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15 March 2019
Hesperia Man Who Allegedly Brought Rifle into Victorville Restaurant after Being Denied Alcohol Indicted on Firearms and Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A convicted felon who allegedly brought an assault rifle into a Victorville restaurant after employees refused to serve him an alcoholic drink has been indicted on federal firearms and methamphetamine charges.
Francisco Alvarado Felix, 32, of Hesperia, pleaded not guilty today to the two-count indictment in United States District Court. An August 20 trial date was scheduled.
A superseding indictment, which was returned by a federal grand jury on March 6, adds one felony charge of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Felix initially was indicted in January on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
According to the indictment and a criminal complaint previously filed in this case, at around 1:00 a.m. on December 29, Felix visited a BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse in Victorville with his girlfriend. He attempted to order an alcoholic beverage, but BJ’s employees declined to serve him because he did not have proper identification. When restaurant employees later saw Felix sipping from his girlfriend’s alcoholic drink, the manager warned Felix he was not allowed to drink alcohol without identification and he would be forced to leave the restaurant if he did it again.
Felix left the restaurant and shortly returned. When the manager opened the doors that had been locked because of the late hour, he saw Felix remove a black rifle from under a blanket, court documents allege. Fearing for his life, the manager ran out of the restaurant after seeing Felix brandish the rifle. Felix allegedly tried to follow the manager out the lobby door, but the manager slammed the door on the rifle and grabbed the weapon. While the two men struggled for control of the rifle, a round was discharged into the ground just in front of the restaurant. Felix then pushed the manager to the ground and fled the scene in a dark-colored SUV, leaving his girlfriend behind to be interviewed by law enforcement officials, according to the affidavit in support of the criminal complaint.
The following morning, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies executed a search warrant at Felix’s residence, recovering approximately 37 grams of methamphetamine packaged in two separate baggies. Officers also found in Felix’s Lincoln Navigator SUV a black Smith & Wesson model M&P – an AR-15-type rifle which had a 30-round magazine filled to capacity and one round in the chamber.
After his arrest, Felix admitted that he was upset at being denied an alcoholic beverage and went back out to his car to retrieve his identification, according to the affidavit. He also admitted to grabbing the rifle for an unknown reason and claimed he simply wanted to scare the restaurant manager, the affidavit states.
The felon-in-possession charge in the indictment alleges that Felix was previously convicted in San Bernardino County Superior Court for felony DUI and three felony possession with intent to sell methamphetamine charges.
If convicted on both charges in the superseding indictment, Felix would face a statutory maximum sentence of 50 years in federal prison.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.
This matter is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jerry Yang of the Riverside Branch Office.
Fremont County Man Sentenced for Possession with Intent to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa - United States Attorney Marc Krickbaum announced on March 14, 2019, John Tracy Miller, age 50, was sentenced by United States Senior District Court Judge James E. Gritzner for Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. Miller was sentenced to 78 months in prison, to be followed by a term of supervised release of four years.
In August 2018, Miller was a passenger in a vehicle stopped by a Fremont County Deputy for speeding and a broken headlight. In a search subsequent to the stop, 59.2 grams of methamphetamine was located in Miller’s pocket.
This case was investigated by Fremont County Sheriff’s Department, Omaha Police Department and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.
Fraudulent Political Action Committee Operator Sentenced to Two Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that WILLIAM TIERNEY was sentenced to two years in prison for conspiring to defraud tens of thousands of victims of more than $1 million in connection with political action committees falsely purporting to support causes including autism awareness, law enforcement support, and the pro-life movement. TIERNEY was also ordered to pay more than $1.5 million in forfeiture and restitution to victims, as well as an additional $50,000 fine. TIERNEY pled guilty on November 2, 2018, before United States District Judge Jesse M. Furman, who also imposed the sentence.
U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “The successful prosecution of William Tierney demonstrates the commitment of the federal government to rooting out fraud and corruption in political action committees. Today’s sentence sends a clear warning to anyone engaged in fraudulent political fundraising: Scam PACs are a crime and those perpetrating them will go to prison.”
According to the Information, other filings in Manhattan federal court, and evidence presented in court at sentencing:
TIERNEY defrauded tens of thousands of donors to six political action committees that he established, controlled, and operated. These scam PACs were fraudulent entities operated to enrich the defendant, targeting victims across the country to raise funds on the basis of false and misleading representations. The scam PACs purported to support voter education regarding – and the political campaigns of those who supported – various causes, including autism awareness, law enforcement, and pro-life causes, including through purported “coast to coast” education and advocacy campaigns, working with local groups and organizations, and “investing every penny . . . in the big races to come.” In truth, virtually all of the money raised was either paid to TIERNEY or used to perpetuate the fraud through additional telemarketing, fundraising, and overhead expenditures. Less than 1 percent of the money obtained by the scam PACs was contributed to candidates for office.
TIERNEY carried out the fraud through a web of shell pass-through entities utilized to conceal and disguise the scheme. Donated funds were transferred to these shell entities, which were given names that suggested activities related to marketing, consulting, and communications efforts, including for issue-specific causes. As a result, payments to the shell entities appeared to be for legitimate expenditures, including when publicly disclosed in Federal Election Commission (“FEC”) filings. In at least one instance, a website was created for one of the shell entities, falsely stating that the entity provided direct marketing and political consulting services to trade associations, candidate campaigns, political action committees, and nonprofit organizations. In fact, these and the other shell entities TIERNEY created had no active operations or employees, were retained by no outside “clients,” and served only to funnel and disguise financial transactions involving money donated to certain scam PACs.
To facilitate the fraud, TIERNEY used the false identity “Bill Johnson” when meeting and corresponding with certain vendors. Another fake identity, “Emma Smith,” was used in fundraising solicitations, and was described as a “Volunteer Coordinator” for one of the PACs. In fact, neither Emma Smith nor the position of “Volunteer Coordinator” actually existed. TIERNEY also undertook efforts to avoid press coverage of the scam PACs more generally, despite the scam PACs’ claims in solicitation materials of national advocacy and awareness campaigns.
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In addition to the prison term, Judge Furman ordered TIERNEY, 47, to pay restitution in the amount of $1,175,417.23, forfeiture in the amount of $410,649.18, and a fine in the amount of $50,000. TIERNEY was also sentenced to one year of supervised release.
TIERNEY pled guilty on November 2, 2018, to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Mr. Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of the Special Agents of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, and thanked the Federal Bureau of Investigation for its contributions to the investigation.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Public Corruption Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alex Rossmiller and Alison Moe are in charge of the prosecution.
Fort Dodge Man Pleads Guilty to Meth and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
A man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine and illegally possessed guns pled guilty March 12, 2019, in federal court in Sioux City.
Wayne Allen Quillen, Jr. 49, from Fort Dodge, Iowa, was convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine; possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; and possession of a firearm by a felon. Quillen was convicted of possession of methamphetamine and/or amphetamine with intent to distribute in Webster County, Iowa in March 2001.
At the plea hearing, Quillen admitted that from about 2017 through July 2018, he and others conspired to distribute more than three pounds of methamphetamine in the Fort Dodge area. On December 27, 2017, law enforcement executed a search warrant at the residence Quillen and co-defendant Cody Groat resided at. At that time officers seized over ½ pound of methamphetamine, three handguns, a modified shotgun with no serial number, and assorted 9mm ammunition. It was later determined that two of the 9mm handguns had been stolen from a large scale firearm burglary/arson case in Calhoun County, Iowa.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.
Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Quillen remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. On the drug convictions, Quillen faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment, with a consecutive mandatory minimum 5 years’ imprisonment on one gun conviction, and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, up to a $24,500,000 in fines, and at least ten years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by the Fort Dodge Police Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Webster County, Iowa Sheriff’s Office, and Iowa Division of Criminal Investigations.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 18-3023. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Former Social Security Administration Employee Admits Stealing Thousands of Dollars in BenefitsRead the Press Release
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey D. Hill (619) 546-7924
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – March 15, 2019
SAN DIEGO – Former U.S. Social Security Administration employee Nam-Phong Hung Le pleaded guilty in federal court today to two felony charges, admitting he stole tens of thousands of dollars in government benefits intended for the elderly and the disabled.
During a hearing before U.S. District Judge Janis L. Sammartino, Le acknowledged that while he was employed as a technical expert at the Social Security Administration, he set up a bank account in the name of two recipients of Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Le admitted that he knew both recipients had left the United States and were therefore ineligible for SSI, and that he took over the newly created bank account and personally received almost $30,000 in SSI payments in their names without their knowledge. Le further admitted that his fraud cost the State of California over $20,000 in medical premium payments made to the SSI recipients after they had left the country, which made them ineligible for subsidized medical benefits.
In his plea agreement, Le, 37, admitted that he also exploited his position with the Social Security Administration to identify SSI recipients with “underpayments” – that is, individuals owed lump sum cash payments by the Social Security Administration. Le admitted that he used the same fraudulent bank account that he had previously created to steal more than $15,000 in money owed to six other individuals, including one deceased person. Le admitted that he withdrew the money at ATM locations throughout Southern California and deposited the cash into his personal bank accounts.
“The taxpayer has a right to expect that public servants will perform their duties honorably, and that programs intended to assist our nation’s most vulnerable individuals will not be compromised from within,” said United States Attorney Robert Brewer. “The United States Attorney’s Office is committed to ensuring the integrity of Social Security Administration employees, and maintaining the public’s trust in one of our nation’s oldest and most important aid programs.” Brewer also praised the work of federal prosecutor Jeffrey D. Hill and investigators with the Social Security Administration – Office of the Inspector General.
“There is nothing more important to federal employment than public trust. When that trust is violated, it impacts the entire federal workforce and those they serve,” said Robb Stickley, the special agent in charge of Social Security's San Francisco Field Division, which is responsible for Southern California.
As a part of his plea agreement, Le agreed to pay full restitution to the Social Security Administration and the State of California’s Department of Health Care Services, and to a separate order of criminal forfeiture equal to the amount of money that Le stole from the Social Security Administration through his fraudulent bank account. Le is scheduled to be sentenced on July 12, 2019.
DEFENDANT Case Number 19-cr-0532-JLS
Nam-Phong Hung Le Chula Vista, CA Age: 37
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Social Security Fraud – Title 42, U.S.C., Section 1383a(a)(3)
Maximum penalty: 10 years’ imprisonment, $250,000 fine, restitution.
Theft of Public Property – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 641
Maximum penalty: 10 years’ imprisonment, $250,000 fine, restitution, forfeiture.
AGENCIES
Social Security Administration – Office of the Inspector General
Former Intelligence Officer Pleads Guilty to Attempted EspionageRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY – A former Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) officer, taken into federal custody by the FBI in June 2018 as he was preparing to board a flight to China, pleaded guilty Friday afternoon to attempting to communicate, deliver, or transmit information involving the national defense of the United States to the People’s Republic of China.
Ron Rockwell Hansen, 59, a resident of Syracuse, Utah, entered his guilty plea before U.S. District Court Judge Dee Benson in Salt Lake City. The plea agreement includes a stipulated sentence of 180 months, subject to the approval of the Court. Sentencing in the case is set for Sept. 24, 2019, at 2 p.m.
Hansen pleaded guilty to the lead count of a 15-count indictment returned in June 2018, charging him with attempt to gather or deliver defense information, acting as an agent of a foreign government, bulk cash smuggling, structuring monetary transactions, and smuggling goods from the United States. Federal prosecutors will ask the Court to dismiss the remaining counts of the indictment at sentencing, however, the plea agreement includes an agreement that relevant conduct can be considered by the Court in determining the reasonableness of the sentence.
Hansen retired from the U.S. Army as a Warrant Officer with a background in signals intelligence and human intelligence. He speaks fluent Mandarin-Chinese and Russian, according to court documents. Upon retiring from active duty, DIA hired Hansen as a civilian intelligence case officer in 2006. Hansen held a Top Secret clearance for many years, and signed several non-disclosure agreements during his tenure at DIA and as a government contractor.
As Hansen admitted in the plea agreement, in early 2014, agents of a Chinese intelligence service targeted him for recruitment, and he began meeting with them regularly in China. During these meetings, the agents described to Hansen the type of information that would interest Chinese intelligence. Hansen stipulated that during the course of his relationship with Chinese intelligence, he received thousands of dollars in compensation for information he provided them.Between May 24, 2016, and June 2, 2018, Hansen admitted he solicited national security information from an intelligence case officer working for the DIA. Hansen admitted knowing that the Chinese intelligence services would find the information valuable, and he agreed to act as a conduit to sell that information to the Chinese. He advised the DIA case officer how to record and transmit classified information without detection, and how to hide and launder any funds received as payment for classified information. He admitted he now understands that the DIA case officer reported his conduct to the DIA and subsequently acted as a confidential human source for the FBI.
Hansen admitted meeting with the DIA case officer on June 2, 2018, and receiving individual documents containing national defense information that he had previously solicited. The documents he received were classified. The documents included national security information related to U.S. military readiness in a particular region -- information closely held by the federal government. Hansen did not possess a security clearance nor did he possess a need to know the information contained in the materials.
As a part of his plea agreement, Hansen admitted he reviewed the documents, queried the case officer about their contents, and took written notes which contained information determined to be classified. He advised the DIA case officer that he would remember most of the details about the documents he received that day and would conceal notes about the material in the text of an electronic document he would prepare at the airport before leaving for China. He admitted he intended to provide the information he received to the agents of the Chinese Intelligence Service with whom he had been meeting. He also admitted knowing that the information was to be used to the injury of the United States and to the advantage of a foreign nation.
Hansen was arrested June 2, 2018, on his way to the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Seattle, Wash., to board a connecting flight to China.
As a part of the plea agreement, Hansen has agreed to forfeit property acquired from or traceable to his offense, including property used to facilitate the crime.
The case was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert A. Lund, Karin Fojtik, Mark K. Vincent and Alicia Cook of the District of Utah, and Trial Attorneys Patrick T. Murphy, Matthew J. McKenzie and Adam L. Small of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section. Prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington assisted with this case.
The prosecution is the result of an investigation by special agents of the FBI, IRS-Criminal Investigation, U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Army Counterintelligence, and the Defense Intelligence Agency.Former Defense Intelligence Officer Pleads Guilty to Attempted EspionageRead the Press Release
Ron Rockwell Hansen, 58, a resident of Syracuse, Utah, and a former Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) officer, pleaded guilty today in the District of Utah in connection with his attempted transmission of national defense information to the People’s Republic of China. Sentencing is set for Sept. 24, 2019.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, U.S. Attorney John Huber for the District of Utah and Special Agent in Charge Paul Haertel of the FBI’s Salt Lake City Field Office announced the charges.
Hansen retired from the U.S. Army as a Warrant Officer with a background in signals intelligence and human intelligence. He speaks fluent Mandarin-Chinese and Russian. DIA hired Hansen as a civilian intelligence case officer in 2006. Hansen held a Top Secret clearance for many years, and signed several non-disclosure agreements during his tenure at DIA and as a government contractor.
As Hansen admitted in the plea agreement, in early 2014, agents of a Chinese intelligence service targeted Hansen for recruitment and he began meeting with them regularly in China. During those meetings, the Chinese agents described to Hansen the type of information that would interest the Chinese intelligence service. During the course of his relationship with the agents of the Chinese intelligence service, Hansen received hundreds of thousands of dollars in compensation for information he provided them, including information he gathered at various industry conferences. Between May 24, 2016 and June 2, 2018, Hansen solicited from an intelligence case officer working for the DIA national defense information that Hansen knew the Chinese intelligence service would find valuable. Hansen agreed to act as a conduit to sell that information to the Chinese. Hansen advised the DIA case officer how to record and transmit classified information without detection, and explained how to hide and launder any funds received as payment for classified information. The DIA case officer reported Hansen’s conduct to the DIA and subsequently acted as a confidential human source for the FBI.
As Hansen further admitted in the plea agreement, Hansen met with the DIA case officer on June 2, 2018, and received from that individual documents containing national defense information that Hansen previously solicited. The documents Hansen received were classified. The information in the documents related to the national defense of the United States in that it related to United States military readiness in a particular region and was closely held by the United States government. Hansen reviewed the documents, queried the DIA case officer about their contents, and took written notes about the materials relating to the national defense information. Hansen advised the DIA case officer that he would remember most of the details about the documents he received that day and would conceal some notes about the material in the text of an electronic document that Hansen would prepare at the airport before leaving for China. Hansen intended to provide the information he received to the agents of the Chinese intelligence service with whom he had been meeting, and Hansen knew that the information was to be used to the injury of the United States and to the advantage of a foreign nation.
Hansen pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to gather or deliver national defense information to aid a foreign government. The plea agreement calls for an agreed-upon sentence of 15 years.
Special agents of the FBI, IRS, U.S. Department of Commerce, the Department of Defense, U.S. Army Counterintelligence, and the Defense Intelligence Agency were involved in the investigation.
The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert A. Lund, Karin Fojtik, Mark K. Vincent and Alicia Cook of the District of Utah, and Trial Attorneys Patrick T. Murphy, Matthew J. McKenzie and Adam L. Small of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section. Prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington assisted with this case.
Former Air Force member admits child sexual exploitation chargesRead the Press Release
MISSOULA – A former U.S. Air Force service member on March 14 admitted to charges accusing him of enticing minor boys in Montana he met online into sending him sexually explicit images of themselves, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Raymond Larry Edward Kennedy, 24, of Kalispell, pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a child and to receipt of child pornography. Kennedy faces a mandatory minimum 15 years to 30 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and five years to life of supervised release. He is detained.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah C. Lynch presided. Judge Lynch will recommend Kennedy’s plea be accepted by Chief U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen, who is hearing the case.
Prosecutors said an investigation began in February 2017 when the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls contacted an agent with Homeland Security Investigations and member of the Montana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force seeking help with an online child exploitation case involving Kennedy. The Air Force discharged Kennedy on Feb. 6, 2017.
The investigation found that Kennedy met a minor boy who lived in Montana on Snapchat and ultimately determined that Kennedy had met six minor boys who all lived in Montana. In Kennedy’s online communications with the boys from about July 2015 through June 2017, he received sexually explicit images of the boys’ genitals. The boys were all younger than 18 and lived in Kalispell, Big Fork and Great Falls. Law enforcement determined that Kennedy induced and persuaded one of the boys to produce a sexually explicit image of himself, which he sent to Kennedy.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Cyndee Peterson is prosecuting the case, which was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Montana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
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Feds Charge Two in Logan County with Intent to Distribute MethRead the Press Release
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Two Logan County men have been charged by a federal grand jury with intent to distribute methamphetamine, announced United States Attorney Russell M. Coleman.
Brad Ashley Baskerville, age 37, of Dunmor, Kentucky, and Christopher Lynn Abney, age 46, from of Russellville, Kentucky, are both charged with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, according to the federal indictment.
“The Land of Logan is well-served by close cooperation between its South Central Drug Task Force and the DEA,” said U.S. Attorney Russell Coleman. “Stay tuned; more to come.”
Baskerville and Abney face no less than 10 years in federal prison, and no more than life. There is no parole in the federal system.
Assistant United States Attorney Leigh Ann Dycus is prosecuting the case. The case was investigated by the South Central Kentucky Drug Task Force, Russellville Police Department, Logan County Sheriff’s Office, Pennyrile Narcotics Task Force and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Madisonville POD, Louisville Division. The DEA’s Louisville Division is comprised of Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia; and was created in 2018 to better address the drug challenges facing our region.
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The indictment of a person by a Grand Jury is an accusation only and that person is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Durant Man Sentenced to Six Months House Confinement, $500 Restitution for Theft in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Brian Douglas McGaha, age 42, of Durant, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 6 months’ house confinement, 2 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $500.00 in restitution for Theft In Indian Country, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1151, 1152 and 661. The charges arose from an investigation by the Chickasaw Nation Lighthorse Police and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
The Information alleged that on or about June 28, 2018, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Indian Country, the defendant, a non-Indian, took and carried away, with intent to steal, a voucher in the amount of $500.00, which was the personal property of another person who was an Indian, and the voucher had a value of less than $1,000.00.
The Honorable Kimberly E. West, Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Muskogee, presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Sarah McAmis represented the United States.
Drug Trafficking Conspirator SentencedRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – The second of two men who, at times, worked together to ship dozens of kilograms of cocaine through the U.S. Postal Service from Puerto Rico to Rhode Island was sentenced today to 60 months in federal prison.
Alison Skerrett, 32, of, Worcester, Mass., previously admitted to the Court that in January 2016, he entered into an agreement with William Gonzalez, 50, of Providence, to work together to purchase large quantities of cocaine from a distributor in Puerto Rico, then send the drugs through the U.S. Mail to various address in Rhode Island and elsewhere. Once the packages arrived, Skerrett would gather them up and distribute the cocaine to others.
According to information presented to the Court, from May 2016 until his arrest in June 2017, Skerrett made at least 14 trips to Puerto Rico. During each trip Skerrett either assisted Gonzalez in purchasing and shipping cocaine back to Rhode Island through the U.S. Mail or he did so on his own.
According to information presented to the Court, on August 28, 2016, Skerrett and Gonzalez traveled together to Puerto Rico, purchased a kilogram of cocaine, divided it up into packages of 300 gram quantities, and mailed the packages to Rhode Island. Gonzalez was arrested two days later by Rhode Island State Police. Skerrett however continued to participate in the conspiracy with the Puerto Rican cocaine distributor by continuing to purchasing large quantities of cocaine and shipping the cocaine back to Rhode Island.
During the course of the conspiracy, Skerrett possessed and delivered 14 kilograms of cocaine. Gonzalez admitted being responsible for at least 203 packages containing a minimum of 300 grams each that were shipped from Puerto Rico to Rhode Island. Gonzalez was responsible for the shipment of nearly 61 kilograms of cocaine into Rhode Island.
At sentencing today, U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., sentenced Alison Skerrett to 60 months in federal prison to be followed by 4 years supervised release. Skerrett pled guilty on March 16, 2018, to conspiracy to possess more than one kilogram of cocaine with intent to distribute and possession with intent to distribute more than one kilogram of cocaine.
William Gonzalez was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., on January 11, 2108, to 72 months in federal prison to be followed by 4 years supervised release. He pled guilty on October 3, 2017, to one count each of conspiracy to possess one or more kilograms of cocaine with the intent to distribute and possession of one or more kilograms of cocaine with the intent to distribute.
Gonzalez’s federal prison sentence was ordered served consecutive to a sentence of 25 years - 12 years to serve imposed in Rhode Island state court on August 31, 2016, in an unrelated case. In that case, Gonzalez pleaded nolo contendre to possession of cocaine with the intent to deliver.
The sentences are announced by United States Attorney Aaron L. Weisman, Colonel James M. Manni, Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police, and Joseph W. Cronin, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division.
Skerrett and Gonzalez’s cases in federal court were prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney William J. Ferland.
The matter was investigated by the Rhode Island State Police and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
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Drug Seizures Top 275 Kilos in 2018Read the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA –United States Attorney Bill Powell is applauding law enforcement efforts in 2018, as more than 275 kilos of illicit and dangerous drugs were taken off the streets in communities across the Northern District of West Virginia.
More than 3 kilos of fentanyl alone was seized, enough to kill 83% of the entire state of West Virginia’s population.“The combination of federal, state and local law enforcement and dedicated prosecutors from this office has resulted in extraordinary successes. Our efforts to cripple drug supply chains and prosecute every significant link we can find have been very effective. Our drug seizures have also resulted in removing many firearms from the drug dealing community. Our efforts will only intensify as additional resources are dedicated to this fight,” said Powell.
Everything from cocaine to heroin to methamphetamine were seized in large quantities. The numbers below are approximate, and received from Appalachia HIDTA, Washington-Baltimore HIDTA, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Cocaine: 15.3 kilos
Fentanyl: 3.1 kilos
Heroin: 10.7 kilos
Marijuana (including plants): 161.8 kilos
Methamphetamine: 84.6 kilos
Oxycodone: 1600 pills
Other pharmaceuticals: 49,500 pillsThe seizures were a collaborative effort between HIDTA-funded drug and violent crime task forces, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and local law enforcement.
To learn more about HIDTA and the task forces, go to https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndwv/contact-us/task-forces.
Drug Dealer Sentenced to Prison for Drug and Gun CrimesRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Springfield man was sentenced today to 20 years in prison for distributing more than 5 kilograms of cocaine and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of his drug dealing.
According to court documents, Aidriss Saydi, 36, was one of the largest drug dealers in the Northern Virginia area over the past decade. Saydi frequently traveled to other states with hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash to purchase narcotics that were later shipped to him.
Over the course of the conspiracy, Saydi used dozens of people to receive drug shipments on his behalf. When shipments became more difficult given the quantity of drugs he was distributing, Saydi purchased his own plane to carry drugs to Virginia. In April of 2018, after fear that law enforcement was closing in on him, Saydi ordered a co-conspirator to hide close to a kilogram of cocaine, 30 pounds of marijuana, and a stolen handgun, all of which were later found by law enforcement. When the buried contraband could not be found, Saydi repeatedly beat his co-conspirator with another weapon, fearing that his co-conspirator had stolen them from him. As part of his sentence, Saydi agreed to forfeit $1 million and multiple vehicles.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Matthew J. DeSarno, Special Agent in Charge, Criminal Division, FBI Washington Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Grieco and Assistant U.S. Attorney Whitney Dougherty Russell 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. 1:18-cr-394.
District Man Sentenced to 16 Years in Prison for Armed Robberies in Southeast WashingtonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Danzell Johnson, 21, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 16 years in prison for a pair of armed robberies he committed last summer in Southeast Washington, including one that resulted in a carjacking, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
A co-defendant, Kyree Black, 21, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced on March 1, 2019, to a 15-year prison term.
Johnson and Black pled guilty in January 2019 to charges of carjacking, armed robbery, and unlawful possession of a firearm. The pleas, which were subject to the Court’s approval, called for Johnson to be sentenced to 15 to 18 years in prison and Black to be sentenced to 13 to 20 years. The Honorable Robert A. Salerno accepted the pleas and sentenced the defendants accordingly. Following their prison terms, Johnson and Black will be placed on five years of supervised release.
According to plea documents, the first crime took place at approximately 11 p.m. on July 27th, 2018. Johnson and Black accosted the victim in the 3300 block of 10th Place SE. Johnson pointed a handgun at the man and demanded his car keys. The victim turned over the keys to his 2015 BMW. Black, who was armed with a knife, demanded the rest of the man’s possessions. The man threw his driver’s license, bank card, iPhone and charging cable at Black. He then fled to safety and contacted police. Prince George’s County, Md. Police observed the stolen car in District Heights, Md., and attempted to stop it. The driver fled and crashed. The two ran away.
The second crime occurred at approximately 12:15 a.m. on Aug. 1, 2018. This time, Johnson and Black approached a man who was walking in the area of the 700 block of 8th Street SE. Johnson pointed a gun at the victim and ordered him onto the ground. Black then removed the victim’s wallet and took about $80 in cash. Johnson took the victim’s iPhone.
Johnson was arrested on Aug. 9, 2018. In a search of Johnson, police recovered a loaded revolver as well as the iPhone taken in the Aug. 1 robbery. Black was arrested on Aug. 13. In a search of Black, police found a Metro card registered to the victim of the first robbery.
In announcing the sentences, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittany Keil, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.
District Man Sentenced to 130 Months in Prison for Role in Drug Trafficking OrganizationRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Orlando Bell, 37, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 130 months in prison for his role in a drug trafficking organization that distributed large amounts of heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Nancy McNamara, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Bell was found guilty by a jury on Oct. 31, 2018, following a trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, of one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine base and one count of using, possessing, and carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking offense. He was sentenced by the Honorable Trevor N. McFadden. Following his prison term, Bell will be subject to deportation proceedings to Jamaica.
The charges arose from a long-term investigation into people suspected of acting as wholesale distributors of heroin and cocaine in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. Bell and numerous other defendants were indicted in December 2017 for their roles in the operation. A total of 12 people faced charges in the investigation; 10 pled guilty and two, including Bell, were found guilty of charges at trial.
The investigation determined that from at least January 2016 through December 2017, the various defendants maintained a drug trafficking organization that supplied distribution amounts of crack cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin to drug dealers in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. Much of the activity took place in the Birney Place area of Southeast Washington. In particular, the investigation showed that several of the defendants regularly sold crack cocaine and heroin in the 2600 block of Birney Place SE.
According to the government’s evidence, Bell obtained crack cocaine from suppliers and redistributed it. On March 8, 2017, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop of Bell and recovered approximately seven grams of crack cocaine and a small-caliber pistol.
The prosecution grew out of the efforts of the FBI/MPD Safe Streets Task Force, a multi-agency team that conducts comprehensive, multi-level attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. The prosecution was sponsored and supported by the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF).
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu, Assistant Director in Charge McNamara, and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Safe Streets Task Force, including the FBI, MPD, U.S. Park Police, Prince George's County, Md. Police, Prince William County, Va., Police, and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF). They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Mary Downing, Paralegal Specialist Candace Battle, and Legal Assistants Latoya Wade, Aiesha Bynum, and Peter Gaboton. Finally they expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nihar R. Mohanty and Kevin L. Rosenberg, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Des Moines Man Sentenced to Prison for Threat to Law EnforcementRead the Press Release
DES MOINES, Iowa – On March 13, 2019, Freddie Armando Butler, age 31 of Des Moines was sentenced to 24 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release for making a false bomb threat to the Baker County, Oregon Sheriff, announced United States Attorney Marc Krickbaum. Butler was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Stephanie M. Rose in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa.
In March of 2016, Butler used a cell phone to leave an anonymous message for the Baker County, Oregon Sheriff. Butler stated a package that had been placed behind the Sheriff’s residence was going to explode. As part of his guilty plea, Butler admitted to leaving the message for the purpose of frightening, scaring or impeding law enforcement. In 2011, Butler was convicted of state charges involving similar conduct toward a school in Baker County.
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baker County, Oregon Sheriff’s Office, and the West Des Moines Police Department. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.
Danbury Cocaine Dealer Arrested in Stamford Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun ChargeRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that FERNANDO RODRIGUEZ, also known as “Sosa,” 28, of Danbury, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on September 12, 2018, Stamford Police arrested Rodriguez after he arrived at a location on Wardwell Street in Stamford to conduct a drug transaction. A search of a backpack that Rodriguez was holding at the time of his arrest revealed approximately 58 grams of cocaine and 116 grams of marijuana. A search of a secret storage compartment, or “trap,” within the vehicle that Rodriguez drove to the location revealed an additional 100 grams of cocaine, a Ruger 9mm handgun, and a loaded 9mm magazine.
Rodriguez has been detained since his federal arrest on January 10, 2019.
Judge Underhill scheduled sentencing for June 7, 2019, at which time Rodriguez faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of life imprisonment.
This matter is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Stamford Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen L. Peck.
Cleveland woman sentenced to prison for making a straw purchase of two firearms that were purchased with money from a robbery and used in additional violent crimesRead the Press Release
A Cleveland woman was sentenced to three months in prison for making a straw purchase of two firearms that were purchased with money from a robbery and used in additional violent crimes.
Tyla Spencer, 22, was sentenced to three months in prison after previously pleading guilty to making false or fictitious statements to purchase firearms.
Spencer went on January 2, 2018, to the Cleveland Armory in Valley View with Lashawn Davis and a juvenile. Spencer bought them a Glock 9 mm and Glock .40-caliber handgun with cash that Davis and the juvenile got from robbing a check-cashing store in Cleveland the day before, according to court documents.
Spencer falsely stated she was the true buyer of the firearms when, in fact, she was purchasing the firearms on behalf of the males. Davis and the juvenile then used the firearms in a bank robbery and carjacking in February, according to court documents and statements in court.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Zarzycki following an investigation by the FBI, the Cleveland Division of Police and the Valley View Police Department.
This case are part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The program was reinvigorated 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.
Businessman Sentenced to Prison for Investment Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A local businessman was sentenced today to 2 1/2 years in prison for orchestrating a $1.3 million Ponzi scheme that caused losses to more than 40 victims.
According to court documents, Amrit Jaswant Singh Chahal, 31, of Fairfax, operated an investment fraud scheme through The Kane Capital Investment Group, LLC (Kane Capital), a company he established and operated. Chahal held out Kane Capital as a private capital investment group that sought to earn profits and investment returns on behalf of its clients by purchasing, trading, or otherwise investing in commodities for future delivery and other financial instruments. Chahal executed this fraud through falsely representing that Kane Capital had earned returns of roughly 28 to 34 percent annually, when in fact, Chahal had suffered substantial losses in managing investors’ funds. Chahal also created falsified brokerage statements to conceal the losses he had sustained and siphoned off some of his investors’ funds by transferring the money to accounts he controlled or by spending the funds on personal items. When investors asked for returns on their investment, Chahal frequently used money from newer investors to pay disbursements to older investors, without disclosing this fact to his investors. In addition, Chahal opened an unauthorized bank account in the name of one of his investors to further divert funds to his personal use.
G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Matthew J. DeSarno, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Burke and Jamar K. Walker prosecuted the case.
The Virginia State Corporation Commission provided significant assistance with this investigation.
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. 1:18-cr-152.
Buffalo Man Sentenced on Crack Cocaine ChargeRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Jibreel Williams, who was convicted of possession of crack cocaine with intent to distribute, was sentenced to serve 41 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura A. Higgins, who handling the case, stated that in the early morning hours of December 11, 2016, Customs and Border Protection officers encountered the defendant, who was riding as a backseat passenger in a vehicle. Two women were also in the vehicle, the driver and a front seat passenger. The vehicle was stopped after it was observed making a U-tum on the Peace Bridge. The vehicle was then referred for a secondary inspection after the occupants could not produce identification and the odor of marijuana was noticed emanating from the vehicle. Prior to the stop of the vehicle, two other women, who were passengers in the backseat alongside Williams, had exited the vehicle and were stopped as they attempted to re-enter the United States on foot.
Once at secondary inspection, the vehicle was searched and seven individually wrapped packages of suspected crack cocaine were recovered from the backseat area, as well as a 9 millimeter, semi-automatic pistol which was determined to be stolen out of Warren, Pennsylvania.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by Customs and Border Protection, under the direction of Rose Brophy, Director of Field Operations, and Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly.
Bronx Man Pleads Guilty to His Role in Large-Scale Fentanyl and Heroin Trafficking Ring in SpringfieldRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Bronx, N.Y., man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Springfield to his role in a large-scale drug conspiracy that trafficked dozens of kilos of heroin and fentanyl into Springfield from New York City and the Dominican Republic.
Marvin Ortega, 35, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin. U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni scheduled sentencing for June 26, 2019. Ortega was arrested in January 2018 in New York.
According to court documents, Ortega transported heroin to Springfield and the proceeds from the sale to New York for a drug trafficking organization (DTO) based in Springfield, which was allegedly run by Alberto Marte. Marte had direct contact with heroin suppliers in the Dominican Republic, and on a monthly basis, members of his DTO transported between eight and 20 kilograms of heroin, with a street value of approximately $1.6 million and $4 million, respectively, to the Springfield area. When law enforcement authorities executed federal search warrants in September 2016, they recovered approximately $140,000 in cash and over six kilograms of heroin.
The charge of conspiracy to distribute heroin provides for a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, a minimum of three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $1 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Hampden County District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New England Division; Peter C. Fitzhugh, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; Colonel Kerry Gilpin, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Acting Springfield Police Commissioner Cheryl Claprood; Chicopee Police Chief William Jebb; Holyoke Police Chief Manny Febo; and West Springfield Police Chief Ronald Campurciani made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Desroches of Lelling’s Springfield Branch Office is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Boulder Doctor Sentenced for Bankruptcy FraudRead the Press Release
DENVER – Cathleen Van Buskirk, age 55, from Erie, Colorado, was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge William J. Martinez to serve 18 months in federal prison followed by 3 years on supervised release and pay a $50,000 fine for committing bankruptcy fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Jason Dunn and FBI Denver Division Special Agent in Charge Dean Phillips. Van Buskirk appeared and was released on bond. She must report to a Bureau of Prisons facility no later than April 19.
Van Buskirk is a doctor and surgeon who practiced in Boulder, Colorado, until shuttering her practice in the wake of her indictment. A federal grand jury in Denver indicted Van Buskirk on December 4, 2017. She pled guilty to a single count of bankruptcy fraud on August 24, 2018, and was sentenced today, March 15, 2019.
According to the stipulated facts contained in the plea agreement, as well as information presented to the court at sentencing, Van Buskirk spent about two years hiding upwards of $300,000 worth assets that should have been part of her bankruptcy estate. Van Buskirk filed for personal bankruptcy in August 2014, but deliberately failed to disclose certain assets and took various steps to conceal her interest in those concealed assets. Among other actions she took, Van Buskirk gave a friend gold and silver coins, foreign currency, a diamond ring, and $48,000 in cash to hold for her. She also routed $170,000 through various shell companies that were registered in the names of others but which Van Buskirk actually controlled. Even after the bankruptcy trustee filed a motion to revoke Van Buskirk’s bankruptcy discharge, she continued lying to the trustee about the full extent of her assets for several months until it became clear that she could not hide her true financial situation any longer.
“Concealing assets in attempt to circumvent the bankruptcy process is criminal,” said U.S. Attorney Jason Dunn. “In this case the defendant thought she could beat the system. It is clear from today’s sentencing by Judge Martinez that she lost.”
“This sentencing should send a strong message to anyone considering bankruptcy fraud,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Dean Phillips. “Today’s decision affirms the hard work of the FBI and our dedicated law enforcement partners.”
This case was investigated by the FBI with cooperation from the Office of the U.S. Trustee. The defendant was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel E. Burrows and Assistant U.S. Attorney Pegeen Rhyne.
Boston Woman Sentenced for $2.7 Million Bank Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Boston woman was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for her role in a scheme to embezzle more than $2.7 million from Bank of America using fraudulent donations to non-profit organizations.
Brianna Alexis Forde, 36, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs to four months in prison and two years of supervised release, including six months of home detention. She was also ordered to pay $778,000 in restitution to Bank of America. In November 2018, Forde pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. In May 2017, Forde was indicted with co-conspirators Palestine Ace, a/k/a Pam Ace, 46, a former Senior Vice President of Bank of America’s Global Wealth & Investment Management Division, and her husband, Jonathan R. Ace, 46.
From approximately October 2010 to April 2015, the defendants engaged in an embezzlement and kickback scheme to defraud Bank of America of approximately $2.7 million using fraudulent donations to non-profit organizations. As part of the scheme, Palestine Ace used her position as a Senior Vice President at Bank of America to misappropriate funds from a marketing budget and transfer the money to non-profit organizations. Specifically, Palestine Ace authorized 75 transactions, each under $50,000, to non-profit organizations in Boston and Atlanta. Then, the defendants, either directly or indirectly, informed the non-profit organizations that a substantial portion of the donated funds must be returned in order to ensure that Bank of America would continue to fund the organization. The non-profit organizations either wrote a check to Jonathan Ace or Forde, or they returned funds to a Bank of America account, to which the defendants had access. On various occasions, Jonathan Ace pressured the recipients of the donated funds to return a higher percentage of the funds to him, by using intimidation and threats of public humiliation.
Palestine and Jonathan Ace used a portion of the funds they embezzled from Bank of America to support their lifestyle and pay for personal expenses, including lavish birthday parties and the purchase of a $17,000 Kawasaki motorcycle. Forde personally received over $200,000 for her role in the scheme.
On Nov. 14, 2018, Palestine Ace was sentenced to one year and one day in prison, two years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution of $2,778,000 after pleading guilty in February 2018 to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, five counts of wire fraud, and 12 counts of bank fraud. On Nov. 15, 2018, Jonathan Ace was sentenced to two years in prison, two years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution of $1,855,000 after previously pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, three counts of wire fraud, and one count of engaging in an unlawful monetary transaction.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Kristina O’Connell, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation in Boston; Joseph W. Cronin, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and Boston Police Commissioner William Gross made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Neil J. Gallagher and Elianna J. Nuzum of Lelling’s Criminal Division prosecuted the case.
Baltimore County Felon Sentenced to 57 Months in Federal Prison for Illegal Possession of Firearms, Ammunition, and an Improvised Explosive DeviceRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III sentenced Christopher Dean Taggart, age 52, of Hampstead, Maryland, today to 57 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition, as well as illegal possession of a destructive device.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; and Chief Terrence B. Sheridan of the Baltimore County Police Department.
According to his plea agreement, on October 14, 2017, a 911 call was made for medical assistance to a residence in Hampstead, Maryland. Baltimore County Emergency Medical Services (“EMS”) personnel went to the residence and discovered Taggart unresponsive on the floor in the basement area. The EMS personnel saw lines of a white powdery substance on a surface close to where Taggart was lying, and several baggies containing powdery substances were also in plain view. EMS personnel administered Narcan, a medication that blocks or reverses the effects of opioids, and Taggart was transported to the hospital. Baltimore County Police officers obtained a search warrant for the residence, based upon observations of the contraband in plain view, and a federal search warrant was subsequently obtained for the property.
Taggart had lived in the basement area of the residence for approximately 15 years, and a detached shed was built on the property in approximately 2010. When the warrants were executed, law enforcement seized 13 firearms, thousands of rounds of various caliber ammunition, and two improvised destructive devices, as well as body armor, armored plates, and ballistic tiles. All of the prohibited items were found in the basement area and in the shed located on the property. Law enforcement also seized several prohibited controlled substances from the living area in the basement. Taggart is prohibited from possessing firearms, ammunition, explosive materials, and body armor because he has a prior conviction for a violent felony in Carroll County. Specifically, on February 14, 1996, Taggart was convicted of attempted robbery with a deadly weapon; wear/carry of a handgun; and possession of a pipe bomb in Carroll County Circuit Court.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the ATF and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine Duey and Judson T. Mihok, who prosecuted the case.
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Aurea Vázquez-Rijos Sentenced to Life in Prison for the Murder of Her Husband Adam Joel Anhang UsterRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, P.R. – Today, United States District Court Senior Judge Daniel Dominguez sentenced Aurea Vázquez-Rijos, a.k.a. “Beatriz Vázquez/Aurea Dominicci;” her sister Marcia Vázquez-Rijos and Marcia Vázquez-Rijos’s ex-boyfriend José Ferrer-Sosa, to life in prison, for the murder of Adam Joel Anhang Uster, announced United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico, Rosa Emilia Rodríguez Vélez. Adam Anhang was murdered on September 22, 2005. The defendants were found guilty by a jury on October 3, 2018.
The trial was preceded by a complex investigation that included the release from state prison of a man who was wrongly convicted of the murder of Adam Anhang. On or about October 2007, Jonathan Román-Rivera was convicted of the murder of Adam Anhang and sentenced to 105 years in prison. In June 2008, the federal investigation into the murder of Adam Anhang resulted in Román-Rivera’s release, and the arrest of Alex Pabón-Colón. On June 4, 2008, a Federal Grand Jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned a two-count indictment charging Aurea Vázquez-Rijos and Alex Pabón-Colón, a.k.a. “Alex el loco/Dante” for the murder of Adam Anhang. Pabón-Colón pleaded guilty on June 13, 2008. Aurea Vázquez-Rijos moved to Italy in 2008, in an effort to avoid prosecution. She was arrested in Spain in 2013 and extradited after contested proceedings in 2015. On August 15, 2013, a Federal Grand Jury returned a second superseding indictment charging José Ferrer-Sosa and Marcia Vázquez-Rijos, along with Aurea Vázquez-Rijos with the murder-for-hire of Adam Anhang. Charbel Vázquez-Rijos, Aurea and Marcia’s brother, is facing a charge of perjury before the Grand Jury and is pending trial.
During trial, the government proved that Aurea Vázquez-Rijos, José Ferrer-Sosa and Marcia Váquez-Rijos met with Alex Pabón-Colón on September 21, 2005, to propose that Pabón-Colón murder Adam Anhang in exchange for three million dollars. Aurea Vázquez-Rijos made approximately ten telephone calls to Adam Anhang in order to induce him to have dinner with her at a restaurant in Old San Juan, and to facilitate his murder by defendant Pabón-Colón. On September 22, 2005, Alex Pabón-Colón received a call from José Ferrer-Sosa, who informed him that defendant Aurea Vázquez-Rijos and her husband were dining at a restaurant in Old San Juan and that Adam Anhang had to be murdered that evening.
After dinner, Pabón-Colón murdered Adam Anhang at the corner of San Justo and Luna streets in Old San Juan as Adam Anhang and defendant Aurea Vázquez-Rijos were returning to the parking garage to pick up Adam Anhang’s car. The murder was carried out, as previously discussed, and pursuant to the instructions Pabón-Colón had received from defendants Aurea Vázquez-Rijos, Jose Ferrer-Sosa, and Marcia Vázquez-Rijos. Pabón-Colón stabbed Adam Anhang on multiple occasions and forcefully hit him in the head with a cobblestone, while his wife observed the fatal attack. Adam Anhang fought Pabón-Colón and tried to protect his wife from the assailant. Adam Anhang never knew his wife was the one who ordered the murder.
At trial, witnesses testified that Aurea Vázquez-Rijos watched as her husband was murdered; his last words were directed to her: “Run baby, run!” At the same time, she reminded Pabón-Colón that he needed to inflict an injury on her, in order to create the impression that she was blameless in the incident, and in order to perpetuate the idea that Adam Anhang’s death resulted from a robbery.
Evidence showed that Pabón-Colón wrote letters attempting to collect money from the defendants for the murder of Adam Anhang. Defendant Marcia Vázquez-Rijos received the third letter Pabón-Colón sent to them and she advised the person who delivered the letter to tell Pabón-Colón that they did not have the money to pay him. The jury found the defendants guilty of all counts including conspiracy and the use an interstate facility in murder-for-hire.
“Today’s sentence concludes a process which required a lot of effort and perseverance, justice was finally served for the victim and his family,” said United States Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez. “I am immensely proud of our prosecution team and our law enforcement partners for this successful prosecution; with the life sentences of these defendants, the victim’s family will hopefully find some closure from this senseless crime.”
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Puerto Rico Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys José Ruiz-Santiago and Jenifer Y. Hernández-Vega.
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Albany County Man Sentenced to 108 Months for Distributing Child Pornography over Encrypted Messaging ApplicationRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Derek Boprey, age 32, of Ravena, New York, was sentenced today to 108 months in prison, to be followed by 30 years of supervised release, for distributing child pornography via an encrypted messaging application on his phone.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and James N. Hendricks, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
As part of his guilty plea, Boprey admitted that on March 23, 2018, he used the Wickr Me messaging application to distribute child pornography over the internet to Benjamin Varieur. Boprey, using the name “durb30,” sent dozens of images of child pornography, including images depicting the sexual abuse of children as young as 2 years old. Boprey also pled guilty to possessing child pornography on 2 electronic devices.
Varieur, age 34, of Saratoga Springs, New York, and formerly of the Town of Brunswick, New York, was also sentenced, on January 23, 2019, to 108 months in prison, to be followed by 30 years of supervised release. United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino sentenced both defendants.
These cases were investigated by the FBI and its Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, including the Colonie Police Department. These cases were prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael Barnett.
17 Individuals Indicted and Arrested on Drug Trafficking and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that a federal grand jury in Harrisburg indicted 17 individuals in two separate indictments on March 13, 2019, for drug trafficking and firearms offenses.
According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, the indictment alleges that the drug trafficking conspiracy entailed kilogram quantities of cocaine hydrochloride sent from Puerto Rico through the United States Postal Service to Pennsylvania and being purchased in California and transported to Pennsylvania. The cocaine hydrochloride was then distributed to co-conspirators for distribution to customers in Dauphin, Northumberland, and Union Counties. It is also alleged that heroin and fentanyl were obtained from known and unknown sources and distributed to co-conspirators for distribution. It is further alleged that co-conspirators maintained apartments in Milton, Pennsylvania for the purpose of packaging, storing, and distributing heroin and cocaine hydrochloride.
The first indictment charges the following defendants for offenses that took place between March 1, 2017 and March 13, 2019, in Dauphin and Northumberland Counties:
[1] Kevin Caban Robles, age 29, of Harrisburg, PA, is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine hydrochloride, more than one kilogram of heroin, and more than 40 grams of fentanyl; two counts of distribution of heroin; two counts of attempted possession with intent to distribute cocaine hydrochloride, one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine;
[2] Reymond Nieves Hernandez, age 31, of Milton, PA, is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine hydrochloride and more than one kilogram of heroin; two counts of attempted possession with intent to distribute cocaine hydrochloride;
[3] Ricarte Bristol Negron, a/k/a “Cando,” age 46, of Milton, PA, is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine hydrochloride and more than 100 grams of heroin; one count of attempted possession with intent to distribute cocaine hydrochloride;
[4] Harold Maysonet Pagan, a/k/a “Chango,” age 25, of Milton, PA, is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine hydrochloride and more than 100 grams of heroin;
[5] Jamie Morales Rivera, age 27, of Wisconson, is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine hydrochloride and an unspecified quantity of heroin; one count of attempted possession with intent to distribute cocaine hydrochloride;
[6] Justo Melendez, a/k/a “Lobi,” age 38, of Milton, PA, is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute an unspecified quantity of cocaine hydrochloride;
[7] Bradimir Aviles Hernandez, age 51, of Milton, PA, is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute unspecified quantity of cocaine hydrochloride;
[8] Robert Pacheco, age 38, of Sunbury, PA, is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute an unspecified quantity of heroin.
The indictment also seeks forfeiture of approximately $149,990 in U.S. Currency seized from Alejandro Alvarez and Jose Garabito Mejia.
The second indictment charges the following defendants for offenses that took place between October 2016 and March 13, 2019, in Northumberland and Union Counties:
[1] Jose Miguel Guzman Ruiz, age 36, of Lewisburg, PA, is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine hydrochloride and an unspecified quantity of heroin; one count of attempted possession with intent to distribute cocaine hydrochloride; one count of distribution of cocaine;
[2] Francisco Javier Ortiz Candelaria, a/k/a “Javi” a/k/a “Guavina,” age 34, of Milton, PA, is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine hydrochloride and an unspecified quantity of heroin; one count of distribution of heroin and cocaine; one count of distribution of heroin; one count of felon in possession of firearm; one count possession of firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime;
[3] Ariel Diaz, a/k/a “A,” age 33, of Williamsport, PA, is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine hydrochloride; two counts of attempted possession with intent to distribute cocaine hydrochloride;
[4] Roberto Rodriguez Bristol, age 28, of Milton, PA, is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute an unspecified quantity of cocaine; one count of possession of firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; one count of distribution of heroin and cocaine;
[5] Tony Orlando Garcia a/k/a “Honda,” age 40, of Northumberland, PA, is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine hydrochloride; one count of attempted possession with intent to distribute cocaine hydrochloride;
[6] Israel Gonzalez, Jr. a/k/a “Jigilo,” age 37, of Lewisburg, PA, is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine hydrochloride and an unspecified quantity of heroin; two counts of attempted possession with intent to distribute cocaine hydrochloride; one count of distribution of cocaine;
[7] Yarelis Seda, age 24, of Lewisburg, PA, is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute mor than 500 grams of cocaine hydrochloride and an unspecified quantity of heroin; one count of attempted possession with intent to distribute cocaine hydrochloride; one count of distribution of cocaine;
[8] Kimberly Roman Rivera, age 33, of Lewisburg, PA, is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute unspecified quantity of cocaine hydrochloride and heroin;
[9] Denny Fernandez-Molina, age 44, of Milton, PA, is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute unspecified quantity of cocaine hydrochloride and heroin; four counts of distribution of cocaine.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Pennsylvania State Police, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Milton Police Department, the Buffalo Valley Regional Police Department, the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, the Dauphin, Montour and Northumberland Counties Drug Taskforces, the Office of Attorney General, Bureau of Narcotics Investigations. The U.S. Marshal Service assisted in the arrests of the defendants. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daryl F. Bloom is prosecuting the case.
This prosecution is part of an extensive investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF is a joint federal, state, and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking and is the nation’s primary tool for disrupting and dismantling major 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.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
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 are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
The maximum penalty under federal law for defendants range from 20 years to life imprisonment. (see attached) 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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14 March 2019
Woman Sentenced to 30 Years for Supplying Fentanyl that Resulted in DeathRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Virginia Beach woman was sentenced today to 30 years in prison for her role in a heroin and fentanyl distribution conspiracy that resulted in an overdose death.
“The callousness of Michelle Best is hard to overstate considering her knowledge of the death she helped cause and her desire to continue ‘business as usual,’” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “As a high-level regional supplier, she was attributed with enough fentanyl to supply 20,000 potentially lethal doses. The sentence in this case should serve as a reminder of what can happen to those who make it their business to exploit and profit by spreading poison in our communities. We will remain relentless in our efforts to hold drug dealers accountable.”
According to court documents, Michelle Renee Best, aka Michelle Smith, 44, served as a regional wholesale supplier of fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine for over a year and half, and she did so from the comfort of her beachfront Croatan neighborhood. Even after learning that her drugs killed a young woman, she told a co-conspirator to keep the news of the death to himself and that it would be “business as usual.” On March 13, 2018, a Virginia Beach SWAT team executed a search warrant on Best’s house and recovered a commercial money counter, nearly $42,000 in cash, 1.85 kilograms of cocaine, 1.12 kilograms of marijuana, 382 grams of heroin laced with fentanyl, 207 pieces of jewelry, a drug ledger, and devices used for drug manufacturing. Officers also recovered four firearms at her home, including an AR-15 rifle. Additionally, when she was arrested, officers seized a fifth gun from her purse—a .380 Kel-Tec handgun. Best was a previously convicted felon for having run a dog fighting ring and was thus prohibited from possessing a firearm.
“Fentanyl is uniquely dangerous because it is so deadly and so profitable,” said Mark R. Herring, Virginia Attorney General. “We’ve made stemming the supply of fentanyl a real priority because it has been a primary driver in the surge of fatal overdoses in Virginia and around the country. Hampton Roads is safer with this operation out of business.”
After her arrest, she attempted to obstruct the investigation by instructing others to interfere with a co-defendant and another individual whom she believed to be a confidential informant, telling another individual that the person she believed was a confidential informant “needs to be taken care of before [he/she] disappears.”
“The Washington Metropolitan Area has some of the highest opioid overdose rates in the nation,” said Jesse R. Fong, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Field Division. “This sentencing is a prime example of the extent the Drug Enforcement Administration, and our law enforcement counterparts, will go to bring to justice those organizations and individuals, who seek to illegally profit from our communities and citizens without any regard for human life.”
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 reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of a 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.
G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Mark R. Herring, Attorney General of Virginia, Jesse R. Fong, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Field Division, and James A. Cervera, Chief of Virginia Beach Police, made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Mark S. Davis. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John F. Butler and Andrew Bosse 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. 2:18-cr-147.
Wichita Street Gang Member Sentenced for Federal Firearm ViolationRead the Press Release
WICHITA, KAN. – A Wichita street gang member with a prior felony conviction for robbery was sentenced Wednesday to 17 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said.
Adonis W. Freeman, also known as Ad Koli, 32, Wichita, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Freeman, a documented member of the Bloods, admitted in his plea that he had a Glock Model 27 handgun on the floor next to him when agents served a search warrant at his residence. Evidence in support of the search warrant included a video on social media in which Freeman was seen with a gun sticking out of his pocket.
McAllister commended the Wichita Police Department, the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch for their work on the case.
Washington, Pa., Man Pleads Guilty in Wiretap Investigation of Gang Violence and Drug Trafficking in Pittsburgh’s West EndRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A resident of Washington, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of conspiracy to distribute a quantity of crack cocaine, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
Antoine Dean, Jr., 29, pleaded guilty to one count before Senior United States District Judge Arthur J. Schwab.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that in 2017, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration initiated a wiretap investigation, primarily targeting the GBK street gang and drug trafficking in and around an area known as the Greenway Projects, located in the West End of the City of Pittsburgh. The wiretap investigation revealed that from in and around November 2017 through in and around June 2018, Antoine Dean, Jr. and his co-conspirators distributed 28 grams or more of crack cocaine in and around the area of the Greenway Projects.
Judge Schwab scheduled sentencing for July 8, 2019 at 9:30 a.m. The law provides for a total sentence of not less than 10 years and up to life in prison, a fine of $8,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history of the defendant.
Pending sentencing, the court revoked the defendant’s bond.
Assistant United States Attorneys Tonya Sulia Goodman and Rachael Dizard are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration jointly led the multi-agency investigation, which also included the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, Pennsylvania State Police, Robinson Township Police Department, Stowe Township Police Department, Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, Wilkinsburg Borough Police Department, and the McKees Rocks Police Department, that led to the prosecution of Antoine Dean, Jr.
The investigation was funded by the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Program (OCDETF). The OCDETF program supplies critical federal funding and coordination that allows federal and state agencies to work together to successfully identify, investigate, and prosecute major interstate and international drug trafficking organizations and other criminal enterprises.
Venezuelan National Pleads Guilty to Identity Theft and Passport FraudRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Venezuelan national pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to one count of passport fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.
Jose Antonio Rojas Marchan, 54, a Venezuelan national who resided in Lawrence until his arrest in September, pleaded guilty to one count of passport fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. Chief U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris scheduled sentencing for July 11, 2019. Rojas Marchan was originally charged in September 2018 as “John Doe,” while law enforcement worked to determine his true identity.
In November 2014, Rojas Marchan applied for a U.S. passport at a Lawrence Post Office purporting to be a U.S. citizen. On the application, he represented that the name, Social Security number, and date of birth of a Puerto Rican man were his, even though he knew they belonged to someone else. He supported the application with a Puerto Rican birth certificate and Massachusetts driver’s license in the U.S. citizen’s name. His application was flagged for additional review due to indicators of fraud, and was ultimately denied.
The charge of aggravated identity theft provides for a mandatory sentence of two years in prison, to be served consecutive to any other sentence imposed, up to one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of passport fraud provides for no greater than 10 years in prison, three years of supervised released and a fine of up to $250,000. Rojas Marchan will be subject to deportation upon completion of his sentence. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and William B. Gannon, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, Boston Field Office, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elianna Nuzum of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
U.S. Attorney's Office Concludes Investigation into West Virginia Supreme Court of AppealsRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Mike Stuart announced today that his office has concluded its current investigation into the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals.
“Our long-term investigation into corruption of West Virginia’s highest court is now concluded,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “Absent new information or new allegations of impropriety or illegality, based on the information we have investigated and reviewed, we are hopeful that the period of uncertainty and taint of West Virginian’s highest court is over. This does not mean there will not be another investigation regarding other issues at some point in the future, but, for now, we are finished with our work. Although necessary on behalf of the people of West Virginia and in defense of the rule of law, the indictment and conviction of former Chief Justice Allen Loughry and the Information and conviction of former Justice Menis Ketchum brought me no personal pleasure. Rather, my satisfaction is that my office was able to play a significant role in restoring the confidence of the people of West Virginia in the West Virginia Supreme Court. I have great sympathy for the families involved in this matter, but I have said many times, this office takes the issue of public corruption and abuse of the public trust incredibly seriously. There is no such thing as a little bit of public corruption. I want to thank the FBI, the West Virginia Commission on Special Investigations and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Division for their work in conducting the investigations and Assistant United States Attorneys Phil Wright and Greg McVey and former Assistant United States Attorney Anna Forbes their remarkable work in the prosecutions.”
Former West Virginia Supreme Court Justice Allen Loughry II was convicted by a federal jury in October 2018 of one count of mail fraud, seven counts of wire fraud, and two counts of lying to the FBI. He was sentenced last month to 24 months in prison and ordered to pay restitution to the State of West Virginia and the Pound Civil Justice Institute. Loughry will report to prison on April 5, 2019. Loughry’s convictions resulted from fraudulent activity while he was a sitting Justice on the Supreme Court. The mail fraud conviction stemmed from his defrauding the Pound Civil Justice Institute of approximately $400 in the summer of 2014, when he claimed mileage to attend a conference in Baltimore, Maryland, as if he had driven his own personal vehicle when in fact he drove a Supreme Court vehicle. The seven wire fraud convictions related to Loughry’s using a government fuel card to buy gasoline for travel that was not official business. Two of those wire fraud convictions involved purchases of gasoline by Loughry late at night on a holiday or weekend, not long after he had already filled up the Supreme Court’s vehicle with gasoline upon returning from a trip. The remaining five convictions for wire fraud involved purchases of gasoline with a government fuel card and travel by Loughry in a Supreme Court vehicle to attend book-signing events at The Greenbrier Resort, for the book Loughry authored in 2006 about public corruption in West Virginia. Loughry’s two convictions for lying to the FBI resulted from false answers he gave during an interview on March 2, 2018, by a Special Agent of the FBI. During that interview, Loughry claimed he never used a state vehicle for personal use and that he did not know that a desk he had in his home was a “Cass Gilbert desk” or even a desk anyone had ever claimed to be a Cass Gilbert desk.
Former West Virginia Supreme Court Justice Menis Ketchum II pled guilty to wire fraud in August 2018 and was sentenced earlier this month to three years of probation. He admitted to repeated personal use of a State of West Virginia vehicle and State fuel credit card over the course of 2011 through 2014 in connection with his travel from his home in Huntington, West Virginia to and from a private golf club in western Virginia. The roundtrip mileage for each of these golf outings was approximately 400 miles and cost the taxpayers of West Virginia approximately $220 per trip. In particular, on August 6, 2014, he traveled to the private golf club in a State vehicle, and returned to his home on August 9, 2014. During the return trip to Huntington, Ketchum used a State fuel card to purchase gasoline in Princeton, West Virginia, causing an interstate wire communication.
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Two Owners of West L.A. Pharmacy Who Made Millions Illegally Distributing Prescription Drugs Sentenced to over a Decade in PrisonRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – Two brothers who owned a West Los Angeles pharmacy and were convicted of illegally selling prescription opioids and other narcotics to black market customers across the United States were sentenced late Wednesday, with each man being ordered to serve 121 months in federal prison.
Berry Kabov, 48, and his brother Dalibor “Dabo” Kabov, 35, both residents of Brentwood, were sentenced by United States District Judge Dolly M. Gee. The Kabov brothers operated Global Compounding Pharmacy, a pharmacy that was located in West Los Angeles.
Following a three-week jury trial in early 2017, the brothers were convicted of illegally selling the opioid narcotics oxycodone, hydromorphone and hydrocodone. The wide-ranging conspiracy, which also illegally imported anabolic steroids, resulted in the Kabov brothers earning more than $3 million and cheating the Internal Revenue Service by failing to report $1.5 million on their federal tax returns.
“It is disturbing that both defendants claim to have done nothing wrong. That is a mirage. There was overwhelming evidence of guilt,” Judge Gee said at Wednesday’s hearing, adding that the Kabov brothers showed “no remorse” for their crimes.
The Kabov brothers were found guilty of conspiracy to distribute narcotics, distribution of oxycodone, conspiracy to import controlled drugs, importation of anabolic steroids, money laundering and subscribing to false tax returns.
“In the midst of a national opioid epidemic, these defendants used a seemingly legitimate pharmacy as a front to flood the black market with dangerous opioids for their own personal profit,” said United States Attorney Nick Hanna. “The lengthy sentences imposed should send a resounding message that medical and pharmacy professionals who seek to profit from the spread of opiate addiction will be met with severe punishment.”
“Our nation is facing what is arguably the worst drug crisis in American history, in large part due to the ravenous greed of illicit prescription drug traffickers like the Kabov brothers,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge David J. Downing. “Their sentences should serve as a warning to others that would defraud and exploit the public. The DEA and its law enforcement partners will not tolerate creative rackets that profit from the opioid epidemic.”
Prosecutors argued in court documents that the Kabovs orchestrated a “years-long scheme to exploit the nation’s epidemic-level addiction to powerful prescription opioids,” and that the brothers “rose from mail-order drug dealers – sending drug parcels to Ohio for cash – to owners of a Los Angeles pharmacy that sold millions of dollars of oxycodone, hydromorphone, and hydrocodone on the black market.”
The Kabov brothers used Global Compounding to sell bulk quantities of oxycodone to customers across the country. During the investigation, authorities seized shipments containing thousands of oxycodone pills sent by the Kabov brothers to customers in and around Columbus, Ohio. These customers in turn made cash deposits into Kabov-controlled bank accounts or simply shipped bulk cash to the brothers in Southern California.
The evidence also included recorded calls between Berry Kabov and a cooperating informant, during which Berry Kabov described oxycodone pills as “gold” selling for as much as “50 bucks a pill” in areas like New York. Berry Kabov offered to ship as many as 4,000 oxycodone pills per week to the informant, bragging that “we have a thing that we can move easy.”
After drug wholesalers cut off Global Compounding, the Kabovs began manufacturing their own opioid pills after obtaining a $20,000 pill press from China and acquiring enough bulk powder to make 100,000 maximum-strength pills. “In total, from the wholesale orders and on-site manufacturing, the Kabovs disseminated over 300,000 pills of opiates to the black market during the conspiracy, which accounts only for what they sold after opening Global Compounding,” prosecutors wrote in their sentencing brief.
To conceal the black market drug sales that brought them approximately $3 million, the Kabovs conspired with a doctor to create fraudulent prescriptions in the names of identity theft victims. The Kabovs also reported false information to California authorities making it appear that drugs had been dispensed to those identity theft victims. Prosecutors said in court documents that planting that fraudulent information “ma[de] the victims falsely appear to be narcotic addicts,” thus putting them at risk of being denied necessary treatment from a legitimate physician checking their prescription histories. Global Compounding also failed to report sales of 98,000 pills of opiates to California authorities who track prescription drug sales.
As part of the scheme, the brothers also used the names of other identity theft victims – members of a longshoremen labor union’s health insurance plan – to submit fraudulent claims that generated another $2.6 million from the plan, prosecutors said in court papers. In October 2017, the owner of a Long Beach “medi-spa” involved in the fraud scheme, Erica Carey, pleaded guilty to a federal wire fraud charge and admitted conspiring with the Kabovs in exchange for more than $300,000 in kickbacks.
In addition to the charges related to oxycodone, the brothers were found guilty of illegally importing anabolic steroids purchased from a wholesale drug distributor located in Hubei, China. The brothers used the pharmacy to illegally order bulk quantities of testosterone, oxandrolone and nandrolone. Those drugs were shipped in parcels that were falsely labeled to make the drugs appear to be industrial powders.
On federal tax returns, the Kabovs understated their income by approximately $1.5 million. They falsely claimed to have suffered net losses in 2011 and 2012, while they were flying in private jets, staying in penthouse suites, and purchasing new luxury cars, including a $100,000 Corvette.
In addition to the prison sentences, Judge Gee ordered the Kabovs to pay $350,834 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service, with each brother being ordered to pay just over $175,000.
Global Compounding was found guilty of 17 counts including drug trafficking, drug importation, and tax fraud. Judge Gee sentenced the now-defunct pharmacy to a one-year term of probation.
The investigation into the Kabov brothers and Global Compounding was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, IRS Criminal Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Los Angeles Police Department, and the California Board of Pharmacy.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin R. Barron of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, and Assistant United States Attorney Matthew O’Brien of the Environmental and Community Safety Crimes Section.
Two Men Indicted for Racketeering Conspiracy Involving MurderRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – Two Portsmouth men were arrested today for their alleged roles in a racketeering conspiracy that included the murder of 23-year-old Delante Eley.
A federal grand jury returned a 13-count indictment on March 6, charging Rashaun Taylor, aka “Diablo”, 31, and Timothy Sawyer-House, aka “Trouble”, 28, with racketeering conspiracy, attempted robbery, felon in possession of a firearm, and distribution of heroin and fentanyl. Taylor was also charged with the capital-eligible offense of murder in aid of racketeering and use of a firearm resulting in death.
According to the indictment, the two men allegedly were members of a Portsmouth-based “set” of the Nine Trey Gangsters (NTG), a gang affiliated with the United Blood Nation. The indictment alleges that on March 11, 2014, after a series of incidents between Delante Eley and members of Taylor’s gang, Taylor and Sawyer-House followed Eley to his home, where Taylor shot and killed Eley. Two days later, Taylor, Sawyer-House, and others attempted to rob a drug dealer of cash, heroin, cocaine, and marijuana while armed with a high powered Romanian-made semi-automatic rifle.
The indictment also alleges that Taylor and Sawyer-House sold heroin and fentanyl.
If convicted of the charged murder, Taylor would be eligible for the death penalty or a mandatory life sentence. If Sawyer-House is convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and a maximum of life in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case was investigated as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Operation Billy Club. 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, Martin Culbreth, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, and Tonya D. Chapman, Chief of Portsmouth Police, made the announcement following the arrest of both men. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John F. Butler and Andrew C. Bosse are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:19-cr-36.
Two Indicted in 45-Pound Methamphetamine Deal in Fresno CountyRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment Thursday against Los Angeles residents Josue Garcia-Beltran, 40, and Rafael Medina Labrada, 34, charging them with conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.
According to court documents, on February 25, 2019, the defendants were arrested delivering methamphetamine to an undercover officer in Fresno. Forty-five pounds of methamphetamine were seized during the operation.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Fresno High Impact Investigation Team (HIIT), composed of law enforcement personnel from Homeland Security Investigations, the California Department of Justice, the Fresno Police Department, the California Highway Patrol, the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office, the Kings County Sheriff’s Office, and the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office. HIIT conducts major narcotic and other major criminal investigations in the Central Valley. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Schuh is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Garcia-Beltran and Labrada face a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $10 million fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Two Indiana Men Sentenced to Prison in Connection with Insider Trading SchemeRead the Press Release
Two brothers were sentenced today for their participation in a 2014 fraudulent scheme to trade in options ahead of SAP SE’s (SAP) acquisition of Concur Technologies (Concur), which netted them and their co-conspirators hundreds of thousands of dollars in profits.
Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Criminal Investigations Group Inspector in Charge Delany DeLeon-Colon of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey S. Sallet of the FBI’s Chicago Field Office made the announcement.
Douglas Miller, 44, of Dyer, Indiana, who pleaded guilty in September 2018 to one count of conspiracy to commit securities and wire fraud and one count of making a false statement, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Philip P. Simon of the Northern District of Indiana to serve 24 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release, and to forfeit $209,915.88 in illegal proceeds from the scheme. Edward Miller, 46, of Munster, Indiana, who pleaded guilty in September 2018 to one count of conspiracy to commit securities and wire fraud and one count of obstruction of justice, was sentenced by Judge Simon to serve six months in prison followed by two years of supervised release, and to forfeit $222,628.17 in illegal proceeds from the scheme.
According to admissions made in connection with their guilty pleas, Douglas and his brother, Edward Miller obtained material, nonpublic information from Christopher Salis, a global vice president at SAP, about SAP’s September 2014 acquisition of Concur. Douglas and Edward Miller and others then purchased securities in Concur based on this information for the purposes of profiting from these transactions and returning a portion of the profits to Salis, the defendants admitted. Following the acquisition, the Millers and their co-conspirators sold the securities and earned hundreds of thousands of dollars in profits.
The Millers also admitted to taking further steps to conceal their scheme by structuring financial transactions and using “burner” phones to communicate with their co-conspirators. Upon learning of federal investigations into the insider trading scheme, Edward Miller took steps to hinder and impede the investigation, including by destroying electronic data found on the “burner” phones. Douglas Miller also admitted to lying to federal investigators about his involvement in the scheme.
In February 2017, Salis pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and wire fraud in connection with the scheme. Salis is scheduled to be sentenced on March 22.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Mail Fraud Team and the FBI’s Chicago Field Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Chief Justin D. Weitz and Trial Attorney Jennifer L. Farer of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section. Trial Attorneys Gary Winters and L. Rush Atkinson of the Fraud Section previously worked on this matter. The Department appreciates the substantial assistance of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Two Former Arkansas Juvenile Detention Officers Sentenced to Prison for Assaulting Juvenile DetaineesRead the Press Release
Two former White River Regional Juvenile Detention Center officers, including a former supervisor, Lieutenant Dennis Fuller, 41, and Officer Jason Benton, 44, were sentenced to prison for their roles in conspiring to assault juvenile inmates, assaulting juveniles, and obstructing justice by falsifying incident reports about the assaults. Fuller was sentenced to 36 months in prison and two years of supervised release, and Benton was sentenced to 30 months in prison and two years of supervised release, announced Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Cody Hiland of the Eastern District of Arkansas, and Special Agent in charge Diane Upchurch of the FBI Little Rock Field Office.
On April 26, 2017, Fuller and former Captain Peggy Kendrick, who will be sentenced on a later date in April, pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiring to assault juvenile inmates at the White River facility. On May 16, 2017, Benton pleaded guilty to using pepper spray to assault a 15-year-old boy, and for obstructing justice by falsifying an incident report about that assault. Fuller was sentenced today by United States District Court Judge James M. Moody Jr., and Benton was sentenced today by Senior United States District Court Judge Billy Roy Wilson, both of the Eastern District of Arkansas.
“These defendants egregiously abused their powers by assaulting teenagers in their custody,” said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband of the Civil Rights Division. “The Department will not tolerate such abuses, and will continue to vigorously enforce our nation’s laws and hold officers who break the public trust in this way accountable.”
“The needless abuse of juveniles in custody is reprehensible. These officers had a responsibility to follow the law, but they instead chose to victimize children who were placed under their watch. Today’s sentences send a message that those placed in positions of authority will not be allowed to abuse that authority,” said U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas Cody Hiland.
“Law enforcement officers should always hold themselves to the highest standards. These corrections officers failed to do that by abusing juveniles in their custody and care. Their actions will not be tolerated. This should be a warning to any corrections officers who exploit their position of authority and violates the civil rights of those in their custody,” stated Special Agent in Charge Diane Upchurch with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Little Rock, “I appreciate the hard work of the FBI employees, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, and the USAO of the Eastern District of Arkansas in this case.”
According to the plea documents, Kendrick and Fuller assaulted and physically punished juvenile detainees who posed no threat, including by spraying them in the face with pepper spray. In some instances, they then shut the compliant juveniles in their cells after pepper spraying them to “let them cook,” or continue suffering the effects of the pepper spray, rather than immediately decontaminating them. Kendrick also encouraged other juvenile detention officers to unjustifiably assault juveniles and to falsify their incident reports to cover up the assaults. Benton, one such officer, assaulted a 15-year-old boy, who was locked in his cell, for failing to be quiet. Benton had the juvenile’s cell door opened and ordered the juvenile to come out of his cell with his mattress. The juvenile picked up his mattress as instructed. As the juvenile turned to face the cell door, holding the mattress in both arms, Benton pepper sprayed the juvenile in the face from a distance of a few inches. Benton continued spraying the juvenile as he tried to turn his head away from the spray. Benton then took the juvenile to the ground. Benton covered up the assault when he falsified an incident report, saying that the juvenile had attempted to lunge at him with his fists clenched, when in fact the juvenile had posed no physical threat.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Little Rock Division. Trial Attorneys Samantha Trepel and Michael J. Songer of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, and Assistant United States Attorneys Julie Peters and Pat Harris of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Arkansas prosecuted the case.
Two Defendants Sentenced in Drug Conspiracy InvestigationRead the Press Release
Abingdon, VIRGINIA –Two members of a drug distribution organization that trafficked methamphetamine, heroin, oxycodone, cocaine, and other drugs from Georgia into Southwest Virginia were sentenced recently in federal court in Abingdon on drug conspiracy charges. United States Attorney Thomas T. Cullen and Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring made the announcement today.
“Oxycodone is a highly addictive and dangerous drug,” United States Attorney Cullen stated today. “The statistics are staggering: More people die each year from overdose deaths than from other causes, including vehicle crashes. My office will continue to aggressively prosecute those who traffic oxycodone, while also working with the Courts and community stakeholders through education, outreach, and specialty Court dockets to address the opioid epidemic in our communities.”
“Oxycodone remains a highly abused drug throughout the Commonwealth and, in particular, Southwest Virginia. We work diligently with our law enforcement partners to crack down on those who distribute prescription drugs in the Commonwealth,” Virginia Attorney General Herring said today. “We appreciate the hard work and dedication of our law enforcement partners in connection with this investigation and will continue to aggressively prosecute those who endanger the lives of our citizens.”
In a hearing last week in U.S. District Court in Abingdon, Audrea Augusta Woodward, 50, of Big Stone Gap, Va., was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison. Woodward previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute and distributing oxycodone.
On March 12, 2019, Paul Thomas Jones, 26, of Pennington Gap, Va., was sentenced to serve 18 months in federal prison. Jones previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute and distributing oxycodone.
In all, 11 individuals have been charged as part of this drug trafficking conspiracy. Two defendants were sentenced earlier this year for their roles in the conspiracy, with three others scheduled for sentencing in the coming months. The two lead defendants are scheduled for trial in September 2019.
According to court records and evidence presented at hearings in these matters by Special Assistant United States Attorney and Virginia Assistant Attorney General Suzanne Kerney-Quillen, these defendants conspired to traffic oxycodone from sources in Watkinsville, Athens, and Augusta, Georgia, into Southwest Virginia for redistribution. The organization operated primarily in Lee and Wise counties from November 2016 through March 1, 2018. Arrests on March 1, 2018, resulted in the seizure of approximately 197 grams of crystal ice methamphetamine, in addition to heroin, cocaine, morphine, and oxycodone. Woodward agreed that she was responsible for conspiring to distribute, possessing with the intent to distribute, and actually distributing 1,200 dose units of oxycodone during the conspiracy. Jones accepted responsibility for nearly 381 dose units of oxycodone tablets, which he obtained and distributed during the course of this conspiracy.
The investigation of the case was conducted by the Southwest Virginia Drug Task Force, Virginia State Police, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Scott County Sheriff’s Office, Wise County Sheriff’s Office, Norton Police Department, Big Stone Gap Police Department, and the U.S. Marshals also assisted with the execution of search warrants and arrests connected with this case. Special Assistant United States Attorney M. Suzanne Kerney-Quillen, a Virginia Assistant Attorney General assigned to the Attorney General’s Major Crimes and Emerging Threats Section, prosecuted the case for the United States.
Three People Indicted for Burglary and Firearm Offenses on Menominee Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
Matthew D. Krueger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on March 5, 2019, a federal grand jury returned a two-count superseding indictment against two men and a woman allegedly involved in a burglary and unlawful possession of a firearm on the Menominee Indian Reservation. The indictment named:
Name
Age
Residence
Brett L. O’Kimosh, Jr.
41
Shawano, WI
Mary Ann Dodge
32
Taycheedah, WI
Anthony J. Boyd
22
Waupun, WI
Count One of the indictment charged all three defendants with Burglary in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1153 and 2, and Wisconsin Statutes § 943.10. O’Kimosh and Boyd are also charged in Count Two with Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g). If convicted of Count One, each defendant faces a maximum of 90 months in prison, up to a $25,000 fine, and up to 66 months of supervised release. If convicted of Count Two, each defendant faces a maximum of 10 years’ imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to 3 years of supervised release.
According to the indictment, on or about May 16, 2018, the defendants entered a building or dwelling in Keshena, which is on the Menominee Indian Reservation, without consent from the homeowner and with the intent to steal. The same day, O’Kimosh and Boyd allegedly possessed a .22 rifle. O’Kimosh and Boyd were prohibited from possession of firearms at the time of the incident.
The Menominee Tribal Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Andrew J. Maier.
An indictment is only a charge and not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
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St. Croix Man Pleads Guilty to Manufacturing MarijuanaRead the Press Release
St. Croix, USVI – Jaheem Benjamin, 31, of St. Croix, pled guilty on March 13, 2019, in District Court to one federal count of Manufacture of Marijuana, and one local count of Illegal Use of Utility Equipment, United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced.
This federal offense carries a potential mandatory minimum sentence of not less than five years and up to forty years imprisonment, a maximum fine of up to $5,000,000 dollars, and a term of supervised release of at least 2 years. The local Territorial offense carries a potential fine of not less than $500 nor more than $3,000 or a prison sentence of up to 1 year. Sentencing is set for July 12, 2019.
According to court documents, on February 14, 2017, Mr. Benjamin was growing one-hundred-and-thirty-seven (137) marijuana plants in his garage located on St. Croix. The defendant growing and harvesting the marijuana plants for purposes of sale. At the time of his arrest, Mr. Benjamin admitted that he was selling marijuana for about $2,500 a pound, in order to make a living.
Mr. Benjamin use electrical equipment set up inside his garage to support and facilitate his marijuana grow operation. He operated electrical equipment, using electricity passing through a meter belonging to the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority ("WAPA") that had been tampered with and altered. As a result he was able to avoid payment to WAPA for the electricity to run the marijuana grow operation.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Task Force Officers with the Virgin Islands Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel H. Huston.
South L.A. Man Sentenced to More than 10 Years in Federal Prison for Armed Robbery of Undercover Secret Service AgentRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A South Los Angeles man was sentenced today to 121 months in federal prison for charges related to the armed robbery of an undercover United States Secret Service agent who was conducting an investigation into the trafficking of counterfeit money.
Tyre Jordan Simmons, a.k.a., “Reckless,” 23, was sentenced by United States District Judge John A. Kronstadt.
Simmons pleaded guilty in September to robbery, assault with a deadly weapon on a federal officer and using a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence in relation to the March 26, 2018 incident.
According to court documents, Simmons arranged to meet with the undercover federal agent, who was posing as a criminal who wanted to purchase counterfeit U.S. currency. But, instead of conducting a deal for bogus money, Simmons planned to rob the agent of genuine currency that Simmons expected him to bring to the illicit deal.
During the incident, Simmons brought a duffel bag filled with clothes to simulate the appearance of counterfeit money and got into the front passenger seat of the agent’s car. When Simmons demanded to see the genuine currency, the agent retrieved $4,500 from the trunk and got back into the car, at which point Simmons pulled a loaded 9mm handgun from his bag, pointed it at the agent’s head and demanded the cash and the car keys. As Simmons was getting out of the car, other agents arrived on scene and knocked the gun and money from Simmons’s hands. Simmons escaped into the surrounding neighborhood, but he was arrested three days later.
Simmons’s co-defendant in the case – Richard Taron Henderson, a.k.a. “Profit,” 23, also of South Los Angeles – last month was sentenced to 90 months in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to selling counterfeit money, conspiracy, robbery, assault with a deadly weapon on a federal officer, and using a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
This investigation was conducted by the United States Secret Service.
This matter was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Khaldoun Shobaki of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section.
Six Individuals and Two Companies Charged in Illegal Dietary Supplements SchemeRead the Press Release
Six people and two Florida corporations were charged in an indictment for their roles in a scheme to distribute illegal dietary supplements, the Department of Justice announced today.
Phillip Braun, 38, of Boca Raton, Florida, Aaron Singerman, 39, of Delray Beach, Florida, Robert DiMaggio, 49, of Henderson, Nevada, Anthony Ventrella, 41, of Boynton Beach, Florida, David Winsauer, 32, of Boca Raton, Florida, and James Boccuzzi, 34, of Parkland, Florida, were charged in a 14-count indictment that was returned by a federal grand jury in Miami, Florida on March 7, 2019, and was unsealed today. The indictment also charged Blackstone Labs and Ventech Labs, two Florida limited liability companies in Palm Beach County, Florida.
The indictment alleges that the defendants sold hundreds of thousands of illegal products, including anabolic steroids, nationwide and internationally, fraudulently representing that those products and pills were high-quality, legal dietary supplements. According to the indictment, the defendants created an illicit manufacturing company and routed sales of illegal products through trusted distributors, knowing that the products were unsafe or could not legally be sold to consumers.
“Fraud by supplement manufacturers and distributors is extremely dangerous for consumers, who rightly assume that a dietary supplement product sold in stores or online will not contain unapproved drugs,” said Assistant Attorney General Jody Hunt for the Department of Justice’s Civil Division. “These products are not safe and that is why we will continue to aggressively pursue and prosecute those who import, manufacture, and distribute dangerous and illegal ingredients for fraudulent purposes.”
“Consumers who use dietary supplements expect those products to be safe. When they contain drugs that are not FDA-approved, the health of the public is put at risk,” said Catherine A. Hermsen, Acting Director, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations. “We will continue to pursue and bring to justice those who place consumers’ health in jeopardy.”
All of the defendants were charged with one count of a conspiracy to defraud consumers and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by selling products labeled as dietary supplements that contained unapproved new drugs, illegal steroids, and other ingredients that were hazardous and prohibited by law. The indictment also charges Braun, an owner of Blackstone Labs, and Singerman, a former company owner, with two counts of introducing a product known as Super DMZ RX 2.0, an unapproved new drug, into interstate commerce. The maximum punishment for the conspiracy to defraud is five years in prison and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. The maximum punishment for each of the two counts of introducing an unapproved new drug is three years in prison and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense.
The indictment further charges Braun, Singerman, and six other defendants with one count of a conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids, which are Schedule III controlled substances under federal law and which may cause kidney failure, liver damage, and other permanent health problems when misused. The indictment alleges that one person suffered serious bodily injury from the use of one of the steroids involved in the conspiracy. The maximum punishment for the conspiracy to distribute controlled substances is 15 years’ imprisonment and a fine of $500,000 or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense.
The indictment additionally charges several defendants in three separate counts of distribution of anabolic steroids and charges Ventrella with one count of possession of an anabolic steroid with the intent to distribute. The maximum punishment for each count of distribution of a controlled substance and for the count of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute is 10 years in prison and a fine of $500,000. Finally, Braun and Singerman are each charged with three counts of money laundering. The maximum punishment for each money laundering charge is 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 or twice the amount of the property involved in the money laundering transaction.
“Illegal dietary supplements pose a public health risk,” stated U.S. Attorney Fajardo Orshan. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida and our partners at the Food and Drug Administration strive to ensure that consumers are fully apprised of the ingredients contained in the substances they are ingesting. Those who attempt to circumvent the law and create a public safety hazard will be held accountable.”
This case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Alistair Reader and David Frank of the Department of Justice’s Consumer Protection Branch, with assistance from Daren Grove, Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. The case was investigated by FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations with assistance from Sarah Hawkins of the Office of Chief Counsel.
An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Additional information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts may be found at www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, visit its website at https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
Shasta County Man Pleads Guilty to Aggravated Identity Theft Committed as Part of a Mail Theft and Bank Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — William Lee Ashley, 37, of Anderson, pleaded guilty today to aggravated identity theft, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.
According to court documents, between December 2017 and March 2018, Ashley committed a scheme to steal identities and defraud banks. During this scheme, Ashley broke into residential mailboxes throughout Northern California and stole U.S. mail containing bankcards, personal and business checks, and personally identifiable information of mail-theft victims. He then fraudulently activated and used bankcards to withdraw cash at ATMs and make purchases at retail establishments. Ashley also forged and altered stolen checks and deposited them into bank accounts under his control. On March 9, 2018, when he was arrested in Anderson, he possessed stolen mail and a U.S. Postal Service lock that he intended to use to facilitate this scheme.
This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Anderson Police Department. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. Artuz is prosecuting the case.
Ashley is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Morrison C. England Jr. on June 13, 2019. Ashley faces a mandatory statutory term of two years in prison for aggravated identity theft and a fine up to $250,000. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
Seven Individuals Indicted in March 2019 Federal Grand JuryRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office announced today the results of the March 2019 Federal Grand Jury.
The following named individuals have been charged with a federal crime or crimes by the return of an indictment by the Grand Jury. A grand jury Indictment does not constitute evidence of guilt. A grand jury Indictment is a method of bringing formal charges against the defendant. A defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and may not be found guilty unless evidence establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. United States Sentencing Guidelines may be considered, upon conviction, by the sentencing court. Federal prison sentences are non-parolable.
TOMMY BLAKE MCCARY, age 67, of Idabel, OklahomaFelon In Possession Of Firearm & Ammunition
Tampering With A WitnessThe Superseding Indictment alleges that on or about November 30, 2018, within the Eastern District of Oklahoma, the defendant, TOMMY BLAKE MCCARY, 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, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2), punishable by not more than 10 years imprisonment, a fine up to $250,000.00 or both.
The Superseding Indictment further alleges that between January 7, 2019 and February 9, 2019, within the Eastern District of Oklahoma, the defendant, TOMMY BLAKE MCCARY, did knowingly attempt to corruptly persuade D.B. to avoid legal process by sending a communication as follows: “tell Ole Girl to make herself unavailable to be subpeoned to Trial. It is set for March 5 2019 I want this done immediately”, with the intent to cause and induce D.B. to evade legal process summoning D.B. to appear as a witness in a jury trial, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1512(b)(2)(C), punishable by not more than 10 years imprisonment, a fine up to $250,000.00 or both.
The charges arose from an investigation by the McCurtain County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Assistant United States Attorney Dean Burris
STERLING ROSS IV, age 25, of Okmulgee, Oklahoma
Felon In Possession Of Firearm
The Indictment alleges that on or about February 3, 2019, within the Eastern District of Oklahoma, the defendant, STERLING ROSS IV, having been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, did knowingly possess in and affecting commerce, a firearm, to-wit, One (1) Glock GMBH, Model 30, .45 ACP caliber semi-automatic pistol, serial number TWL748, which had been shipped and transported in interstate and foreign commerce, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2), punishable by not more than 10 years imprisonment, a fine up to $250,000.00 or both.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Okmulgee Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant United States Attorney Dean Burris
KENNETH EDWARD PARNELL, age 45, of Haskell County, Oklahoma
Felon In Possession Of Firearm
The Indictment alleges that from in or about November, 2018, until on or about December 26, 2018, within the Eastern District of Oklahoma, the defendant, KENNETH EDWARD PARNELL, having been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, did knowingly possess in and affecting commerce, a firearm, to-wit, One (1) Savage Arms (Canada) Inc., Model 64, .22 caliber semi-automatic rifle, serial number 1661593, which had been shipped and transported in interstate and foreign commerce, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2), punishable by not more than 10 years imprisonment, a fine up to $250,000.00 or both.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Haskell County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Assistant United States Attorney Dean Burris
RAFAEL TORRES, age 35, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Kidnapping
Interference With Commerce By Robbery
Carjacking
Use, Carry, And Brandish A Firearm During And In Relation To A Crime Of Violence
Felon In Possession Of Firearm & AmmunitionThe Indictment alleges that on or about February 3, 2019, within the Eastern District of Oklahoma, the defendant, RAFAEL TORRES, did unlawfully and willfully seize, confine, inveigle, kidnap, abduct and carry away J.S., and hold for the purpose of acquiring transportation, in committing or in furtherance of the commission of the offense, did willfully transport J.S. in interstate commerce from Oklahoma to Arkansas, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1201(a)(1), punishable by imprisonment for any term of years up to Life, a fine up to $250,000.00, or both.
The Indictment further alleges that on or about February 3, 2019, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma, and elsewhere, the defendant, RAFAEL TORRES, did unlawfully obstruct, delay and affect, and attempt to obstruct, delay and affect, commerce as that term is defined in Title 18, United States Code, Section 1951, and the movement of articles and commodities in such commerce, by robbery as that term is defined in Title 18, United States Code, Section 1951, in that the defendant RAFAEL TORRES did unlawfully take and obtain personal property consisting of taking control of a motor vehicle owned by Morgan’s Towing and Recovery and operated by J.S. from J.S., against his will by means of actual and threatened force, violence, and fear of injury, immediate and future, to his person and property in his custody and possession, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1951, punishable by not more than 20 years imprisonment, a fine up to $250,000.00 or both.
The Indictment further alleges that on or about February 3, 2019, within the Eastern District of Oklahoma, the defendant, RAFAEL TORRES, took a motor vehicle, to-wit: a 2018 KW Construction Wrecker that had been transported, shipped, and received in interstate commerce from J.S. by force, violence, and intimidation, with the intent to cause death and serious bodily harm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2119(1), punishable by not more than 15 years imprisonment, a fine up to $250,000.00 or both.
The Indictment further alleges that on or about February 3, 2019, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma, the defendant, RAFAEL TORRES, did knowingly brandish, carry and use a firearm, to wit, one (1) .45 caliber Smith and Wesson semi-automatic pistol, serial number TFC7829, during and in relation to a crime of violence for which he may be prosecuted in a court of the United States, that is, Interference with Commerce by Robbery, as alleged in Count Two and Carjacking, as alleged in Count Three, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(ii), punishable by not less than 7 years consecutive to any other sentence imposed, a fine up to $250,000.00 or both.
The Indictment further alleges that on or about February 3, 2019, within the Eastern District of Oklahoma, the defendant, RAFAEL TORRES, having been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, did knowingly possess in and affecting commerce, a firearm, to wit, one (1) .45 caliber Smith and Wesson semi-automatic pistol, serial number TFC7829, which had been shipped and transported in interstate commerce, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2), punishable by not more than 10 years imprisonment, a fine up to $250,000.00 or both.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant United States Attorney Sarah McAmis
DARRELL DEWAYNE ROBERTS Jr., age 31, of Alma, Arkansas
Possession With Intent To Distribute Methamphetamine
The Superseding Indictment alleges that on or about December 31, 2018, within the Eastern District of Oklahoma, defendant, DARRELL DEWAYNE ROBERTS Jr., did knowingly and intentionally possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine (actual), a Schedule II controlled substance, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(A), punishable by not less than 10 years and not more than life imprisonment, a fine up to $10,000,000.00, or both.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Roland Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Assistant United States Attorney Edward Snow
MARQUISE LEDON FONVILLE, age 33, of Eufaula, Oklahoma
Felon In Possession Of Firearm
The Indictment alleges that on or about February 8, 2019, within the Eastern District of Oklahoma, the defendant, MARQUISE LEDON FONVILLE, having been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, did knowingly possess in and affecting commerce, a firearm to-wit: One (1) Forjas Taurus, S.A., Model PT709 9mm caliber semi-automatic pistol, serial number TFP94054, which had been shipped and transported in interstate commerce, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2), punishable by not more than 10 years imprisonment, a fine up to $250,000.00, or both.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Eufaula Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant United States Attorney Edward Snow
DUANE ALLYN BUNDY, age 40, of McAlester, Oklahoma
Possession With Intent To Distribute Methamphetamine
Possession Of A Firearm In Furtherance Of A Drug Trafficking CrimeThe Superseding Indictment alleges that on or about January 30, 2019, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma, the defendant, DUANE ALLYN BUNDY, did knowingly and intentionally possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine (actual), a Schedule II controlled substance, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(A), punishable by not less than 10 years and not more than life imprisonment, a fine up to $10,000,000.00, or both.
The Superseding Indictment further alleges that on or about January 30, 2019, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma, the defendant, DUANE ALLYN BUNDY, did knowingly possess a firearm, to wit: one (1) Taurus, Model PT738, .380ACP caliber semi-automatic pistol, serial number 79704B, in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime for which he may be prosecuted in a court of the United States, that is, Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine as alleged in Count One, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c), punishable by not less than 5 years imprisonment to run consecutive to any other term of imprisonment imposed, a fine up to $250,000.00 or both.
The Superseding Indictment further alleges that on or about January 30, 2019, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma, the defendant, DUANE ALLYN BUNDY, 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 and foreign commerce, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2), punishable by not more than 10 years imprisonment, a fine up to $250,000.00, or both.
The charges arose from an investigation by the McAlester Police Department, the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Special Assistant United States Attorney Courtney Jordan
Rockland Woman Sentenced for Stealing Social Security BenefitsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Rockland woman was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for stealing Social Security benefits.
Catherine M. Anzalone, 55, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge George A. O’Toole, Jr. to 12 months of home confinement, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $155,736 in restitution to the Social Security Administration. Anzalone was arrested and charged in February 2018.
Anzalone’s mother passed away in March 2000. At the time of her death, she was receiving monthly retirement benefits from Social Security. Social Security was not advised of the death and continued to deposit benefit payments into a bank account held jointly with Anzalone. From April 2000 through April 2017, Anzalone illegally received approximately $155,736 in Social Security benefits.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Scott Antolik, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Division, made the announcement. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Burzycki of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
Restaurant and Owner Guilty of Harboring and Employing Illegal AliensRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Peter G. Strasser announced that THAI THAI, LLC. d/b/a Sticky Rice Thai Cuisine and SOMPHON CHIWABANDIT, age 47, a native of Thailand, entered guilty pleas yesterday to harboring and unlawfully employing illegal aliens, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1324(a)(1)(A)(iii) and Title 8, United States Code, Section 1324a(a)(1)(A).
According to court records, Special Agents of Homeland Security Investigations conducted surveillance on the restaurant as well as on a home owned, and an apartment rented by CHIWABANDIT. The defendant admitted in court that he provided housing, transportation, and employment to two illegal aliens. The defendant also acknowledged that he had been in the United States illegally for the past seven years, as he had overstayed a business visitor visa.
CHIWABANDIT also admitted to failing to list the illegal aliens on a Form I-9. By law, employers are required to maintain Form I-9’s for all employees, as it is a way to verify employment eligibility for a business’s employees.
THAI THAI, LLC. d/b/a Sticky Rice Thai Cuisine, which pleaded guilty to a felony charge of harboring illegal aliens, faces up to 5 years of probation, a fine of $500,000, and a $400 special assessment fee. CHIWABANDIT, the restaurant owner, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanour charge of hiring and employing illegal aliens, and faces up to 6 months of imprisonment, and/or a fine of $5,000, and a special assessment fee of $10.
United States District Court Judge Ivan L.R. Lemelle set sentencing for April 17, 2019.
U.S. Attorney Strasser praised the work of Homeland Security Investigations, the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Covington Police Department in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Jon Maestri is in charge of the prosecution.
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Remaining Two of Three Dominican Republic Nationals Charged with Trafficking over 1,000 Kilograms of Cocaine Enter Guilty Pleas in Federal CourtRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI – Edwin Vargas, 31, and Lennin Cornelio-Perez, 32, both of the Dominican Republic, pled guilty to Conspiracy to Possess a Controlled Substance on Board a Vessel Subject to the Jurisdiction of the United States in District Court before Judge Curtis Gomez, United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced.
According to court documents, a United States Coast Guard (USCG) aircraft detected a go-fast style vessel with no indicia of nationality located about 65 nautical miles north of San Juan, Puerto Rico. After being detected, the go-fast vessel led authorities on a ten-hour chase in international waters between Puerto Rico and St. Thomas. USCG personnel were able to board the vessel when it finally went dead in the water approximately 96 nautical miles north of St. Thomas. Upon boarding the vessel, authorities discovered Vargas, Cornelio-Perez, and co-defendant Perez-Brito, along with 52 bales containing a total of approximately 1,132 kilograms of a white powdery substance that field tested positive for cocaine.
In pleading guilty, Vargas and Cornelio-Perez both admitted to having conspired to transport the cocaine by boat from Venezuela to Puerto Rico, with Vargas admitting to having been the boat’s captain and Cornelio-Perez admitting to having served as the boat’s mechanic.
Vargas and Cornelio-Perez face mandatory minimum sentences of ten years’ imprisonment, five-year term of supervised release, and a fines of up to $10,000,000, respectively.
This case is being investigated by the USCG, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations (AMO), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Meredith J. Edwards.
Previously Deported Dominican Republic National Apprehended in St. John Sentenced to 18 months for Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI - United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced today that Jose Alfredo Rondon Castro, 40, of the Dominican Republic, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for illegal reentry in District Court before District Court Judge Curtis V. Gomez. Judge Gomez also sentenced Castro to three years of supervised release. Judge Gomez further ordered Castro to pay a special assessment of $100.00.
Castro pled guilty to illegal reentry on November 13, 2018. According, to the plea agreement filed with the court, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations (AMO) apprehended a vessel in the area of North Haulover Bay, St. John after agents observed that the vessel was operating with no lights. After the vessel was stopped, AMO agents observed five male individuals on board. Castro was one of the four male individuals determined not to be U.S. citizens and that he was previously deported in February 2018. Castro did not have permission from the Department of Homeland Security to re-enter.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Unit and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sigrid M. Tejo-Sprotte.
President of Florida Construction Company Sentenced to 22 Months in Federal Prison for Making False Statements to Federal Government to Defraud USVI ContractorRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI – Adrian L. Foster, 50, of Florida, was sentenced today as a result of her conviction for making a false statement to a federal agency, United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced.
District Court Judge Curtis V. Gomez sentenced Foster to 22 Months incarceration, 3 years supervised release, $100 Special Assessment, and $133,002 in Restitution payable to the U.S. Virgin Islands construction company.
According to court documents, Foster was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Foster Construction of South Florida, Inc., located in Miami, FL. In 2013, Foster entered into contracts to facilitate the completion of two projects in the Virgin Islands National Park in Cruz Bay, St. John, VI. Between 2013 and 2016, Foster falsified multiple certifications to the National Park Service (NPS) and misappropriated federal funds from NPS that were designated to a U.S. Virgin Islands construction company.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of the Interior - Office of the Inspector General. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mervin A. Bourne, Jr.
Philadelphia Woman Indicted on Child Pornography and Online Enticement ChargesRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney William M. McSwain announced today that Linda Paolini, 43, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was charged today by Indictment with two counts of manufacturing and attempted manufacturing of child pornography and one count of online enticement of a minor.
The charges arise out of a telephone tip received by the FBI. Defendant Paolini, who was pretending to be an underage girl, communicated through Instagram with an underage boy, soliciting him for videos of him engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Over the course of months, she and her victim exchanged over 50,000 Instagram messages, including explicit and sexually-charged chats. On January 22, 2019, Paolini was arrested by federal authorities, was charged by criminal complaint the next day, and, on January 28, was ordered detained pending trial.
If convicted, Paolini faces life imprisonment, with a mandatory minimum of at least 15 years, a mandatory term of supervised release of at least 5 years but up to a lifetime of supervised release, a $750,000 fine, and $15,300 in special assessments
“The facts alleged in this indictment present an all-too-familiar scenario – an adult using the Internet and social media to lure and abuse children,” said U.S. Attorney McSwain. “The Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood program – a nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse – 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. The investigation and prosecution of this defendant is part of our successful enforcement in this area.”
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Rinaldi.
An indictment, information, or criminal complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.