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Tuesday 18 December 2018
Rosebud Man Sentenced for Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily InjuryRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Rosebud, South Dakota, man convicted of Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury was sentenced on December 17, 2018, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.
Cassius Farmer, age 25, was sentenced to 12 months and 1 day in federal prison, followed by 2 years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Farmer was indicted by a federal grand jury on February 14, 2018. He pled guilty on October 2, 2018.
The conviction stemmed from an incident that occurred on December 9, 2017, wherein Farmer got into a confrontation with another man at a convenience store in Rosebud. Farmer struck the man in the face and knocked him down, causing a laceration to the man’s face and a fractured cheekbone.
This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.
Farmer was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Rockford Man Charged with Tax FraudRead the Press Release
ROCKFORD — A Rockford man was indicted today by a federal grand jury on charges of tax fraud and interfering with internal revenue laws.
MICHAEL MENDOZA, 31, was charged with sixteen counts of making false claims on Internal Revenue Service forms and one count of attempting to interfere with the administration of internal revenue laws.
The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Gabriel L. Grchan, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division in Chicago. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Love.
As alleged in the indictment, Mendoza made false representations regarding wages, income tax amounts and withholding amounts, and claimed refunds he was not entitled to for the tax years 2014 through 2016, totaling $356,844. The indictment further alleges that Mendoza electronically filed federal income tax returns for himself and in the names of other persons, causing refunds to be deposited into bank accounts he owned or controlled. It is alleged that after the IRS began an examination of federal income tax returns filed by Mendoza from Sept. 23, 2015, through Dec. 5, 2016, Mendoza obstructed the examination when he submitted fictitious documents and made false statements to the IRS concerning his 2014 employment.
Each count of making a false claim to the IRS carries a maximum potential penalty of up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and full restitution. Attempting to interfere with the administration of internal revenue laws carries a fine of up to $5,000 or up to three years in prison, or both. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal sentencing statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines. Mendoza will be arraigned on a date yet to be determined in U.S. District Court in Rockford.
The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Rochester Man Sentenced on Child Pornography ChargeRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy Jr. announced today that Michael Krepp, 58, of Rochester, NY, who was convicted of possession of child pornography, was sentenced to serve 135 months in prison and 15 years supervised release by U.S. District Judge Charles J. Sirgusa.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John J. Field, who handled the case, stated that between September 9, 2017, and January 22, 2018, an FBI Special Agent, working undercover, discovered multiple files containing videos and images of child pornography. Some of the videos and images depicted prepubescent children in sexual situations. Investigators determined that the IP address connected to the files resolved to one utilized by the defendant. Digital media recovered from Krepp in February 2018 contained child pornography.
The defendant was previously convicted of Rape 3rd in State Court and is a registered sex offender.
Today’s sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Buffalo Division, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Gary Loeffert.# # # #
Roane County Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Child Pornography CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Roane County man was sentenced today to five years in federal prison for a child pornography crime, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart. Devin Wolfe, 26, of Spencer, previously entered his guilty plea in July 2018 to one count of receipt of child pornography. Stuart commended the investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the West Virginia State Police and the Parkersburg Police Department.
“Great work by all involved,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart, “in putting another child predator behind bars. Project Safe Childhood is a top priority of mine that focuses on protecting our most vulnerable and holding those accountable that prey on our children.”
Wolfe admitted to possessing images and videos depicting child pornography on October 12, 2016. He received these images and videos from the internet, including from the website “4chan.” One of the images, which he downloaded on August 21, 2016 at his residence in Roane County, depicted an adult male engaged in sexual intercourse with a prepubescent female. Wolfe further admitted to possessing at least 6 videos and 730 images. Many of the minors depicted in the videos and images have been identified by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Following his release from prison, defendant will spend 35 years on federal supervised release. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.
Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer Rada Herrald and Emily Wasserman and First Assistant United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston handled the prosecution. United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. handed down today’s sentence.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative of the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
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Repeat Violent Felon with 31 Prior Arrests Sentenced to 22 Years on Meth, Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS – A repeat felon with 31 prior arrests and three prior felony convictions was sentenced Tuesday in federal court on drug and gun charges, said Charles “Charlie” Peeler, the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia. Clint Walker, 35 of Columbus, GA was sentenced to 264 months for Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute and 120 months concurrent for Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon by the Honorable Clay D. Land on December 18, 2018.
According to the plea agreement, Mr. Walker was stopped by the Columbus Police Department on December 19, 2017 for not wearing a seat belt. The vehicle Mr. Walker was driving also did not have proper tag lights. Mr. Walker exited the car, appeared agitated, and told the officer he had no license, was driving a relative’s car and was a convicted felon on probation. During an officer safety pat down, marijuana was found on Mr. Walker and he was placed under arrest. Inside the vehicle, 111 grams of 77% pure methamphetamine was found, along with a scale, baggies and small quantities of other drugs. Wedged between the driver’s seat and the center console was a Star 9mm semi-automatic pistol. The entire incident was captured by the officer’s body camera.
Mr. Walker has been convicted of the following felony crimes, all in Muscogee County (GA) Superior Court:
1. On or about 10/6/05, Robbery by Force
2. On or about 3/15/11, Possession of a Sawed Off Shotgun, Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon
3. On or about 7/18/14, Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute, Possession of Xanax with Intent to Distribute
“A career criminal with a violent history will spend the next two decades behind bars, no longer causing havoc and misery for Muscogee County citizens” said Charles Peeler, the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia. “Violent, repeat offenders are not welcome in our communities, and keeping them off our streets will continue to be a primary focus of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Thank you to the good work of the Columbus Police Department and our law enforcement partners for helping in this case.”
Mr. Walker’s case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The case was investigated by the Columbus Police Department, with support from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Crawford Seals is prosecuting the case for the Government.
Questions can be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603 or Melissa Hodges, Public Affairs Director (Contractor), United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 765-2362.
Recidivist Fraudster Douglas E. Castle Sentenced to More Than Four Years in Prison for Defrauding InvestorsRead the Press Release
Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that DOUGLAS E. CASTLE, the owner of Global Edge Technologies Group LLC, a financial consulting firm located in Somers, New York (“Global Edge”), was sentenced yesterday to 50 months in prison for defrauding certain investors (the “Victims”) out of over $800,000 dollars. CASTLE pled guilty to one count of wire fraud on July 26, 2018. The sentence was imposed by United States District Judge Kenneth M. Karas.
U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “Douglas E. Castle took money from investors under false pretenses, lied to the FBI, and then lied to victims by telling them he was working with the FBI. Now he has been sentenced to more than four years in prison for his litany of lies.”
According to the Complaint, Information, and other documents filed in the case, as well as statements made during court proceedings:
On June 25, 2003, CASTLE was sentenced in federal court to 34 months in prison and three years of supervised release for his conviction on an investment fraud scheme that caused investor losses of over $1.2 million. Approximately five years after completing supervised release on that offense, CASTLE perpetrated the investment fraud scheme for which he was sentenced yesterday.
From about 2014 through 2017, CASTLE defrauded at least three victims of over $800,000, including by encouraging an aging window (“Victim-1”) prematurely to withdraw funds from her tax-advantaged retirement savings account to invest with CASTLE. CASTLE misrepresented that he would invest Victim-1’s funds with a United Kingdom-based investment firm (“Firm-1”) that purportedly guaranteed the safety of the invested principal. CASTLE represented that he previously invested his own money with Firm-1, but that because Firm-1 had high minimum investment thresholds, Victim-1 could invest her funds only by adding her money on top of CASTLE’s investment. For that reason, CASTLE said the investment would be structured as a loan between CASTLE’s own financial consulting firm, Global Edge, and Victim-1. In truth, as CASTLE knew, Firm-1 did not exist, and CASTLE spent Victim-1’s money instead on his own personal expenses, cash withdrawals, and eventually, in overseas transfers to individuals in Ghana and elsewhere who perpetrated an advance fee scam on CASTLE himself. CASTLE also defrauded at least two other victims into investing funds with him under false pretenses.
On June 8, 2016, CASTLE participated in a voluntary interview with the FBI in which he lied about the source of a particular transfer of Victim-1’s money he made to a Ghana bank account. After this meeting with the FBI, CASTLE continued to lie to victims to raise more money. After CASTLE came to realize that he would not receive a multimillion-dollar windfall in exchange for transferring his and his victims’ money, CASTLE attempted to preclude his victims from reporting the fraud to law enforcement by falsely claiming that he was already working with the FBI and multiple other law enforcement agencies on their behalf to recover their funds.
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In addition to his prison term, CASTLE, 64, of Somers, New York, was sentenced to three years of supervised release, a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $825,000, and restitution in the amount of $849,800.
Mr. Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau Investigation and thanked the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations for their assistance.
The case is being prosecuted by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Vladislav Vainberg is in charge of the prosecution.
Prospect Man Charged with Illegally Purchasing and Possessing 11 FirearmsRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that a federal grand jury in Hartford has returned a 15-count indictment charging FRANK MOSS, 31, of Prospect, with offenses related to the illegal purchase and possession of firearms.
The indictment was returned on December 4, 2018. Moss appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah A. L. Merriam in New Haven, entered a plea of not guilty to the charges and was released on a $50,000 bond.
As alleged in the indictment, on seven dates between June 14, 2017 and November 1, 2017, Moss, being an unlawful user of or addicted to controlled substances, made false statements in connection with the purchase of 11 firearms at gun stores in Wolcott, Seymour and Waterbury.
The indictment charges Moss with eight count of making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm by representing that he was not an unlawful user of, or addicted to, controlled substances. The indictment also charges Moss with seven counts of possession of a firearm by an individual who is an unlawful user of, or addicted to, any controlled substance.
If convicted, Moss faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years on each count.
U.S. Attorney Durham stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Waterbury Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Natasha Freismuth.
This 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 neighborhoods safer for everyone.
Princeton Couple Pleads Guilty to Federal Robbery and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Princeton couple who were arrested after an investigation of multiple robberies earlier this year pled guilty to multiple federal charges, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart. Sarah K. Bailey, 39, and Michael Justin Bailey, 38, entered guilty pleas to conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robberies and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence before Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber. Stuart commended the investigative efforts of the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Southern Regional Drug and Violent Crime Task Force, with the assistance and cooperation of law enforcement personnel in the states of Virginia and North Carolina.
“The couple that thieves together, stays together -- in a federal pen. But they won’t be staying together,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “Good job by law enforcement in solving this string of violent robberies and apprehending the Baileys.”
During their plea hearings, each defendant admitted to robbing two separate video poker parlors in the Southern District of West Virginia. The Baileys admitted that on October 26, 2017, they robbed a video poker parlor near Peterstown, West Virginia. The Baileys further admitted that during the robbery, a 76 year old employee was struck several times in the head with a club, causing injury to the employee. They admitted to then binding the employee with duct tape, and stealing money and personal items from this employee.
The Baileys also admitted to committing another robbery as part of the conspiracy. This robbery occurred near Bluefield, West Virginia on November 5, 2017. On November 5, the Baileys went to a video poker parlor where Sarah Bailey had previously worked near Bluefield. On this date, they used firearms that had previously been stolen to rob the video poker parlor. During the robbery, the Baileys admitted to threatening an employee and customers with the firearms and again binding an employee with duct tape. They further admitted to stealing nearly $5,000 and personal items and effects from the employee and customers. The Baileys then fled to North Carolina where they were arrested after being found in possession of the money and other stolen items from both of the robbery locations.
Both defendants face up to 20 years imprisonment for the conspiracy charge to be followed by a mandatory minimum consecutive term of not less than seven years and up to life in federal prison when they are sentenced on April 2, 2019.
Assistant United States Attorney Timothy D. Boggess is handling the prosecutions. The plea hearings were held before Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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Portland Man Sentenced to 60 Months in Prison for Distributing Child Pornography via Bittorrent NetworkRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore. – Jordan Thomas Prentice, 28, of Portland, was sentenced today to 60 months in federal prison for distributing child pornography using a BitTorrent peer-to-peer file-sharing network. Upon completion of his prison sentence, Prentice will be on supervised release for five years.
According to court documents, on July 3, 2015, an undercover agent with the Vancouver, Washington Police Department downloaded multiple files depicting infants, toddlers and other prepubescent children being sexually abused from a BitTorrent file-sharing network. Investigators traced the IP address associated with the files to Prentice’s residence in Portland. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) identified numerous files downloaded from Prentice’s IP address that depicted children identified in prior investigations and some of whom resided outside of Oregon.
On January 27, 2016, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents executed a federal search warrant at Prentice’s Portland home. Prentice admitted to having viewed child pornography since he was 15 years old and having downloaded the illicit files for years using uTorrent software. Agents seized multiple devices from Prentice’s home and later located more than 600 images and 126 video files depicting child sexual abuse.
Prentice previously pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of child pornography on August 8, 2018. As part of his plea agreement, Prentice agreed to pay restitution to his victims and forfeit personal property used to facilitate his crimes.
This case was investigated by HSI and the Vancouver Police Department. It was prosecuted by Jane Shoemaker, Natalie Wight and Amy Potter, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
HSI encourages anyone with information about the physical or online exploitation of children to call its toll-free tip line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or submit an online tip form. Both reporting methods are staffed around the clock by investigators. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196.
Suspected child sexual exploitation may also be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.
Plymouth Couple Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
CONCORD – United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced that Steven Moore, 36, and Samantha Merrifield, 35, both of Plymouth, New Hampshire, pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.
Court filings and statements made in court established that Moore and Merrifield arranged to sell approximately 50 grams of fentanyl to an undercover police officer on October 10, 2018.
Moore and Merrifield will be sentenced on March 27, 2019.
“Fentanyl distribution is a problem throughout the Granite State,” said U.S. Attorney Murray. “We will remain vigilant to ensure that law enforcement confronts drug dealers wherever they choose to engage in their illegal and dangerous trade.”
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Georgiana L. Konesky.
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Pine Ridge Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Second Degree Murder and Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Pine Ridge, South Dakota, man convicted of Second Degree Murder and Discharge of a Firearm During the Commission of a Crime of Violence was sentenced by Chief Judge Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Court.
James Robert Dowty, age 29, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison on December 17, 2018. He was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison, 5 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund for the Second Degree Murder charge. As to the Discharge of a Firearm During the Commission of a Crime of Violence charge, Dowty was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison to be served consecutively to the murder charge, 5 years of supervised release to be served concurrently, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Dowty was found guilty of the charges following a federal jury trial in Rapid City on May 5, 2018. The charges related to Dowty shooting a 13 year- old female on July 20, 2016, at Pine Ridge.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of its 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 local communities to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Office of Justice Services, the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eric Kelderman and Sarah Collins prosecuted the case.
Dowty was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Paterson Police Officer Admits Conspiring to Violate Civil Rights and ExtortionRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A City of Paterson police officer today admitted conspiring with other officers to violate individuals’ civil rights and to personally accepting a firearm in exchange for reducing the charges on an arrestee, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Police Officer Jonathan Bustios, 29, of Paterson, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Katharine S. Hayden in Newark federal court to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to violate individuals’ civil rights and one count of extortion under color of official right.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Bustios and Eudy Ramos were police officers with the Paterson Police Department. From at least 2016 to April 2018, Bustios, Ramos and others participated in a conspiracy in which they targeted and stopped certain individuals who were driving motor vehicles that they believed carried sums of money. Bustios, Ramos and others stopped the vehicles, searched the vehicles, driver, and passengers, and seized cash from the driver and passengers of the vehicles, without legal basis. They then split the cash among themselves and submitted false reports to the Paterson Police Department omitting the illegal vehicle stops and their thefts or lying about them.
In one incident, on Feb. 20, 2018, while on duty and in uniform, Bustios pulled over and stopped behind a BMW, while Ramos stopped in front of the BMW. Bustios and Ramos exited their police cars and searched the front and back of the BMW and the trunk, and Bustios and Ramos detained and searched the two occupants of the BMW. They put each of the occupants into the backseat of Ramos’s police car. Bustios then stole a bag containing approximately $1,800 from the car and left the scene, and Ramos released the two detained occupants of the BMW. Ramos drove to meet Bustios, who passed a portion of the recovered cash to Ramos through the window of Bustios’ police car. Bustios and Ramos did not report to the Paterson Police Department the fact that they had stopped and searched the BMW, detained and searched its occupants, and taken cash, all without any warrants or legal justification.
Bustios also pleaded guilty to extortion under color of official right, arising out of an incident on March 14, 2018. Bustios arrested and detained an individual and placed the individual in the backseat of his police car. Bustios told the individual that he would not charge him with resisting arrest and would allow him to keep the cash that the he had on him, in exchange for which the individual would find Bustios a firearm. Bustios said, “I ain’t gonna charge you with resisting, and I’m letting you keep your money, bro.” Bustios then told the individual, “If you don’t wanna make the deal, you don’t have to make the deal.” The individual ultimately agreed to the deal and directed Bustios to the location of a firearm. Bustios recovered the firearm and kept it without turning it in to the Paterson Police Department. As promised, he did not charge the individual with resisting arrest. Bustios also submitted an arrest report in which he failed to mention any details about having a recovered a firearm.
The conspiracy to violate civil rights count carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. The extortion under color of official right count carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. The maximum fine for both charges is $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for April 9, 2019.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea. He also thanked the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes, the Paterson Police Department, under the direction of Paterson Police Director Jerry Speziale and Police Chief Troy Oswald, and the Paterson Police Department Office of Internal Affairs, for their assistance in the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rahul Agarwal, Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division.
Defense counsel: Michael Koribanics, Clifton, New Jersey
Passaic County, New Jersey, Man Admits Role in $6 Million Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Hawthorne, New Jersey, man today admitted his role in a scheme to defraud financial institutions and others of more than $6 million, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Mehdi Kassai, also known as “Mike Kassai,” 36, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge William J. Martini in Newark federal court to an information charging him with two counts of bank fraud, one count of wire fraud, and one count of money laundering.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From June 2013 to March 2017, Kassai and others fraudulently induced mortgage lenders to participate in “short sale” transactions. In the typical short sale transaction, a financial institution agrees to allow a house owner in financial distress to sell for less than they owe on the mortgage. Such transactions are called short sales because the market value of the house is less than the amount owed by the owner and the lender agrees to accept a payment “short” of the amount owed by the house owner.
Kassai admitted that he used false documents and straw buyers, caused cosmetic damage to properties to lower their apparent value, and restricted the ability of others to bid and buy those properties. This allowed Kassai to gain control of properties through the short sale process for substantially less than the properties were actually worth. Kassai then sold many of those properties to third parties at a substantial profit.
The bank fraud and wire fraud counts are punishable by up to 30 years in prison and a fine of $1 million, or twice the gross gain to the defendant or loss to the victim. The count of money laundering is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss. Kassai also agreed to forfeit the proceeds of the scheme. Sentencing is scheduled for April 18, 2019.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited officers of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Acting Prosecutor Dennis Calo, and special agents of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Robert Manchak, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Senior Trial Counsel Andrew Leven of the Healthcare & Government Fraud Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of New Jersey, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charlie Divine and Kevin DiGregory of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Office of Inspector General.
Defense counsel: James M. Doyle Esq., Hackensack, New Jersey
Parker Nurse Pleads Guilty to Obtaining A Controlled Substance by DeceitRead the Press Release
DENVER – Parker nurse Mary Panza, aka Mary Bowers, pled guilty today to obtaining a controlled substance by deceit in front of U.S. District Court Judge Robert E. Blackburn, U.S. Attorney Jason Dunn and FDA Office of Criminal Investigations Special Agent in Charge Charles Grinstead announced. Panza worked at the Ridge View Endoscopy Center where she administered drugs, including fentanyl. The defendant will be sentenced on March 26, 2019. She is free on bond.
Panza was indicted by a federal grand jury in Denver on October 11, 2018. She pled guilty today, December 18, 2018. According to the stipulated facts contained in the plea agreement, on August 3, 2018, Panza was found by police and paramedics on the floor of her bathroom unconscious with a syringe in her right hand. Two doses of Narcan, a substance used to revive opioid overdose victims, were administered which resulted in Panza regaining consciousness. It was then determined by officers that she had taken fentanyl, a powerful painkiller. Officers found six vials of Benadryl and one vial of Promethazine in her purse, which she used to hide the fentanyl. Further, multiple syringes and a rubber tourniquet were found in her bathroom.
After being transported to Parker Adventist Hospital, officers found multiple vials of what turned out to be fentanyl in her bathrobe. She was not prescribed the drug, and it was determined that she removed the painkiller while working at the endoscopy center where she was in charge of tracking the pain killer. She would empty wasted medication into vials labeled Benadryl, Promethazine and Zofran. She would do this on average of once a week for approximately 10 months. She had done the same thing with her prior employer, Denver Endoscopy on a “handful of occasions,” according to the plea agreement.
This case was investigated by the FDA-Office of Criminal Investigation. The defendant is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jaime Pena.
Oregon Restaurant Owner Sentenced to Prison in Connection with Immigration-Related Forced Labor SchemeRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore. — Paul Jumroon, also known as Veraphon Phatanakitjumroon, 55, formerly of Beaverton and Depoe Bay, Oregon, and a naturalized citizen originally from Thailand, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Anna J. Brown to 37 months in prison and ordered to pay more than $131,000 in restitution to four victims and more than $120,000 to the IRS in taxes due. The defendant previously pleaded guilty to forced labor, visa fraud conspiracy, and filing false tax returns. Today’s sentence was announced by Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband of Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams of the District of Oregon, Acting Special Agent in Charge Steve Palmer of the FBI’s Portland Field Office, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Troy Burrus of IRS Criminal Investigation’s Seattle Field Office.
According to documents filed in court, between 2011 and 2014, defendant Paul Jumroon and co-defendant Tanya Jumroon fraudulently obtained E-2 “investor” visas to bring Thai nationals into the United States to provide cheap labor at their restaurants in Lake Oswego, Oregon, and in Ridgefield, Washington. The defendants no longer own either restaurant. Paul Jumroon then lured four Thai chefs to the United States to work at the restaurants through the promise of a visa and false representations about their salaries and job responsibilities. Once the victims arrived, he confiscated their passports and documents and exploited and coerced their labor through debts, verbal abuse, and threats of financial and reputational harm, requiring them to work significant hours for minimal pay. Tanya Jumroon witnessed the mistreatment of the victims, and she benefited financially from their forced labor at the restaurants that she co-owned. Additionally, the defendants filed multiple false tax returns with the IRS by failing to report cash income earned from the restaurants between 2012 and 2015.
“Paul Jumroon’s violation of the law by obtaining fraudulent visas and exploiting vulnerable individuals for his own personal profit is disgraceful,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband. “The Department of Justice will continue to prosecute traffickers vigorously and secure justice for victims who have been mistreated and degraded by criminals.”
“Paul Jumroon has been brought to justice for preying on the hopes of vulnerable workers and using fear to compel work for little pay. He and his wife Tanya profited off of a degrading crime,” said U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams. “This case demonstrates our firm commitment to holding traffickers accountable and restoring the rights, freedom and dignity of victims.”
“Life in America is built on the promise of freedom and choice. When these victims came to this country seeking a better life, Paul Jumroon instead cooked up a scheme of false promises, forced labor and abuse,” said FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Steve Palmer. “Today’s sentence brings justice for them while also sending a strong message to those who think they can profit off others through coercion and intimidation.”
“Mr. and Mrs. Jumroon bullied and intimidated employees that trusted them in order to line their own pockets” said Troy Burrus, IRS Criminal Investigation Acting Special Agent in Charge. “The defendants thought they were above the law. They abused multiple victims and stole money from the American taxpayers. Today’s sentence demonstrates the government's determination to hold them accountable for their actions.”
Tanya Jumroon, also known as Thunyarax Phatanakit Jumroon, 59, of Beaverton, Oregon, will be sentenced tomorrow for conspiring with Paul Jumroon and others to commit visa fraud, for making and subscribing a false tax return, and benefitting financially from forced labor. Tanya Jumroon pleaded guilty to these charges in June 2018.
The District of Oregon is one of six districts designated through a competitive, nationwide selection process as a Phase II Anti-Trafficking Coordination Team (ACTeam), through the interagency ACTeam Initiative of the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security and Labor. ACTeams focus on developing high-impact human trafficking investigations and prosecutions involving forced labor, international sex trafficking and sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion through interagency collaboration among federal prosecutors and federal investigative agencies.
This prosecution is the result of the joint investigation by the Oregon Foreign-Born Human Trafficking Taskforce, FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, IRS Criminal Investigation and Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, with assistance from the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division and Portland Police Bureau. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Hannah Horsley, Scott Bradford and Steven Mygrant of the District of Oregon, and Lindsey Roberson of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.
Oregon Restaurant Owner Sentenced to Prison in Connection with Immigration-Related Forced Labor SchemeRead the Press Release
Paul Jumroon, also known as Veraphon Phatanakitjumroon, 55, formerly of Beaverton and Depoe Bay, Oregon, and a naturalized citizen originally from Thailand, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Anna J. Brown to 37 months in prison with three years’ supervised release and was ordered to pay more than $131,000 in restitution to four victims and more than $120,000 to the IRS in taxes due. The defendant previously pleaded guilty to forced labor, visa fraud conspiracy, and filing false tax returns. Today’s sentence was announced by Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband of Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams of the District of Oregon, Acting Special Agent in Charge Steve Palmer of the FBI’s Portland Field Office, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Troy Burrus of IRS Criminal Investigation’s Seattle Field Office.
According to documents filed in court, between 2011 and 2014, defendants Paul Jumroon and Tanya Jumroon fraudulently obtained E-2 “investor” visas to bring Thai nationals into the United States to provide cheap labor at their restaurants in Lake Oswego, Oregon, and in Ridgefield, Washington. The defendants no longer own either restaurant. Paul Jumroon then lured four Thai chefs to the United States to work at the restaurants through the promise of a visa and false representations about their salaries and job responsibilities. Once the victims arrived, he confiscated their passports and documents and exploited and coerced their labor through debts, verbal abuse, and threats of financial and reputational harm, requiring them to work significant hours for minimal pay. Tanya Jumroon witnessed the mistreatment of the victims, and she benefited financially from their forced labor at the restaurants that she co-owned. Additionally, the defendants filed multiple false tax returns with the IRS by failing to report cash income earned from the restaurants between 2012 and 2015.
“Paul Jumroon’s violation of the law by obtaining fraudulent visas and exploiting vulnerable individuals for his own personal profit is disgraceful,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband. “The Department of Justice will continue to prosecute traffickers vigorously and secure justice for victims who have been mistreated and degraded by criminals.”
“Paul Jumroon has been brought to justice for preying on the hopes of vulnerable workers and using fear to compel work for little pay. He and his wife Tanya profited off of a degrading crime,” said U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams. “This case demonstrates our firm commitment to holding traffickers accountable and restoring the rights, freedom and dignity of victims.”
“Life in America is built on the promise of freedom and choice. When these victims came to this country seeking a better life, Paul Jumroon instead cooked up a scheme of false promises, forced labor and abuse,” said FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Steve Palmer. “Today’s sentence brings justice for them while also sending a strong message to those who think they can profit off others through coercion and intimidation.”
“Mr. and Mrs. Jumroon bullied and intimidated employees that trusted them in order to line their own pockets” said Troy Burrus, IRS Criminal Investigation Acting Special Agent in Charge. “The defendants thought they were above the law. They abused multiple victims and stole money from the American taxpayers. Today’s sentence demonstrates the government's determination to hold them accountable for their actions.”
Tanya Jumroon, also known as Thunyarax Phatanakit Jumroon, 59, of Beaverton, Oregon, will be sentenced tomorrow for conspiring with Paul Jumroon and others to commit visa fraud, for making and subscribing a false tax return, and benefitting financially from forced labor. Tanya Jumroon pleaded guilty to these charges in June 2018.
The District of Oregon is one of six districts designated through a competitive, nationwide selection process as a Phase II Anti-Trafficking Coordination Team (ACTeam), through the interagency ACTeam Initiative of the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security and Labor. ACTeams focus on developing high-impact human trafficking investigations and prosecutions involving forced labor, international sex trafficking and sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion through interagency collaboration among federal prosecutors and federal investigative agencies.
This prosecution is the result of the joint investigation by the Oregon Foreign-Born Human Trafficking Taskforce, FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, IRS Criminal Investigation and Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, with assistance from the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division and Portland Police Bureau. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Hannah Horsley, Scott Bradford and Steven Mygrant of the District of Oregon, and Lindsey Roberson of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.
Ordering Drugs on the “Dark Web” for Resale Results in a Decade in PrisonRead the Press Release
A man who obtained drugs including methamphetamine and marijuana over the “dark web” was sentenced today to a decade in federal prison.
William Kirk Vanatti, age 36, from Vinton, Iowa, received the prison term after a June 25, 2018, guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
Information from the sentencing hearing showed that Vanatti, purchased numerous drugs over the “dark web,” an encrypted network that cannot be found using normal search engines or internet browsers. Vanatti purchased marijuana, methamphetamine, and MDMA at various times. Vanatti also began selling methamphetamine to other people. He eventually ordered more than a kilogram of nearly 100% pure methamphetamine from a source in California intending to sell it to others. Law enforcement intercepted the package and two other packages containing marijuana before they reached Vanatti. Law enforcement also conducted searches of Vanatti’s car and home, finding a handgun that Vanatti had carried with him during a drug deal as well as two homemade explosive devices, including one that had staples in it as potential shrapnel.
Vanatti was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Linda R. Reade. He was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Vanatti is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was investigated by the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Drew Inman and Assistant United States Attorney Dan Chatham. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/. The case file number is 18-CR-27.
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O.C. Doctor Arrested on Federal Narcotics Charges that Allege Prescriptions to ‘Patients’ who Suffered Fatal OverdosesRead the Press Release
SANTA ANA, California – Special Agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration this morning arrested an Orange County doctor on federal charges that allege he illegally distributed opioid and other powerful narcotics by writing prescriptions for “patients” without medical examinations and to at least five individuals who suffered overdose deaths. One man who allegedly obtained prescriptions from the doctor was involved in a car accident last month that killed a bicyclist who was a captain with the Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue Department.
Dzung Ahn Pham, 57, of Tustin, who owns Irvine Village Urgent Care, was arrested pursuant to a criminal complaint that charges him with two counts of illegally distributing oxycodone. The complaint alleges that Pham issued prescriptions for the controlled substance outside the usual course of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose.
The affidavit in support of the criminal complaint alleges that Pham was selling prescriptions to “patients” who were drug addicts and/or who were selling the drugs on the black market. A review of a state-maintained database shows that Pham issued “an extremely high amount” of prescriptions over a three-year period, and the types of drugs prescribed to certain patients would lead to “higher risks for addiction, overdose and overdose death,” according to the affidavit. Investigators learned that a CVS pharmacy in Irvine stopped accepting prescriptions from Pham more than five years ago when the doctor could not justify the number of opioid pills he was prescribing to individual patients.
During two undercover operations this past summer that are discussed in the affidavit, a DEA agent quickly and easily obtained prescriptions for narcotics, including “a triple threat,” also referred to as a “Holy Trinity, [which] is the combined use of an opioid (such as hydrocodone), a benzodiazepine (such as Valium), and carisoprodol (a muscle relaxer like Soma).” Pham allegedly steered the undercover agent to an Irvine pharmacy that filled many of his prescriptions.
The affidavit contains text messages in which “patients” seek prescriptions, sometimes asking for specific quantities of particular narcotics in specific dosages. “[A]t least 84 of those patients had their prescriptions filled on the same day or within the next two days of their text messages,” according to the affidavit. “The drugs requested include, but are not limited to, adderall, oxycodone, tramadol, suboxone, norco, soma, alprazolam, and hydrocodone bitartrate-acetaminophen.”
From 2014 through 2017, at least five people who received and filled prescriptions from Pham died of drug overdoses. A Mission Viejo man, who is currently facing state murder charges in the November 3 death of Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue Captain Mike Kreza, was allegedly under the influence of Pham-prescribed drugs at the time of the incident. That man told investigators “that he was on medications prescribed by Pham,” and several prescription bottles with Pham’s name were found in the defendant’s vehicle after the incident, according to the affidavit.
The affidavit also details a text message sent by Pham, who expressed concern after receiving information that the individual who fatally shot 12 people last month at the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks had in his possession prescriptions for someone else, but which Pham had prescribed.
“This case clearly and tragically illustrates the dangers of drug dealers armed with prescription pads,” said United States Attorney Nick Hanna. “This doctor is accused of flooding Southern California with huge quantities of opioids and other dangerous narcotics by writing prescriptions for drugs he knew would be diverted to the street. Prosecutors in my office, working with their law enforcement partners, will tirelessly pursue everyone involved in the trafficking of opioids as part of our persistent and ongoing efforts to stop the trail of misery that follows these dangerous drugs.”
“Today’s arrest of Dr. Pham was accomplished through the tireless work of DEA agents and federal prosecutors,” said DEA Los Angeles Associate Special Agent in Charge William D. Bodner. “This arrest should serve as a warning to any physician who utilizes their position to traffic opioids. Dr. Pham’s arrest coincides with today’s press conference announcing DEA’s commitment to opioid and overdose prevention with its community and law enforcement partners.”
The specific narcotics charge in the complaint relates to oxycodone prescriptions Pham allegedly issued to a woman that Pham never saw as a patient. The affidavit, however, describes that Pham had regularly prescribed oxycodone to the woman’s husband, including within days of the prescriptions he allegedly wrote to the woman.
The criminal complaint alleges that Pham generated large amounts of cash from the operation of Irvine Village Urgent Care by charging between $100 and $150 per office visit. Between 2013 and September 2018, Pham deposited over $5 million, mostly in cash, into bank accounts held by Pham and his wife, according to the affidavit, which notes the he also deposited approximately $1.7 million, likely derived from insurance payments, into a business bank account.
Pham is expected to make his first court appearance this afternoon in United States District Court in Santa Ana.
A criminal complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
If he were to be convicted of the drug-trafficking charges alleged in the complaint, Pham would face a statutory maximum sentence of 40 years in federal prison.
The case against Pham is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Tactical Diversion Squad, the Irvine Police Department, and IRS Criminal Investigation.
This matter is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brett Sagel of the Santa Ana Branch Office.
Nigerian Ringleader of International Investment Scam Charged with Fraud, Money Laundering and Identity TheftRead the Press Release
HOUSTON - A Nigerian national was charged in court documents unsealed today for his role as the alleged ringleader of an international advance-fee scheme.
The scam allegedly involved false promises of investment funding by individuals who impersonated U.S. bank officials in person and over the internet to victims around the world who were told they had to make certain payments before they could supposedly receive their funding. Proceeds of the scheme were allegedly laundered through U.S. bank accounts and diverted back to the scheme’s perpetrators in Nigeria.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Patrick, Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Special Agent in Charge Perrye K. Turner of the FBI’s Houston Field Office and Special Agent in Charge Robert Smolich of the U.S. Department of State - Office of Inspector General (DOS-OIG) made the announcement.
Osondu Victor Igwilo, 49, of Lagos, Nigeria, was charged in a complaint filed in the Southern District of Texas in December 2016 and unsealed today. The complaint charges Igwilo with one count of wire fraud conspiracy, one count of money laundering conspiracy and one count of aggravated identity theft. Igwilo remains a fugitive.
As alleged in the complaint, Igwilo was the leader of a criminal network of “catchers,” who sent phishing emails to potential victims falsely offering investment funding on behalf of BB&T Corporation, a U.S. bank headquartered in North Carolina. When victims were interested in the supposed investment funding, Igwilo allegedly dispatched U.S. citizens whom he had recruited over the internet to pose as “representatives” of BB&T to meet in person with the victims and sign a supposed investment agreement on behalf of BB&T. When traveling to the countries where the victims resided, these representatives, at Igwilo’s direction, would visit the local U.S. embassy or consulate and employ fake documents with fraudulent seals of the U.S. government to deceive the victims into believing that the investment agreement was sponsored by the U.S. government, according to the complaint. Igwilo then allegedly used the representatives and catchers to convince victims to make wire payments to bank accounts in the United States on the false belief that such payments were necessary to effectuate the investment agreements. The complaint further alleges the holders of the U.S. bank accounts were “money movers” who disposed of the funds as directed by Igwilo, including by purchasing luxury vehicles from brands such as Mercedes Benz and Range Rover and shipping them to Nigeria.
Uche Diuno, 52, also of Lagos, was charged in a separate case in a second superseding indictment filed Oct. 3, 2018, with one count of wire fraud conspiracy, one count of money laundering conspiracy and one count of concealment money laundering. Diuno was arrested in Paris, France, on Sept. 29, 2018, and is awaiting extradition.
As alleged in the second superseding indictment, Diuno was a “chairman” or leader in the scheme who operated his own network of catchers and money movers alongside Igwilo’s which he used in furtherance of the same BB&T investment scam.
Seven other individuals have been charged to date as part of the same investigation including Uju Okigbo, 49, and Chioma Okafor, 29, both of Houston and alleged money movers; Tochukwu Nwosisi, 47, of Indianapolis, Indiana, also an alleged money mover; and Marita Ranalan Underwood, 62, of Manila, Philippines, John Christian Rutledge, 65, of Yaphank, New York, Osa May Martin, 69, of Carthage, Missouri, and Tiffany Sourjohn, 48, of Miami, Oklahoma, all alleged representatives.
Okigbo, Okafor, Rutledge and Sourjohn have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. Underwood remains a fugitive. Martin and Nwosisi are pending trial.
The FBI and DOS-OIG conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) Suzanne Elmilady of the Southern District of Texas and Trial Attorney William E. Johnston of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case. AUSA Kristine Rollinson is handling forfeiture aspects of the case.
The charges in the complaint and second superseding indictment are merely allegations.
Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
New VIDEO: Trafficker with Massive Network Leads Law Enforcement on Wild Car ChaseRead the Press Release
Newly-released dash cam video shows the moment a drug trafficker with a distribution network worth hundreds of thousands of dollars fled the scene of an undercover drug buy.
At the wheel was Israel Vasquez, a 46 year-old-citizen of Mexico, who was sentenced last week to life in prison after pleading guilty to drug and money laundering charges earlier this year.
According to law enforcement, Mr. Vasquez’ methamphetamine distribution network stretched from Michoacán, Mexico, across the southern border, and into Texas and Louisiana. The drug ring netted hundreds of thousands of dollars in proceeds wired to his alias, “Adan Perez.”
Not long before the footage was recorded in March 2016, Grand Prairie Police officers initiated an undercover drug buy with a man later identified as Mr. Vasquez. He agreed to meet an undercover agent behind a retail store in Grand Prairie. Just before the meeting, however, Mr. Vasquez seemed to grow suspicious, pitching about half a kilogram of meth out his car window and speeding away. The subsequent footage shows he led Grand Prairie Police on a wild chase, zig zagging through heavy traffic on Interstate 20, blasting through stop lights, and driving the wrong way on residential streets.
After he ditched the vehicle, agents located a receipt inside that noted his alias, Adan Perez. They tracked Mr. Vasquez to Seattle, where he was arrested weeks later.
At sentencing, prosecutors revealed that at the time of the chase, Mr. Vasquez was a fugitive from justice, having fled to Mexico in 2010 after pleading guilty in another drug and money laundering case in 2009. While on the lam, Mr. Vasquez conspired with several co-defendants, including his wife and sister, to deal controlled substances, including meth and heroin, and move drug money into Mexico.
According to law enforcement agents, in 2013, Vasquez was kidnapped by a cartel and tortured due to a drug debt; as soon as his family raised money to release him, he returned to dealing, and eventually traveled to the Dallas area, where he continued to deal meth and heroin.
Testimony revealed that his drug cell included his wife, Amber Vasquez, sentenced to 115 months on drug and money laundering charges; his sister, Mia Vasquez, sentenced to 38 months custody on drug charges; David De Los Santos, sentenced to 151 months custody on drug and money laundering charges; and Melvin Williams, sentenced to 121 months custody on drug charges. He also had ties to notorious dealer Javier Guerra, a.k.a. Chop, who was sentenced to a term of 480 months on drug charges and 240 months on money laundering charges in August, testimony showed.
The FBI, Dallas Police Department and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation led the investigation with assistance from the Grand Prairie Police Department; the Texas Department of Public Safety; the DFW Department of Public Safety; the U.S. Department of State; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; the Transportation Security Administration; the U.S. Secret Service; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations; and the Fort Worth, McKinney, Mesquite, and Plano Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys George Leal, John Kull, and John De La Garza prosecuted the case for the government.The FBI, Dallas Police Department and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation led the investigation with assistance from the Grand Prairie Police Department; the Texas Department of Public Safety; the DFW Department of Public Safety; the U.S. Department of State; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; the Transportation Security Administration; the U.S. Secret Service; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations; and the Fort Worth, McKinney, Mesquite, and Plano Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys George Leal, John Kull, and John De La Garza prosecuted the case for the government.
Monroe County Man Sentenced to Five Years’ Imprisonment for Heroin TraffickingRead the Press Release
WILKES-BARRE - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Myles Davis, age 30, of Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania, was sentenced yesterday by Senior U.S. District Court Judge A. Richard Caputo to five years’ imprisonment and four years on supervised release for his role in a Monroe County-based heroin and cocaine trafficking conspiracy.
According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Davis previously pleaded guilty to conspiring with others to distribute between 100 and 400 grams of heroin in the Monroe County area between May and July 2015. The amount of heroin for which Davis was responsible for distributing was equivalent to approximately 4,000 – 16,000 retail bags of heroin.
Davis was one of eleven individuals indicted by a grand jury in July 2015 and charged with conspiring to distribute heroin and cocaine in the Monroe County area. To date, nine defendants have entered guilty pleas.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Pocono Mountain Regional Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. O’Hara is prosecuting the case.
This case is 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. 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 enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce 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.
This prosecution is also 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.
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Monroe County Man Pleads Guilty to Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
WILKES-BARRE - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Steven Silva-Lugo, age 32, of Henryville, Monroe County, pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Court Senior Judge A. Richard Caputo to the charge of conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine and powder cocaine.
According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Silva-Lugo admitted to participating in a conspiracy to distribute between 280 grams and 840 grams of crack cocaine, as well as between 3.5 kilograms and 5 kilograms of powder cocaine, in the Monroe County area between May and July 2015. Silva-Lugo was one of eleven individuals indicted by a grand jury in July 2015 and charged with conspiring to distribute heroin, powder cocaine and crack cocaine in the Monroe County area. To date, eight defendants have entered guilty pleas and one defendant, Myles Davis, was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment.
Judge Caputo ordered a presentence report to be completed. Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date.
The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Pocono Mountain Regional Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. O’Hara is prosecuting the case.
This case is 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. 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 enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce crime.
This prosecution is also 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.
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 charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in prison. The maximum penalty under federal law is up to life in prison, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.
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Miami-Area Pharmacy Owner Sentenced to over Seven Years in Prison for Role in $8.4 Million Medicare Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
The owner of a Miami, Florida-area pharmacy who caused Medicare to pay more than $8.4 million over a six-year period for prescription drugs that were never provided to beneficiaries was sentenced today to 87 months in prison.
Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Ariana Fajardo Orshan of the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge George L. Piro of the FBI’s Miami Field Office and Special Agent in Charge Shimon R. Richmond of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General’s (HHS-OIG) Miami Regional Office made the announcement.
Antonio Perez Jr., 48, of Miami Beach, Florida, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Federico A. Moreno of the Southern District of Florida, who also ordered Perez to pay $8,415,824 in restitution and to forfeit the same amount. Perez was ordered to forfeit four Miami-area properties worth approximately $700,000 and multiple bank accounts totaling over $250,000. Perez previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.
According to admissions made as part of his plea agreement, Perez was the owner of A.R.A. Medical Services Inc., which did business under the name Valles Pharmacy Discount. Perez admitted to agreeing to pay illegal health care kickbacks to Medicare beneficiaries in exchange for a promise from the beneficiaries to fill their prescriptions at Valles Pharmacy Discount, and to allow Valles Pharmacy Discount to submit claims to Medicare for prescription drugs that were not provided to the beneficiaries. Perez also admitted that he submitted claims to Medicare for expensive prescription medications that Valles Pharmacy never purchased, and were never provided to Medicare beneficiaries.
During the course of the scheme, Medicare paid Valles Pharmacy Discount over $32 million, of which at least $8.4 million was for prescription drugs that Valles Pharmacy never purchased and never provided to Medicare beneficiaries, Perez admitted.
The case was investigated by the FBI and HHS-OIG, and was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, under the supervision of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida. The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Timothy P. Loper of the Fraud Section.
The Fraud Section leads the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, which is part of a joint initiative between the Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to focus their efforts to prevent and deter fraud and enforce current anti-fraud laws around the country. Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, which maintains 14 strike forces operating in 23 districts, has charged nearly 4,000 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $14 billion.
Methamphetamine Drug Trafficking Organization DismantledRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez, along with other federal, state, and local law enforcement officials announce the results of a long-term investigation involving the organized trafficking of methamphetamine.
James Lester Calloway, Jr. (49, Jacksonville) has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. He faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 20 years, up to life, in federal prison. According to the plea agreement, Calloway was a source of supply for methamphetamine. During the execution of a search warrant on Calloway’s home, the Drug Enforcement Administration seized approximately 112 grams of crystal methamphetamine, a firearm, and $70,960 in cash.
Jason Jed Morris (51, Palatka), another member of the drug trafficking organization, previously pleaded guilty to possessing with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He was sentenced to three years in federal prison. According to the plea agreement, Morris traveled to Jacksonville to meet with Calloway, his source of supply, and purchased 28.25 grams of (99% pure) methamphetamine in order to distribute it to his customers in the Palatka area.
Two other members of the drug trafficking organization have also been charged. On July 12, 2018, Samuel Trevor Martin (36, Jacksonville) was indicted for possessing with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. He faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years, and up to life, in federal prison. On August 15, 2018, Anthony Donta Jones was indicted for possessing with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. He also faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years, and up to life, in federal prison.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration along with the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office, and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Beatriz Gonzalez.
Metairie Man Indicted for Capital One Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Peter Strasser announced today that KEITH ANTHONY RAMIREZ (RAMIREZ), age 33, was charged Friday, December 14, 2018 in a one-count Indictment for bank robbery in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2113(a).
According to the Indictment, RAMIREZ robbed the Capital One Bank located in Covington, Louisiana on December 4, 2018.
If convicted, RAMIREZ faces a maximum term of imprisonment of twenty years, a maximum fine of $250,000, a maximum term of supervised release of three years, and a mandatory $100 special assessment.
U. S. Attorney Strasser reiterated that an Indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
U.S. Attorney Strasser praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, St, Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Covington Police department in investigating this matter. Assistant U. S. Attorney Spiro G. Latsis is in charge of the prosecution.
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Medical Practice Manager Sentenced for Fraud and Tax ChargesRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A former resident of Williamsburg was sentenced today to over 5 years in prison for stealing approximately $514,000 from a Williamsburg ophthalmologist and filing false tax returns that concealed the stolen funds.
According to court documents, Sherea Darnell, 35, worked as the practice manager for the Cullom Eye and Laser Center, located in Williamsburg, from 2012 to 2016. Both Darnell and Dr. Robert Cullom were actually W-2 employees of Riverside Medical Group. Over a four-year period, Darnell used three of Dr. Cullom’s credit cards to conduct personal transactions for her own benefit totaling approximately $514,000. She also obtained access to Dr. Cullom’s Wells Fargo Advisors accounts, which she used to pay the balances of the credit cards without his authority, including an account that had been established to pay for medical equipment, but which Darnell diverted into making payments on the credit cards. Darnell used the victim’s credit cards to pay for her son’s pre-school tuition which she deducted on her 2016 tax return. She also took over $90,000 in cash advances, transferred funds into her personal USAA accounts, hired a maid service, purchased high-end clothing and airline tickets for herself and her family and made a deposits and payments on luxury vehicles. Darnell failed to report any of these funds obtained via the credit cards on her tax returns for the years 2013-2015. Following her resignation in August 2016, Darnell continued to use the victim’s credit cards to pay her moving expenses, obtain additional cash advances and make other purchases until Dr. Cullom discovered the fraud and shut down the accounts.
G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Kelly R. Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Washington, D.C. Field Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Henry Coke Morgan, Jr. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Howard J. Zlotnick and Brian J. Samuels 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. 4:17-cr-92.
Maryland Woman Charged with Health Care FraudRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A Maryland woman who was employed as a personal care aide has been charged with scheming to submit false claims to the District of Columbia’s Medicaid program.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Assistant Director in Charge Nancy McNamara of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, District of Columbia Inspector General Daniel W. Lucas, and Special Agent in Charge Maureen R. Dixon of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), for the region that includes Washington, D.C.
Mobolaji Tina Stewart, 57, of Laurel, Md., was arrested on Dec. 13, 2018 on a criminal complaint charging her with health care fraud and making health care false statements. She made her first appearance later that day in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and was ordered held pending a detention hearing today. At that hearing, she was ordered released on personal recognizance pending further court proceedings.
According to the complaint, Stewart was employed as a personal care aide from January 2014 through her arrest. Under the Medicaid program, personal care aides perform services intended to assist Medicaid beneficiaries in carrying out the activities of daily living. These can include helping beneficiaries get in and out of bed, bathe, dress, take medication, and engage in toileting. To receive personal care services under Medicaid, a beneficiary must obtain a prescription from a doctor.
Stewart’s billing practices drew the attention of the District of Columbia Department of Health Care Finance after she was identified as the second-highest paid personal care aide in 2014 and 2015.
According to the complaint, Stewart caused Medicaid to be billed for more than 24 hours in a given day, for services that she allegedly provided while she was out of the country, and for services that she allegedly provided to a beneficiary who was hospitalized at the time. Based on a review of Medicaid billing claims data, between January 2014 and January 2017, Stewart caused Medicaid to issue payments totaling approximately $434,000, including payments based on fraudulent timesheets.
The charges in a criminal complaint are merely allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The investigation into this matter is being conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the District of Columbia Office of the Inspector General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, and the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kondi Kleinman, with assistance from Trial Attorney Amy Markopoulos of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Paralegal Specialist Robert Fishman of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
Man who Held ATF Undercover Agent and Confidential Informant at Gunpoint Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
One of two men who attempted to rob a federal agent working on an illegal firearms investigation, pleaded guilty today to three federal felonies, announced U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes. ABDIRASHID HARET, 20, of Des Moines, Washington, pleaded guilty today to assault on a federal officer and person assisting a federal officer, using a firearm in a crime of violence and robbery of funds belonging to the United States. When sentenced by U.S. District Judge James L. Robart on March 25, 2019, prosecutors will recommend up to 15 years in prison. The ultimate sentence will be determined by Judge Robart and the statutory maximum is life in prison.
According to the facts in the plea agreement, HARET and co-defendant OMAR ABDULLAH, 23, of Seattle, Washington, had made arrangements to sell two firearms to a man who, unknown to them, was a confidential informant (CI) working with ATF. The CI and an undercover ATF agent met with HARET and ABDULLAH in a vehicle in the parking lot of the Kent Lowe’s store. After the agent and CI got in the car, HARET and ABDULLAH used the two loaded the firearms they brought to the meeting to rob the undercover agent and the CI. The undercover agent told HARET and ABDULLAH he would get additional money out of his car. HARET followed the agent out of the car, still armed with a firearm. The undercover agent was able to pull his own gun and fired at ABDULLAH who still held the CI at gunpoint in the car. HARET dropped his gun and attempted to flee. He was struck and injured running across Pacific Highway. Both ABDULLAH and HARET were taken to medical facilities. ABDULLAH continues to get specialized treatment for his gunshot wounds.
Assault on a federal officer and person assisting a federal officer is punishable by up to twenty years in prison. Using a firearm during a crime of violence is punishable by a mandatory minimum seven years in prison and up to life in prison. Robbery of money of the United States is punishable by up to twenty years in prison.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF).
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Todd Greenberg.
Man Sentenced to 25 Years for Sexually Exploiting a ChildRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Scott C. Blader, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Matthew R. Howard, 23, Madison, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 25 years in federal prison for sexually exploiting a child. The prison term will be followed by 25 years of supervised release.
On October 1, 2018, Howard was convicted of two counts of using a minor to produce sexually explicit videos, following a one-day trial in U.S. District Court in Madison. Prior to the trial, Howard pleaded guilty to federal charges of possessing, distributing, and receiving child pornography.
In August 2017, the Madison Police Department received information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about a tip from an online service provider that an IP address registered to an address in Madison was used to upload and share images of child pornography. A search warrant was executed and an external hard drive was seized. The forensic analysis of that hard drive showed that Howard had recorded himself engaging in sexually explicit conduct with a minor, once in 2014 when the victim was nine years old, and once in 2017 when the victim was eleven years old.
In imposing sentence, Judge Conley noted that Howard’s conduct involved repeated abuse over several years and said, “It is essential to protect others from the defendant.”
The charges against Howard are the result of an investigation by the Madison Police Department, Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, and Wisconsin Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julie Pfluger and Diane Schlipper.
MS-13 Member Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison for RICO Conspiracy Involving MurderRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A member of MS-13’s Eastside Locos Salvatrucha (ESLS) clique was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boson for his role in a 2014 murder.
Luis Solis Vasquez, a/k/a “Brujo,” 27, a Salvadoran national, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to 35 years in prison and five years of supervised release. In April 2018, Solis Vasquez and co-defendants Noe Salvador Perez Vasquez, a/k/a “Crazy,” 27, a Salvadoran national, and Hector Enamorado, a/k/a “Vida Loca,” 39, a Honduran national, were convicted by a federal jury of conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity, more commonly referred to as RICO conspiracy, and of committing or knowingly participating in murder as part of the racketeering conspiracy. Perez Vasquez was also found guilty of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute marijuana. Perez Vasquez and Enamorado were both previously sentenced to life in prison.
On Dec. 14, 2014, Solis Vasquez, Perez Vasquez and Enamorado conspired to murder a 29-year-old man in Chelsea, Mass. Enamorado and the victim had engaged in a gang-related fight the night before the murder, and when Enamorado encountered the victim again the following night, Enamorado called Perez Vasquez and asked him for a gun. Perez Vasquez delivered the murder weapon, a .380 caliber pistol, to Enamorado in Chelsea. Solis Vasquez also armed himself with a gun and went with Enamorado into the victim’s apartment to provide backup and necessary support for the attack. Enamorado used Perez Vasquez’s gun to fatally shoot the victim three times. Enamorado also shot and wounded a second victim who was inside the apartment at the time of the murder.
Solis Vasquez was one of 49 defendants convicted as part of this case. All nine defendants who went to trial were convicted and 40 others pleaded guilty. In all, 16 defendants, including Solis Vasquez, were found to have committed or knowingly participated in murders.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Peter C. Fitzhugh, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Commissioner Thomas Turco of the Massachusetts Department of Corrections; Essex County Sheriff Kevin F. Coppinger; Suffolk County Sheriff Steven W. Thompkins; Suffolk County District Attorney John P. Pappas; Middlesex County District Attorney Marian T. Ryan; Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett; Boston Police Commissioner William Gross; Chelsea Police Chief Brian A. Kyes; Everett Police Chief Steven A. Mazzie; Lynn Police Chief Michael Mageary; Revere Police Chief James Guido; and Somerville Police Chief David Fallon made the announcement today. The U.S. Marshals Service has provided crucial assistance with the case.
MS-13 Gang Member Sentenced to 25 Years’ Imprisonment for Murder and Attempted Murder on Long IslandRead the Press Release
Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Central Islip, Elmer Alexander Lopez, a member of the Centrales Locos Salvatruchas clique of La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as the MS-13, a transnational criminal organization, was sentenced by United States District Judge Joseph F. Bianco to 25 years’ imprisonment. The sentencing follows Lopez’s guilty plea to racketeering charges relating to his participation in the June 3, 2016 murder of Jose Pena and the July 3, 2016 attempted murder of a suspected rival gang member. Upon completion of his sentence, Lopez, an illegal alien from El Salvador, faces deportation from the United States.
Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, William F. Sweeney, Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), Geraldine Hart, Commissioner, Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD), and Patrick J. Ryder, Commissioner, Nassau County Police Department (NCPD), announced the sentence.
“With today’s sentence, Elmer Lopez has been held responsible for the brutal acts of violence he committed on behalf of MS-13 to enforce its vicious rules,” stated United States Attorney Donoghue. “The defendant’s conviction, and the ongoing prosecutions of dozens of other MS-13 members by our Office working with the FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force, reflects the ongoing commitment to eliminate this lawless criminal organization.”
“At just 21 years old, Elmer Lopez is already responsible for the vicious murder of a fellow MS-13 member and the attempted murder of a rival. Our communities are safer when criminals like Lopez are behind bars,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Sweeney. “As today’s sentence demonstrates, the FBI Long Island Gang Task Force and our law enforcement partners will continue to put pressure on MS-13 until we reach our ultimate goal of eradicating this deadly gang from our community.”
“This sentencing will ensure that yet another violent member of MS-13 will be imprisoned for his part in a vicious murder and an attempted murder,” stated SCPD Commissioner Hart. “This case highlights the malicious nature of MS-13 and the department’s dedication to ridding our communities of their violence. I would like to thank the Eastern District and the Long Island Gang Task Force for their partnership and perseverance in holding gang members accountable for their incomprehensible crimes.”
“The sentencing of defendant Lopez on murder and attempted murder charges speaks volumes regarding the Long Island Gang Task Force, its affiliated law enforcement agencies and its dedicated investigators,” stated NCPD Commissioner Ryder. “All too often this gang violence spills into our neighborhoods and places our families and communities at risk. MS-13 and their criminal tactics can never be tolerated as law enforcement is working tirelessly to keep our communities safe and free from their violence.”
Lopez and several MS-13 co-conspirators who have been charged in this district decided to kill Pena, also a member of the MS-13, because he was suspected of violating gang rules by cooperating with law enforcement after his arrest and because he might be homosexual. On June 3, 2016, after consulting with MS-13 leadership in El Salvador, Lopez and his co-conspirators lured Pena into a car and drove to a secluded wooded area in Brentwood where they attacked him, taking turns stabbing and slashing him with knives until he was dead. Pena’s body was discovered on October 17, 2016, more than four months after his murder.
At his guilty plea proceeding, Lopez admitted that approximately one month after murdering Pena, he and other MS-13 members attempted to kill a suspected member of the Goon Squad, rival gang in Brentwood. On July 3, 2016, a man identified as John Doe #4 in the indictment was playing basketball with others on Lukens Avenue. Lopez and two MS-13 co-conspirators saw the group and suspected they were members of the Goon Squad. One of the MS-13 co-conspirators shot at the group, striking John Doe #4 in the shoulder. Wounded, John Doe #4 received medical treatment and survived.
Today’s sentencing is the latest in a series of federal prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York targeting members of the MS-13, a violent transnational criminal organization. MS-13’s leadership is based in El Salvador and Honduras, but the gang has thousands of members across the United States, comprised primarily of immigrants from Central America. With numerous branches, or “cliques,” MS-13 is the largest and most violent street gang on Long Island. Since 2003, hundreds of MS-13 members, including dozens of clique leaders, have been convicted on federal felony charges in the Eastern District. A majority of those MS-13 members have been convicted on federal racketeering charges for participating in murders, attempted murders and assaults. Since 2010, this Office has obtained indictments charging MS-13 members with carrying out more than 45 murders in the Eastern District of New York, and has convicted dozens of MS-13 leaders and members in connection with those murders. These prosecutions are the product of investigations led by the FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force, comprising agents and officers of the FBI, SCPD, NCPD, Nassau County Sheriff’s Department, Suffolk County Probation, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department, Rockville Centre Police Department, the New York State Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Long Island Criminal Division. Assistant United States Attorneys John J. Durham, Paul G. Scotti, Michael T. Keilty, Raymond A. Tierney and Justina L. Geraci are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
ELMER ALEXANDER LOPEZ (also known as “Smiley”)
Age: 21
Central Islip, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 16-CR-403 (S-4) (JFB)
Local Nurse Heads to Prison for Healthcare Fraud and Kickback ConvictionsRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 51-year old nurse from Sugar Land is headed to federal prison following his convictions of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, six counts of health care fraud and conspiracy to violate the anti-kickback statute, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick. A federal jury returned the guilty verdicts against John Dubor May 17, 2018, after deliberating less than six hours following a three-day trial.
Today, U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen handed Dubor a 109-month sentence to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard arguments regarding the loss to the Medicare program and ordered Dubor to pay $3,534,972 in restitution.
Dubor owned and operated Care Committers Health Services home health agency in Richmond. During the trial, the jury heard evidence that Dubor paid marketers and group home owners for Medicare beneficiary information and subsequently billed Medicare and Medicaid for home health services for which the beneficiaries did not qualify and/or did not receive.
Additionally, Dubor personally falsified home health patient assessment forms to make the beneficiaries appear sicker on paper to receive higher reimbursement rates from Medicare. Dubor also instructed his employees to falsify home health certifications and forge physician signatures. The beneficiaries, some of whom, resided in Nacogdoches, had no recollection of ever being treated by the Houston physicians listed on their home health orders. Medicare paid Dubor approximately $3.5 million.
Dubor was taken into custody following the jury trial where he will remain pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General and the Texas Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit conducted the investigation. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) Justin Blan and AUSA Tina Ansari are prosecuting the case.
Lincoln Man Sentenced for Conspiracy to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Joe Kelly announced that on December 18, 2018, Robert Earl Rose, 35, of Lincoln, was sentenced to 15 years and eight months (188 months) in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine. Following the prison term, Rose will serve five years on supervised release.
Information provided to law enforcement indicated that Rose was responsible for the distribution of at least five kilograms (11 pounds) of methamphetamine in the Lincoln area between November of 2016 and November of 2017. On November 21, 2017, Rose was stopped for driving on a suspended license and was found in possession of two baggies containing a total of more than six grams of methamphetamine.
This case was investigated by the Lincoln/Lancaster County Drug Task Force.
Lewis County man admits to drug distributionRead the Press Release
ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA – Trenton Farnsworth, of Weston, West Virginia, has admitted to methamphetamine distribution, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Farnsworth, age 30, pled guilty to one count of “Possession With the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.” Farnsworth admitted to possessing more than five grams of methamphetamine in Barbour County in April 2018.
Farnsworth faces up to 40 years incarceration and a fine of up to $5,000,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Traci M. Cook is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration; and the Barbour County Sheriff’s Office investigated.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.
Lackawanna County Man Sentenced to 21 Months’ Imprisonment for Possession of Stolen Mail and Bank FraudRead the Press Release
SCRANTON—The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Brandon L. Heaton, age 35, of Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 21 months’ imprisonment yesterday by U.S. District Court Judge A. Richard Caputo for possession of stolen mail and bank fraud.
According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Heaton previously pleaded guilty to stealing mailed checks from mail boxes, forging and depositing the checks, and withdrawing money from his accounts between September 6-12, 2017.
Judge Caputo also ordered Heaton to pay $14,936.95 in restitution and to serve three years on supervised release following his prison sentence.
The case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd K. Hinkley prosecuted the case.
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Kingman Man Sentenced to Prison for Threatening the President and OthersRead the Press Release
PHOENIX – On Dec. 17, 2018, Jerrod Hunter Schmidt, 39, of Kingman, Ariz. was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steven P. Logan to 37 months in the Bureau of Prisons followed by three years of supervised release. On Sept. 28, 2018, Schmidt was found guilty by a federal jury of two counts of threatening the President of the United States and two counts of making interstate threatening communications.
After learning that his conviction for a prior felony was affirmed by the Nebraska Court of Appeals, Schmidt made a series of calls to the court clerk’s office. The calls took place on April 10 and April 11, 2018. Schmidt left voice messages wherein he threatened to shoot and kill President Donald Trump, one of the clerks of the Nebraska Court of Appeals, and other political figures.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the United States Secret Service with the assistance of the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Nebraska State Patrol. The prosecution was handled by David Pimsner, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix.
CASE NUMBER: CR-18-8131-PCT-SPL
RELEASE NUMBER: 2018-169_Schmidt
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.
Keshena Man Sentenced for Aggravated Assault on Menominee Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
Matthew D. Krueger, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on December 17, 2018, Shawn Sanapaw (age: 38), of Keshena, was sentenced to 18 months in prison and 36 months of supervised release by Chief United States District Judge William C. Griesbach after a conviction for Assault Resulting in Substantial Bodily Injury. The sentence was the result of a July 2, 2018, guilty plea entered before Chief Judge.
The investigation revealed that on September 29, 2017, Sanapaw caused injuries to another person when he struck that person with a floor lamp. Witnesses further indicated Sanapaw pointed a rifle at the person and unsuccessfully attempted to fire it. Sanapaw then left the residence, which was in a remote portion of the Menominee Indian Reservation. Officers with the Menominee Tribal Police Department later apprehended Sanapaw. Sanapaw pleaded guilty to assault in Menominee Tribal Court and served a tribal sentence for the offense, before going into federal custody in June 2018.
In sentencing Sanapaw, Chief Judge Griesbach noted the serious nature of the offense, and observed the need to deter others who might consider similar actions, stating “this type of behavior cannot be tolerated.”
The case was investigated by the Menominee Tribal Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Andrew J. Maier.
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For additional information contact:
Public Information Officer Dean Puschnig 414 297-1700
Justice Department Files Federal Lawsuit Against Watermark Solutions to Enforce the Employment Rights of United States Air Force ReservistRead the Press Release
The Justice Department today announced the filing of a complaint in federal district court against Watermark Solutions (Watermark), a private corporation located in Phoenix, Arizona. The complaint alleges that Watermark violated the employment rights of Staff Sergeant Larry Green (SSG Green), a reservist in the United States Air Force, under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA).
According to the complaint, filed in United States District Court for the District of Arizona, SSG Green’s requirement to perform service in the Air Force Reserves was a motivating factor in Watermark’s decision to terminate his employment. At the time that SSG Green was hired by Watermark in July 2015, he informed Watermark of his military training obligations as an Air Force Reservist. Prior to his employment with Watermark, SSG Green served his country for six years on active duty and has been a member of the United States Air Force Reserves since 2015. Despite the fact SSG Green submitted notice of his Reserve training duties when he was hired, the complaint alleges that in June 2016, Watermark terminated SSG Green’s employment within days of being notified of the dates of his pending military training obligations.
“Our country depends on the men and women who faithfully carry out their military obligations and make personal sacrifices in order to protect our freedoms as Americans,” said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband of the Civil Rights Division. “The Department of Justice is committed to ensuring that the rights of service members, including maintaining their jobs, will be protected when they return to civilian employment from military service or training.”
The lawsuit filed by the United States seeks damages equal to the amount of SSG Green’s lost wages and benefits, as well as liquidated damages resulting from Watermark’s willful failure to comply with USERRA. The lawsuit also seeks SSG Green’s reemployment with the company.
SSG Green initially filed a complaint with the United States Department of Labor’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS). The Department of Labor investigated the complaint and attempted to reach resolution between the parties. After resolution failed, VETS referred the complaint to the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, Employment Litigation Section.
The Justice Department gives high priority to the enforcement of servicemembers’ rights under USERRA. Additional information about USERRA can be found on the Justice Departments websites at www.usdoj.gov/crt/emp and www.servicemembers.gov, as well as on the Labor Department’s website at www.dol.gov/vets/programs/userra/main.htm.
Jim Thorpe Man Sentenced to over 8 Years’ Imprisonment for Drug Trafficking and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Isaiah Moore-Brown, age 29, of Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 101 months’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release on December 17, 2018, by United States District Court Judge James M. Munley, for possessing with the intent to distribute cocaine base, and for possessing firearms in furtherance of his narcotics trafficking.
According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Moore-Brown pleaded guilty to distributing between 28 grams and 112 grams of crack cocaine in the Carbon County area in January 2017. Law enforcement officials recovered narcotics, three firearms, and ammunition during a search warrant execution at Moore-Brown’s Jim Thorpe residence.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Phillip J. Caraballo prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
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Jackson Man Sentenced Under Project EJECT to over Five Years in Prison for Illegally Possessing a FirearmRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – Johnathan Lewis, 27, of Jackson, was sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Judge William H. Barbour, Jr. to 64-months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Dana Nichols with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
On November 7, 2017, a Jackson Police officer was dispatched to the Studio 7 Hotel on Interstate 55 North for a report of shots fired. Once on the scene, the officer stopped a car driven by Johnathan Lewis. The officer found Lewis in possession of a 9 mm pistol and drugs.
Lewis was previously convicted in 2014 in the Fulton County Superior Court of Atlanta, Georgia, for the felony offenses of robbery, terroristic threats, obstruction and simple battery. He was also convicted in the Circuit Court of Hinds County for felony offenses of possession of counterfeit currency and grand larceny.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Jackson Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Abe McGlothin, Jr. and Keesha D. Middleton.
This case is part of Project EJECT, an initiative by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi under the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). EJECT is a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach to fighting and reducing violent crime in Jackson through prosecution, prevention, re-entry and awareness. EJECT stands for "Empower Jackson Expel Crime Together." PSN is 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. Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions 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.
IAV GmbH to Pay $35 Million Criminal Fine in Guilty Plea for Its Role in Volkswagen AG Emissions FraudRead the Press Release
IAV GmbH (IAV), a German company that engineers and designs automotive systems, has agreed to plead guilty to one criminal felony count and pay a $35 million criminal fine as a result of the company’s role in a long-running scheme for Volkswagen AG (VW) to sell diesel vehicles in the United States by using a defeat device to cheat on U.S. vehicle emissions tests required by federal law.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Matthew J. Schneider of the Eastern District of Michigan, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Jean E. Williams of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, Assistant Administrator Susan Bodine of the EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance and Special Agent in Charge Timothy R. Slater of FBI’s Detroit Division made the announcement.
IAV is charged with and has agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and VW’s U.S. customers and to violate the Clean Air Act by misleading the EPA and U.S. customers about whether certain VW- and Audi-branded diesel vehicles complied with U.S. vehicle emissions standards. IAV and its co-conspirators knew the vehicles did not meet U.S. emissions standards, worked collaboratively to design, test, and implement cheating software to cheat the U.S. testing process, and IAV was aware the VW concealed material facts about its cheating from federal and state regulators and U.S. customers. Under the terms of the plea agreement, which must be accepted by the court, IAV will plead guilty to this crime, will serve probation for two years, will be under an independent corporate compliance monitor who will oversee the company for two years, and will fully cooperate in the Justice Department’s ongoing investigation and prosecution of individuals responsible for these crimes. Pursuant to the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, IAV’s $35 million fine was set according to the company’s inability to pay a higher fine amount without jeopardizing its continued viability. IAV is scheduled to appear for a change of plea hearing before the Honorable Sean F. Cox of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan on Jan. 18, 2019 at 9:30 a.m.
“Today’s guilty plea shows that this scheme to evade automotive emissions tests and cheat the American public and the U.S. government extended well beyond Volkswagen,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Cronan. “Our investigation into emissions cheating is ongoing and we will follow the evidence wherever it leads.”
“By helping VW cheat on U.S. emissions tests in violation of the Clean Air Act, IAV put its corporate success over public health and unfairly disadvantaged its competitors,” said Deputy Assistant Attorney General Williams. “The Department of Justice will continue to work with its law enforcement partners to ensure that companies like IAV play fair and that all Americans can enjoy the protections of our nation’s environmental laws.”
“IAV participated in Volkswagen’s deception of American regulators and fraud on American consumers,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider. “As this guilty plea demonstrates, our office will continue to aggressively prosecute corporate criminals, even when they work at some of the world’s largest, most prominent companies.”
“IAV designed the software that allowed VW to cheat U.S. air emissions standards,” said EPA Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Assistant Administrator Susan Bodine. “EPA and its law enforcement partners will not tolerate actions like this that put profit above public health and environmental protection.”
“Americans rightly expect corporations to operate honestly,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Slater. “This case sends a clear message that the FBI and its partners will hold corporations accountable when they defraud consumers and violate federal laws.”
The guilty plea of IAV represents the most recent charges in an ongoing investigation by U.S. criminal authorities into unprecedented emissions cheating by VW. In March 2017, VW pleaded guilty to criminal charges that it deceived U.S. regulatory agencies, including the EPA and the California Air Resources Board, by installing defeat devices in diesel vehicles emissions control systems that were designed to cheat emissions tests. As part of its plea agreement with the Department, VW paid a criminal fine of $2.8 billion and agreed to an independent corporate compliance monitor for three years. Eight individuals were previously indicted in connection with this matter, two of whom have pleaded guilty and been sentenced. The other six charged defendants are believed to reside in Germany.
According to the statement of facts that will be filed with the court in IAV’s case, in 2006, VW engineers began to design a new diesel engine to meet stricter U.S. emissions standards that would take effect by model year 2007. This new engine would be the cornerstone of a new project to sell diesel vehicles in the United States that would be marketed to buyers as “clean diesel.” When the co-conspirators realized that they could not design a diesel engine that would both meet the stricter standards for nitrogen oxides (Nox) and attract sufficient customer demand in the U.S. market, they decided they would use a software function to cheat the U.S. emissions tests.
VW delegated certain tasks associated with designing its new “Gen 1” diesel engine to IAV, including parts of software development, diesel development and exhaust after-treatment. In November 2006, a VW employee requested that an IAV employee assist in the design of defeat device software for use in the diesel engine. The IAV employee agreed to do so and prepared documentation for a software design change to recognize whether a vehicle was undergoing standard U.S. emissions testing on a dynamometer or it was being driven on the road under normal driving conditions. If the software detected that the vehicle was not being tested, the vehicle’s emissions control systems were reduced substantially, causing the vehicle to emit substantially higher NOx, sometimes 35 times higher than U.S. standards.
By at least 2008, an IAV manager knew the purpose of the defeat device software, instructed IAV employees to continue working on the project and directed IAV employees to route VW’s requests regarding the defeat device software through him; the manager was involved in coordinating IAV’s continued work on it.
Starting with the first model year (2009) of VW’s new “clean diesel” Gen 1 engine, through model year 2014, IAV and its co-conspirators caused defeat device software to be installed on all of the approximately 335,000 Gen 1 vehicles that VW sold in the United States.
This case was investigated by the FBI and EPA-Criminal Investigation Division. The prosecution and corporate investigation are being handled by Trial Attorneys Philip Trout, Mark Cipolletti and Gary Winters of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section; Senior Trial Attorney Jennifer Blackwell of the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Crimes Section; and White Collar Crime Unit Chief John K. Neal of the Eastern District of Michigan. The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs also assisted in the case. The Justice Department also extends its thanks to the Office of the Public Prosecutor in Braunschweig, Germany.
Houston Man Gets 30 Years for Trafficking Children for Commercial SexRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 41-year-old Houston man is headed to prison after for trafficking children for commercial sex and attempting to do so during the 2012 Olympics, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.
A federal jury convicted Jason Daniel Gandy July 23, 2018, on four counts of sex trafficking of minors, one count of transportation of minors, one count of sexual exploitation of a child and one count of transportation of child pornography following a three-day trial and less than three hours of deliberations.
Today, Chief U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal ordered Gandy to serve a total of 360 months in prison. Following his incarceration, Gandy will be on supervised release for the rest of his life, during which time he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. He will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.
At the hearing, three young men provided testimony about how Gandy victimized them and how it impacted, and continues to influence, their lives. They stated that Gandy had made them feel worthless and stole their innocence and that they have struggled with substance abuse and thoughts of suicide since their victimizations.
The court gave Gandy the opportunity to address the court, at which time he continued his attempts at manipulating the victims. He showed no remorse and attempted to cast himself in the role of victim.
In imposing the sentence, Judge Rosenthal called Gandy “an abuser of vulnerable human beings.” “You are evil,” she said, “and most evil are those who willingly exploit others for their own gratification.” The court noted the need for restitution for the victims outweighed the need for a fine and therefore waived it. That restitution will be addressed at a later date.
United Kingdom immigration officers stopped Gandy in July 2012 after he and a minor male child arrived in London on a flight which originated in Houston. The officials in London believed something was amiss about someone of his age traveling with a 15-year-old male who are not related. Both individuals were returned to Houston on separate airplanes.
Upon arrival in Houston, Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) met them. Their investigation revealed Gandy ran a massage business out of his home and was using the young boy to give massages. During the massages, paying customers were allowed to fondle the child. He was also required to sexually gratify customers by masturbating them.
Gandy paid for the trip to London and the child’s passport fees. Gandy’s intent was for the child to perform massages in London during the 2012 Olympics. The investigation also revealed Gandy molested the child on more than one occasion and intended to continue to do so.
After authorities had detained Gandy on the original transportation of minor charge, further investigation revealed there were multiple young men who Gandy victimized, some as minors and some as adults. During trial, four of the identified victims - all minors at the time of the exploitation - testified as to how Gandy manipulated them into performing massages on men which culminated in the sexual gratification of the client.
Gandy has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
HSI conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sherri L. Zack and Kimberly Ann Leo prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Haverhill Man Pleads Guilty to Participating in Fentanyl Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Concord – United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced that Joshua Smith, 31, of Haverhill, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute over 400 grams of fentanyl and to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to court documents and statements made in court, a drug trafficking organization that authorities allege was led by Sergio Martinez, employed the defendant to sell fentanyl to customers from various New England States, including New Hampshire. On each day that the defendant worked, the Martinez organization provided him with at least one 200-gram bag of fentanyl and expected him to sell it and return approximately $6,000 in proceeds. The defendant worked for the Martinez organization on various days. On October 20, 2017, the defendant was arrested while selling drugs for the organization. At the time, he possessed a firearm that he admitted to carrying to avoid being robbed by drug customers.
Smith is scheduled to be sentenced on March 28, 2019. Smith faces a mandatory minimum sentence of fifteen years of imprisonment and a maximum sentence of life, a fine up to 10 million dollars and a term of supervised release of at least five years and as much as life.
Thirty-three additional defendants have been charged in the fentanyl trafficking conspiracy.
“Fentanyl trafficking makes a deadly substance available for purchase in this State,” said U.S. Attorney Murray. “It is imperative that we dismantle the criminal organizations that profit from the sale of illegal substances. In order to stop the devastation caused by their activities, we will continue to work closely with the entire law enforcement community to arrest and prosecute traffickers.”
This investigation was conducted by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations.
The case was a collaborative investigation that involved the DEA; the New Hampshire State Police; the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office; the Nashua Police Department; the Massachusetts State Police; the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office; the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office; the Essex County District Attorney’s Office; the Internal Revenue Service; Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations; United States Customs and Border Protection Boston Field Office; the United States Marshals Service; the United States Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service; the Manchester Police Department; the Lisbon Police Department; the Littleton Police Department; the Seabrook Police Department; the Haverhill (MA) Police Department; the Methuen (MA) Police Department; the Lowell (MA) Police Department; and the Maine State Police.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Georgiana L. Konesky and Seth R. Aframe.
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Hartford Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Distributing Cocaine and CrackRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JOSE RODRIGUEZ, also known as “Juice,” 48, of Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to 60 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for trafficking cocaine and crack cocaine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, this matter stems from a law enforcement investigation headed by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes Task Force and the Hartford Police Department’s Vice and Narcotics Division targeting gang violence and narcotics trafficking in Hartford. In May 2018, Rodriguez and nine other alleged members and associates of the Almighty Latin Kings Nation were charged with offenses related to the distribution of heroin, fentanyl and crack cocaine in Hartford. Four of the defendants also were charged with firearm offenses.
The investigation, which included court-authorized wiretaps, revealed that Rodriguez distributed crack and powder cocaine that he purchased from an ALKN member.
Rodriguez’s criminal history includes more than 20 convictions. In September 2017, he was shot four times during an apparent drug robbery.
Rodriguez has been detained since his arrest on May 7, 2018. On September 25, 2018, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 28 grams or more of cocaine base (“crack”).
The FBI’s Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes Task Force includes members of the Hartford Police Department, East Hartford Police Department, Connecticut State Police and Connecticut Department of Correction.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian P. Leaming.
Hartford Man Sentenced to 46 Months for Distributing Drugs Involved in 2 Enfield Overdose DeathsRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that CHRISTOPHER BARRETO, 29, of Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 46 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for distributing drugs involved in two overdose deaths in Enfield in 2016.
This matter stems from an ongoing statewide initiative targeting narcotics dealers who distribute heroin, fentanyl or opioids that cause death or serious injury to users.
According to court documents and statements made in court, at approximately 9:52 a.m., on August 26, 2016, the Enfield Police Department and emergency medical personnel responded to a residence in Enfield and found an unresponsive 31-year-old male in the upstairs bedroom of the residence. The victim was pronounced deceased. Officers searched the immediate area and seized one empty white wax fold and six full white wax folds that contained suspected heroin. Officers also seized the victim’s iPhone. An analysis of text messages revealed that the victim had ordered heroin from an individual in the evening of August 25, 2016.
According to the State of Connecticut Chief Medical Examiner, the victim’s death was determined to be caused by “acute fentanyl and ethanol intoxication.”
At approximately 8:23 p.m., on October 27, 2016, the Enfield Police Department and emergency personnel responded to another residence in Enfield and found an unresponsive 36-year-old man outside the house. The victim was transported to the hospital for medical attention and pronounced deceased. Officers subsequently recovered the victim’s cell phone and 20 white wax folds that contained suspected heroin. Analysis of the victim’s cell phone revealed that the victim had purchased heroin from the same individual two days before his death.
Connecticut’s Chief Medical Examiner concluded the victim died as a result of the “combined effects of fentanyl, furanyl fentanyl and heroin.”
Analysis of text messages revealed that both victims purchased heroin from an individual who had purchased the heroin from Barreto. The text messages also revealed that Barreto was consistently dealing narcotics from April 2016 until he was arrested on August 10, 2017.
At the time of his arrest, investigators seized approximately 2,000 wax folds of heroin from Barreto’s residence.
On August 1, 2018, Barreto pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribution, and distribution of, controlled substances.
Barreto has been detained since October 22, 2018, when he bond was revoked.
This matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Enfield Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jocelyn Courtney Kaoutzanis.
Hamburg Man Charged with Illegally Importing Heroin and CocaineRead 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 Torin Finver, 54, of Hamburg, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with importation of a controlled substance. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia Astorga, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, on Wednesday, November 21, 2018, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers intercepted a padded mailer addressed to the defendant’s Hamburg residence. A CBP K-9 alerted officers to the package. The parcel was from Germany and a check of law enforcement databases revealed that the sender information was fictitious. The parcel contained three grams of a white powdery substance, which field tested positive for cocaine.
On December 10, 2018, during review of incoming mail in Rochester, NY, Postal Inspectors located a parcel, again addressed to Finver’s Hamburg residence. A K-9 sniff of the parcel resulted in a positive alert. On December 12, 2018, a search warrant was executed on the parcel. The parcel contained three small envelopes with a brown rock-like substance, which field tested positive for heroin.
On December 12 and December 15, 2018, two more similar parcels addressed to the defendant were located, one in Rochester, and one in Hamburg. A search warrant was executed on one of the parcels, which was found to contain suspected cocaine. The second parcel is in the custody of law enforcement.
On December 17, 2018, a controlled delivery was conducted at Finver’s residence. Law enforcement officers replaced the cocaine that was seized from the first parcel and replaced with sham. An officer knocked on the door and the defendant answered. Finver took the parcel into the residence. Officers then executed a federal search warrant of Finver’s residence. The defendant was subsequently taken into custody.
The defendant made an initial appearance before U.S Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer and was released on conditions.
The criminal complaint is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Boston Division Inspector-in-Charge Joseph W. Cronin.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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Haitian Woman Sentenced for Illegal Re-entry into United StatesRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Rose Mathe Jean Louis, age 50, and a citizen of Haiti, was sentenced today to time served (61 days in jail), for illegal re-entry into the United States.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Robert N. Garcia, Chief Patrol Agent, United States Border Patrol, Swanton Sector.
Jean Louise was ordered removed from the United States to Haiti by order of an Immigration Judge in Orlando, Florida, on February 10, 2014. Jean Louise was not removed and instead was released to reside in the United States. On August 21, 2017, Jean Louis departed the United States while the removal order was pending, and entered Canada. On October 18, 2018, she was arrested by a Border Patrol Agent just south of the international border between the United States and Canada after she entered the United States without inspection approximately three miles west of the Champlain Port of Entry, New York. Jean Louise admitted that she returned to the United States without permission.
Following the sentencing, Jean Louise was remanded to the custody of the Department of Homeland Security, for removal proceedings.
This case was investigated by Border Patrol and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward P. Grogan.
Greenville Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Being a Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
Anderson, South Carolina---- United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon announced today that Dominick Larenzo Johnson, 33, of Greenville, South Carolina, was sentenced in federal court in Anderson for being a felon in possession of a firearm. United States District Court Judge Timothy Cain of Anderson accepted Johnson’s guilty plea and sentenced him to 15 years in federal prison. There is no parole in the federal system.
Evidence presented to the court showed that on September 8, 2016, a Greenville County Sheriff’s Deputy initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Johnson, but the vehicle fled. The vehicle was soon found abandoned, and deputies canvassed the area looking for Johnson. Witnesses informed deputies that Johnson had thrown an object into a dumpster as he ran by it. Deputies arrested Johnson as he ran from a nearby building and then recovered the object from the dumpster. The object, a backpack, contained a loaded 9mm pistol.
Federal law prohibits Johnson from possessing a firearm due to his prior convictions for possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine in 2005, and possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine twice in 2016.
The Greenville County Sheriff’s Office along with agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) investigated the case. It was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project CeaseFire initiative, which aggressively prosecutes firearm cases. Project CeaseFire is South Carolina’s implementation of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. Assistant United States Attorney Max Cauthen in the Greenville U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case.
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Greene County Felon Pleads Guilty to Illegally Possessing FirearmRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Michael Greenholtz, age 25, of Cairo, New York, pled guilty today to illegally possessing a .22 caliber revolver as a felon.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and James N. Hendricks, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
As part of his plea, Greenholtz admitted that on July 31, 2018, he sold a .22 caliber revolver to another person in Albany. Two prior felony state convictions for burglary prevented Greenholtz from legally possessing the firearm in New York.
Greenholtz faces up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of up to 3 years when he is sentenced on April 16, 2019 by Senior United States District Judge Thomas J. McAvoy.
A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
This case was investigated by the FBI and its Capital District Safe Streets Gang Task Force. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emmet O’Hanlon.
Grandview Man Sentenced to 25 Years for Armed Robbery ConspiracyRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Grandview, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a three-months-long conspiracy that included at least 27 armed robberies, culminating in the armed robbery of a Walgreens in Blue Springs, Mo., in which a suspect was fatally shot by law enforcement officers.
Deonte J. Collins-Abbott, 24, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Greg Kays to 25 years in federal prison without parole.
On June 28, 2018, Collins-Abbott pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to commit robbery and to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Collins-Abbott admitted that he committed eight armed robberies between Feb. 3, 2016, and March 24, 2016. Collins-Abbott admitted that he and co-conspirators robbed businesses in Blue Springs, Independence, North Kansas City, Raytown, Kansas City, Mo., and Kansas City, Kan., at gunpoint.
Collins-Abbott admitted that he and two other men robbed the Walgreens at 9th and Duncan in Blue Springs on March 24, 2016. According to court documents, once inside, one of the robbers placed a firearm to the back of an employee’s head and took money from the front register. Collins-Abbott and Jermon Seals of Shawnee, Kan., went over the pharmacy counter and took prescription grade cough syrup at gunpoint from the pharmacist. They left the business but were confronted by law enforcement officers as they were walking back to the vehicle. They failed to comply with the officers’ commands, according to the court documents, and Seals turned towards the officers, pointing a gun in their direction. Officers returned fire and Seals was struck in the exchange. Collins-Abbott and another man were apprehended by officers after a short foot pursuit.
Co-defendants Demetrius Nelson, 25, of Kansas City, Mo., and Parrise K. Black, also known as “Kilo,” 26, and Frank A. Garner, Jr., 24, both of Grandview, have also pleaded guilty and await sentencing.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Caine and David Raskin. It was investigated by the FBI, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the Independence, Mo., Police Department, the North Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the U.S. Marshals Service.