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Monday 25 February 2019
Lower Brule Man Charged with BurglaryRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Lower Brule, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Third Degree Burglary.
Marlowe LaRoche, age 20, was indicted on February 13, 2019. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on February 22, 2019, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 5 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, 3 years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that on December 18, 2018, LaRoche entered the Lower Brule Indian Health Service Clinic after normal business hours with the intent to commit larceny.
The charge is merely an accusation and LaRoche is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Crow Creek Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy R. Morley is prosecuting the case.
LaRoche was released on conditions pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
Lorenzo Castelo Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for His Role in Federal Drug Trafficking OrganizationRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN – Lorenzo Castelo of Memphis was sentenced to 300 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana. U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant announced the sentence today.
According to information presented in court, Castelo was the head of a drug trafficking organization that operated in the Western District of Tennessee, Eastern District of Arkansas and the Northern District of Mississippi. Castelo was charged with nine others in a 15-count superseding indictment on January 18, 2019.
On January 25, 2019, U.S. District Judge Sheryl H. Lipman sentenced Castelo to 300 months imprisonment. He was also ordered to serve five years supervised release.
This prosecution is part of an extensive investigation by the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF is a joint federal, state and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking organizations, targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations, and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to disrupt or dismantle the targeted criminal organization and seize their assets.
U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said: “Distribution of illegal narcotics is not a victimless crime. In order to prevent needless addiction, injury, violence, and death in our communities, we must disrupt and dismantle drug trafficking organizations that deliver this deadly poison to citizens in West Tennessee. This significant sentencing of the leader of the organization will do just that, and I commend our federal and local law enforcement partners for their impactful work in this important case.”
“The distribution of illegal narcotics continues to tear at the fabric of our families and communities,” said M.A. Myers, Special Agent in Charge of the Memphis Field Office of the federal Bureau of Investigation. “This sentencing is the result of the strength of collaborative local, state, and federal law enforcement efforts to rid our neighborhoods of highly addictive and extremely dangerous drugs, and target and bring to justice those who engage in these crimes.”
MPD Director Michael Rallings said: “Distributing illegal drugs throughout our community will not be tolerated. We will continue to work with our local and federal partners to identify and apprehend those who choose to victimize our citizens.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Safe Streets Task Force; Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and Memphis Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jerry Kitchen prosecuted this case on the government’s behalf.###
Long-Time Tax Preparer Receives 18 Months’ Imprisonment for Tax FraudRead the Press Release
PHOENIX– Last week, Elias Bermudez, 68, of Phoenix, Ariz., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Diane J. Humetewa to 18 months in prison and ordered to pay $131,651 in restitution to the United States.
Bermudez worked as a tax preparer in Arizona for over 20 years and owned a tax preparation and immigration services business called The Help Center (aka El Centro de Ayuda), which prepared approximately 3,000 to 4,000 income tax returns each year between 2007-2010. Bermudez admitted to filing fraudulent tax returns by including the Additional Child Tax Credit when he knew the credit didn’t apply. His fraudulent tax filings caused a loss to the United States of $131,651.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation. The prosecution was handled by Andrew C. Stone and Bridget Minder, Assistant U.S. Attorneys, District of Arizona, Phoenix.
CASE NUMBER: CR-17-01301-PHX-DJH
RELEASE NUMBER: 2019-016_Bermudez
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.
Long Beach Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Traveling to Mexico to Engage in Illicit Sexual Conduct with MinorRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A Long Beach resident who traveled to Mexico to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor – and also enticed his victim to produce child pornography – was sentenced today to 120 months in federal prison.
Jonathan Sandoval-Lepe, 32, was sentenced this morning by United States District Judge George H. Wu.
Sandoval-Lepe pleaded guilty in November 2018 to federal charges of engaging in illicit sexual conduct in a foreign place and receiving child pornography depicting other victims.
According to his plea agreement, over the course of about two years that began in the spring of 2015, Sandoval-Lepe traveled to Baja California to have sex with the victim, who was 13 when the illicit sexual conduct started.
Sandoval-Lepe also admitted that in September 2017 he enticed the victim, who was then 15, to produce child pornography while he was in the United States. The victim sent that child pornography to Sandoval-Lepe in California.
In August 2017, Sandoval-Lepe knowingly received child pornography that he downloaded onto his computer from a peer-to-peer network, the plea agreement states. The investigation found more than 600 images and videos of child pornography, some of which depicted children who were under 12 years of age, according to court documents.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Wu ordered Sandoval-Lepe to pay $15,000 in restitution to his victims, including $10,000 to the Mexican victim. Judge Wu also ordered him to pay a $10,000 special assessment paid to the Domestic Trafficking Victims’ Fund. Following his release from custody, Sandoval-Lepe will remain on federal supervised release for the remainder of his life.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Mexican law enforcement officers in Baja California provided assistance in this investigation.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Joshua O. Mausner and Lana Morton-Owens of the Violent and Organized Crime Section.
Levant Woman Sentenced to 12 Months and a Day for Conspiring to Lie to Federal Firearms Dealer and Lying to a Federal AgentRead the Press Release
Bangor, Maine: United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Amy Bingaman, 34, of Levant, Maine, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge Nancy Torresen to 12 months and one day in prison and three years of supervised release for conspiracy to make false statements to a federal firearms licensee and making false statements to federal agents.
According to court records, in late February 2018, the defendant conspired with two others to lie to a Brewer federal firearms licensee in connection with the purchase of a .380 caliber handgun. In connection with that purchase, the defendant falsely represented that she was buying the handgun for herself, when, in fact, the actual buyer was another conspirator who was paying her to make the purchase. The handgun was recovered during the execution of a narcotics trafficking search warrant in Brewer.
When the defendant was interviewed by federal agents about purchasing firearms for others, she falsely stated that she had not purchased other firearms for anyone else, when, in fact, she had done so several times previously.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Brewer Police Department, with assistance provided by the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). 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.
Las Vegas Photographer Pleads Guilty to Multi-State Child Sexual Exploitation ConspiracyRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – A Las Vegas photographer who posed as a professional modeling photographer and alternative sports sponsor to lure children on the promise of sponsorships pleaded guilty today in federal court in connection to a child sexual exploitation conspiracy, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas A. Trutanich for the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge Aaron C. Rouse for the FBI’s Las Vegas Field Office.
William Clyde Thompson, 58, of Las Vegas, pleaded guilty to child exploitation enterprise, sexual exploitation of a child, conspiracy to produce child pornography, distribution of child pornography, conspiracy to distribute child pornography, and possession of child pornography. He was indicted in September 2013 in Nevada and in 2015 in Arizona. United States District Judge Jennifer A. Dorsey scheduled a sentencing hearing for May 28, 2019.
According to admissions contained in the binding plea agreement, in November 2011, Thompson took sexually explicit photos and videos of a 10-year-old boy. He later introduced the victim, who was a skateboarder, to a potential sponsor. In November 2012, the victim’s mother made a report to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department after the potential sponsor informed her that he believed her child was being sexually exploited. Later that month during the execution of search warrants, multiple digital devices belonging to Thompson were seized from his residence and studio. A forensic examination of the devices revealed over 10,000 files of child sexual exploitation photos and videos.
In January 2013, Thompson was arrested in Nevada on child pornography charges and the state court ordered him released on house arrest. However, Thompson cut off his ankle bracelet and fled the Las Vegas area. He was later indicted on federal charges in September 2013.
While on the run from law enforcement, Thompson contacted at least six boys in the spring and summer of 2014 at the Needles California Skate Park. He identified himself as “Tony Bailor” and “Jason Brock” and told the boys he was a “scooter sponsor.” He and others provided the boys with gifts to induce their compliance and to recruit other minors to be part of the “team” that he claimed he wanted to sponsor. In reality, Thompson and others recruited the “team” with the intention to produce child pornography and to sexually abuse the boys.
Thompson convinced the boys to travel without their parents to his Mohave Valley, Arizona, residence for photo shoots on several occasions. He told the boys they would be paid for the photos and that he would resell the photos online through a website. He told them that prospective buyers had requested specific boys, poses, and clothing in the creation of the pornographic depictions. The boys complied with Thompson’s requests because of the money, alcohol, and marijuana he provided them. Over a six-month period, Thompson produced over 20,000 images and videos depicting sexually explicit content of the children.
Thompson and a co-conspirator created multiple websites to distribute the child pornography he created. Thompson would post sample child pornography photos on one of the websites and when someone purchased the photos based on the sample, he would send the purchaser a hyperlink to the child pornography files on a cloud-based service.
In January 2015, Thompson was arrested during a traffic stop in Mohave Valley, Arizona. At the time of his arrest, law enforcement recovered digital devices belonging to Thompson that contained over one million images and ranged from child erotica to child pornography of several victims.
Both parties jointly recommended Thompson be sentenced to 354 months in prison with a lifetime term of supervised release. As part of the plea agreement, he agreed to pay full restitution to his victims.
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Burton and Elham Roohani are prosecuting the case.
If you have information regarding William Clyde Thompson, you are urged to contact the nearest FBI field office or local law enforcement. To remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at (702) 385-5555 or visit www.crimestoppersofnv.com, or contact the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) by calling the 24-hour hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) or by making a report at www.cybertipline.com.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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 and for information about internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
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KC Sex Offender Sentenced to 15 Years for Child PornographyRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man with prior felony convictions for child pornography was sentenced in federal court today for receiving child pornography over the Internet.
Travis E. Fleming, 44, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 15 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Fleming to 20 years of supervised release following incarceration. The court ordered Fleming to pay $5,000 in restitution to each of three identified victims of sexual abuse portrayed in the images of child pornography that he possessed.
Fleming was convicted in federal court in 2010 of two counts of receiving child pornography and two counts of possessing child pornography, for which he was sentenced to six years and six months in federal prison without parole. He was on supervised release at the time of this offense.
On Sept. 20, 2018, Fleming pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography. Fleming admitted that he had 256 images of child sexual abuse (including bondage) on his cell phone. Some of the victim children ranged in age from four to 10 years old. A forensic examination determined that Fleming did the bulk of his viewing of child pornography in the dark web.
Fleming’s probation officer discovered the cell phone during a home visit on Nov. 16, 2017. Fleming admitted that he had been accessing the internet since at least February 2017. Among the conditions of Fleming’s supervised release was that he not possess any type of computer or electronic device with access to any on-line computer service.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine A. Connelly. It was investigated by the Western Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force and the Clay County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.
Project Safe Childhood
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, 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."Justice Department Settles Claims Against International Financial Association for Discriminating Against U.S. WorkersRead the Press Release
The Justice Department today announced that it has reached a settlement agreement with CFA Institute (CFAI), an international association of investment professionals, headquartered in Charlottesville, Virginia. CFAI offers a global certification for Chartered Financial Analysts who pass an exam that CFAI administers annually. The settlement resolves the Department’s investigation into whether CFAI violated the anti-discrimination provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) by preferring to hire H-1B visa holders over U.S. workers when it selected CFAI exam graders from its members. This is the fifth settlement under the Civil Rights Division’s Protecting U.S. Workers Initiative, which is aimed at targeting, investigating, and taking enforcement actions against companies that discriminate against U.S. workers in favor of temporary visa workers. It is the first of those settlements to involve the H-1B visa program.
The Department’s independent investigation concluded that from at least November 2016 through January 2018, CFAI set aside annual exam-grading positions for its members who required or had H-1B visas or other high-skill temporary visas, based on their citizenship status. The Department also concluded that, in doing so, CFAI failed to consider equally qualified U.S. workers for such positions. The INA prohibits employers from discriminating in the hiring process based on a worker’s citizenship status or national origin. Refusing to hire U.S. citizens, or setting aside positions for visa holders, because of their citizenship status violates the INA.
“The Civil Rights Division works diligently to stop employers from unlawfully denying employment opportunities to qualified and available U.S. workers,” said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband of the Civil Rights Division. “We appreciate CFAI’s cooperation and look forward to working with the organization to ensure that it does not disqualify exam graders based on their citizenship status.”
Under the settlement, CFAI will pay $321,000 in civil penalties to the United States, train employees on the requirements of the INA’s anti-discrimination provision, and be subject to departmental monitoring and reporting requirements.
Under the Protecting U.S. Workers Initiative, the Civil Rights Division has opened dozens of investigations, filed one lawsuit, and reached settlement agreements with five employers. Since the Initiative’s inception, employers have agreed to pay or have distributed over $320,000 in back pay to affected U.S. workers. The Division has also increased its collaboration with other federal agencies to combat discrimination and abuse by employers using temporary visa workers.
The Division’s Immigrant and Employee Rights Section (IER) is responsible for enforcing the anti-discrimination provision of the INA. Among other things, the statute prohibits citizenship status and national origin discrimination in hiring, firing, or recruitment or referral for a fee; unfair documentary practices; retaliation; and intimidation.
More information on how employers can avoid unlawful citizenship status discrimination is available here. For more information about protections against employment discrimination under immigration laws, call IER’s worker hotline at 1-800-255-7688 (1-800-237-2515, TTY for hearing impaired); call IER’s employer hotline at 1-800-255-8155 (1-800-237-2515, TTY for hearing impaired); sign up for a free webinar; email [email protected]; or visit IER’s English and Spanish websites. Subscribe to GovDelivery to receive updates from IER.
Applicants or employees who believe they were subjected to discrimination based on their citizenship, immigration status, or national origin in hiring, firing, or recruitment or referral for a fee; or discrimination in the employment eligibility verification process (Form I-9 and E-Verify) based on their citizenship, immigration status or national origin; or retaliation can file a charge or contact IER’s worker hotline for assistance.
Justice Department Seeks to Shut Down Two Texas Tax Return PreparersRead the Press Release
The United States filed a civil injunction suit to permanently bar Smart Ilesanmi Ajayi, individually and doing business as Harplet Marketing LLC, Topps Tax Services, and Smart Tax Services, as well as JoAnn Villarreal, from preparing federal income tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced today.
The complaint, filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, alleges that Ajayi and Villarreal prepare and file tax returns that falsely increase their customers’ deductions or losses. As a result, the complaint alleges, the customers’ tax returns claim larger refunds than they were entitled to receive.
The complaint alleges that defendants’ have prepared returns with fabricated or inflated noncash charitable donation deductions. The complaint further alleges that the defendants have prepared returns with fabricated or inflated businesses losses on Schedule C (Profit or Loss from Business).
Return preparer fraud is one of the IRS’s Dirty Dozen Tax Scams and taxpayers seeking a return preparer should remain vigilant. The IRS has information on its website for choosing a return preparer and has launched a free directory of federal tax preparers.
In the past decade, the Tax Division has obtained injunctions against hundreds of unscrupulous tax preparers. Information about these cases is available on the Justice Department’s website. An alphabetical listing of persons enjoined from preparing returns and promoting tax schemes can be found on this page. If you believe that one of the enjoined persons or businesses may be violating an injunction, please contact the Tax Division with details.
Jury Convicts Overland Park Woman in Heroin ConspiracyRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – An Overland Park, Kan., woman has been convicted by a federal trial jury for her role in a multi-defendant drug-trafficking conspiracy with ties to the Sinaloa drug cartel in Mexico.
Christine Little Wood, 61, was found guilty of participating in a conspiracy to distribute heroin from Jan. 1, 2010, to April 18, 2017, and of participating in a money-laundering conspiracy. In addition to the criminal conspiracies, Little Wood was found guilty of using a cell phone to aid the drug-trafficking conspiracy and of maintaining a residence for the distribution and use of heroin.
In addition to Little Wood, 20 co-defendants have pleaded guilty and three have been sentenced in this case. Dennis McLallen, 66, and his wife, and Pamela Gaddy-McLallen, 65, both of Overland Park, were in direct contact with Mexico-based heroin and methamphetamine suppliers and Kansas City-based suppliers. They received multi-ounce levels of black tar heroin from their suppliers, which they and other conspirators repackaged into ounce and gram levels for distribution by Little Wood and others.
McLallen admitted that he was responsible for the distribution of more than 10 kilograms of heroin. Conspirators distributed at least 500 ounces (more than 14 kilograms) of heroin, with an average sale price of $1,700 per ounce, for a total of $850,000.
In September 2016, investigators searched vehicles and residences and seized heroin, methamphetamine, prescription drugs, more than $200,000 in bulk cash, a load vehicle with hidden compartments, drug ledgers, drug packaging, drug scales, firearms, ammunition, a bullet proof vest, and various other drug trafficking related items. Little Wood’s son, a co-defendant in this case, distributed and used heroin in her residence.
McLallen and Gaddy-McLallen each pleaded guilty to their roles in the drug-trafficking and money-laundering conspiracies and to a conspiracy to use firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking. McLallen was sentenced on April 18, 2018, to 15 years in federal prison without parole. Gaddy-McLallen died of natural causes while awaiting sentencing.
Co-defendant Kevin Fletcher,30, of Kansas City, Mo., was sentenced to nine years and two months in federal prison without parole. Co-defendant Sterling Cline, 38, of Kansas City, Mo., was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison without parole. Several co-defendants remain fugitives from justice.
Following the presentation of evidence, the jury in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., deliberated for about four hours before returning the guilty verdicts to U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough on Friday, Feb. 22, 2019, ending a trial that began Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2019.
Under federal statutes, Little Wood 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. Attorney Bruce Rhoades and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean T. Foley. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI and the Jackson County Drug Task Force.
Jefferson County man sentenced to 15 years for fentanyl distributionRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Corey Robert Clark Ford, of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 180 months incarceration for distributing fentanyl, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Ford, age 29, pled guilty to one count of “Aiding and Abetting Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl” in October 2018. Ford admitted to distributing fentanyl in Jefferson County, resulting in the death of another, in December 2016, as well as possessing fentanyl in January 2017.
“The sentence imposed upon Mr. Ford sends a clear message that the distribution of fentanyl, in even a small amount, can have catastrophic consequences. Mr. Ford’s distribution contributed to the death of one of our citizens. He will now spend the next fifteen years of his life in prison. Fentanyl kills. Thanks to the hard work of our prosecution and our law enforcement teams, there is one less fentanyl dealer in our community,” said Powell.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office investigated.
Chief U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.
Jacksonville Man Sentenced to More Than Fifteen Years for Illegally Possessing A FirearmRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Brian J. Davis today sentenced Jemone Lawrence Walker (33, Jacksonville) to 15 years and 8 months in federal prison, for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. A federal jury found Walker guilty on June 7, 2018.
According to testimony presented at trial, Walker was found to be in possession of a loaded revolver when the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office responded to an armed domestic call at a Jacksonville home. At the time, Walker had multiple prior felony convictions, including armed robbery, attempted armed robbery, attempted robbery, and unarmed robbery and, therefore, was prohibited from possessing firearms.
This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Washington.
This is another case prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. It involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the Middle District of Florida, U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.
Indianapolis, Indiana Man Sentenced to 63 Months for Possession of Firearm, AmmunitionRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Joseph Jay Johnson, age 40, of Indianapolis, Indiana, was sentenced to 63 months imprisonment and 3 years of supervised release for Felon In Possession Of Firearm & Ammunition, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1), 924(a)(2) and 924(e). The charges arose from an investigation by the Okmulgee County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The Indictment alleged that on or about January 30, 2018, within the Eastern District of Oklahoma, the defendant, having been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, did knowingly possess in and affecting commerce, a firearm and ammunition which had been shipped and transported in interstate commerce.
United States Attorney Brian J. Kuester said, “This investigation began when a concerned citizen saw what appeared to be a violent interaction between the defendant and another. The responding Okmulgee County Deputy discovered the defendant, who had a former felony conviction, unlawfully possessed a weapon and ammunition. The ATF and this office assisted because it is a Department of Justice priority to help our state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to combat and reduce violent crime – a priority that we proudly and eagerly pursue.”
The Honorable Ronald A. White, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Muskogee, presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Dean Burris represented the United States. The defendant will remain in custody pending transportation to the designated federal facility at which the non-paroleable sentence will be served.
Illegal alien sentenced for reentry chargeRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Eduardo Hernandez Sanchez, a citizen of Mexico, was sentenced today to 87 months incarceration for illegal reentry, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Sanchez, also known as Jorge Andrade-Sanchez, age 42 pled guilty to one count of “Reentry of a Removed Alien” in October 2018. Sanchez, having previously been removed twice, and previously convicted of drug distribution in Pennsylvania in 2016, admitted to being in Berkeley County illegally in February 2018.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated.
Chief U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.
Illegal Alien Sentenced to Prison for Using Another Person’s Social Security Number and Fraudulent “Green Card” to Get a JobRead the Press Release
A Mexican man who used another person’s social security number and a fraudulent “green card” to get a job was sentenced on February 21, 2019 to five months in federal prison.
Luis Gonzalez-Esparsa, age 46, a citizen of Mexico illegally present in the United States and residing in Cascade, Iowa, received the prison term after a November 28, 2018, jury verdict finding him guilty of one count of unlawful use of an identification document and one count of misuse of a social security number.
The evidence at trial showed that on June 14, 2018, Gonzalez-Esparsa used someone else’s social security number on employment and tax documents when applying for work in Peosta, Iowa. He also used a fraudulent permanent resident card, also known as a “green card,” to claim he was legally present and authorized to work in the United States. The Alien Registration number on the “green card” had been issued to another person, a female from Mexico.
Gonzalez-Esparsa came to the attention of immigration officials following his arrest in August 2018 in Anamosa, Iowa, for failure to appear for court on a state law driving violation. Gonzalez-Esparsa has been convicted of driving without a valid driver’s license eight times. He was also convicted of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated in Allamakee County, Iowa, in 2005. Gonzalez-Esparsa has illegally resided in the United States since 1996.
Gonzalez-Esparsa was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C. J. Williams. Gonzalez-Esparsa was sentenced to five months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Gonzalez-Esparsa is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel C. Tvedt and investigated by Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 18-CR-1035-CJW.
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Huntington Woman Sentenced to Prison for Federal Drug ChargeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A Huntington woman was sentenced today to 72 months for a federal drug charge, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart. Amanda Hatfield, 26, previously pled guilty plea to an indictment charging her with possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. The Huntington Police Department conducted the investigation.
“Dealing meth will get you a long stay in federal prison,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “Hatfield was caught with more than 200 grams of methamphetamine and the result is 6 years behind bars. In every case of drug dealing, we’ll do our best to lock you up away from our families as long as possible.”
Hatfield admitted that on June 1, 2017, officers searched her vehicle and found approximately 86 grams of methamphetamine. As part of the plea agreement, Hatfield also admitted that officers conducted a search warrant on her residence and located approximately 116 grams of methamphetamine. She admitted she intended to sell the methamphetamine.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie S. Taylor handled the prosecution.
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Huntington Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing Fentanyl and MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A Huntington man caught selling fentanyl and methamphetamine last year in Huntington pled guilty today to a federal drug charge, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart. Brandon Scott Kidd, 39, entered a guilty plea to distributing fentanyl and methamphetamine in federal court in Huntington. Stuart commended the investigative efforts of the FBI Drug Task Force and the Cabell County Sheriff’s Department.
“Kidd was selling fentanyl, heroin and meth in Huntington,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “Getting him and others like him off our streets and out of our towns is a priority for me and this office.”
On July 16, 2018, an informant working at the direction of the Cabell County Sheriff’s Department went to Kidd’s residence located at 831 15th Street in Huntington to purchase fentanyl. Inside the residence, Kidd sold the informant fentanyl in exchange for $220. Kidd then offered to sell, and sold, the informant methamphetamine in addition to the fentanyl. Later that day, deputies executed a search warrant at Kidd’s residence. During the search, deputies recovered approximately 12 grams of fentanyl and approximately 48 grams of methamphetamine.
As part of his plea agreement, Kidd admitted that he distributed fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine in Huntington between July of 2017 and July of 2018. Kidd further admitted that he allowed others to stay in his residence for the purchase of storing and selling drugs.
Kidd faces up to 20 years in federal prison when he is sentenced on June 10, 2019.
Assistant United States Attorney Joseph F. Adams is handling the prosecution. The plea hearing was held before United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers.
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Honduran Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 20 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Honduran man was sentenced today to 20 years in prison for his leadership role in the Los Cachrios drug trafficking organization (DTO), a large-scale Honduran cocaine trafficking group.
According to court documents, Willian Medina-Escobar, 34, conspired to distribute over 1,000 kilograms of cocaine on United States registered aircraft from 2011 to 2014. Medina-Escobar, who was extradited to the United States in September 2017, served in a managerial role for the Los Cachiros DTO. In this role, Medina-Escobar inspected aircraft, organized the transport of cocaine, identified clandestine airstrips, negotiated the purchase of cocaine with sources of supply, and coordinated the landing of cocaine-laden aircraft.
In July 2013, the Los Cachiros DTO purchased a Beechcraft King Air C-90 (King Air C-90) aircraft with United States registered tail number N92XXXX to transport cocaine from Venezuela to Honduras. In the summer of 2013, Medina-Escobar negotiated the purchase of 1,025 kilograms of cocaine from a Colombia source of supply on behalf of the Los Cachiros DTO. In October 2013, the King Air C-90 flew from Guatemala to Venezuela to load and transport the cocaine shipment. On October 27, 2013, the King Air C-90 departed from Apure, Venezuela and transported 1,025 kilograms of cocaine to a clandestine airstrip near Limon, Honduras. As part of this operation, Medina-Escobar was present on the clandestine airstrip, communicated with the pilots via radio, and assisted in the safe landing of the aircraft. Upon the King Air C-90’s arrival in Honduras, the 1,025 kilograms of cocaine were off-loaded and placed into the custody of the Los Cachiros DTO for further redistribution and sale.
Operation Strong Moon was investigated as part of the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.
G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Jesse R. Fong, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Field Division, and Kelly R. Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Washington, D.C. Field Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and Colonel David R. Hines, Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erik S. Siebert and Peter S. Duffey prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:16-cr-91.
Georgia Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Drug ChargeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A Georgia man was sentenced today to 15 months for a federal drug charge, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart. Jahrius Whitehead, 26, previously entered a guilty plea to an indictment charging him with possession with the intent to distribute cocaine and marijuana. The Kenova Police Department conducted the investigation.
“Selling cocaine and marijuana – a big problem that needs to end,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “Whitehead tried to run but law enforcement was too quick. Good work by the Kenova Police Department in keeping these dangerous drugs off the streets.”
Whitehead admitted that on September 5, 2018, he was pulled over on I-64 for speeding. Whitehead fled the traffic stop. Officers pursued him on I-64. Whitehead wrecked his vehicle and ran from his vehicle on foot. Officers found him a short distance from the interstate. After he gave officers consent to search his vehicle, officers located approximately 151 grams of cocaine and approximately 392 grams of marijuana. He admitted to officers that he had traveled to Huntington to sell the cocaine and marijuana.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie S. Taylor handled the prosecution.
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Georgia Man Indicted on Federal Charge of Failing to Register as A Convicted Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces today the return of an indictment charging Jimmie Dwight Whitfield (42, Valdosta, GA) with failing to register as a sex offender after relocating from Georgia to Florida. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in federal prison. Whitfield was arrested in Atlantic Beach, Florida on October 25, 2018.
According to the indictment, on August 31, 1995, Whitfield was convicted of lewd, lascivious, and indecent acts with a minor in Jacksonville, Florida. On September 29, 2016, he was convicted of sexual battery and sodomy in Valdosta. Following his convictions, between March 20 and October 25, 2018, he traveled from Georgia to Florida and failed to register as a sex offender as required by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
SORNA is part of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006. The Act also provides for the use of federal law enforcement resources, including the United States Marshals Service, to assist state and local authorities in locating and apprehending non-compliant sex offenders.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service, the Lowndes County (GA) Sheriff’s Office, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Gang Member Sentenced to Life in Prison for His Role in Murder of Mother on Bronx PlaygroundRead the Press Release
Geoffrey S. Berman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that STIVEN SIRI-REYNOSO was sentenced today to life plus five years in prison for his role in the June 11, 2016, murder of Jessica White. Ms. White, 28, was killed by a stray bullet while sitting next to her mother and watching her three young children play in the playground of the John Adams Houses in the Bronx, New York. SIRI-REYNOSO gave the order for that shooting, which targeted a gang rival. On July 30, 2018, SIRI-REYNOSO was convicted of conspiring to commit racketeering, conspiring to sell narcotics, murder in aid of racketeering, and murder through the use of a firearm after an eight-day trial before Chief U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon.
U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “On June 11, 2016, Jessica White was murdered in a playground before her mother and her children, the victim of horrific and senseless gang violence. Stiven Siri-Reynoso ordered that shooting and was responsible for Jessica’s death. As a result, he will now spend the rest of his life in a federal prison. We extend our deepest condolences to the members of Jessica’s family, who have experienced tragedy beyond words. We thank our partners at the FBI and NYPD, who worked tirelessly to achieve this measure of justice for Jessica and her family. And we affirm our continued efforts to rid our neighborhoods of intolerable gang violence.”
According to the allegations in the Indictment and the evidence at trial:
On June 11, 2016, Jessica White was struck and killed by a stray bullet while sitting on a bench next to her mother and watching her three children play on a playground at the John Adams Houses, where her mother lived. SIRI-REYNOSO was a member of the “Dominicans Don’t Play” or “DDP” street gang. The DDP gang was engaged in a dispute between with the rival Trinitarios street gang involving, among other things, SIRI-REYNOSO’s drug sales near the John Adams Houses.
On the night of June 11, 2016, Trinitarios members tried to attack SIRI-REYNOSO. In retaliation, SIRI-REYNOSO sent another individual to shoot at the Trinitarios. SIRI-REYNOSO ensured the shooter had a gun and a mask, and arranged for other gang members to be waiting in a getaway car nearby. As the shooter began firing, Jessica White got up and called out for her children. She was struck by one of the bullets and killed.
SIRI-REYNOSO also committed other crimes in connection with his membership in the DDPs, including drug selling and robbery.
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In addition to the prison term, SIRI-REYNOSO, 26, of the Bronx, was sentenced to five years of supervised release.
Mr. Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New York City Police Department.
The case is being handled by the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Drew Skinner, Allison Nichols, and Frank Balsamello are in charge of the prosecution.
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Former postal worker imprisoned for mail theftRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Zachary Adam Johnson has been sentenced for aggravated identity theft and mail theft. The defendant was previously a part-time mail carrier for the postal service.
“This case shows the importance of concerned citizens reporting suspicious conduct to law enforcement,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “Without that call, the police never would have obtained a search warrant for Johnson’s car and found the large amount of stolen mail there. We ask all citizens to remain vigilant and if you see something, say something.”
“The Postal Inspection Service applauds the efforts of the bank employees who reported the suspicious activity of their customer’s account to law enforcement officials,” said David M. McGinnis, Inspector in Charge of the Charlotte Division. “Postal Inspectors will remain vigilant in pursuing criminals, like Johnson, to ensure the public's trust in a safe and secure mail system.”
According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: Johnson repeatedly broke into the U.S. Post Office in Snellville, Georgia, and stole mail. After stealing the mail, Johnson would look through it for checks and money orders, then change the payees on those instruments to make them payable to himself, and cash them at local banks. On one occasion, Johnson also forged the signature of the account owner on a check.
On June 28, 2018, Johnson was arrested by the Snellville police department after an alert bank teller at Regions Bank observed that he was trying to cash a check with a forged signature from a longtime branch customer. A search of Johnson’s car revealed five bins of stolen mail in the trunk. Johnson was released on bond by a Gwinnett County judge, but continued his conduct. On July 7 and 9, 2018, while on bond in his Gwinnett county case, Johnson was captured on surveillance video breaking into the post office and stealing mail.
Zachary Adam Johnson, 41, of Loganville, Georgia, has been sentenced to two years, one day in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. On November 13, 2018, Johnson pled guilty to one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of mail theft.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which has already notified the victims it was able to identify from the seized stolen mail. The Snellville police department also assisted with this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alana R. Black prosecuted the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Former Virginia Tech Professor Found Guilty of Grant Fraud, False Statements, ObstructionRead the Press Release
Roanoke, VIRGINIA – A former Virginia Tech professor studying artificial sweeteners was found guilty last week of conspiring to commit federal grant fraud, making false statements and obstruction by falsification, First Assistant United States Attorney Daniel P. Bubar announced today.
Chief Judge Michael F. Urbanski of the Western District of Virginia released his Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law February 20, 2019 in which he found Yiheng Percival Zhang, 47, of Blacksburg, Va., guilty of one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, three counts of making false statements, and one count of obstruction by falsification. The ruling comes following a September 2018 bench trial in U.S. District Court in Roanoke.
“This verdict shows our commitment to hold individuals accountable who seek to fraudulently obtain federal funds. Mr. Zhang used his position of prominence to unlawfully seek money from federal grant programs and will now pay for it,” FAUSA Bubar said today. “I am proud of our team of investigators and prosecutors that worked tirelessly to ensure that tax payer dollars are not being misused.”
“Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grants are intended to promote scientific innovation in the private sector by providing capital to entrepreneurial teams at a very early stage when the technological risk associated with their ideas generally precludes private sector funding,” said Allison Lerner, Inspector General for the National Science Foundation (NSF). “The NSF Office of Inspector General remains committed to ensuring the integrity of the SBIR/STTR programs by holding accountable those who attempt to hide behind sophisticated schemes aimed at diverting Federal research funds. I commend the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our investigative partners for their strong support in this effort.”
According to evidence presented at trial, Zhang, who at the time of the offenses was a biological systems engineering professor at Virginia Tech, founded Cell-Free Bioinnovations, Inc. (“CFB”), a research firm located in Blacksburg, Virginia. CFB relied exclusively on federal grants for funding its research activities. Zhang began working as a paid researcher for the Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences by, at least, 2014. In 2015, Zhang caused fraudulent grant proposals to be submitted to the NSF. Evidence presented at trial indicated grant funds obtained would be used for research Zhang knew had already been done in China. Zhang intended to use the grant funds for other CFB projects rather than for the projects for which the funds were requested. To obstruct the investigation, Zhang submitted falsified timesheets to government investigators.
The investigation of the case was conducted by the Department of Energy-Office of the Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the National Science Foundation-Office of the Inspector General with the assistance of the Blacksburg Police Department and the Virginia Tech Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Steve Pfleger and Randy Ramseyer prosecuted the case for the United States.
Former Student Charged with Damaging Computers at Albany CollegeRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Vishwanath Akuthota, age 26, of Albany, was arrested on February 22 in North Carolina after being charged with intentionally causing damage to protected computers owned by The College of Saint Rose in Albany.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith; Chief Eric Hawkins of the Albany Police Department (APD); and James N. Hendricks, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
According to a criminal complaint, on February 14, 2019, Akuthota entered numerous locations around the Saint Rose campus and inserted a device into more than 50 computers used by students. The device, which resembles a normal USB memory stick, sends a rapid series of power surges into a computer’s electrical hardware, rendering it inoperable. The damage exceeds $50,000. The charges in the complaint are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Akuthota is a citizen of India, residing in the United States on a student visa.
Akuthota appeared in federal court in Raleigh, North Carolina, where a United States Magistrate Judge ordered him detained and transported to the Northern District of New York.
The charge filed against Akuthota carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
This case is being investigated by the APD and the FBI, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Wayne A. Myers.
Former Secretary of Tribal Office Charged with EmbezzlementRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a former Secretary of the Oglala Sioux Tribe’s Credit and Finance Office has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Embezzlement and Theft from an Indian Tribal Organization. Helen Hernandez, age 41, was indicted on February 5, 2019, and she made her initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta Wollman on February 21, 2019, in Rapid City, South Dakota.
The Indictment alleged that from February 2014 through June 2015, Hernandez embezzled and converted to her own use more than $1,000 of monies, funds, credits, goods, assets, and other property belonging to the Credit and Finances Office of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, an Indian Tribal Organization. During the time of the embezzlement, Hernandez was serving as the Secretary of that office.
The charge is merely an accusation and Hernandez is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Hernandez pleaded not guilty during her initial appearance. The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 5 years in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, 3 years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The investigation is being conducted by the Department of Interior, Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy R. Jehangiri is prosecuting the case.
The case was brought pursuant to The Guardians Project, a federal law enforcement initiative to coordinate efforts between participating agencies, to promote citizen disclosure of public corruption, fraud, and embezzlement involving federal program funds, contracts, and grants, and to hold accountable those who are responsible for adversely affecting those living in South Dakota’s Indian country communities. The Guardians Project is another step of federal law enforcement’s on-going efforts to increase engagement, coordination, and positive action on behalf of tribal communities. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the participating agencies include: Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Offices of Inspector General for the Departments of Interior, Health and Human Services, Social Security Administration, Agriculture, Transportation, Education, Justice, and Housing and Urban Development; Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division; U.S. Postal Inspector Service; U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General.
For additional information about The Guardians Project, please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at (605) 330-4400. To report a suspected crime, please contact law enforcement at the federal agency’s locally listed telephone number.
Former Postal Employee Pleads Guilty to Theft of MailRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – United States Attorney Peter G. Strasser announced that COURTNEY C. DUPLESSIS (“DUPLESSIS”), age 30, of New Orleans, Louisiana, entered a plea of guilty on Thursday, February 21, 2019 to Theft of Mail, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1709.
According to court records, DUPLESSIS was employed by the United States Postal Service as a Letter Carrier originally assigned to the Carrolton Station Post Office and then to the Elmwood Station Post Office. After an investigation by the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Postal Service, it was determined that on various dates from October 2017 to June 2018, DUPLESSIS stole several pieces of mail containing gift cards and cash. On June 19, 2018, special agents with U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (“USPS-OIG”) determined DUPLESSIS opened an envelope and removed cash from the envelope. The USPS-OIG agents confronted DUPLESSIS and advised her of her Miranda rights. During an interview, DUPLESSIS admitted to opening several articles of mail and removing cash and gift cards. Agents discovered an additional 54 articles of mail during a subsequent search of DUPLESSIS’s personal vehicle.
DUPLESSIS faces a maximum penalty of five (5) years imprisonment, a $100.00 special assessment fee and/or a fine of $250,000 or the greater of twice the gross gain to the defendant or twice the gross loss to any person under Title 18, United States Code, Section 3571. Sentencing is scheduled for May 2, 2019 at 2:00pm.
U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser praised the work of the USPS-OIG. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U. S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba, Supervisor of the Financial Crimes Unit.
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Former NYPD Detective Sentenced to Three Months’ Imprisonment for Committing Perjury in a Federal ProsecutionRead the Press Release
Michael Foder, a former detective employed by the New York City Police Department (NYPD) at the time of the charged conduct, was sentenced in federal court in Brooklyn today by United States District Judge Pamela K. Chen to three months’ imprisonment. In August 2018, Foder pleaded guilty to perjury in connection with false statements he made under oath during a criminal proceeding. Foder was arrested in February 2018 and resigned from the NYPD in August 2018.
Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, William F. Sweeney, Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and James P. O’Neill, Commissioner, NYPD, announced the sentence.
“Integrity is an essential characteristic for every law enforcement officer and the overwhelming majority of officers earn and deserve the trust of the public,” stated United States Attorney Donoghue. “In choosing to lie, this defendant undermined fellow officers and rendered himself unfit to serve as a law enforcement officer.”
On December 29, 2016, Foder, then assigned to the 70th Precinct in Flatbush, Brooklyn, falsely testified under oath at a hearing in a federal prosecution about when and how he showed photographs of two robbery suspects to a victim of a carjacking. Following the hearing, the government found discrepancies in the photo array identifications, including when the identifications had occurred.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Public Integrity Section. Assistant United States Attorney Nathan Reilly is in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
MICHAEL FODER
Age: 42
Staten Island, NYE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 18-CR-97 (PKC)
Former Mahoning County judge pleaded guilty to charges stemming from stealing at least $100,000 from a former clientRead the Press Release
A former Mahoning County judge pleaded guilty to charges stemming from stealing at least $100,000 from a former client.
Diane Vettori-Caraballo, 50, of Youngstown, pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud, one count of structuring cash deposits, and one count of making false statements to law enforcement. She is scheduled to be sentenced June 13.
Her husband, Ismael Caraballo, pleaded guilty to a tax count.
Vettori-Caraballo stole between $100,200 and $328,000 in cash that was in the home of a client when that client died in March 2016, according to the indictment.
Vettori-Caraballo was elected to position of judge in Mahoning County Court #3 – Sebring Court in 2002, with jurisdiction over misdemeanor criminal and traffic charges and other matters in Sebring and Beloit Villages and Berlin, Green, Goshen,, Ellsworth, Smith and Washingtonville Townships. She was reelected in 2006 and 2012, according to the indictment.
She also provided estate planning services to Robert Sampson, including drafting his will. On Nov. 20, 2015, Vettori-Caraballo filed an application in Mahoning County Probate Court to administer Sampson’s estate. The application stated Sampson died without a will. The probate court, unaware of Sampson’s will, appointed Falgiani as the administrator three days later, according to the indictment.
Sampson died in 2015 and his closest living relative was his sister, Dolores Falgiani. Vettori-Caraballo prepared Falgiani will on Nov. 3, 2015. The will made 16 specific bequests to relatives and friends and bequeathed the rest of the estate to Animal Charity Human Society of Boardman and the Angels for Animal Charity in Canfield, according to the indictment.
Sometime in October or November 2015, Falgiani stated she was in possession of several shoeboxes of cash stored at her residence. Falgiani was found dead in her home on March 10, 2016, according to the indictment.
Vettori-Caraballo filed an application in Mahoning County Probate Court to probate Falgiani’s estate on March 24, 2016. On May 2, she reported having found cash in the residence and depositing the $20,000 into the estate, according to the indictment.
Vettori-Caraballo filed a notice of newly discovered assets with the court on several subsequent occasions in 2016 and 2017. Each time, she failed to disclose the cash she had stolen, according to the indictment.
Vettori-Caraballo also structured deposits of the cash she stole into five different banks within four weeks to avoid regulations that require banks to report cash transactions over $10,000 to the IRS. In addition, Vettori-Caraballo lied to the FBI when she was confronted about the theft and the structuring of cash deposits, according to court documents.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian M. McDonough and Alex Abreu.
Former Lake Oswego Financial Advisor Sentenced to 36 Months in Federal Prison for Defrauding InvestorsRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—Shayne Kniss, 43, formerly of Lake Oswego, Oregon, was sentenced today to 36 months in federal prison and three years’ supervised release for defrauding clients of his investment firm, Iris Capital Management Group, LLC. Kniss was also ordered to pay more than $529,000 in restitution to his victims.
According to court documents, Kniss founded Iris Capital in October 2010 and offered real estate based investments in several different funds to investors. Through various means, including brochures, private placement memoranda, emails, and personal presentations, Kniss misrepresented how he would manage investor funds.
Between February 2011 and April 2013, 47 people invested approximately $4.3 million in Kniss’s funds. Kniss commingled investor money among the funds, used new investments to make payments to prior investors, and used more than $500,000 for person use, including investing in a retail marijuana enterprise.
Kniss previously pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud on May 8, 2018.
The FBI investigated this case. It is being prosecuted by Seth D. Uram, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
Former Arizona Official Who Accepted Bribes from Culver City Debt Collection Outfit Pleads Guilty to Federal Criminal ChargeRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A former Arizona public official pleaded guilty today to accepting tens of thousands of dollars in cash bribes from a now-defunct Culver City-based debt collection company in exchange for disclosing confidential information that helped the company collect nearly $1 million in outstanding debts.
Leslie Gene Nelson, 59, of Phoenix, pleaded guilty to one count of bribery, a felony offense that carries a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. United States District Judge S. James Otero scheduled a June 24 sentencing hearing.
Nelson was an employee of the Arizona Department of Economic Security (AZ DES), a state agency that provides unemployment benefits. In a plea agreement filed in this case, Nelson admitted he accepted at least $26,000 in cash bribes from Michael S. Flowers and Flowers’ employer, Professional Collection Consultants (PCC), from approximately September 2010 until August 2013. In exchange for the bribes, Nelson provided Flowers and PCC with wage and earnings information for thousands of specific Social Security numbers that Flowers provided, according to court documents. AZ DES maintained wage and employment-related data in its computer systems, which were linked with federal and state databases that contained confidential information for people nationwide.
Nelson admitted that he received the Social Security numbers from Flowers and that he sent confidential information found on each individual or advised that no wages existed for a specific Social Security number. Armed with the confidential information, PCC analyzed the collectability of each debtor’s debt and determined whether it was financially reasonable to sue the debtor to obtain a court judgment that would allow the company to garnish the debtor’s wages.
During the first eight months of 2013, the confidential information that Nelson provided helped PCC collect $946,770 in debts owed.
Flowers, 58, of the Mid-City district of the City of Los Angeles, deposited Nelson’s bribe payments into a local bank and he also received a 10 percent commission on the recoveries made by PCC. Flowers and PCC each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit federal program bribery. Flowers was sentenced to three years’ probation. PCC was fined $350,000 and ordered to forfeit $946,770.
This matter was investigated by the United States Department of Labor, Office of the Inspector General, which received assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Arizona Department of Economic Security.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Elisa Fernandez of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section.
Federal Jury Convicts a Local Man for Illegally Possessing a FirearmRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN –A local man has been found guilty by a jury for being a felon in possession of a firearm after he committed an armed robbery. U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant announced the conviction today.
According to information presented in court, on September 22, 2016, Alford Robinson robbed a victim at gunpoint and escaped in a blue Dodge Charger. The victim reported the robbery to police, who then put out a broadcast for the vehicle. Two MPD officers who heard the broadcast saw and stopped the car. The defendant immediately jumped out of the vehicle, over a 6-foot privacy fence and escaped from law enforcement. While searching the vehicle, law enforcement located two loaded Smith & Wesson .40 caliber pistols on the floorboards.
On February 23, 2017, Robinson was indicted in federal court for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, and was detained by a magistrate judge pending trial. He attempted to escape from federal prison 25 days prior to his original trial date. On March 13, 2018, Robinson was indicted in federal court and charged with attempted escape.
On June 26, 2018, Robinson pleaded guilty to the attempted escape and asked for a trial on the firearm charges. On February 21, 2019, after approximately 30 minutes of deliberation, a federal jury found him guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He will now be classified as an armed career criminal and will face a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and up to life imprisonment.
U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said, "Under our PSN initiative, we focus on removing firearms from the hands of prohibited persons, and removing dangerous felons from our streets. Clearly, this armed career criminal had no hesitation in committing a violent crime with a firearm, and he will now be removed from our community for at least 15 years. We are FED UP. Gun Crime is Max Time."
Sentencing is set for May 24, 2019, before U.S. Senior District Court Judge Samuel H. Mays.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative, 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. In 2017, PSN was reinvigorated 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.
This case was investigated by the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Memphis Police Department Felony Response Unit, and the PSN Task Force.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys J. William Crow and Stephen Hall are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
Federal Jury Convicts Man Who Attempted to Bomb Downtown Oklahoma City BankRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY — A federal jury has convicted Jerry Drake Varnell, 24, of Sayre, Oklahoma, for attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction at BancFirst in downtown Oklahoma City, announced Robert J. Troester of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Jurors began hearing testimony on February 12 and entertained closing arguments this morning. After a half-day of deliberation, they returned unanimous verdicts of guilty on one count of attempting to use an explosive device to damage a building in interstate commerce and one count of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction against property used in interstate commerce.
The FBI arrested Varnell at approximately 1:00 a.m. on August 12, 2017, after he attempted to detonate what he believed to be an explosives-laden van he had parked in an alley next to BancFirst, at 101 North Broadway. The arrest was the culmination of a long-term domestic terrorism investigation involving an undercover operation, during which Varnell had been monitored closely for months as the alleged bomb plot developed. The explosives were inert, and the public was not in danger. FBI had received information that Varnell initially wanted to blow up the Federal Reserve Building in Washington, D.C., with a device similar to the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing because he was upset with the government.
On October 17, 2017, a federal grand jury charged Varnell with attempting to use an explosive device to damage and destroy BancFirst’s corporate offices. After a psychological evaluation, the court entered an order on November 21, 2017, that found him competent to stand trial. The grand jury returned a superseding indictment on April 17, 2018, that added one count of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction.
At trial, the jury heard testimony from an informant who made recordings of his conversations with Varnell. It also heard from the undercover FBI agent who helped Varnell build what he thought was a bomb, an FBI bomb technician, and others. It listened to numerous recordings in which Varnell planned the attack and reviewed numerous written electronic communications that corroborated his intent. Furthermore, it heard the testimony of a defense expert concerning Varnell’s mental health. Through its verdicts, the jury concluded any mental health problems did not prevent Varnell from forming the intent required for conviction. It also determined the FBI did not entrap him.
Varnell will remain in custody until his sentencing, which will take place in approximately ninety days. He faces a maximum sentence of life for attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and a maximum sentence of twenty years for attempting to use an explosive device. The explosive-device count carries a statutory mandatory minimum sentence of five years. He could also be fined $250,000 on each count and subject to supervised release for the rest of his life.
This investigation was conducted by the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, including members from the Oklahoma City FBI; Homeland Security Investigations, part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security; the Oklahoma City Police Department; the Edmond Police Department; the Oklahoma Highway Patrol; the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs; and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. The FBI worked in conjunction with BancFirst during the investigation. Oklahoma District Attorney Angela Marsee, of District 2, also provided assistance. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matt Dillon and Mark R. Stoneman, with assistance from the Justice Department’s Counterterrorism Section.
Reference is made to court records for further information.
Federal Inmate Sentenced to Eight Years in Prison for Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily InjuryRead the Press Release
HONOLULU – A federal inmate, Taloa Latu, 29, was sentenced today to 8 years of imprisonment for committing an assault resulting in serious bodily injury to another inmate. Following his incarceration, Latu will be on supervised release for 3 years.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Hawaii Kenji M. Price announced that, according to court documents and information presented in court, on September 11, 2016, Latu, a State of Hawaii inmate housed at the Federal Detention Center (“FDC”) in Honolulu, repeatedly punched, kicked, and stomped on another inmate. After the assault, the victim was transported to the Queens Medical Center, where he was treated for serious injuries, including a broken jaw and broken ribs. This case was prosecuted in federal court, as the United States has concurrent jurisdiction for crimes committed at FDC, Honolulu. Latu was convicted of the assault on February 15, 2018, following a two and a half day jury trial.
At sentencing, Chief U.S. District Judge J. Michael Seabright commented that Latu “is a grave danger to others,” based in part on his extensive criminal history, which includes multiple prior assault convictions.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Morgan Early and Michael Nammar handled the prosecution.
Federal Court Bars Florida Tax Return Preparers from Preparing Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
A federal court in Orlando, Florida, entered a permanent injunction against Yves Demesmin, Unik Tax Refund LLC, and YvesDemesmin LLC, barring them from preparing federal tax returns for others and owning or operating a tax preparation business, the Justice Department today announced.
The court had earlier ordered that the defendants disgorge $1,251,456.54, representing the ill-gotten gains that they received for the preparation of tax returns. Both orders were signed by Judge Gregory A. Presnell of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
The government alleged that the defendants prepared tax returns making false or fraudulent claims for the Earned Income Tax Credit and fuel tax credit, and reporting false business-related income and expenses, farming-related income and expenses, and phony job-related expenses.
Previously, on April 30, 2018, the court barred co-defendants Joseph Demesmin, UJM Tax Services LLC, Elie Dorceus, Loyal Experience Dependable Tax Service LLC, LED Financial Service LLC, Mario Cooper, Dia Fleming, and Dia I. Fleming LLC from preparing federal tax returns for others and owning or operating a tax preparation business. The court also ordered that these defendants disgorge a combined total of $1,137,873.59 of ill-gotten gains that they received for the preparation of tax returns.
Return preparer fraud is one of the IRS’s Dirty Dozen Tax Scams and taxpayers seeking a return preparer should remain vigilant. The IRS has information on its website for choosing a return preparer and has launched a free directory of federal tax preparers.
In the past decade, the Tax Division has obtained injunctions against hundreds of unscrupulous tax preparers. Information about these cases is available on the Justice Department’s website. An alphabetical listing of persons enjoined from preparing returns and promoting tax schemes can be found on this page. If you believe that one of the enjoined persons or businesses may be violating an injunction, please contact the Tax Division with details.
Federal Authorities Arrested St. Thomas Boxer for Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI – John Jackson, 30, appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller for a preliminary and detention hearing after his arrest on Saturday by Homeland Security Investigations for Production of Child Pornography, United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced. At this time Jackson remains in custody pending trial.
According to court records, Jackson allegedly transported a fifteen year old minor from a local high school to his residence. There he sexually assaulted the minor female and used the minor’s cellular phone to create a video of himself engaged in the sexual assault upon the minor.
Information provided in the courtroom indicated that Jackson is the son of prominent Virgin Islander and three times world boxing champion Julien “the Hawk” Jackson. He is also a profession boxer in his own right, having represented the Virgin Islands as both an amateur and professional fighter internationally on the mainland United States.
This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Virgin Islands Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Everard E. Potter.
United States Attorney Shappert reminds the public that an arrest warrant is merely a formal charging document and is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Suspected child exploitation or missing children cases may be reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children via its toll-free 24–hour hotline at 202-514-5678, or to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) at (787) 729-6969.
FBI Watched Courier Deliver 3+ Pounds of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Kansas City, Kan., man was sentenced today to 80 months in federal prison for acting as a courier to deliver more than three pounds of methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said.
Demetrius Summerson, 28, Kansas City, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of distributing methamphetamine. In his plea, he admitted that FBI agents had him under surveillance when he delivered more than 3.6 pounds of methamphetamine to a buyer in Lenexa, Kan. The buyer paid Summerson $10,000.
Summerson was working as a distributor for a drug trafficking organization operating in Johnson and Wyandotte counties that was obtaining methamphetamine from a provider in Michoacan, Mexico.
McAllister commended the FBI, the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sheri Catania for their work on the case.
Ex-Pasadena Police Lieutenant Sentenced to One Year in Federal Prison for Unlicensed Selling of Firearms and Lying on ATF FormRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A former lieutenant in the Pasadena Police Department was sentenced today to one year and one day in federal prison for exploiting his status as a police officer to engage in the unlicensed sale of more than 100 firearms and for making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm.
Vasken Kenneth Gourdikian, 50, of Sierra Madre, was sentenced by United States District Judge Stephen V. Wilson, who also ordered Gourdikian to pay a $10,000 fine.
Judge Wilson said he didn’t find credible Gourdikian’s claims of being “a hobbyist who got out of control.” In imposing the prison sentence, Judge Wilson noted, “This was a way for him to make money.”
In September 2018, Gourdikian pleaded guilty to federal charges of engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license and making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm.
Gourdikian engaged in the unlicensed sale of at least 108 firearms between March 2014 and February 2017 and used his official status as a police officer to purchase restricted “off roster” firearms. “Off roster” firearms are firearms that in California are not available for purchase by the general public directly from a licensed federal firearms dealer. While police officers are not prohibited from selling “off roster” firearms to the general public, Gourdikian unlawfully engaged in the business of selling firearms without a license.
In advertisements to sell firearms that he posted to an online firearms marketplace, Gourdikian sought to increase the purchase price and desirability of his firearms by describing them as “off roster,” “BNIB” (brand new in box), and “never fired.” Gourdikian admitted in his plea agreement that 80 of the 108 firearms were “off roster” firearms he sold in third-party transactions to non-law enforcement customers. Had Gourdikian possessed a federal firearms license, he would have been unable to sell nearly 75 percent of the 108 firearms he admitted to selling because California law prohibits federal firearms licensees from selling “off roster” firearms to non-law enforcement buyers, court papers state.
Gourdikian also abused his law enforcement position in other ways to benefit his gun-selling scheme. He admitted to circumventing the usual 10-day waiting period required for firearms purchases by using his position as police officer to bypass this state law. Because California law also exempts law enforcement from a general rule that prohibits the purchase of more than one firearm within a 30-day period, Gourdikian often purchased multiple firearms in a single transaction as a means of restocking his sales inventory. Gourdikian re-sold 79 firearms within six days after he purchased them, according to the government’s sentencing memorandum.
Another one of Gourdikian’s admitted offenses was making a false statement on a “re-certification” form for the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that he signed in 2014 when he took possession of a handgun. He misrepresented on the form that he was the buyer of a firearm when he actually purchased it for another individual, according to his plea agreement. Gourdikian re-sold the gun to another person on the same day he bought it from a gun dealer, court documents state. The purpose of this form is to ensure community safety by allowing law enforcement to monitor who purchases firearms and to track the sales of guns.
Highlighting the danger of Gourdikian’s conduct, court filings also described how, in 2016, one of the firearms that Gourdikian purchased was recovered by local police at the site of a narcotics investigation.
“Mr. Gourdikian’s side business of selling off-roster firearms violated federal law and endangered the public,” said United States Attorney Nick Hanna. “Police officers are permitted to purchase off-roster weapons for their own use and protection, but the law was not designed to give officers a lucrative second career as unlicensed firearms dealers flooding our communities with weapons not available to the general public.”
“The goal of ATF’s illegal firearms trafficking enforcement efforts is to reduce violent crime by stemming the flow of firearms to prohibited individuals,” said the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco and Explosives (ATF) Los Angeles Field Division Special Agent in Charge Carlos A. Canino. “ATF’s Crime Gun Intelligence Center routinely looks at crime guns recovered at scenes and multiple purchases by individuals. Through analysis, ATF discovered this individual was engaged in the business of dealing in firearms without a license which is a federal violation.”
This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Elisa Fernandez of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section and Jennifer Chou of the Violent and Organized Crime Section.
Ex-NASA Contractor Who Hacked into Women’s Accounts and Threatened to Publish Nude Photos Sentenced to Nearly 5 YearsRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A former NASA contractor was sentenced today to 57 months in federal prison for hacking into the email, social media accounts and computers of women he knew and then using the information, including nude photographs of the women, to anonymously threaten and harass them for additional explicit pictures.
Richard Gregory Bauer, 28, who resides in the Mid-Wilshire district of Los Angeles, was sentenced by United States District Judge John F. Walter, who called the crimes “disgusting and harmful.”
Bauer pleaded guilty in October to federal charges of stalking, computer hacking and aggravated identity theft. In a plea agreement filed in this case, Bauer admitted that he spent years obtaining unauthorized access to the online accounts of his victims, who included family, friends, high school and college acquaintances, co-workers and friends of friends.
Bauer’s “crimes represent a long-running course of behavior, not a one-off event, or for that matter a brief spree,” prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum.
Starting in early 2015 and continuing through early 2018, Bauer sent his victims anonymous online messages that threatened to publish their nude photographs on the Internet or to the victims’ family and co-workers if they did not send him additional explicit pictures of themselves. As part of the threats, Bauer included in his emails details that made it clear he knew about his victims’ lives, work and families, according to the sentencing memorandum.
Bauer targeted his victims using two methods. In some cases, he used his true identity and contacted victims on Facebook, posing a series of questions purportedly as part of a “human societies” project he claimed he was working on for a class. Some of the questions included ones frequently used to reset online passwords, including the name of the city where your parents met, the name of your first pet, or the brand and model of your first car. In reality, there was no class and Bauer then used the information he obtained to reset passwords, and to gain access to his victims’ online accounts, primarily cloud-based iPhone backups. From those backups, he gathered his victims’ photographs, videos and documents containing passwords for their other accounts.
Other times, Bauer again used his true identity and convinced his victims to install malware that he claimed was software he had written and needed help testing. Once the malware had been installed on the victims’ computers, Bauer used it to harvest account logins, passwords, photographs and videos from his victims’ compromised computers.
Bauer is a former contractor at NASA’s Neil A. Armstrong Flight Research Center, an aeronautical research center located at Edwards Air Force Base. He is a former resident of the High Desert communities of Lancaster and Palmdale.
This case was investigated by NASA’s Office of Inspector General.
This matter was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Khaldoun Shobaki of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section.
Ex-Brinks driver sentenced to 20 years in prison for armored car robberiesRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, GA: A former Brinks, Inc., driver has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for his role in staging a pair of armored-car robberies in 2016.
Victor Natson, 28, of Savannah, was sentenced to 240 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Lisa Godbey Wood, said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. Natson also was ordered to pay restitution of $34,740 and to serve five years of supervised release after completion of his sentence. There is no parole in the federal system.
Natson was convicted in May 2018 along with Savannah resident Joshua Scott, 23, of conspiring to interfere with interstate commerce by robbing armored trucks. In addition, Natson was convicted of aiding and abetting robbery, attempted robbery, and the discharge and brandishing of firearms during crimes of violence, while Scott was convicted of robbery and firearm brandishing charges.
Scott previously was sentenced to 15 years in prison, while a third defendant, Gregory Lamar Plair, 33, who pled guilty in the case, was sentenced to eight years in prison.
According to the evidence presented at trial, during the summer of 2016, Natson recruited Plair, a career criminal and gang member, to rob armored trucks operated by Brinks, Inc. After Natson encouraged Plair to commit the robberies, Plair sought the assistance of his cousin, Scott, who Plair knew had access to stolen firearms. Natson had worked for Brinks as a truck driver for nearly two years and provided Scott and Plair with information about Brinks’ routes, personnel, and procedures. On October 14, 2016, Natson drove the robbers to the intersection of White Bluff Road and Tibet Avenue so they could rob Brinks employees servicing a SunTrust ATM. The trio stole approximately $35,000 and fired one gunshot during the robbery. Natson received a share of the money and drove the getaway car. On January 30, 2017, at Natson’s direction, Scott and Plair attempted to rob a Brinks armored truck parked at a storage facility near Abercorn Street and Truman Parkway. When Scott and Plair accosted the driver, another Brinks employee shot and wounded both would-be robbers. Plair drove himself to St. Joseph’s Hospital for treatment; Scott was transported to Memorial Medical Center by ambulance. Both men were arrested shortly thereafter.
“Natson’s two-decade sentence wraps up the prosecution of an ill-conceived, short-lived and violent crime spree in which, fortunately, only the criminals were injured,” said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “Three predators are now locked away with a warning to other would-be criminals that no matter what kind of schemes they concoct, law enforcement and prosecutors will work that much harder to put them behind bars.”
“Natson felt his knowledge of the armored car company he worked for would lead him to illicit gains, but instead it opened the doors of a prison cell for a lengthy sentence behind bars,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “We are fortunate that no innocent victims were hurt as a result of his selfish desire for wealth.”
The investigation of Natson, Scott, and Plair’s crimes was led by FBI Southeast GA Violent Crimes Task Force, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia and the Savannah Police Department, with assistance from the bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), U.S. Marshals Service, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Georgia Southern University Police Department, the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office, and the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office.
Essex County, New Jersey, Man Admits Social Security FraudRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – An Essex County, New Jersey, man today admitted defrauding the Social Security Administration (SSA) of more than $200,000, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Fernando Solaris, 63, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Jose L. Linares in Newark federal court to a superseding information charging him with Social Security disability fraud and theft of government property.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
After immigrating to the United States in 1970, Solaris applied for, and received, three Social Security numbers (SSNs). He did so by slightly altering the personal information he provided on the application for each new SSN. In March 2002, using one of his SSNs, Solaris began receiving Supplemental Social Security Income and Disability benefits by claiming that he had constant pain in his back and left leg, which precluded him from working. He did not disclose to authorities that he had two additional Social Security numbers.
From 2002 through 2012, Solaris used two other Social Security cards to sporadically maintain employment in New Jersey while continuing to receive supplemental income and disability benefits. Solaris defrauded the SSA of $221,364 in Disability Insurance Benefits (DIB).
The count of Social Security fraud is punishable by a maximum of five years in prison, the count of theft of government property is punishable by a maximum of 10 years in prison; each count is punishable by a fine of $250,000, or twice the gross amount of any pecuniary gain by the defendant or loss to any victims, whichever is greatest. Sentencing is scheduled for June 4, 2019.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge John F. Grasso in New York, with the investigation leading to the guilty plea.
The government is represented by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Perry Farhat of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Public Protection Unit in Newark.
Defense counsel: Kevin Carlucci Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender, Newark
El Salvadoran National Who Illegally Reentered U.S. is SentencedRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ALFREDO DAGOBERTO HERCULES-SANTOS, 40, a citizen of El Salvador last residing in New Britain, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in Bridgeport to approximately six months of imprisonment, time already served, for illegally reentering the U.S. after being deported.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in July 2005, Hercules-Santos was removed from the U.S. to El Salvador. He illegally reentered the U.S., was found in the U.S. in November 2012, and was removed to El Salvador in January 2013. He again illegally reentered the U.S., was found in the U.S. in May 2014, and was removed to El Salvador in June 2014.
Hercules-Santos illegally reentered the U.S. a third time. On April 26, 2018, he was arrested in New Britain for driving under the influence. He posted bond on that case and then failed to appear in court to answer the charges. On August 19, 2018, the Vernon Police Department arrested Hercules-Santos and charged him with driving under the influence after he crashed an SUV he was driving into an unmarked Vernon Police cruiser. Both driving under the influence cases were resolved with guilty pleas.
Hercules-Santos has been detained since August 19, 2018. On December 18, 2018, he pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of reentry of removed alien.
This matter was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, with the assistance of the Vernon Police Department. The case was being by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah P. Karwan.
Dynamic Therapy Services, LLC and PhysioHealth, Inc. to Pay $2 Million to Resolve Allegations of Improperly Billing TRICARE for Services Provided by Non-Authorized ProvidersRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney William M. McSwain announced today that PhysioHealth Inc. and its wholly owned company Dynamic Therapy Services, LLC have agreed to pay $2 million to resolve allegations that it billed TRICARE for unallowable physical therapy services provided by non-authorized providers, including physical therapy assistants at clinics in Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.
The government launched an investigation after Dynamic Therapy voluntarily disclosed to the United States that between January 12, 2011, and January 23, 2017, Dynamic Therapy had provided professional services to TRICARE beneficiaries using physical therapy assistants, and then billed the services under the supervising physical therapist’s provider number. At the time the services were rendered, TRICARE did not cover physical therapy services rendered by physical therapy assistants, since they were not considered authorized providers under TRICARE rules then in effect.
“Physical therapy providers have a responsibility to ensure that they are complying with billing regulations,” said U.S. Attorney McSwain. “Dynamic Therapy and PhysioHealth discovered non-compliance problems internally. To their credit, they took corrective action to ensure that TRICARE beneficiaries are provided with services from authorized providers, and they came forward to voluntarily disclose to the Government what had occurred. Their proactive approach in this case sets a good example for other providers who might find themselves facing similar issues.”
“Ensuring the integrity of TRICARE, the Defense Department’s health care program, is a top priority for the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS),” stated Special Agent-in-Charge Leigh-Alistair Barzey, DCIS Northeast Field Office. “DCIS will continue to work with the United States Attorney’s Office and other law enforcement partners to protect TRICARE and the uniformed service members, retirees, and their families who rely upon it.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Judith Amorosa and Auditor Dawn Wiggins handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The matter was investigated by the Defense Criminal Investigative Services. The voluntary disclosure was made to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services which assisted in the resolution of this matter.
Dominican National Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Heroin and Fentanyl TraffickingRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Dominican national was sentenced in federal court in Boston today to 10 years in prison for trafficking heroin and fentanyl.
Elin Robinson Mejia Romero, 52, a Dominican national formerly residing in Hyde Park, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs to 10 years in prison and will be subject to deportation proceedings upon completion of his sentence. In September 2018, Mejia Romero was convicted by a federal jury of conspiracy to possess heroin and more than 40 grams of fentanyl, two counts of possession with intent to distribute heroin, one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and one count of possession with intent to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl. Romero previously pleaded guilty to a separate federal charge of illegally re-entering the country after being deported.
On five occasions between January 2017 and June 2017, Romero sold a total of over 100 grams of heroin and/or fentanyl to a cooperating witness. Agents recorded each transaction and laboratory results confirmed that the drugs were heroin and fentanyl. An additional 300 grams of fentanyl and other drug distributing paraphernalia were recovered during a search at a location in Hyde Park.
In 2008, Romero was convicted in federal court in Boston of conspiracy to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin and five kilograms or more of cocaine. He was sentenced to 46 months in prison and was deported to the Dominican Republic after completing his sentence.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Kelly Brady, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division, made the announcement today. Assistance was also provided by Customs and Border Protection and the Attleboro Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Leah B. Foley and Lauren A. Graber of Lelling’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.
Dominican National Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Distribute FentanylRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Dominican national pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to his role in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.
Sergio Manuel Lara-Suarez, a/k/a Sergio Manuel Lara-Juarez, 42, a Dominican national residing in Lawrence, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl; five counts of distribution of 40 grams or more of fentanyl; and two counts of distribution of fentanyl. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani scheduled sentencing for May 16, 2019. Lara-Suarez was charged by superseding indictment in November 2018.
Between September 2017 and March 2018, Lara-Suarez conspired with others to distribute significant quantities of fentanyl or a mixture containing both fentanyl and heroin to undercover law enforcement officers. During that period, Lara-Suarez met with undercover agents 11 times and sold them over 430 grams of fentanyl. Lara-Suarez has been in state custody since August 2018.
The charge of conspiring to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison, a minimum of five years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $10 million. The charge of distribution of 40 grams or more of fentanyl carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and no greater than 40 years in prison, at least four years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $5 million. The charge of distribution of fentanyl carries a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $1 million. Lara-Suarez will be subject to deportation proceedings. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; and Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Division, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Estes of Lelling’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case
Decatur Man Faces Multiple Charges of Sexual Exploitation of ChildrenRead the Press Release
URBANA, Ill. – A Decatur, Ill., man, Cornell D.A. Johnson, 22, appeared in federal court in Urbana today for arraignment on charges that he sexually exploited children and possessed child pornography. At today’s hearing, a trial date of April 29, 2019, was set for Johnson.
Johnson, of the 1100 block of East Division St., was previously arrested on Feb. 4, 2019, and charged by criminal complaint. At his initial court appearance, on Feb. 5, U.S. Magistrate Judge Eric I. Long ordered that Johnson remain detained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
The five-count indictment, returned by the grand jury on Feb. 20, alleges that on four occasions between December 2018 and January 2019, Johnson exploited seven minors to get them to engage in sexually explicit conduct to produce graphic images and to send the images to him. Johnson is also charged with possessing child pornography when he was arrested.
The affidavit filed on Feb. 5, 2019, in support of the criminal complaint, alleges that Johnson impersonated a teenaged female and communicated with minors in several states using Facebook and Facebook Messenger to get the minors, aged four through 16, to send lewd and graphic images to him. According to the affidavit, Facebook detected that pornographic images of children had been uploaded and generated cybertip reports which were sent to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Using the cybertip information, law enforcement identified children in Alabama, Delaware, and Ohio and identified an email address allegedly used by Johnson, which was used to contact the children.
If convicted, the statutory maximum penalty for each count of sexual exploitation (four counts) is 30 years in prison; for possession of child pornography, the maximum penalty is 10 years in prison. Each of the five counts includes a potential fine of up to $250,000.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elly M. Peirson. The charges are the result of an investigation by the Decatur Police Department; the Illinois Attorney General’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force; and, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations.
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.
Cowlitz County Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Illegal Weapons PossessionRead the Press Release
A Longview, Washington, man who was convicted in July 2016 of a triple homicide in Vancouver was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to an additional ten years in federal prison for two federal felonies involving illegal weapons possession, announced U.S. Attorney Brian T. Moran. BRENT LUYSTER, 37, was convicted following a three-day trial in November 2018 of being a felon in possession of firearms and being a felon in possession of ammunition. At the sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge Benjamin H. Settle imposed a ten-year sentence to be served consecutive to LUYSTER’s state sentence. Judge Settle said, “There is a great need to be concerned at protecting the public . . . this case warrants the maximum sentence.” For the state murder convictions, LUYSTER had been ordered to serve a state sentence of life in prison with no chance of parole. The federal sentence of ten years will follow this state sentence.
“The hatred and violence embodied by this defendant is truly abhorrent,” said U.S. Attorney Brian T. Moran. “This sentence is a safety net – to hold him accountable for his federal crimes – but also to ensure that regardless of his state convictions and sentence, Brent Luyster will remain locked up to protect our communities.”
According to the evidence at trial in the case, Cowlitz County Sheriff’s deputies were called to a Longview home in May 2016 after a woman fled to a neighbor’s home saying she had been assaulted and her child was missing. The woman told responding officers that LUYSTER had hit her in the head with a gun. Another neighbor reported hearing gunshots. Ultimately, officers located LUYSTER on a hillside behind the house and convinced him to surrender. He had ammunition in his pockets, and at the location where he had been concealed on the hillside, officers recovered three firearms: a Bushmaster rifle, a Glock .40 caliber handgun, and a Keltec .12 gauge shotgun. Additional ammunition was discovered on the hillside. Inside the house where LUYSTER lived, law enforcement found five additional rifles and a handgun. The investigation revealed that LUYSTER’s live-in girlfriend had purchased the weapons for LUYSTER. LUYSTER was prohibited from possessing firearms due to multiple felony convictions, including convictions for assault, burglary, theft, malicious harassment, and riot with a deadly weapon.
Following the May 16 assault, while state charges were pending in Cowlitz County, LUYSTER shot and killed three people and critically injured a fourth on July 15, 2016, at a home near Woodland, Washington. He was convicted of three counts of aggravated first degree murder in November 2017.
While incarcerated at the Federal Detention Center at Sea-Tac, LUYSTER informed another inmate that he planned to assault a guard or make a violent disturbance at his trial. A search of his cell revealed two weapons LUYSTER had crafted out of parts of his bed–one a homemade knife and the other a weapon that looked like a screwdriver.
LUYSTER has a long and violent criminal history, including racially motivated attacks. In 2001, he beat an African-American man who stepped on his property in search of his dogs. Four years later, he was convicted of Malicious Harassment for shooting an African-American man in the leg. In 2014, he threatened an African-American man in a bar. LUYSTER also has a history of domestic abuse.
The case was investigated by the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office, Longview Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Bruce Miyake and Ye‑Ting Woo.
Connecticut Transportation Company Owner Admits to Filing False Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Kristina O’Connell, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in New England, announced that WILLIAM SCALZI, 61, of Durham, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in Bridgeport to a tax offense related to his filing of false tax returns.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Scalzi, the owner of Transportation General, Inc., of West Haven, understated his taxable income by running personal expenses through his company. Scalzi used his company’s credit cards to pay for numerous personal expenses, which were deducted as business expenses on Transportation General’s corporate tax returns. He also did not include these personal expenses as income on his personal tax returns for the 2007 through 2010 tax years.
Scalzi pleaded guilty to one count of subscribing a false tax return, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of three years. Scalzi also has agreed to make $297,319.31 in restitution to the IRS, which will satisfy his criminal and civil tax liabilities for the 2007 through 2010 tax years. A sentencing date is not scheduled.
This matter is being investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas P. Morabito.
Columbia County Man Charged with Distribution of Heroin and Fentanyl Resulting in DeathRead the Press Release
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that James Mark Minichella, age 23, of Catawissa, Pennsylvania, was indicted on February 19, 2019, by a federal grand jury for drug distribution resulting in death. The case was unsealed following the arrest of the defendant.
According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, the indictment alleges that on or about August 11, 2017, Minichella knowingly and intentionally distributed and possessed with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl causing the death of another person.
The charges stem from a joint investigation involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Scranton, the Wyoming County District Attorney’s Office, and the Wyoming County Detectives. United States Attorney Michelle Olshefski is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
This case was also 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.
Indictments and Criminal Informations 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.
In this case, the maximum penalty under the federal statute for drug distribution resulting in death is life imprisonment. The maximum penalty for possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance is 20 years imprisonment and a $1,000,000 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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Colorado Man Sentenced for Methamphetamine DistributionRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Westminster, Colorado, man convicted of Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance was sentenced on February 22, 2019, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.
Matthew Steele, age 34, was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, a fine of $1,000, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Steele was indicted by a federal grand jury on June 12, 2018. He pled guilty on December 10, 2018.
The conviction stemmed from an incident that occurred on February 10, 2017, following a traffic stop, Steele knowingly and intentionally possessed with intent to distribute a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance, in the District of South Dakota, in and around the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation. Steele admitted that between 40 and 50 grams of methamphetamine was in his possession.
This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan N. Dilges prosecuted the case.
Steele was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Clay County Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Firearms ChargeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.VA. – A Clay County man pled guilty to a federal firearms charge, said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. Timothy Fields, 40, of Procious, pled guilty to being a felon in possession of firearms. The investigation was conducted by the Jackson County Probation Office, Clay County Sheriff’s Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
“Don’t make the mistake of thinking possession of a firearm is a minor offense if you’re a felon,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “Fields faces up to 10 years in prison. It is entirely simple. If you’re a felon, you’ve lost the right to possess a firearm.”
On October 23, 2017, Fields was found by his probation officer to be in possession of at least thirteen firearms in his residence in Clay County. At the time, Fields was on probation following a felony conviction for grand larceny out of Jackson County, West Virginia. Fields faces up to 10 years in prison when he is sentenced on May 29, 2019.
United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr., presided over the plea hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Rada Herrald is handling the prosecution.
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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