 360 Percocet tablets; 120 Oxycontin 80mg tablets; 240 MSContin 100mg tablets; 240 Klonopin 2mg tablets noted that Littleford’s diagnosis for the patient was simply, “?”. Littleford’s file for that same patient also included strong warnings from other physicians who had seen the patient, including one which said, “these doses of medication from my perspective were incompatible with his long-term survival.” That patient died just over a month later from oxycodone toxicity as a result of taking controlled substances Littleford prescribed. Littleford pled guilty to distributing controlled substances to that patient and, through his plea agreement, agreed the Court could consider his distribution of controlled substances to that patient on several occasions in adjudging an appropriate sentence.
Littleford regularly provided controlled substances prescriptions to patients well before their prior prescriptions should have run out. The evidence presented at Littleford’s sentencing showed those patients occasionally presented with withdrawal symptoms and clear drug-seeking behavior. One such patient, whom Littleford’s plea agreement agreed the Court could consider as relevant at sentencing, died of complications from acute oxycodone toxicity after taking oxycodone Littleford prescribed. The progress note associated with the final prescriptions Littleford wrote that patient said the patient’s chief complaint was that he was “begging to feel things.” In response to that complaint, Littleford provided the patient with prescriptions for 300 oxycodone 30mg tablets and 10 Fentora (fentanyl) 200mcg tablets.
Littleford did not taper or reduce the amounts of controlled substances he was prescribing to patients who were physically deteriorating. Instead, he repeatedly justified his prescriptions of controlled substances to outside insurance companies and courts before whom his patients had pending criminal cases. For several patients, his files were characterized by a remarkable lack of documentation related to the prescriptions he wrote for controlled substances.
Littleford also pled guilty to and was sentenced for money laundering in order to promote his illegal distribution of controlled substances at the Pain & Injury Clinic.
In accordance with Littleford’s plea agreement, the Court considered his distribution of controlled substances to seven different individuals he saw at the Pain & Injury Clinic—involving more than 14,000 pills of various opioids, amphetamines, benzodiazepines and muscle relaxants as well as fentanyl patches and hundreds of vials of injectable meperidine.
“Doctors who prescribe narcotics outside the scope of accepted medical practice are adding to the opioid epidemic,” said U.S. Attorney Jason Dunn. “Dr. Littleford’s prosecution is part of our increased effort to stop the harm of prescription drugs and protect those vulnerable to addiction.”
“The continued successful prosecution of doctors who prescribe outside the scope of medical necessity shows the opioid epidemic is far from over,” said DEA Denver Division Special Agent in Charge Tim McDermott. “DEA has and will continue to use all resources to combat this epidemic.”
“Doctors who illegally distribute prescription drugs are a major contributor to the current opioid crisis and a scourge on society. Without the ill-gotten gains from their illegal distribution, many of these doctors could not finance their criminal activity. IRS Criminal Investigation is committed to investigating the financial aspect of those crimes and putting those individuals in jail,” said Steven Osborne, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation.
This case was investigated by the DEA Denver Division and IRS Criminal Investigation.
The defendant is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter McNeilly and Jaime Peña.
Operator of Online Retailer Sentenced in Manhattan Federal Court for Running Fraudulent Eyewear BusinessRead the Press Release
Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that VITALY BORKER was sentenced today in Manhattan federal court to two years in prison for one count of mail fraud, one count of wire fraud, and one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud in connection with his operation of the eyewear retail and repair website Opticsfast.com.
BORKER pled guilty on March 20, 2018, before U.S. District Judge Paul G. Gardephe, who imposed today’s sentence.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman stated: “Vitaly Borker twice perpetrated criminal schemes involving the online sale and repair of eyewear, and today he was rightfully sentenced to prison for a second time. Perhaps his second stint in federal prison will impress upon this shady businessman that seeking to make money by fraud and intimidation is a path to prison and not success.”
According to allegations made in the Complaint and Indictment to which BORKER pled guilty, as well as statements made in court proceedings:
BORKER founded Opticsfast.com in 2011 as an e-commerce eyeglass retail and repair business. From at least 2011 through 2017, the defendant conducted a scheme to defraud individuals by inducing them to send their glasses to Opticsfast.com for repairs, then demanded exorbitant fees for repairs or return shipping, intimidated and harassed customers who requested refunds by subjecting them to a campaign of abusive emails and text messages, and threatened to discard glasses when customers disputed the fees. In furtherance of the scheme, the defendant posted material false statements on Opticsfast.com’s website, falsely claiming the company used in-house laboratories staffed by trained technicians to perform repair work. BORKER launched and operated Opticsfast.com after he was charged in a federal criminal case for his fraudulent operation of another eyewear retail and repair website, Decormyeyes.com, for which he was ultimately convicted and sentenced in a separate case. BORKER continued his involvement in Opticsfast.com from prison even after he was incarcerated, and following his release from prison.
* * *
BORKER, 42, of Brooklyn, New York, was sentenced to two years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, a $50,000 fine, and a $300 special assessment.
Mr. Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of the New York Office of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
This case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah Mortazavi, Jeffrey Coffman, Danielle Sasoon, and Nicholas Roos are in charge of the prosecution.
Onondaga County Man Pleads Guilty to Mail Fraud and Money Laundering ChargesRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Charles H. Riel, age 60, of Clay, New York, pled guilty today to mail fraud and money laundering charges for his role in a fraudulent investment scheme involving hundreds of thousands of dollars, announced United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith, James Hendricks, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Jonathan D. Larsen, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), New York Field Division.
In his plea agreement, Riel admitted that he was the founder, principal member, and officer of REinvest, LLC, a New York limited liability company based in Clay. From June 2010, through May 2014, Riel provided false, fraudulent, and misleading information about REinvest, LLC, including historical rates of return on supposed REinvest LLC investments and fictitious testimonials touting the financial successes of non-existent REinvest, LLC investors. As part of his guilty plea, Riel further admitted that he collected approximately $285,000 from a total of five investors, all of whom had received false and fraudulent information regarding the nature of Riel’s business and how their funds would be utilized. Riel used a substantial portion of the funds received from investors to pay for his own personal living expenses rather than investing the funds in ways that could result in a legitimate return on the investments. He also used money from subsequent investors to pay back a portion of the investment of an earlier investor.
As part of his plea agreement, the defendant agreed to pay restitution to his victims, and to forfeit $197,500.00 to the United States.
Sentencing is scheduled for September 5, 2019, before the Senior District Judge Frederick J. Scullin, Jr. in Syracuse. For his conviction for mail fraud, Riel faces up to 20 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to 3 years of post-imprisonment supervised release. For his conviction for money laundering, he faces up to 10 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to 3 years of post-imprisonment supervised release. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
This case was investigated by IRS-CI and the FBI, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicolas Commandeur and Michael D. Gadarian.
Ohio man sentenced for drug distribution chargeRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Oscar Simmons, Jr., of Dayton, Ohio, was sentenced today to 108 months incarceration for drug distribution, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Simmons, age 28, pled guilty to one count of “Distribution of Methamphetamine” in January 2019. Simmons admitted to distributing methamphetamine in Monongalia County in July 2018.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda E. Wesley prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated.
U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
Oakland Man Pleads Guilty to Pharmacy Robbery ChargeRead the Press Release
Bangor, Maine: United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Michael E. Algiere, 32, of Oakland, Maine, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to interfering with commerce by robbery. Algiere was indicted in August 2018.
Court records reveal that on October 31, 2007, the defendant entered the Oakland Pharmacy in Oakland, Maine. He was wearing a black ski mask, a hooded sweatshirt, and camouflage gloves. He went to the pharmacy counter holding a knife and he demanded oxycodone from the pharmacist. The defendant absconded with several bottles of Roxicodone, Oxycontin, and Percocet. Investigators submitted several items of evidence to the Maine State Police Crime Laboratory (MSPCL) recovered at and around the scene of the robbery. Forensic analysts recovered the same male DNA profile from the ski mask and knife. That profile was loaded into the Combined DNA Index System (“CODIS”) in 2007 but did not yield a match. CODIS is a criminal justice database that contains DNA profiles of convicted offenders and arrestees (known profiles). Because participating forensic laboratories regularly add DNA profiles to CODIS, the MSPCL routinely compares unknown profiles from unsolved cases against the known profiles in CODIS. In February 2017, a CODIS comparison revealed that the DNA obtained from the ski mask and knife matched DNA collected from Michael E. Algiere. The DNA match was confirmed after federal investigators obtained a search warrant and collected samples of the defendant’s DNA.
The defendant faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.
The case was investigated by the Oakland Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the MSPCL.
North Floridians Can Drop Off Unused Medications During National Prescription Drug Take Back DayRead the Press Release
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – On Saturday, North Florida residents can join citizens across the nation in safely and anonymously disposing of their expired, unused, and unwanted prescription medications during the 17th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, announced United States Attorney Lawrence Keefe.
U.S. Keefe said: “Thanks to the efforts of the DEA and our local sheriff offices and police departments, we have convenient drop off locations throughout our district so that North Floridians can help prevent prescription drug addiction or misuse before it starts. Take Back Day is an excellent opportunity to talk to your children about the importance of never sharing a prescription.”
With robust public participation during 16 prior events, the Take Back Day Initiative continues to remove ever-higher amounts of opioids and other medicines from the nation’s homes, where they are vulnerable to misuse, theft, or abuse by family members and visitors, including children and teens. In continuation of this effort, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and its national, tribal, and community partners will hold the 17th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day across the country on Saturday, April 27. The service is free and anonymous.
The following drop-off locations are available in the Northern District of Florida. Please continue to check www.DEATakeBack.com for new locations.
County
Location
Sponsor
Alachua
Hitchcock’s Markets
6005 US-301, Hawthorne, FL 32640Alachua County Sheriff’s Office
Alachua
Senior Recreation Center
5701 NW 34th Blvd., Gainesville, FL 32653Alachua County Sheriff’s Office
Alachua
Newberry Fire Rescue Station 28
310 SW 250 St., Newberry, FL 32669Alachua County Sheriff’s Office
Calhoun
Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office
20830 NE W C Reeder Dr.
Blountstown, FL 32424Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office
Escambia
Walgreens
6314 N 9th Ave., Pensacola, FL 32504Escambia County Sheriff’s Office
Escambia
Walgreens
1841 E Olive Rd., Pensacola, FL 32514Escambia County Sheriff’s Office
Escambia
Walgreens
700 N Pace Blvd., Pensacola, FL 32505Escambia County Sheriff’s Office
Escambia
Walgreens
85 Beverly Pkwy., Pensacola, FL 32505Escambia County Sheriff’s Office
Escambia
Walgreens
4497 Mobile Hwy., Pensacola, FL 32506Escambia County Sheriff’s Office
Escambia
Walgreens
5995 Mobile Hwy., Pensacola, FL 32526Escambia County Sheriff’s Office
Gadsden
Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office
339 E Jefferson St., Quincy, FL 32351Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office
Jackson
Jackson County Sheriff’s Office
4012 Lafayette St., Marianna, FL 32446Jackson County Sheriff’s Office
Jefferson
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office
171 Industrial Park, Monticello, FL 32344Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office
Lafayette
North Florida Pharmacy of Mayo
229 W Main St., Mayo, FL 32066Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office
Leon
Costco
4067 Lagniappe Way, Tallahassee, FL 32317Leon County Sheriff’s Office
Leon
Tallahassee Police Department
234 E 7th Ave, Tallahassee, FL 32303Tallahassee Police Department
Levy
Cedar Key Police Department
490 2nd St., Cedar Key, FL 32625Cedar Key Police Department
Okaloosa
Walmart
3351 S Ferdon Blvd., Crestview, FL 32536Crestview Police Department
Okaloosa
Walgreens
2350 S Ferdon Blvd., Crestview, FL 32536Crestview Police Department
Santa Rosa
Gulf Breeze Police Department
311 Fairpoint Dr., Gulf Breeze, FL 32561Gulf Breeze Police Department
Wakulla
Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office
16 Oak St., Crawfordville, FL 32327Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office
Now in its ninth year, DEA has collected a total of nearly 11 million pounds (more than 5,400 tons) of expired, unused, and unwanted prescription medications through its Take Back Day events. This weekend, approximately 6,000 collection sites manned by nearly 5,000 partner law enforcement agencies will be open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time. The public can find a nearby collection site at www.DEATakeBack.com or by calling 800-882-9539. (DEA cannot accept liquids, needles, or sharps.)
“Keeping our homes free of harmful prescription medication, when no longer needed, is a way of keeping everyone safe,” said Adolphus P. Wright, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Miami Field Division. “We strongly encourage the public to do your part by discarding your expired, unused, and unwanted medications at any of the 200+ sites throughout Florida.”
Rates of prescription drug abuse in the United States continue to be alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. The majority of prescription drug abusers say they get their drugs free from friends and family, including from the home medicine cabinet. Take Back Day is a unique opportunity for Americans to protect their homes and medicine cabinets from theft and abuse.
National Take Back Day has received enthusiastic public support since its inception in 2010. Last October, the public turned in 457 tons (914,236 pounds) of prescription drugs at more than 5,800 sites operated by the DEA and nearly 4,800 of its local and tribal partners.
The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access available public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
New Bedford Man Indicted on Heroin, Fentanyl and Marijuana ChargesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A New Bedford man was indicted today in federal court in Boston on a federal drug charge.
Davaun Oswald, 22, was indicted on one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin, fentanyl, and marijuana. Oswald has been in state custody since his arrest on Jan. 31, 2019.
According to the charging document, on Jan. 31, 2019, after an investigation into drug distribution in and around New Bedford, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Oswald’s apartment, where Oswald was found in possession of approximately 15 grams of a mixture of heroin and fentanyl, as well as over 450 grams of marijuana. Oswald has prior felony convictions for criminal possession of a firearm, and possession with the intent to distribute a controlled substance.
The charge of distribution of a controlled substance provides for a sentence of no greater than 30 years in prison, up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of up to $2 million. 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; Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn; and New Bedford Police Chief Joseph C. Cordeiro made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Soivilien of Lelling’s Organized Crime and Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.
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 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 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.
Mortgage Company President Sentenced for Defrauding Ginnie MaeRead the Press Release
BOSTON – The president and founder of a Falmouth mortgage company was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston in connection with defrauding the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae) out of approximately $2.5 million.
Robert Pena, 69, the president and founder of the now-defunct mortgage company, Mortgage Security, Inc. (MSI), was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Mark L. Wolf to 32 months in prison, two years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $2.5 million in restitution to Ginnie Mae. In October 2017, Pena pleaded guilty to an indictment charging him with one count of conspiracy and six counts of wire fraud.
The charges arise out of Pena’s scheme to defraud Ginnie Mae, a government-run corporation charged with making housing more affordable by injecting capital into the U.S. housing market. Ginnie Mae, which is part of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), guarantees the timely payment of principal and interest to investors in bonds backed by government-sponsored mortgage loans, such as those offered by the Federal Housing Administration and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
MSI contracted with Ginnie Mae to pool eligible residential mortgage loans and then sell Ginnie Mae-backed mortgage bonds to investors. MSI was responsible for servicing the loans in the pools it created, including collecting principal and interest payments from borrowers, as well as loan payoffs, and placing those funds into accounts held in trust by Ginnie Mae, which would ultimately pass them along to investors. Among other things, Ginnie Mae required issuers like MSI to provide regular reports to Ginnie Mae concerning the status of the loans in the pools.
Beginning in 2011, Pena began diverting money that borrowers were sending to MSI. Specifically, Pena deposited high-dollar, loan-payoff checks into bank accounts unknown to Ginnie Mae and then used those funds for personal and business expenses. Pena also diverted borrowers’ escrow funds and mortgage-insurance premiums for his own use. In total, Pena took approximately $2.5 million, which Ginnie Mae then had to pay to investors whose investments it had guaranteed. Pena also attempted to cover up his scheme by providing false reports to Ginnie Mae about the status of the loans MSI was servicing. These false reports made it appear that the loans were still in repayment.
Pena’s co-conspirator, Gilda Andrade, who worked for Pena at MSI and helped Pena file false reports with Ginnie Mae, cooperated with the government’s investigation. Andrade pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of making a false statement to HUD in December 2017, and was previously sentenced by U.S. Magistrate Judge Judith G. Dein to one year probation and ordered to pay $108,240 in restitution to Ginnie Mae.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Christina Scaringi, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Regional Office; and Joseph Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division, made the announcement today. The U.S. Attorney’s Office wishes to acknowledge the invaluable assistance of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General; the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General; and the Falmouth Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian M. LaMacchia prosecuted the case.
Morgan County man admits to failing to update sex offender registryRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Justin David Peters, of Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, has admitted to failing to update his sex offender registry, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Peters, age 26, pled guilty to one count of “Failure to Register.” Peters, having previously been convicted of possession of child pornography in Berkeley County Circuit Court, admitted to traveling to Florida without updating his sex offender registration as required by law. The crime occurred from June to September 2018.
Peters faces up to 10 years incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
This case is prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey A. Finucane is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The United States Marshal Service investigated.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided.
Monongalia County man sentenced for lying to federal agentRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Darus Zehrbach, of Westover, West Virginia, was sentenced today to six months incarceration for making a false statement, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Zehrbach, age 72, pled guilty to one count of “False Statement to Federal Agent” in January 2019. In February 2015, Zehrbach received a letter from the Office of Foreign Assets Control, denying his application for a license to export electric scooters to Iran. In June 2016, Zehrbach exported eight electric scooters to the United Arab Emirates, knowing that the scooters would be shipped to Iran. The, in July 2016, the eight electric scooters were shipped from the United Arab Emirates to Iran. Zehrbach admitted to sending a letter to an agent of the United States Department of Commerce stating that a shipment he sent to Iran had originated in China when in fact that shipment originated in the United States.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jarod J. Douglas and the Department of Justice National Security Division prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The U.S. Department of Commerce Office of Export Enforcement investigated.
U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
Monongalia County man sentenced for drug distributionRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Christopher Howard, of Morgantown, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 41 months incarceration for his role in a heroin, oxycodone, and cocaine distribution operation, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Howard, age 32, pled guilty to one count of “Unlawful Use of Communication Facility” in January 2019. Howard admitted to using a phone to distribute and conspire to distribute a controlled substance in April 2018 in Monongalia County.Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda E. Wesley prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Mon Metro Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.
The investigation was funded in part by the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Program (OCDETF). The OCDETF program supplies critical federal funding and coordination that allows federal and state agencies to work together to successfully identify, investigate, and prosecute major interstate and international drug trafficking organizations and other criminal enterprises.
U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
Minneapolis Man Pleads Guilty in Connection with the State's Largest Methamphetamine SeizureRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced the guilty plea of FERNANDO RAMOS-MEZA, 34, for conspiring to distribute approximately 191 pounds of methamphetamine. RAMOS-MEZA and co-conspirators PETER MARTIN, 34, JAVIER LOPEZ-LOPEZ, 47, and JUAN DANIEL VALDEZ-MENDOZA, 24, were indicted on November 7, 2018. RAMOS-MEZA pleaded guilty earlier today before Judge Patrick J. Schiltz in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is scheduled to be sentenced on August 20, 2019.
“The quantities of methamphetamine coming into our state continue to rise and the destruction that comes with it cannot be understated,” said U.S. Attorney Erica MacDonald. “I applaud the work of the Cannon River Drug Task Force in taking nearly 200 pounds of methamphetamine off the street and out of our community.”
According to the defendant’s guilty plea, on September 11, 2018, law enforcement officers with the Cannon River Drug Task Force executed a search warrant at RAMOS-MEZA’s residence in north Minneapolis. During the search of the residence, officers located several items of contraband, including a 12-gauge sawed-off pump shotgun, and approximately 191 pounds of methamphetamine (with packaging).
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Cannon River Drug Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Minneapolis Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorney David P. Steinkamp is prosecuting the case.
Defendant Information:
FERNANDO RAMOS-MEZA, 34
Minneapolis, Minn.
Convicted:
- Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, 1 count
###
Additional news available on our website.
Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota: (612) 664-5600
Mineral County man admits to methamphetamine distributionRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Michael Dwayne Cosner, of Elk Garden, West Virginia, has admitted to drug distribution, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Cosner, age 40, pled guilty to one count of “Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.” Cosner admitted to distributing methamphetamine in March 2018 in Mineral County.
Cosner faces up to 20 years incarceration and a fine of up to $1,000,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher is prosecuting the case 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.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided.
Mexican National Convicted of Southeast Texas KidnappingRead the Press Release
BEAUMONT, Texas – A 21-year-old Mexican national living in Liberty, Texas, has been convicted of federal kidnapping charges in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Joseph D. Brown today.
Juan Carlos Saucedo-Meza was found guilty of kidnapping following a three-day trial before U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone today.
According to information presented in court, beginning on Aug. 24, to Aug. 25, 2018, Saucedo-Meza kidnapped a woman from Liberty, Texas and transported her to Lake Charles, LA, against her will. He was indicted by a federal grand jury on Sep. 5, 2018 and charged with kidnapping.
In connection with this incident, Saucedo-Meza is facing charges of aggravated sexual assault and aggravated kidnapping in Jefferson County, Texas.
Under the federal statute, Saucedo-Meza faces up to Life in federal prison at sentencing. The maximum statutory sentence prescribed by Congress is provided here for information purposes, as the sentencing 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 U.S. Probation Office
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Liberty County Sheriff’s Office, Lake Charles Police Department, and Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher T. Tortorice and K. P. Kennedy Gates.
Metro Detroit Area Tax Preparer Sentenced to Prison for Filing Fraudulent Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
A Detroit, Michigan, man was sentenced today to 30 months in prison after being found guilty at trial of 25 counts of preparing false federal income tax returns, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division.
According to evidence presented at trial, Gary Hairston owned and operated Gary Y Hairston & Co PLLC, a tax return preparation business located in Inkster, Michigan. From 2010 through 2014, Hairston prepared and filed false tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on behalf of his clients, charging up to $925 per fraudulent return. Hairston falsified the returns in order to inflate his clients’ refunds or to obtain refunds to which they were not entitled. In some cases, he would create false Schedule C businesses for clients to facilitate the scheme. In all, Hairston sought more than $175,000 in fraudulent refunds.
Manny Muriel, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit’s IRS Criminal Investigation, stated, “As a tax preparer, especially a Certified Public Accountant, your clients look to you for expertise and guidance. It is your obligation to faithfully and diligently represent their best interest and today’s sentencing shows IRS-CI, in concert with the Department of Justice, is committed to aggressively pursuing unscrupulous tax professionals that prey on the public.”
U.S. District Court Judge David M. Lawson, who imposed the sentence, also ordered Hairston to serve one year of supervised release and to pay $118,048 in restitution to the IRS.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Zuckerman thanked special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, who investigated the case, and Trial Attorneys Carl F. Brooker, IV and Thomas F. Koelbl of the Tax Division, who prosecuted the case.
Additional information about the Tax Division’s enforcement efforts can be found on the division’s website.
McAlester Man Pleads Guilty to Methamphetamine DistributionRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Duane Allyn Bundy, age 40, of McAlester, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to Possession With Intent To Distribute Methamphetamine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(A), punishable by not less than 10 years and not more than life imprisonment, a fine up to $10,000,000.00, or both.
The Superseding Indictment alleges that on or about January 30, 2019, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma, the defendant, did knowingly and intentionally possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine (actual), a Schedule II controlled substance.
The charges arose from an investigation by the McAlester Police Department, the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The Honorable Kimberly E. West, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Muskogee, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
Special Assistant United States Attorney Courtney Jordan represented the United States.
Mayes County Couple Arrested in a Joint Law Enforcement Operation for Conspiracy to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Trent Shores announced the arrests of a Mayes County man and woman who were wanted in connection to a methamphetamine drug conspiracy. The two were taken into custody during a joint law enforcement operation early this morning at their residence in Chouteau.
Arrest warrants had been issued for Gary Scott Moreland, 54, and Rebecca Jane Nichols, 40, both of Chouteau, after a grand jury indicted the two for drug conspiracy this month.
Also named in the indictment were Wesley Joseph Griffin, 39, of Pryor, and Aaron John Culkins, 42, of Tulsa. The indictment alleged that the co-conspirators possessed with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine in the Northern District of Oklahoma from August 2017 to April 2019.
“Our partnerships extend to all areas of northeastern Oklahoma. I’m proud to work with Mayes County officials to bust this alleged methamphetamine distribution operation,” said U.S. Attorney Shores. “Methamphetamine overdoses are one of the leading causes of drug-related deaths in Oklahoma. And so drug dealers better believe that we are looking to dismantle their operations and hold them accountable.”
The Drug Enforcement Administration, Tulsa Police Department, Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Mayes County Sheriff’s Office and Pryor Police Department conducted the investigation and arrests. The Broken Arrow Police Department, Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics, Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office and Oklahoma National Guard Counter Drug Task Force also assisted in the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Nassar is prosecuting the case.
An Indictment is a formal statement of charges or alleged violations of law. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.