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9 April 2019
Bakersfield Man Sentenced to a Year in Prison for Assaulting Postal EmployeeRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Donald Landry Beverly, 25, of Bakersfield, was sentenced Monday to one year and one day in prison for assaulting a federal officer, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.
According to court documents, on July 19, 2018, Beverly confronted a letter carrier for the United States Postal Service while she was performing her regular mail delivery duties. He complained to the letter carrier that certain mail that he was expecting had not been delivered. After an extended discussion, Beverly slammed his forearm and elbow against her face and shoulder without warning or provocation. The assault resulted in significant bruising to her face and arm.
This case was the product of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian Delaney, Brian Enos, and Katherine Schuh prosecuted the case.
Armed Fentanyl Trafficker Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Central Falls resident previously convicted for drug trafficking in Massachusetts today pleaded guilty in federal court in Providence to charges that he trafficked fentanyl from his Central Falls apartment and that he was a felon in possession of two firearms, one of which he said he obtained for “protection” for his drug trafficking activities.
Appearing before U.S. District Court Chief Judge William E. Smith, Dennis Rivera, 31, pleaded guilty to possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and two counts of possession of a firearm after having been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year.
Rivera’s guilty plea is announced by United States Attorney Aaron L. Weisman, Central Falls Police Chief Colonel James J. Mendonca, and Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Kelly D. Brady.
According to information presented to the Court, in late January 2018, a Central Falls Police Department and ATF Project Safe Neighborhoods investigation into Rivera’s drug trafficking activities included at least three law enforcement controlled purchases of fentanyl from Rivera. The investigation also determined that Rivera had told others that he possessed a firearm for “protection.”
On February 3, 2018, law enforcement executed a court-authorized search of Rivera’s residence and seized, among other items, a .22 caliber revolver, 11grams of cocaine, 21grams of fentanyl, and various items used in the packaging and distribution of drugs.
At the time of Rivera’s arrest on February 3, 2018, he was awaiting trial in Rhode Island state court on an unrelated firearm charge. Rivera was arrested by Central Falls Police in June 2017 following an altercation with another person. As officers approached the two men, Rivera stashed a semi-automatic pistol near the bumper of a nearby car, then quickly walked away. The firearm was retrieved by police and Rivera was found hiding in the bathroom of a stranger’s apartment nearby.
Rivera is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge William E. Smith on August 16, 2019. According to a plea agreement filed in this matter, at the time of sentencing the Government and the defendant will jointly recommend the Court impose a term of incarceration of 72 months in federal prison.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ronald R. Gendron and Ly T. Chin.
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.
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Alabama Man Pleads Guilty to Filing a False Tax ReturnRead the Press Release
A Jefferson County man pleaded guilty today in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama to filing a false tax return, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town for the Northern District of Alabama.
According to court documents, Larry Wayne Battle owned and operated a tax preparation business in Jefferson County, Alabama. On his 2014 tax return, Battle filed a Schedule C for his tax preparation business that reported gross receipts of $128,000. He understated his gross receipts by approximately $321,638, resulting in a tax loss of $163,401.
“There is zero tolerance for tax preparers who cheat on their own income taxes,” said U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town. “Federal prosecutors in this district will continue to make prosecuting these cases a priority.”
“Return preparers have a duty to be honest and truthful on their tax returns they submit throughout the filing season, including their own,” said Thomas J. Holloman, Special Agent in Charge of IRS-Criminal Investigation for the Atlanta Field Office. “This guilty plea is another success in our efforts of defeating the tax cheat and holding them accountable for their actions.”
Sentencing is scheduled for July 30, 2019. Battle faces a maximum sentence of three years in prison, as well as a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Zuckerman and U.S. Attorney Town commended special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, who conducted the investigation, and Trial Attorney Allison Garnett and Assistant United States Attorney Melissa Atwood, who are prosecuting the case.
Akron man indicted on charges that he robbed eight businesses in Akron or Cuyahoga FallsRead the Press Release
An Akron man was indicted in federal court on charges that he robbed eight businesses in Akron or Cuyahoga Falls.
Darrion L. Powers, 22, was indicted on six counts of Hobbs Act robbery and two counts of bank robbery.
According to the indictment, Powers is accused of robbing the following locations:
On December 4, 2018, Powers robbed Ms. Julye’s Kitchen on S. Main Street in Akron.
On December 24, 2018, Powers robbed Marco’s Pizza on Portage Trail in Cuyahoga Falls.
On January 4, 2019, Powers robbed Huntington Bank on S. Arlington Street in Akron.
On January 29, 2019, Powers robbed Rocco’s Pizza on Portage Trail in Cuyahoga Falls.
On February 1, 2019, Powers robbed Mark and Philly’s Pizza on Bailey Road in Cuyahoga Falls.
On February 1, 2019, Powers robbed Italo’s Pizza on Brown Street in Akron.
On February 1, 2019, Powers robbed Two Monks Brewing Co. on Massillon Road in Akron.
On February 12, 2019, Powers robbed PNC Bank on Massillon Road in Akron.
If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal records, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.
The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by the FBI, Akron Police, and Cuyahoga Falls Police. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter E. Daly.
These cases are part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, 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. PSN was reinvigorated 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.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Adams County Man Indicted on Child Pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – An Adams county, Ill., man, Skyler M. Durbin, 24, of Payson, appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Tom Schanzle-Haskins for arraignment on child pornography charges. An initial trial date was set for June 4, 2019, before U.S. District Judge Sue E. Myerscough. Durbin was ordered to remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
A four-count indictment alleges that on Dec. 26, 2018, and on Jan 31, 2019, Durbin received and distributed images of child pornography (two counts) and that he possessed images of child pornography (two counts.)
If convicted, for each count of receipt and distribution of child pornography, Durbin faces a statutory penalty of a minimum 15 years to 40 years in prison. For possession of child pornography, Durbin faces statutory penalties of 10 to 20 years in prison.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Victor Yanz. The charges are the result of an investigation by the Adams County Sheriff’s Office and the Illinois Attorney General’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, in cooperation with the Adams County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Members of the public are reminded that an indictment is merely an accusation; the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
16 Parents Involved in College Admissions Scandal Indicted by Federal Grand Jury in BostonRead the Press Release
BOSTON – Sixteen parents involved in the college admissions scandal were charged today in Boston in a second superseding indictment with conspiring to commit fraud and money laundering in connection with a scheme to use bribery to cheat on college entrance exams and to facilitate their children’s admission to selective colleges and universities as purported athletic recruits.
The defendants, all of whom were arrested last month on a criminal complaint, are charged with conspiring with William “Rick” Singer, 58, of Newport Beach, Calif., and others, to bribe SAT and ACT exam administrators to allow a test taker to secretly take college entrance exams in place of students, or to correct the students’ answers after they had taken the exam, and with bribing university athletic coaches and administrators to facilitate the admission of students to elite universities as purported athletic recruits.
The second superseding indictment also charges the defendants with conspiring to launder the bribes and other payments in furtherance of the fraud by funneling them through Singer’s purported charity and his for-profit corporation, as well as by transferring money into the United States, from outside the United States, for the purpose of promoting the fraud scheme.
The following defendants were charged in the second superseding indictment with one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and honest services mail and wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering:
- Gamal Abdelaziz, 62, aka “Gamal Aziz,” of Las Vegas, Nev.;
- Diane Blake, 55, of Ross, Calif.;
- Todd Blake, 53, of Ross, Calif.;
- I-Hsin “Joey” Chen, 64, of Newport Beach, Calif.;
- Mossimo Giannulli, 55, of Los Angeles, Calif.;
- Elizabeth Henriquez, 56, of Atherton, Calif.;
- Manuel Henriquez, 56, of Atherton, Calif.;
- Douglas Hodge, 61, of Laguna Beach, Calif.;
- Michelle Janavs, 48, of Newport Coast, Calif.;
- Elisabeth Kimmel, 54, of Las Vegas, Nev.;
- Lori Loughlin, 54, of Los Angeles, Calif.;
- William McGlashan, Jr., 55, of Mill Valley, Calif.;
- Marci Palatella, 63, of Hillsborough, Calif.;
- John Wilson, 59, of Lynnfield, Mass.;
- Homayoun Zadeh, 57, of Calabasas, Calif.; and
- Robert Zangrillo, 52, of Miami, Fla.
Three parents—David Sidoo, 59, of Vancouver, Canada; Gregory Colburn, 62, of Palo Alto, Calif.; and Amy Colburn, 50, of Palo Alto, Calif.—were previously indicted in connection with the scheme.
An arraignment date has not yet been scheduled. 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 and wire fraud and honest services mail and wire 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. The charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering provides for a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $500,000 or twice the value of the property involved in the money laundering. 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.
8 April 2019
Woodall Man Sentenced to 37 Months for Illegal Alien in Possession of Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Baudel Lopez-Rodriguez, age 41, of Woodall, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 37 months’ imprisonment and 3 years of supervised release for Illegal Alien In Possession of Firearm and Ammunition, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(5)(A) and 924(a)(2). The charges arose from an investigation by the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, Immigration and Customs Enforcement of the Department of Homeland Security, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The Indictment alleged that on or about December 2, 2016, within the Eastern District of Oklahoma, the defendant, then being an alien illegally and unlawfully in the United States, knowingly possessed in and affecting commerce, firearms and ammunition which had been shipped and transported in interstate commerce.
United States Attorney Brian J. Kuester said. “Enforcement of federal gun laws is one way we are able to partner with local law enforcement agencies and district attorneys in their on-going efforts to make communities safer. This investigation and prosecution was a result of open lines of communication between all the agencies involved.”
The Honorable Ronald A. White, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Muskogee, presided over the hearing. First Assistant United States Attorney Christopher Wilson represented the United States.
Vancouver, Washington Man Sentenced to Prison for Scheme to Claim Disability Benefits while Working under a False IdentityRead the Press Release
A former engineer employed with technology manufacturing companies in the Vancouver, Washington area was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to 27 months in prison for his nearly twenty-year scheme to collect disability benefits under his own identity while working under a false identity, announced U.S. Attorney Brian T. Moran. STEVEN LYNN ROSS, 67, stole $368,458 in government benefits between 2001 and 2017. ROSS possessed identity documents he had fraudulently obtained in the names of children who died in the 1950s and 1960s. ROSS used the stolen identities to obtain identity documents in the false names as early as 1987. At today’s sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge Benjamin H. Settle imposed an additional $20,000 fine, saying, “Our government depends on the honesty of its citizens to work…. The victims here are future generations… his daughters and grandchildren will be paying.”
“By taking this money, the defendant stole, month after month and year after year, from government programs that are stretched to the limit, where every dollar is vital to provide for the community’s most vulnerable,” said U.S. Attorney Brian T. Moran. “These crimes have a corrosive effect on the public’s faith that benefit programs can work as intended. When people lie to obtain benefits, agencies must use their limited resources to detect and investigate fraud, instead of helping the truly deserving.”
According to records filed in the case, in 1987 ROSS assumed the identities of at least two deceased children in order to apply for Social Security numbers in their names. One of the children had died in a car accident as a toddler, the other died in a plane crash in 1968 at age thirteen. ROSS used these identities in various ways, obtaining drivers licenses, bank accounts and passports in different names. In 2001, ROSS began collecting Social Security Disability payments in his true name, saying he was unable to work due to physical ailments. In fact, at the same time that he was collecting disability payments, ROSS continued to work under one of the identities he had stolen. In this way, ROSS collected more than $360,000 in disability payments even though he was able to work and therefore not disabled under program rules. ROSS even used his false identities as “references” vouching for his disabled status in his submissions to the Social Security Administration.
The Washington State Department of Licensing began investigating when facial recognition software flagged that ROSS’s image appeared in more than one driver’s license photo. The case was turned over to the Social Security Office of Inspector General (SSA-OIG) and U.S. State Department Diplomatic Security Service (DSS). The DSS determined that ROSS had obtained passports in his own name as well as the names of three deceased children, and that all four passports contain ROSS’ picture. Between 1998 and 2011, ROSS traveled out of the country 22 times with one of the stolen identities, even as he also traveled internationally using his own name and passport as well.
ROSS pleaded guilty on January 15, 2019 to theft of public funds and aggravated identity theft. He is in the process of paying restitution of $368,458 and now will be responsible for the $20,000 fine as well. Judge Settle imposed three years of supervised release.
The case was investigated by the Social Security Office of Inspector General (SSA-OIG), the U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), and the Washington State Department of Licensing License Integrity Unit (DOL/LIU).
The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin Diggs. Mr. Diggs is an attorney with the Social Security Administration specially designated to prosecute benefit fraud cases in federal court.
U.S. Attorney's Office Partners with Western North Carolina Crime Victims Coalition in Observance of National Crime Victims' Rights WeekRead the Press Release
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Each year in April, the Department of Justice and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina observe National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, by taking time to honor victims of crime and those who advocate on their behalf.
This year’s observance takes place April 7-13, with the theme “Honoring Our Past. Creating Hope for the Future,” which celebrates the progresses made, and a future of crime victim services that is more inclusive, accessible and trauma-informed.
“Victims of crime deserve justice. This Department works every day to help them recover and to find, prosecute, and convict those who have done them harm,” said Attorney General William P. Barr. “During this National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, we pause to remember the millions of Americans who have been victims of crime and we thank public servants who have served them in especially heroic ways. This week the men and women of the Department recommit ourselves once again to ensuring that crime victims continue to have a voice in our legal system, to securing justice for them, and to preventing other Americans from suffering what they have endured.”
“Behind crime statistics are real crimes, inflicted upon real people. National Crime Victims’ Rights Week is a time of remembrance, and a tribute to those whose lives have been affected by crime,” said U.S. Attorney Andrew Murray. “Each day, the public servants of the U.S. Attorney’s Office work hard to honor their oath to serve the citizens of the Western District, to advocate for those individuals and communities affected by crime, and to seek justice for crime victims, their families, and their loved ones.”
In observance of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, the Western North Carolina Crime Victims Coalition will hold a meet-and-greet on Tuesday, April 9, 2019, between 8:30 and 10:00 a.m. in Asheville. Local Asheville City and Buncombe County government staff, council members, commissioners, law enforcement, service providers, and survivors of crime are invited to discuss the County’s efforts to provide assistance and support to crime victims. Also on that date, the Asheville Buncombe Homicide Survivors Support Group will celebrate its first anniversary. The group meets on the second Tuesday of every month at 7:00 p.m., at the YWCA, located at 185 S. French Broad Avenue, in Asheville.
Lynne W. Crout to be Recognized for Her Contributions to Crime Victims
Lynne Ward Crout, Victim Assistance Specialist for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, will receive the “Outstanding Criminal Justice Professional Award,” in recognition of her lifelong service and advocacy for victims of crime. Ms. Crout will be honored by the Crime Victim Coalition in Charlotte, and the ceremony will take place on Thursday, April 11, 2019, at the Mayfield Missionary Baptist Church.
Ms. Crout works for the U.S. Attorney’s Office branch located in Asheville. She has been with the office for 34 years, with the past 20 years working as a Victim Witness Coordinator. Ms. Crout works directly with victims on the Cherokee Indian Reservation, the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Pisgah National Forest. Her duties include providing advocacy, support and services to federal crime victims. In 2002, Ms. Crout won the National Crime Victims’ Services Award for her work with victim families on three capital murder cases. Ms. Crout is a member of the North Carolina Victim Assistance Network, and Co-chair of the Western North Carolina Crime Victims Coalition.
“Ms. Crout’s work embodies this Office’s ongoing commitment to uphold the rule of law, to protect our fellow citizens, to help and empower the most vulnerable among us, and to give justice to those who have been affected by crime and violence. I commend Ms. Crout for her decades of public service, during which she has achieved outstanding results in work that makes a difference in the lives of citizens across the Western District.”
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The Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime, within the Office of Justice Programs, leads communities across the country in observing National Crime Victims’ Rights Week each year. President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the first National Crime Victims’ Rights Week in 1981 to bring greater sensitivity to the needs and rights of victims of crime. More information about the Office of Justice Programs and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov. More information about Crime Victim’s Rights Week can be found at https://ovc.ncjrs.gov/ncvrw/.
U.S. Attorney to Join Federal Law Enforcement for Press Conference Tomorrow at 12:00 p.m.Read the Press Release
Columbia, South Carolina --- United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon announced today that a press conference will be held tomorrow, Tuesday, April 9, 2019, at 12:00 p.m., at Palmetto GBA, 17 Technology Circle, Columbia, SC 29203.
Represented at the press conference will be the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General, and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations.
WHEN: Tuesday, April 9, 2019, at 12:00 p.m.
WHERE: Palmetto GBS
17 Technology Circle
Columbia, SC 29203
NOTE: Press inquiries regarding logistics should be directed to Lance Crick, 864-282-2105. All media must present a government-issued photo ID (such as a driver’s license). Members of the media wishing to attend the remarks should gather in the lobby of Palmetto GBS at 11:30 a.m., 30 minutes in advance.
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Two Sentenced for Robbing Local Business with a FirearmRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Two local men have been ordered to federal prison following their convictions of robbery and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.
Matthew Joseph Bryant, 24, and Nathealle Avori Tyrell Jones, 21, each pleaded guilty Jan. 31, 2019, as did and Corey Alexander Newman, 25.
Today, Senior U.S. District Judge Janis Graham Jack handed Bryant and Jones each a 33-month sentence for the robbery to be followed by an additional 84 months for the firearms charge which must be served consecutively to the other sentence imposed. Both must also serve five years of supervised release following completion of their sentences.
Newman is pending his sentencing hearing.
On Aug. 5, 2018, local law enforcement responded to an aggravated robbery at the Texas Food Mart located in the 6100 block of Williams. As officers arrived in the area, they observed a suspect vehicle and attempted to conduct a traffic stop. The vehicle then fled from the officers until crashing into a utility pole.
At that time, Bryant, Jones and Newman fled from the vehicle, but were soon arrested and taken into custody.
Officers searched the vehicle and surrounding area and discovered U.S. currency, convenience store items, cigarettes, disposable gloves and a loaded handgun with an extended magazine.
Surveillance footage at the location showed that two males wearing dark clothing and bandanas covering their faces entered the store. As one male stayed by the front door and pointed a handgun at the clerk, the other male went behind the counter and emptied the cash register into a bag along with cigarettes and flavored cigars. The male then took the clerk’s cellular phone and wallet before leaving the store and driving off in a dark colored sedan.
During the follow-up investigation, law enforcement was able to determine that Bryant was in possession of the firearm and entered the store with another individual while Jones, the getaway driver, and Newman waited outside.
Bryant and Jones have been and will remain in custody pending transfer to U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Corpus Christi Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lance Watt is prosecuting the case.
Two Huntington Men Sentenced on Federal Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Two Huntington men were sentenced to prison today in federal court in Huntington, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart. The sentences were imposed by United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers.
“Add two more to our list of prosecutions for heroin or fentanyl related offenses,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “We’ve made great progress, but there is still much work to do.”
Dahran Montgomery, also known as “Daedog”, 42, was sentenced to 52 months in prison. Montgomery previously pled guilty to two counts of aiding and abetting the distribution of heroin and one count of possession with the intent to distribute heroin. He admitted that on February 16, 2017 and May 1, 2017, Quandale Turk directed him to distribute heroin to a confidential informant in Huntington. Montgomery also admitted that on May 3, 2018, officers with the Huntington Police Department executed a search warrant at his residence at 920 Eutaw Place in Huntington. Officers seized approximately 80 grams of suspected heroin in the kitchen.
David Paul, 38, was sentenced to 46 months in prison. Paul previously pled guilty to possession with the intent to distribute heroin that contained fentanyl. Paul admitted that on January 10, 2018, officers with the Huntington Police Department executed a search warrant at his residence at 528 8th Avenue in Huntington. Officers found approximately 96 grams of heroin and approximately 63 grams of heroin that contained fentanyl in a safe. This case was prosecuted as part of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (S.O.S.), a focused enforcement effort that seeks to reduce the supply of deadly synthetic opioids in high impact areas.
The Huntington Police Department conducted the investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie S. Taylor handled the prosecutions.
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Two Federal Inmates Charged with Possession of A WeaponRead the Press Release
WILLIAMSPORT - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that two United States Penitentiary, (“USP”) Lewisburg inmates were indicted separately by a federal grand jury on March 28, 2019, for possession of a weapon while in prison.
According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Jermaine Ray, age 36, was found in possession of a homemade sharpened piece of plastic with a metal tip, commonly referred to as a “shank” that was designed to be a weapon on August 22, 2018.
Tony C. Knott, age 36, was found in possession of a homemade sharpened piece of plastic with a metal tip, commonly referred to as a “shank” that was designed to be a weapon on August 24, 2018.
The charges in both cases stem from an investigation by officers at USP Lewisburg and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Geoffrey MacArthur and Special Assistant United States Attorney Michael P. Figgsganter are prosecuting the case.
Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
The defendant is facing a maximum of ten years of incarceration and a $250,000 fine. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.
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Two Cherry Hill Hillside Gang Members Plead Guilty to Federal Racketeering Conspiracy ChargesRead the Press Release
Eight Co-Defendants Previously Pleaded Guilty and Were Sentenced to Between 10 and 30 Years In Federal Prison
Baltimore, Maryland – On Friday, April 5, 2019, Christopher Dukes, age 27; and Marcus Johnson, age 28, both of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise related to their activities as members of the Hillside gang that operated in the Cherry Hill neighborhood of Baltimore. As part of Dukes’ plea agreement, he admitted to participating in two murders; two attempted murders, including of a law enforcement officer; and the distribution of narcotics.
Ten other Hillside gang members have previously pleaded guilty to their participation in the racketeering conspiracy. Of those, eight have been sentenced to between 10 and 30 years in federal prison. Seven defendants are scheduled to go to trial on May 6, 2019. Two defendants remain at large and are being sought by law enforcement.
The guilty pleas were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department; and Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby.
“The most important thing that law enforcement officers can do to stop violence is to make clear that killers will be held accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur. “The Hillside gang is responsible for murders and other acts of violence throughout their community. All of the members of the conspiracy were aware of the violent acts committed by this gang. Christopher Dukes personally participated in two murders and two attempted murders. He and his co-defendants will now serve years in federal prison, where there is no parole--ever.”
“The gun violence resulting from these gang turf wars and rivalries is tearing this city apart,” said ATF Baltimore Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada. “We remain committed in our mission to identify, investigate, and incarcerate anyone using firearms to commit these violent crimes.”
According to their plea agreements, Dukes and Johnson were members and associates of the Hillside Enterprise, which they knew distributed powder and crack cocaine, heroin, oxycodone and marijuana, primarily in the Cherry Hill Shopping Center, in other locations throughout Cherry Hill, and in west and southwest Baltimore City. The members of the Hillside Enterprise used the proceeds of their narcotics sales to purchase firearms, to enrich themselves, and to further the activities of the organization, including narcotics trafficking. Hillside members used residences in and around Cherry Hill to cut and package drugs for distribution, primarily heroin, powder cocaine, and crack. Only trusted members of the Hillside Enterprise were admitted to these locations while the drugs were being prepared for sale. In an effort to distinguish their narcotics, members used colored topped vials or colored the drugs with food coloring. Dukes admitted that he sold drugs as a member of Hillside, including on school grounds in 2012, and was captured on video in a Hillside cut house preparing drugs for sale in 2014. Johnson also admitted that he regularly distributed drugs on behalf of the gang.
Members of the Hillside Enterprise routinely carried firearms and committed acts of violence in furtherance of the organization’s activities, including shootings, beatings, murders, and other violence in order to intimidate others who would interfere with their narcotics trafficking. Acts of violence were also committed to discipline members within the Hillside Enterprise for transgressions, real or perceived, against the conspiracy. For example, Johnson admitted that on January 13, 2012, in the 400 block of Roundview Road in Baltimore, he participated in an assault of an individual who sold narcotics on behalf of Hillside.
Hillside members and associates have been in a long-running dispute with persons not part of the gang, including Up Da Hill (“UDH”), the Lakebrook Circle Boys, and others. Members and associates of Hillside have routinely engaged in acts of violence, including murder, directed at members of these rival organizations, or persons who happen to be located on territory controlled by these rival organizations. Dukes and Johnson knew that these acts of violence, including the homicides, were committed by Hillside members and associates.
Specifically, Dukes admitted that on August 1, 2011, he attempted to hit a law enforcement officer with his car in the 2900 block of Waterview Avenue. Further, in a case of mistaken identity, on August 6, 2012, Duke and three other Hillside members shot two individuals, killing one of them, in the 2700 block of Giles Road, in the Up Da Hill section of Cherry Hill. The intended target of Dukes and his fellow Hillside members was a member of the Up Da Hill gang. Dukes and two other Hillside members also participated in the murder of an individual on September 8, 2012, in the 2600 block of Kent Street in Baltimore, in a dispute over drugs and money. Dukes admitted that on October 18, 2012, he and at least one Hillside co-conspirator shot an individual during an attempted robbery, using the same gun that was used in the murder on September 8, 2012. On March 12, 2015, Dukes and another Hillside member possessed with intent to distribute two baggies of cocaine, and had a 9mm semi-automatic handgun that had been used by another Hillside member to shoot a rival Up Da Hill member on November 2, 2013.
Johnson was arrested for possessing a firearm on August 15, 2009, and posted videos on social media in which he identified himself as a Hillside member, and raps about other Hillside members and their activities, including dealing narcotics.
Dukes and the government have agreed that if the Court accepts the plea agreement Dukes will be sentenced to 23 years in federal prison. Johnson and the government have agreed that if the Court accepts his plea, Johnson will be sentenced to between 12 and 17 years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III has scheduled sentencing for Dukes and Johnson on June 17, 2019 at 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., respectively.
According to the ATF, a reward of $10,000 each is available for information leading to the arrest of the two fugitive defendants in this case, Travis Eugene Alewine, a/k/a Sticks, age 27; and Deaven Raeshawn Cherry, a/k/a Gotti, age 32, both of Baltimore, who are charged federally with drug and racketeering conspiracies, including murders. They are actively being sought by ATF Baltimore Special Agents and the U.S. Marshals Service. They should be considered armed and dangerous. Law enforcement believes they are likely still in the counties near Baltimore City, if not within the city itself. Anyone with information should contact ATF at (888) ATF-TIPS, [email protected], text “ATFBAL” to 63975, or contact ATF via the mobile reportit® app.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the ATF, the Baltimore Police Department, and the Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patricia C. McLane and Michael C. Hanlon, who are prosecuting this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.
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Thrice Deported, Dominican National Pleads Guilty to Illegal Reentry, Trafficking Heroin and FentanylRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Dominican national previously deported from the United States on three occasions pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Providence today to trafficking heroin and fentanyl, and illegal reentry into the United States, announced United States Attorney Aaron L. Weisman, Rhode Island State Police Superintendent James M. Manni, and Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Peter C. Fitzhugh.
According to information presented to the Court, members of the Rhode Island Fugitive Task Force, who were attempting to locate Juan Manu Pena-Zapata based on a federal arrest warrant issued in the Western District of Michigan on a charge of using a false social security number, pulled over his a vehicle in Providence on September 18, 2018. After placing Pena-Zapata in custody, agents searched his vehicle. Inside a center console agents found three plastic bags containing controlled substances, later determined by the Rhode Island Department of Health to contain 4.89g of fentanyl, 5.00g of heroin, and 29.77g of fentanyl.
A follow-up investigation by the Fugitive Task Force and Homeland Security Investigations determined that Pena-Zapata, a native and citizen of the Dominican Republic, was previously deported from the United States on June 28, 2002; April 9, 2008; and April 7, 2010.
Appearing today before U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., Pena-Zapata, 39, of Providence, pleaded guilty to knowingly and intentionally possessing with intent to distribute a mixture of heroin and fentanyl, and illegal reentry into the United States. He pleaded guilty on November 16, 2018, to the charge of using a false social security number brought by the United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Michigan.
He is scheduled to be sentenced in both cases by U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., on June 25, 2019.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gerard B. Sullivan.
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Texas Man Sentenced to 22 Years in Prison in Idaho for Sexual Exploitation of a ChildRead the Press Release
POCATELLO – John Alan Mahler, 37, of College Station, Texas, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 22 years in prison followed by 15 years supervised release, for sexual exploitation of a child, U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced. Mahler was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge B. Lynn Winmill. Mahler pleaded guilty on January 8, 2019.
According to court records, between June and October 2017, Mahler communicated with a 15-year old minor child from Idaho. He used a variety of internet-based communication platforms, including Google Hangouts and Kik Messenger. During the online communications, Mahler sent numerous messages attempting to persuade, induce, and entice the minor child to engage in sexual activity. During the course of the communications, Mahler engaged in video calls with the minor child and instructed the child to engage in sexually explicit conduct. Additionally, during the video calls, Mahler exposed his genitalia to the minor child.
At sentencing, Judge Winmill ordered Mahler to forfeit the laptop computer and cell phones used in the commission of the offense. As a result of his conviction, Mahler will be required to register as a sex offender.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations in Idaho Falls and the Pocatello Police Department.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. As part of Project Safe Childhood, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho and the Idaho Attorney General’s Office partner to marshal federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
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Statement from Attorney General William P. Barr on the Department of State Designating the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a Foreign Terrorist OrganizationRead the Press Release
Today, Attorney General William P. Barr issued the following statement:
"Today, the Secretary of State announced that he intends to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act. After the FTO designation takes effect, any person will be prohibited from knowingly providing material support or resources, as defined under the law, or attempting or conspiring to do so, to the IRGC. The IRGC's active support for terrorism is unacceptable, and the Department of Justice continues to support the administration's efforts to hold the Iranian regime accountable for its actions."
Springfield Man Sentenced to 18 Years for Heroin TraffickingRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man has been sentenced in federal court for possessing heroin to distribute.
Danny R. Jones, 37, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark on Friday, April 5, to 18 years in federal prison without parole.
On June 27, 2018, Jones pleaded guilty to possessing heroin with the intent to distribute.
Law enforcement officers, prior to executing a search warrant, established surveillance of Jones’s residence on May 10, 2016. Officers saw Jones leave his residence, driving a Ford Taurus. An officer stopped the vehicle for an improper license plate and arrested Jones, who was driving while having a revoked driver’s license. The officer searched the vehicle and found a diaper bag on the passenger-side rear seat. Inside the diaper bag were several clear plastic bags that contained a total of 190 grams of heroin.
Jones is one of eight defendants charged in this case, all of whom have pleaded guilty, and is the final defendant to be sentenced.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nhan D. Nguyen. It was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Springfield, Mo., Police Department.
Springfield Man Pleads Guilty to Meth ConspiracyRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man has pleaded guilty in federal court to his role in a conspiracy that distributed 45 kilograms of methamphetamine in southwest Missouri.
Kenneth R. Friend, 48, of Springfield, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool on Friday, April 5, to participating in the conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Greene, Polk, Christian, Jasper, Laclede, and Webster Counties from June 1, 2013, through Nov. 29, 2014. Friend also pleaded guilty to money laundering by engaging in monetary transactions to promote unlawful activity.
Beginning in 2012, the Drug Enforcement Administration, assisted by other agencies, investigated one of the largest methamphetamine distribution rings in southwest Missouri. The investigation resulted in the indictment of 29 defendants.
The conspiracy was responsible for the distribution of more than 45 kilograms of methamphetamine.
During the conspiracy, Friend obtained large amounts of methamphetamine from various sources. For example, Friend paid one source $20,000 in early November 2014 for two pounds of methamphetamine. Friend also intended to purchase a large amount of methamphetamine from one of his sources on Nov. 27, 2014. As part of the investigation, law enforcement officers arrested Friend, his then-girlfriend and one of his suppliers. During the execution of a federal search warrant at the supplier’s residence in Springfield, agents found approximately $20,000 and approximately five and a half pounds of methamphetamine. Friend admitted that he intended to purchase at least two of the five and a half pounds seized from this source of supply. Agents also seized $34,310 from Friend, which he had intended to use to purchase the two pounds of methamphetamine. Agents also seized Friend’s 1992 Harley Davidson motorcycle, which he used to distribute methamphetamine and which he purchased with proceeds from the sale of methamphetamine. Under the terms of the plea agreement, Friend must forfeit the cash and the motorcycle to the government.
Friend is among 29 defendants who have pleaded guilty in this case; 27 of those defendants have been sentenced.
Under federal statutes, Friend is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Randall D. Eggert, Nhan D. Nguyen and Cynthia J. Hyde. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, IRS-Criminal Investigation, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Springfield, Mo., Police Department and Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Shamokin Man Sentenced to Four Years’ Imprisonment for Conspiring to Distribute HeroinRead the Press Release
WILLIAMSPORT - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Adam Poeth, age 33, of Shamokin, Pennsylvania was sentenced on March 28, 2019, by United States District Matthew W. Brann to 48 months’ imprisonment followed by a 4-year term of supervised release for conspiring to sell 100 grams or more of heroin, which is equivalent to approximately 4,000 individual doses of heroin.
According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, in August 2018, Poeth pled guilty to conspiring with others to distribute heroin. Co-defendant, Chad Snyder was sentenced to time-served followed by a 3-year term of supervised release on February 8, 2019. The final co-defendant, Frank Galasso, age 65, of Sunbury, Pennsylvania, is awaiting trial.
The investigation was conducted by the Berwick Police Department, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alisan V. Martin prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Heroin Initiative targets heroin traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit heroin related offenses.
This case was also brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
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Septuagenarian Heads to Prison for Possessing over 30K Images of “Morphed” Child PornographyRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 72-year-old resident of Corpus Christi has been ordered to federal prison following his conviction of possessing child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick. Clifford Mecham Jr. was found guilty during a bench trial in in January 2019.
Today, U.S. District Judge Janis Graham Jack, who presided over that trial, sentenced Mecham to 97 months in prison. Additional information was also presented today, including letters from the victims detailing how the offense had impacted them and their families. In handing down the sentence, the court noted she felt the need to protect the community and was especially concerned that Mecham seemed to have no concept of why what he did was wrong. Mecham was further ordered to pay $2966.78 in restitution to the known victims and will serve the rest of his life on supervised release following completion of his prison term, during which time he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. Mecham will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.
At trial, the court heard that at the time of his arrest, Mecham was in possession of 31,562 images and 1,741 videos containing child pornography which he had created himself. He had morphed images and videos of pornographic actresses and models and replaced their faces with the faces of children. In many images, Mecham altered the images further by morphing the male actors faces with his own to make it appear as though he was engaging in various sexual acts with the children.
When authorities took Mecham into custody he explained that he created the images because he thought they were “cute.”
He has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and Corpus Christi Police Department’s – Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force conducted the investigation with the assistance of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittany L. Jensen is prosecuting the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
Rochester Man Charged with Sex Trafficking of Minors and AdultsRead 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 Quondall D. Davis, 24, of Rochester, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with sex trafficking of a minor and sex trafficking of an adult by force. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa M. Marangola, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, the defendant was identified by investigators during an investigation into prostitution in Rochester. Officers were told that Davis, who goes by “Hot Dog,” would place an ad on the website “backpage.com.” Once a customer responded, “Hot Dog” would reach out to one of his girls and have them picked up by a driver. The complaint further states that “Hot Dog” would use his Facebook account to contact the girls. Following a date, the girls gave half of the profits to “Hot Dog.” Investigators also learned that girls would have sex with different guys in order to receive heroin. If the girls received heroin, they were to give all of it to “Hot Dog” but would not get any money in return.
Investigators reviewed Davis’s Facebook account and observed, among other items, a photo of a contact with the name “LongWay” with a mobile telephone number connected to an advertisement associated with prostitution in the Syracuse, NY.
The investigation has identified three minor victims and one adult victim who have been involved in prostitution activities with the defendant.
The defendant made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Marian W. Payson and is being held pending a detention hearing on April 11, 2019.
The complaint is the result of an investigation by Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Gary Loeffert, and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Todd Baxter.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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Ravenna man sentenced to more than 10 years in prison for drug and firearms crimesRead the Press Release
A Ravenna man was sentenced to more than 10 years in prison for drug and firearms crimes.
Jesse Templeton, 37, was sentenced to 123 months in federal prison. A jury last year convicted Templeton on one count of possession with intent to distribute dimethyltrytapmine and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
Templeton on July 4, 2018, possessed more than 1,200 grams of dimethyltrytapmine and a Sig Sauer .40-caliber pistol, according to court documents.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter Daly and Aaron Howell following an investigation by the Portage County Sheriff’s Office and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Prison Time and Stiff Penalties Await Tax Fraudsters, Prosecutors WarnRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, NC - With the deadline for filing income tax returns a week away, U.S. Attorney Andrew Murray and Matthew D. Line, Special Agent in Charge of the Charlotte Field Office of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigations Division, jointly announce recent tax fraud prosecutions and sentencings, and deliver a powerful warning to those who are thinking about breaking the law by committing tax crimes.
“As April 15th approaches, we assure taxpayers who file honest tax returns and pay their taxes on time that my office works diligently to catch tax cheats. Whether it’s failing to report income, falsely padding deductions on returns to obtaining inflated refunds, or stealing innocent victims’ identities to file fraudulent tax returns, our experienced tax prosecutors work with dedicated IRS criminal investigators to find those who try to cheat our tax system and hold them accountable for their actions,” said U.S. Attorney Murray.
“The IRS Criminal Division takes tax violations of law very seriously. Our largest enforcement program is directed at the portion of American taxpayers, who willfully and intentionally violate their known legal duty of filing and paying their fair share of taxes. With the April 15 tax deadline looming, it is important for people to have confidence that when they pay their taxes, their neighbors and co-workers are doing the same,” said Special Agent in Charge Line.
Attorney Indicted for Tax Fraud
John Hanzel (3:19-cr-82). On March 27, 2019, an indictment was unsealed charging Hanzel with three counts of filing false tax returns for tax years 2012 through 2014. From in or about 2011 to the present, Hanzel was a resident of Cornelius, N.C., and was an attorney with the law firm John F. Hanzel, P.A. Hanzel’s law practice included, among other things, counseling his clients to set up offshore corporations and offshore bank accounts to purportedly protect income and assets from creditors, including the IRS. During the relevant time period, Hanzel did not have a personal bank account and did not pay himself a salary from his law firm. Instead, Hanzel wrote checks from his law firm account to pay for personal expenses including utility bills, mortgage payments, and credit cards. Hanzel fraudulently deducted personal expenses paid out of his law firm bank account as business expenses, including by falsely categorizing such as expenses as costs of goods sold and other deductions. From 2011 through 2014, Hanzel reported minimal income on his Federal Individual Income Tax Returns, Forms 1040, and paid minimal federal income tax. However, Hanzel actually received substantial income that he hid from the IRS by falsely deducting personal expenses as business expenses and by living out of his business bank account.
Other Tax Prosecutions
In the last year, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, with the assistance of IRS-CI, has investigated and prosecuted numerous individuals for criminal tax violations. Tax enforcement prosecutions include:
Indictments
Aminta A. Smith (3:18-cr-107). On March 18, 2019, a superseding indictment was returned charging Smith with aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns and filing false tax returns for herself for 2013, 2014, and 2015. The indictment alleges that, between 2012 and 2015, Smith prepared and submitted to the IRS more than 1,300 tax returns, many of which included false information such as false income and false education expenses, which qualified filing individuals for inflated tax refunds. The indictment further alleges that the Charlotte-area tax return preparer kept a portion of the tax refund as her fee. For tax years 2013 to 2015, Smith also filed U.S. Individual Income Tax Returns that did not include much of the income she earned for preparing tax returns, which resulted in Smith receiving large tax refunds. Smith faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison for each charge of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns and three years in prison for each charge of filing a false tax return.
Guilty Pleas
James E. MacAlpine (1:18-cr-92). On February 4, 2019, MacAlpine pleaded guilty to evasion of payment of his taxes. MacAlpine, a resident of Buncombe County, was the owner/operator of “James E. MacAlpine, DDS,” an orthodontic practice in Buncombe County. MacAlpine has a long history of tax non-compliance – he failed to file tax returns for tax years 1996 through 2000, and in other years, MacAlpine filed tax returns self-assessing taxes due and owing, and then failed to pay those taxes. Between 2000 and 2017, MacAlpine took numerous affirmative acts to evade the payment of his taxes including, opening and closing bank accounts to evade IRS levies and filing frivolous documents to the IRS for the purpose of harassing the IRS. In 2014, the United States District Court entered a judgment that MacAlpine owed the IRS additional taxes, interest, and penalties in the aggregate amount of more than $1.9 million for tax years 1999, 2000, and 2002 through 2006.
Vincent Griggs (3:18-cr-383). On January 11, 2019, Griggs pleaded guilty to filing a false tax return. Griggs operated an audio-visual services company and failed to report gross receipts of more than $700,000 from 2011 through 2015 to the IRS from the business. As a result, Griggs fraudulently obtained the Earned Income Tax Credit for 2014 and 2015, and he had additional tax due and owing to the IRS of approximately $124,971 for tax years 2011 to 2015.
Trials
Arthur Joseph Gerard III (3:16-cr-270). On September 25, 2018, a federal jury convicted Gerard of conspiracy to impede the IRS after a week-long jury trial. Gerard was the promoter of a fraudulent tax evasion scheme and helped others to shield their assets from the IRS using nominee companies and false IRS filings. Between October 2007 and May 2016, Gerard assisted clients in hiding income and assets from the IRS using straw companies and bank accounts opened in the names of those companies. In particular, Gerard conspired with his client, Reuben DeHaan, to hide from the IRS over $2.7 million in gross receipts earned by DeHaan through his holistic medicine business. Gerard recruited his friend, Richard H. Campbell Jr., into the scheme to serve as a nominee on DeHaan’s bank accounts. Gerard also assisted DeHaan in the filing of false documents with the IRS to obstruct the IRS’ collection efforts. Gerard charged DeHaan a fee of between $1,000 and $2,500 for each straw company he created. In total, Gerard’s conduct caused a tax loss of approximately $560,000.
Sentencings
Quandella Walker (3:17-cr-343). On March 21, 2019, Walker, 29, of Charlotte, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for aiding and assisting in the filing of false tax returns for others. Through her tax preparation business, Quandella Tax Services, between January 2010 through at least 2016, Walker prepared tax returns for clients that contained false income information, to enable her clients to fraudulently qualify for inflated tax refunds. Walker also filed false tax returns for her own name.
Albert Strong (3:18-cr-131). On January 31, 2019, Strong, 59, of Union, South Carolina, was sentenced to 36 months in prison. Strong worked as a machinist/mechanic for a company at its Charlotte, N.C. location. From 2008 to 2015, Strong embezzled funds from the company using a fraudulent purchasing and billing scheme. Strong created a purported parts vendor, and then caused the company to order fictitious parts from the vendor. As part of the scheme, Strong created false invoices and submitted them to the company for payment. In all, Strong embezzled approximately $1,488,000 from the victim company. Strong failed to report the embezzled funds on his 2009 through 2015 tax returns, resulting in an approximate $450,000 tax loss.
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Federal penalties for tax crimes range from a maximum of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine for failure to file a tax return, false withholding exemptions, and delivering or disclosing false tax documents, to a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for conspiracy to defraud with respect to false refund claims. Other penalties include a mandatory term of two years in prison and a $250,000 fine for aggravated identity theft charges, three years in prison and a $250,000 fine for obstructing or impeding an investigation and filing or preparing a false tax return, and a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for tax evasion, failure to pay employment taxes, conspiracy to commit a tax offense or conspiracy to defraud.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the IRS remind tax payers to exercise caution during tax season to protect themselves against a wide range of tax schemes ranging from identity theft to return preparer fraud. Illegal scams can lead to significant penalties and interest and possible criminal prosecution. IRS Criminal Investigation works closely with the Department of Justice to shutdown scams and to prosecute the criminals behind them. The IRS has issued its annual “Dirty Dozen” which lists common tax scams that taxpayers may encounter, particularly during filing season. Taxpayers are urged look out for, and to avoid, the following common schemes:
• Phishing
• Phone Scams
• Identity Theft
• Return Preparer Fraud
• Inflated Refund Claims
• Falsifying Income to Claim Credits
• Falsely Padding Deductions on Returns
• Fake Charities
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Excessive Claims for Business Credits
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Offshore Tax Avoidance
• Frivolous Tax Arguments
• Abusive Tax Shelters
Education is the best way to avoid these common schemes. To learn more about the Dirty Dozen scams and for help with recognizing and avoiding abusive tax schemes, the IRS offers educational material at www.irs.gov. Suspected tax fraud can be reported to the IRS using Form 3949-A found on the IRS.gov website.
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Prior Hands-On Sex Offender Convicted of Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – After a one-day bench trial, a Las Vegas resident was convicted of possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas A. Trutanich for the District of Nevada.
Gilbert Davila Jr., 55, was found guilty of one-count of possession of child pornography by U.S. District Judge James C. Mahan. At the time of the offense that resulted in his conviction, Davila had been previously convicted in California of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor and lewd acts with a minor under 14.
In August and October 2017, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received a report from an online email service provider in reference to possible child pornography uploaded by a user. The report was sent to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, who in turn obtained a search warrant for information regarding the user who had uploaded the child pornography. The search warrant revealed that user account had more than 600 images of child sexual exploitation and child abuse material. A search warrant was also executed at Davila’s home. Davila was interviewed after execution of the warrant at his home, during which he confessed that he had a problem and that he had been looking at child pornography for approximately four to five years. He also stated that he performed a factory reset on his phone on the way to the interview to delete all images and videos of child pornography saved to his phone.
Sentencing has been scheduled for July 11, 2019. The maximum penalty is 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The case was investigated by the FBI and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elham Roohani and Rebecca Clinton are prosecuting the case.
If you have information regarding possible child sexual exploitation, you are urged to make a report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at www.cybertipline.org.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals, federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood and for information about internet safety education, visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
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Previously Deported Dominican National Sentenced for Role in Fentanyl ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Dominican national was sentenced on Friday, April 5, 2019, in federal court in Boston for his role in a fentanyl conspiracy.
Wareng Jhonny Villar-Ortiz, 31, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to 73 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Villar-Ortiz will be subject to deportation upon completion of his sentence. In January 2019, Villar Ortiz pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, one count of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, one count of possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, and one count of illegal reentry of a deported alien.
A federal drug investigation determined that Villar-Ortiz was a mid-level drug distributor and that Saul Martinez Escarfuller had delivered a kilogram of drugs to Villar-Ortiz in late January 2018. In February 2018, Villar-Ortiz expressed dissatisfaction with the quality of the drugs and made arrangements to return them to Martinez Escarfuller. On Feb. 14, 2018, agents observed Martinez Escarfuller exit Villar-Ortiz’s apartment building and drive off. A short while later, Martinez Escarfuller stopped his car and Joel Cesar Baez exited the vehicle and entered another car. Agents then stopped the second vehicle and asked Baez and the driver to exit. A large plastic bag, which was subsequently determined to contain 789.9 grams of fentanyl, was recovered from inside Baez’s coat.
Angel Milciades Santana Polanco was typically a distributor for Villar-Ortiz and he tested the quality of Villar-Ortiz’ drugs. Between Feb. 8 and Feb. 12, 2018, Santana Polanco offered to supply Villar-Ortiz with a kilogram of drugs. Before deciding whether to purchase the drugs, Villar-Ortiz wanted to test their quality. On Feb. 15, 2018, Villar-Ortiz expressed that the drugs were unacceptable and made arrangements for Santana Polanco to take them back. During a search of Villar-Ortriz’s residence, 978.6 grams of fentanyl from a hiding spot in the bathroom wall was seized.
Villar-Ortiz was previously deported from the United States in 2016.
Santana Polanco was sentenced on Feb. 1, 2019, to five years in prison and three years of supervised release. Cesar Baez, who was a runner for a fentanyl supplier, was sentenced on Jan. 29, 2019, to 30 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Martinez Escarfuller is scheduled to be sentenced on May 30, 2019.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Division, made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Boston, Ipswich, and Arlington Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney James E. Arnold of Lelling’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.
Plattsburgh Man Convicted of Role in Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Sean R. Fabian, age 41, of Plattsburgh, New York, was convicted on Friday, following a 4-day jury trial, of conspiring to distribute cocaine.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith; Special Agent in Charge Ray Donovan, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division; and Plattsburgh City Police Chief Levi J. Ritter.
The trial evidence showed that on February 11, 2018, Fabian conspired with Hannah Dyer to traffic 300 grams of cocaine from New York City to Plattsburgh for distribution. On February 13, 2018, the pair met in Albany where Fabian provided the 300 grams of cocaine to Dyer, who was to take the cocaine to Plattsburgh. The New York State Police stopped Dyer’s vehicle in Clinton County and found the drugs in a container, submerged in a fish stew.
As a result of his conviction, Fabian faces up to 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $2,000,000, when he is sentenced by United States District Judge Mae A. D ’Agostino on July 31, 2019. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statutes the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors. Fabian has been in custody since his arrest on June 21, 2018.
This case was investigated by the DEA and the Plattsburgh City Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Douglas Collyer and Troy Anderson.
Omaha Man Gets 27 Years for Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Joe Kelly announced that Francisco A. Saldana, age 37, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced in federal court today for production of child pornography. Senior U.S. District Court Judge Laurie Smith Camp sentenced Saldana to 324 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. Saldana will begin a 15-year term of supervised release and will also be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.
On or about October 6, 2017, agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) executed a federal search warrant at the residence of Saldana in Omaha, Nebraska. During a search of Saldana’s computers and other electronic items, HSI agents identified child pornography including images and videos. The child pornography included images of a female, age 7, and a male, age 8. Both minors were known by Saldana. Agents determined through forensic analysis of Saldana’s computers and other electronic items that he induced both minors to take part in sexually explicit conduct on or about August 26, 2017. Using a digital device, Saldana produced at least eight (8) digital images of the minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations.
Ohio County residents indicted on methamphetamine chargesRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Justin R. Beaver, of Moundsville, West Virginia, was arraigned today on drug charges, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Beaver, age 26, was indicted by a federal grand sitting in Wheeling on April 2, 2019 on four counts of “Distribution of Methamphetamine.” Beaver is accused of distributing methamphetamine in Marshall County in November 2018.
Beaver faces up to 20 years incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000 for each count. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert H. McWilliams, Jr., is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Marshall County Drug & Violent Crime Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.
U.S. Magistrate Judge James P. Mazzone presided.
An indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Ohio County man indicted on firearms chargeRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Xavier C. Coyle, of Wheeling, West Virginia, was arraigned today on a firearms charge, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Coyle, age 29, was indicted by a federal grand sitting in Wheeling on April 2, 2019 on one count of “Unlawful Possession of a Firearm.” Coyle, having previously been convicted of a felony, is accused of having 9mm pistol in December 2019 in Marshall County.
Coyle 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 was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). Project Safe Neighborhoods is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert H. McWilliams, Jr. is prosecuting the cases on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Marshall County Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.
U.S. Magistrate Judge James P. Mazzone presided.
An indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
North Carolina Man Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison for Aiding in Armed Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
WILLIAMSPORT – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Rodrequis Council, age 33, of North Carolina, was sentenced to 108 months in prison followed by four years of supervised release on March 29, 2019, by U.S. District Court Judge Matthew W. Brann.
According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Council previously pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the armed bank robbery of the SPE Federal Credit Union in State College on August 22, 2017.
Marquis Buckley, age 41, of Virginia, pled guilty to committing the armed bank robbery on July 3, 2018, in the Eastern District of Virginia, where he also faced charges related to two other bank robberies in Virginia. Buckley was sentenced to 184 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for his participation in the three robberies on October 3, 2018.
The matter was investigated by Ferguson Township Police Department, Penn State University Police, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alisan V. Martin prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
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North Bay Methamphetamine Trafficker Sentenced to Five Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO – Agusto Wosbeli Aguilar Meda, a/k/a Maza, was sentenced today to 60 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine in Marin County, announced United States Attorney David L. Anderson and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) Special Agent in Charge Chris Nielsen. The sentence was handed down by the Honorable Charles R. Breyer, U.S. District Judge.
Meda, 36, a Guatemalan national, pleaded guilty to the charge on December 19, 2018. In pleading guilty, Meda admitted that between June 8, 2018, and September 18, 2018, he conspired with others to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a substance containing methamphetamine. Specifically, Meda admitted that he was the leader of a conspiracy to sell methamphetamine in San Rafael, and he arranged multiple narcotics transactions during the conspiracy. On October 22, 2018, a federal grand jury handed down a superseding indictment charging Meda with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 846, 841(a)(1), and 841(b)(1)(B)(viii), as well as five counts of distribution of methamphetamine. Meda pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge and the distribution charges were dismissed.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Breyer sentenced Meda to a four-year period of supervised release to begin after he is released from prison.
Meda’s co-defendant, Melvin Martinez, also pleaded guilty to his role in the conspiracy on December 19, 2018. On April 3, 2019, Judge Breyer sentenced Martinez to 30 months in prison and a five-year term of supervised release.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ross Weingarten is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Marina Ponomarchuk. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the DEA and the Marin County Major Crimes Task Force.
New York Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison on Federal Extortion ChargeRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Tony John Evans, 30, formerly of New York, N.Y., was sentenced today to five years in prison for his role in a wide-ranging scheme that caused a Maryland man to embezzle more than $4 million from his employer in Washington, D.C.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Nancy McNamara, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
Evans pled guilty in September 2018, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to one count of interference with interstate commerce by extortion and aiding and abetting and causing an act to be done. He was sentenced by the Honorable Emmet G. Sullivan. Following his prison term, Evans will be placed on three years of supervised release. In addition, he was ordered to pay $4,217,542 in restitution, as well as $3,119,010 in a forfeiture money judgment.
Evans and several members of his family were indicted in April 2018.
In his plea agreement, Evans admitted that from January 2017 through April 2017, he worked with other individuals to extort and defraud others out of money, precious metals, and luxury merchandise. As part of the scheme, he pretended to be a mobster in order to get a Maryland man to provide him and his fellow conspirators with money, luxury goods, and gold. Evans threatened to harm the man and his family if payments were not made.
As a result of Evans and other conspirators’ actions, the man embezzled more than $4 million from his employer in the District of Columbia over a three-month period for the purpose of providing it to Evans and the other conspirators. Towards the end of the conspiracy, the man delivered more than $1 million in gold—which he had purchased with embezzled funds—to a hotel in New York. Evans admitted that he retrieved the gold bars, delivered them to other individuals, and sold several of the bars to a gold dealer in New York in exchange for cash.
In October 2017, the FBI executed a search warrant on Evans’s safe deposit box at a bank in New York. The safe deposit box contained gold and expensive jewelry, including luxury watches and diamonds. As part of his plea agreement, Evans agreed to forfeit his rights to all of the items recovered from the safe deposit box. He also surrendered two additional one-kilogram gold bars to the FBI, along with a Rolex watch, which he purchased with criminal proceeds.
Charges against five co-defendants remain pending.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu and Assistant Director in Charge McNamara commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office. They expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Lucas, who is assisting with forfeiture issues, Paralegal Specialists Brittany Phillips and Joshua Fein, former Paralegal Specialists Jessica Mundi and Kristy Penny, and Forensic Accountant Bryan Snitselaar.
Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Kent and Kondi Kleinman, who investigated and are prosecuting the case.
National Crime Victims’ Rights Week 2019: “Honoring Our Past, Creating Hope for the Future”Read the Press Release
Victim Witness Coordinator Polly Montano (619) 546-8921
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – April 8, 2019
SAN DIEGO – National Crime Victims’ Rights Week – a time for law enforcement, prosecutorial agencies, victim advocates and community members to come together and support victims of crime – is April 7-13.
Upholding the rights of victims not only protects victims of crime, but enhances public safety and fosters public confidence in our criminal justice system. Agencies that participate in this weeklong tribute will acknowledge and honor crime victims nationwide.
The San Diego County Victim Assistance Coordinating Council (VACC) and the United States Attorney’s Office in San Diego invite you to attend the 30th annual Candlelight Tribute for Crime Survivors on Thursday, April 11, 2019 at 5:30 p.m. The tribute will be held at the San Diego Police Officers’ Association Hall, 8388 Vickers St., San Diego, CA 92111. The keynote speaker will be U.S. Attorney Robert S. Brewer, Jr. The Tribute is a time to memorialize victims and to hear inspirational words from local law enforcement agencies, victim advocates and personal stories from the victims themselves.
The Tribute is sponsored by the VACC. VACC is comprised of the following agencies: Alliance for Community Empowerment; the Crime and Trauma Recovery Program; the District Attorney’s Victim Assistance Program; the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Victim Witness Program; the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Victim Assistance Program; the Center for Mindful Relationships; Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD); Mothers with a Message; Parents of Murdered Children; San Diego Police Department Crisis Intervention; San Diego County Sherriff’s Department; the United States Attorney’s Office Victim/ Witness Program; the U.S. Marshals Office; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and other victim advocates.
By providing a single, uniform message from these agencies and service providers, we can help increase awareness and improve the assistance provided to all crime victims.
To receive further information about National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, and ideas on how to serve victims in your community please visit www.ovc.gov or www.sdcvacc.com.
Navajo Man from Breadsprings, N.m., Arrested on Federal Murder ChargeRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Troy Livingston, 18, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Breadsprings, N.M., made his initial appearance in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., this morning on a criminal complaint charging him with murdering a Navajo woman with malice aforethought. Livingston remains in custody pending a preliminary hearing and a detention hearing, both of which are scheduled for April 9, 2019.
The criminal complaint alleges that Livingston beat the victim to death with a flashlight and his feet at a residence Breadsprings, which is located in the Navajo Indian Reservation, on April 6, 2019. According to the criminal complaint, the victim was Livingston’s girlfriend.
If convicted of the charge in the criminal complaint, Livingston faces a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Charges in criminal complaints are only accusations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case was investigated by the Gallup office of the FBI and the Crownpoint office of the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney David P. Cowen is prosecuting the case.
Middlesex County, New Jersey, Man Admits Attempting to Obtain United States Citizenship by FraudRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – An Iselin, New Jersey, man today admitted that he attempted to fraudulently obtain United States citizenship, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Pal Singh, a/k/a “Surinder Singh,” a/k/a “Harpal Singh,” 67, an Indian national, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Esther Salas to an information charging him with one count of attempted naturalization fraud.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
In March 1992, Singh applied for admission into the United States as a tourist at Los Angeles International Airport by presenting an Indian passport that purported to contain an entry visa to the United States. Singh was refused admission because the entry visa was deemed fraudulent and he was detained pending exclusion proceedings. Singh thereafter applied for asylum in the United States in his true name, and he was released on bond while his asylum claim was evaluated. In June 1993, an immigration judge in New York denied Singh’s asylum application and Singh was ordered to surrender for deportation. Singh failed to appear for his deportation as ordered.
In August 1995, Singh fraudulently applied for asylum in the United States under the identity of “Harpal Singh,” and claimed that he had entered the United States by crossing the United States-Mexico border in December 1994. Singh did not disclose that he had previously been denied asylum under his true identity. In March 1996, an immigration judge denied Singh’s second asylum application and he was again ordered to surrender for deportation. Singh again failed to appear for his deportation.
In May 1996, Singh fraudulently applied for asylum in the United States under the identity of “Surinder Singh,” claiming that he had entered the United States by crossing the United States-Mexico border in November 1995. Singh did not disclose that he had previously been denied asylum under his true identity and under the identity of Harpal Singh. This application further claimed that Surinder Singh had been beaten and tortured in India in 1994 despite the fact that Singh had been living in the United States at the time under his true identity. In June 1996, the Immigration and Naturalization Service granted Singh’s third asylum application in the name of “Surinder Singh” based on fraudulent information provided by Singh.
In December 2015, Singh filed an Application for Naturalization, Form 400-N, with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security under the identity of Surinder Singh. He falsely answered questions relating to his identity, his prior immigration applications, and his immigration status, among others. In May 2018, Singh appeared in the identity of Surinder Singh before an officer of the Department of Homeland Security in Newark for an interview, which was conducted under oath and video-recorded. Singh was also assisted by counsel and by a Punjabi interpreter. Singh falsely answered additional questions relating to his identity, his prior immigration applications, and his immigration status, among others.
A qualified fingerprint examiner from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Biometric Support Center has compared fingerprints taken of Singh when he initially attempted to enter the United States in March 1992 to fingerprints taken in the names of Harpal Singh and Surinder Singh in connection with the above-described immigration proceedings. The fingerprint examiner concluded that the same individual made all of the fingerprints.
The attempted naturalization fraud charge carries a maximum potential sentence of 10 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 5, 2019.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Brian Michael, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas S. Kearney of the U.S Attorney’s Office National Security Unit in Newark.
Mexican National Pleads Guilty to Cocaine DistributionRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Alexis Fernando Lopez, age 23, a Mexican National, entered a guilty plea to Possession With Intent To Distribute Cocaine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(B) and Title 18, United States Code, Section 2, punishable by not less than 5 and not more than 40 years imprisonment, up to a $5,000,000.00 fine, or both.
The Indictment alleges that on or about November 28, 2018, within the Eastern District of Oklahoma, the defendant, did knowingly and intentionally possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine, a Schedule II controlled substance.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol 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.
Assistant United States Attorney Jarrod Leaman represented the United States.
Mexican National Men Sentenced for Immigration CrimesRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Two Mexican national men were sentenced for the felony offense of Reentry of a Removed Alien, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart. Carlos Rodriguez-Diaz, 26, and Huber Rodriguez-Diaz, 24, both received a sentence of “time served.” They had both been in custody since December of 2018, nearly four months of federal incarceration. The Court ordered both men remanded to ICE custody to begin administrative deportation proceedings. Stuart commended the investigative efforts of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“These two brothers, both in their twenties, had four prior removals between them,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “If they want to live and work in our country, they need to enter our country legally and follow our immigration laws.”
On December 19, 2018, both men were found in Hurricane, Putnam County, West Virginia. Federal agents with ICE had received a tip that a person was working illegally at a Hurricane restaurant. ICE agents investigated and located the Rodriguez-Diaz brothers walking to the restaurant. Believing one of the men to be the target of the investigation, ICE agents requested identification. Both men immediately admitted that they were not in the United States legally and had no identification documents. ICE agents took Carlos and Huber Rodriguez-Diaz into federal custody.
Fingerprinting matched Carlos to three prior removals from the United States in 2014, 2015, and 2018. Huber has one prior removal from the United States in 2014 that his fingerprints matched. In all cases, the Rodriguez-Diaz brothers were found by immigration judges to be in the United States illegally and they were deported to Mexico. Neither man had obtained permission to legally enter the United States and had not sought legal status or citizenship. Both Carlos and Huber Rodriguez-Diaz further admitted to ICE agents that they were Mexican citizens.
Assistant United States Attorney Erik S. Goes is responsible for both of the prosecutions. United States District Judge Robert C Chambers imposed the sentences.
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Meth Distributor Heads to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 36-year-old Houston resident has sentenced in Corpus Christi federal court following his conviction for possessing with intent to distribute crystal methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick. Aaron Dee Summer III pleaded guilty Jan. 31, 2019, to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute narcotics.
Today, Senior U.S. District Court Judge Janis Graham Jack sentenced Summer to 145 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court noted Summer did not have a minor role in the offense as he claimed.
On Nov. 17, 2018, law enforcement conducted an inspection of a charter bus traveling north through the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) immigration checkpoint near Falfurrias. During the investigation, authorities discovered luggage belonging to Summer with 28 bundles totaling approximately 13.5 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine.
Law enforcement arrested him and discovered he was hiding an additional kilogram of Fentanyl strapped to his torso underneath his clothing. Summer admitted he had transported narcotics on the bus from Mexico and the Rio Grande Valley area of Texas on several occasions over the previous six months.
Summer has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and CBP conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Paxton is prosecuting the case.
Maryland Man Charged with Interstate Transportation of a Stolen VehicleRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland has charged Rondell Henry, age 28, of Germantown, Maryland, by criminal complaint with interstate transportation of a stolen vehicle. Today, the government filed a motion arguing for Henry to be detained pending trial as a flight risk and a danger to the community. Specifically, the government’s detention memo alleges that Henry, who claimed to be inspired by the ISIS terrorist organization, stole a U-Haul van with the intention of using it as a weapon against pedestrians on sidewalks within the National Harbor complex along the Potomac River in Maryland. A detention hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, April 9, 2019, at 12:45 p.m. in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, Maryland, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas M. DiGirolamo.
The criminal complaint 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; Chief Henry P. Stawinski III of the Prince George’s County Police Department; Acting Chief Russell E. Hamill, III of the Montgomery County Police Department; and Chief Michael L. Brown of the City of Alexandria (Virginia) Police Department.
U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur stated, “We continue to gather evidence, as well as review evidence already obtained as part of this ongoing investigation.”
According to the criminal complaint and other court documents, on March 26, 2019, the Alexandria Police Department was contacted concerning a leased U-Haul vehicle that had been stolen from a parking garage at a mall in Alexandria, Virginia. The driver, who had rented the U-Haul vehicle had noticed a man driving a blue BMW follow the U-Haul off Interstate 395 and onto mall property, then follow the U-Haul into the parking garage and park a few spaces away. When police responded to the garage, they found the BMW near where the U-Haul had been stolen. A check of the BMW’s registration records revealed that the BMW was registered to Rondell Henry.
On March 27, 2019, the stolen U-Haul was located at the National Harbor in Maryland. Law enforcement reviewed video surveillance of the area that showed Henry parking and subsequently exiting the stolen U-Haul. Henry was arrested the following day.
According to the detention memo, for two years, Henry has harbored “hatred” for those who do not practice the Muslim faith. Allegedly inspired by videos he watched of foreign terrorists, Henry decided to conduct a vehicular attack, similar to the 2016 truck attack in Nice, France, for which ISIS claimed responsibility. After stealing the van, Henry drove around, arriving at Dulles International Airport in Virginia at approximately 5:00 a.m. on Wednesday, March 27, 2019. The government’s motion for detention alleges that Henry exited his U-Haul and entered the terminal, trying to find a way through security, allegedly to harm “disbelievers” in a way designed for maximum publicity. After more than two hours of failing to breach Dulles’s security perimeter, Henry allegedly returned to the U-Haul.
According to the motion for detention, Henry then drove the U-Haul from Virginia to the National Harbor in Maryland, arriving around 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, March 27. The motion for detention alleges that Henry parked the U-Haul and walked around a popular part of National Harbor. According to the motion for detention, Henry finally broke into a boat to hide overnight.
By the following morning, Thursday, March 28, police officers had discovered the location of the stolen U-Haul. When Henry leapt over the security fence from the boat dock, observant Prince George’s County Police officers arrested him.
If convicted, Henry faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for interstate transportation of a stolen vehicle.
A criminal complaint is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by criminal complaint is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI, the Prince George’s County Police Department, the Montgomery County Police Department, and the City of Alexandria Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked his office’s national security prosecutors, who are handling the case.
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Marshall County woman sentenced for drug distributionRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Jamie L. Moore, of Moundsville, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 87 months incarceration for drug distribution, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Moore, age 47, pled guilty to one count of “Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Methamphetamine” in February 2019. Moore admitted to conspiring with others to distribute methamphetamine in 2017 and 2018 in Marshall County.
The judge also ordered the forfeiture of a property located at 1512 Lindsay Lane in Moundsville, West Virginia.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert H. McWilliams, Jr., prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Marshall County Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; the West Virginia State Police; the Tyler County Sheriff’s Office; the Wetzel County Sheriff’s Office; the Sistersville Police Department; the Paden City Police Department; and the New Martinsville Police Department investigated. The Columbus, Ohio, Police Department Gang Crimes Unit assisted in the case.
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.
Senior U.S. District Judge Frederick P. Stamp, Jr. presided.
MS-13 Member Pleads Guilty to Racketeering ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – An MS-13 member pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to racketeering conspiracy.
Nelson Cruz Rodriguez Cartagena, a/k/a “Inquieto,” 24, a Salvadoran national illegally residing in Everett, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity, commonly referred to as RICO conspiracy. U.S. District Court Judge William G. Young scheduled sentencing for July 9, 2019. Rodriguez Cartagena was arrested in Everett and charged in June 2018 after law enforcement determined that he had reentered the United States.
According to court documents, MS-13 is a violent, transnational criminal organization whose branches, or “cliques,” operate throughout the United States, including in Massachusetts. MS-13 members are required to commit acts of violence to maintain membership and discipline within the group. It is alleged that most of the MS-13 cliques in Massachusetts, including the Everett Locos Salvatrucha (ELS) clique, belonged to MS-13’s East Coast Program, and that these cliques worked both independently and cooperatively to engage in criminal activity and to assist one another in avoiding detection by law enforcement.
Rodriguez Cartagena is a full member, or “homeboy,” in MS-13’s ELS clique. On recorded prison calls with a detained ELS clique leader, Rodriguez Cartagena discussed buying guns for the Everett clique; maintaining and supervising the clique’s marijuana trafficking business; the need to collect dues from clique members; the need to send money to MS-13 leaders in El Salvador due on the 13th of each month; and reporting on the clique’s day-to-day racketeering activities. When the clique leader began to suspect that a member of the ELS clique had cooperated with law enforcement leading to his arrest, he enlisted Rodriguez Cartagena’s help to ferret out the informant. Rodriguez Cartagena provided the true names of two young Everett clique members, and the leader concluded that one of them, Jose Aguilar Villanueva, a/k/a “Fantasma,” was the clique member responsible for his arrest. Once ELS (incorrectly) identified Villanueva as an informant, members of the Everett clique, including Rodriguez Cartagena, met at the clique’s “destroyer house,” – a residence where clique members stored knives, machetes, marijuana, and money – to plan the murder of Villanueva. Ultimately, on the night of July 5, 2015, two young ELS probationary members, or “chequeos,” lured Villanueva into a park in Lawrence and stabbed him to death. Villanueva was 16 years old.
The charge of RICO conspiracy provides for a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Rodriguez Cartagena will face deportation proceedings upon completion of any sentence imposed. 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; Peter C. Fitzhugh, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Commissioner Carol A. Mici of the Massachusetts Department of Corrections; Essex County Sheriff Kevin F. Coppinger; Suffolk County Sheriff Steven W. Thompkins; Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins; Middlesex County District Attorney Marian T. Ryan; Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett; Boston Police Commissioner William Gross; Chelsea Police Chief Brian A. Kyes; Everett Police Chief Steven A. Mazzie; Lynn Police Chief Michael Mageary; Revere Police Chief James Guido; and Somerville Police Chief David Fallon made the announcement.
MEDIA ADVISORY: United States Attorney Mike Stuart to Host 19th Annual Operation Reach Out Opening CeremonyRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – In observance of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, April 7-13, 2019, United States Attorney Mike Stuart will be hosting the 19th Annual Operation Reach Out Opening Ceremony. Stuart will present Excellence in Victim Advocacy and Justice Awards to federal, state and local partners engaged in fighting violence against women.
What: Operation Reach Out Ceremony & Reception
Where: Robert C. Byrd United States Courthouse
300 Virginia Street East, 5th Floor
Charleston, WV
When: Tuesday, April 9 @ 11:00am
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Lima man indicted on charges of using firearms while trafficking cocaineRead the Press Release
A Lima man was indicted on charges of using firearms while trafficking cocaine.
Gregory L. Buckmon, 36, was charged in a seven-count indictment with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, using a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Buckmon at different points in 2018 possessed cocaine and various firearms. It was illegal for Buckmon to possess firearms because of previous convictions for burglary, according to the indictment.
If convicted, the defendant's sentence will be determined by the Court after reviewing factors unique to this case, including the defendant's prior criminal record, if any, the defendant's role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.
The investigating agency in this case is the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashley A. Futrell and Matthew D. Simko.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The burden of proof is always on the government to prove a defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Lewiston Woman Pleads Guilty to Creating Fraudulent Marijuana CertificationsRead the Press Release
Portland, Maine: United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Stephanie Beck, 41, of Lewiston, Maine, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to conspiracy to manufacture marijuana.
According to court records, the defendant was licensed by Maine’s Department of Professional and Financial Regulation as a Certified Clinical Supervisor and an Alcohol and Drug Counselor. Between December 1, 2017, and February 27, 2018, the defendant provided patient names to a nurse practitioner (including the names of MaineCare recipients), who, in turn, created fraudulent medical marijuana certifications. These fraudulent certifications allowed a marijuana trafficking conspiracy to illegally cultivate marijuana plants under the cover of, but in violation of, the Maine Medical Use of Marijuana Program.
The defendant faces up to 20 years in jail and a $1,000,000 fine. She will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General, the Maine Attorney General’s Healthcare Crimes Unit, and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation.
Lackawanna County Man Indicted for Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
WILLIAMSPORT - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Nicholas Stanley, age 40, of Dalton, Pennsylvania, owner of Nick Stanley Paving, Inc., was indicted on April 2, 2019, for tax evasion and structuring transactions to evade a reporting requirement.
According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, the indictment alleges that Stanley took affirmative steps to evade the payment of taxes while owing $1,062,312.10 for tax years 2005 to 2011.
The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alisan V. Martin is prosecuting the case.
Criminal Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
The maximum penalty under federal law for each offense charged is five years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.
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Kauai Woman Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for Wire FraudRead the Press Release
HONOLULU – Rowenalynn P. Yorkman, 48, of Kekaha, Hawaii, was sentenced today to 30 months of imprisonment for defrauding the United States Department of the Navy and its employees. As part of her sentence, Yorkman must pay $364,838.33 in restitution, and serve 3 years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Hawaii Kenji M. Price announced that, according to court documents and information presented in Court, from January 2011 to June 2015, Yorkman was employed by the Department of the Navy as a travel clerk where she tracked and reviewed travel claims for personnel. Yorkman, without authorization, used a co-worker’s account to enter false information and create fraudulent voucher amendments for expenses travelers did not incur. Yorkman then approved these voucher amendments for payment into her own bank account. She then converted these funds for her personal use. During her scheme, Yorkman defrauded the United States government and travelers of at least $364,838.33.
At Yorkman’s sentencing, Senior U.S. District Judge Susan Oki Mollway remarked, "First of all, this was not a one-time giving into temptation," the 333 fraudulent transactions "was almost like a habit." The fraud involved "wholesale use of other people’s names and information" causing great concern.
The case was investigated by the United States Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Darren W.K. Ching.
Justice Department and Vermont U.S. Attorney’s Office Observe National Crime Victims’ Rights Week with Events Throughout the CountryRead the Press Release
This week, April 7-13, 2019, the United States Attorney’s Office joins the rest of the Department of Justice in observing National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, April 7-13, 2019. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will participate in an annual event that celebrates and supports crime victims.
“Victims of crime deserve justice. This Department works every day to help them recover and to find, prosecute, and convict those who have done them harm,” said Attorney General William P. Barr. “During this National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, we pause to remember the millions of Americans who have been victims of crime and we thank public servants who have served them in especially heroic ways. This week the men and women of the Department recommit ourselves once again to ensuring that crime victims continue to have a voice in our legal system, to securing justice for them, and to preventing other Americans from suffering what they have endured.”
United States Attorney Christina E. Nolan stated: “The pursuit of justice for victims and their families is a central component of our mission. Those who have suffered senselessly at the hands of criminals – whether from violence, drug trafficking, financial crime, child exploitation, or other crime – will always have tireless advocates at the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Working with our brave law enforcement officers, we will strive to ensure victims’ rights are protected and that they receive appropriate compensation and recovery services. We will also continue to collaborate with community partners to assist crime survivors and make Vermont safer through prevention initiatives.”Each year in April, the Department of Justice and United States Attorneys’ offices observe National Crime Victims’ Rights Week nationwide by taking time to honor victims of crime and those who advocate on their behalf. In addition, the Justice Department and U.S. Attorneys’ offices organize events to honor the victims and advocates, as well as bring awareness to services available to victims of crime. In Vermont, this year’s observance takes place April 7-13, with the theme: Honoring Our Past. Creating Hope for the Future.
This year’s event in Vermont took place at the Capitol Plaza in Montpelier, Vermont on April 8. The day included a workshop in the morning presented by master storyteller Sue Schmidt. An awards ceremony followed in the afternoon to honor victim advocates and allied professionals from across Vermont who serve victims of crime.
The U.S. Department of Justice will host the Office for Victims of Crime’s annual National Crime Victims’ Service Awards Ceremony in Washington, D.C. on April 12, 2019, to honor outstanding individuals and programs that serve victims of crime.
The Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime, within the Office of Justice Programs, leads communities across the country in observing National Crime Victims’ Rights Week each year. President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the first National Crime Victims’ Rights Week in 1981 to bring greater sensitivity to the needs and rights of victims of crime.
The Office of Justice Programs provides innovative leadership to federal, state, local, and tribal justice systems, by disseminating state-of-the art knowledge and practices across America, and providing grants for the implementation of these crime-fighting strategies. Because most of the responsibility for crime control and prevention falls to law enforcement officers in states, cities, and neighborhoods, the federal government can be effective in these areas only to the extent that it can enter into partnerships with these officers. More information about the Office of Justice Programs and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov. More information about Crime Victim’s Rights Week can be found at https://ovc.ncjrs.gov/ncvrw/. You may also contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Vermont- Victim Witness Program at (802) 951-6725.
Judge sentences Billings woman to four years in meth caseRead the Press Release
BILLINGS—A Billings woman who admitted possessing meth for distribution was sentenced on April 4 to four years in prison and four years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Leah Summer Garcia, 41, pleaded guilty earlier to possession with intent to distribute meth.
U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.
On April 19, 2018, Garcia, who was on state probation, was arrested on two outstanding warrants while she was at the jail visiting an inmate, prosecutors said in court records. In a search of the vehicle Garcia drove to the jail, law enforcement found an ounce of meth, which is the equivalent of about 224 doses. Garcia had been linked through drug-related text messages to others in an ongoing drug investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lori Suek prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI task force.
The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Jamestown Woman Pleads Guilty for Her Role in Methamphetamine RingRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y. -- U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Stacie N. Yancer, 39, of Jamestown, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, five grams or more of methamphetamine. The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of life, and a $10,000,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patricia Astorga and Emmanuel Ulubiyo, who are handling the case, stated that between November 2017 and June 14, 2018, conspired with others to operate a drug trafficking organization, primarily involving methamphetamine, in the Jamestown area.
On January 10, 2018, and March 8, 2018, the defendant sold methamphetamine to an individual working with the Jamestown Drug Task Force.
On March 12, 2018, a search warrant was executed at 22 Bassett Street in Jamestown. During the search, the defendant was located in the back bedroom of 22 Bassett Street, Jamestown, NY. During the search, investigators recovered quantities of methamphetamine and cocaine; and Suboxone strips.
The defendant was charged along with 14 other defendants. She is the second to be convicted. The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Gary Loeffert, the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Ray Donovan, New York Field Division, and the Jamestown Police Department, under the direction of Chief Harry Snellings.
Sentencing is scheduled for August 16, 2019, at 10:30 a.m. before Judge Vilardo
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