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16 November 2018
Medical Doctor Sentenced for Illegally Dispensing Schedule II and Schedule III Controlled SubstancesRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser announces that DR. BARBARA A. BRUCE, M.D., age 45, was sentenced yesterday for her plea of guilty to a one count bill of information charging her with conspiring with others to dispense quantities of Schedule II and Schedule III drug controlled substances outside the scope of professional practice and not for legitimate medical purposes.
DR. BRUCE admitted in a factual basis that she operated the medical office of Barbara A. Bruce, M.D. at 9954 Lake Forest Blvd., Suite 10, in New Orleans, Louisiana, between August 2014 and April 2015. She acknowledged that during her medical practice she wrote prescriptions that were provided to patients without her conducting a medical examination of the patient, and at times, without even seeing the patient. DR. BRUCE admitted that she conspired with a member of her medical staff and with Kenneth Knight who split 50 percent of the profits received by DR. BRUCE through her medical practice. The owner of the medical clinic previously entered a plea of guilty to the same conspiracy and is pending sentencing.
DR. BRUCE was sentenced to 30 months incarceration. The Honorable Barry W. Ashe sentenced the defendant.
U.S. Attorney Strasser praised the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration New Orleans Office and the Internal Revenue Service, Gulfport, Mississippi for investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney John F. Murphy is in charge of the prosecution.
Maryland Man Pleads Guilty to Sexually Abusing 9-Year-Old ChildRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A 23-year-old man, of District Heights, Md., pled guilty today to sexually abusing a nine-year-old girl, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.
The man, who is not identified here to protect the privacy of the victim, pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to a charge of first-degree child sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances. The plea, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for an agreed-upon 13-year prison term. Following his prison term, the man will be required to register for the rest of his life as a sex offender and also complete a five-year term of supervised release. As part of the plea, the government agreed to dismiss a pending gun case. The Honorable Danya A. Dayson scheduled sentencing for March 8, 2019.
According to the government’s evidence, on June 16, 2017, the victim was at her home in Northwest Washington with her 4-year-old brother. The defendant - the victim’s stepfather’s brother - came to the house. The defendant forced the victim into the bathroom. The victim asked her brother for help, but the defendant closed the door on her brother and sexually assaulted the girl. The victim began pushing the defendant off of her, and he got off of her and went back into the living room. The victim went back into the living room and the defendant kept apologizing to her. The defendant asked the victim if she was going to tell her mother, and said that if she told, the defendant would go to jail and she would never see him again. After initially informing the defendant she was going to call her parents, the victim told the defendant she wouldn’t so the defendant wouldn’t get mad at her. The defendant left the home, and the victim locked the door behind him. The victim then called her mother to report the assault.
The defendant was arrested in October 2017 and has been in custody ever since.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Youth and Family Services Division. She also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the U.S. Marshals Service, the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences, the Children’s Advocacy Center, and Children’s National Medical Center. She acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocates Juanita Harris and Tracy Owusu, Paralegal Specialists Brenda Williams, D’Yvonne Key, and T.J. McPhail, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elana Suttenberg and Stuart D. Allen, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Lower Brule Man Sentenced for Failure to RegisterRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Lower Brule, South Dakota, man convicted of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender was sentenced by Chief Judge Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Court.
Glen Eagle Thunder, age 44, was sentenced on November 8, 2018, to 2 years in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
The charge related to Eagle Thunder, who is a person required to register under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, and a sex offender by reason of conviction under Federal Law, knowingly failing to register and update his registration between January and April of 2018.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Kelderman prosecuted the case.
Eagle Thunder was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Las Vegas Man Sentenced to Prison for Tax FraudRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – A Las Vegas man was sentenced Thursday to 22 months in prison for evading to pay more than $3 million in taxes for his purported asset protection business and fraudulently concealing assets in a separate case, announced U.S. Attorney Dayle Elieson for the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge Tara Sullivan of the IRS-Criminal Investigation.
Richard C. Neiswonger, 67, previously pleaded guilty to one count of Conspiracy to Defraud the United States and two-counts of mail fraud. In a separate case, he pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Jennifer A. Dorsey sentenced Neiswonger to pay $3,212,078 in restitution to the IRS.
From 1999 to mid-2006, Neiswonger, who was imprisoned, and his business partner, formed Asset Protection Group, Inc. (APG) in Nevada in late 1998. Neiswonger, along with his business partner and a certified public accountant, conspired to promote false and misleading business information. Consumers would purchase the APG “asset protection” program for typically $9,800 and become APG “consultants,” who would sell “asset protection” services to clients who wished to conceal assets from potential litigants and creditors, as well as government agencies. The service allowed clients to place funds in bank accounts in the name of nominee entities that could never be traced back to the clients themselves. In turn, APG “consultants” received a portion of the client’s fees. These nominee entity accounts and other fraudulent conveyances, such as so called “friendly liens,” were used to divert and hide income from the IRS. Over 70 APG clients using the APG system had collective IRS liabilities totaling approximately $14 million.
Neiswonger used clients’ funds for personal expenses to include credit card payments and payments on a Mercedes-Benz and Lexus.
In the separate case, Neiswonger, Neiswonger’s wife, and their attorney conspired to fraudulently convey approximately $1 million to the attorney so that it would be concealed from authorities.
The case was investigated by the IRS-Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Burns prosecuted this case.
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Kingsport Resident Sentenced to 188 Months on Marijuana Conspiracy, Firearms, and Money Laundering ChargesRead the Press Release
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – On November 15, 2018, Christopher Scott Burchett, 36, of Kingsport, Tennessee, was sentenced by the Honorable Pamela L. Reeves, U.S. District Court Judge, to serve 188 months in federal prison. Burchett was convicted for his role in a conspiracy to distribute marijuana, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and a conspiracy to commit money laundering in east Tennessee.
According to the plea agreement on file with the U.S. District Court, Burchett admitted to being responsible for at least 1,000 kilograms or more of marijuana. He obtained large quantities of marijuana from numerous sources of supply in Oregon and California, which were then re-distributed to customers in east Tennessee. In order to run this organization, Burchett recruited and employed numerous co-conspirators to make trips to Oregon with large sums of cash, obtain the marijuana, and transport it back to east Tennessee for resale. Burchett paid these individuals up to $10,000.00 per trip. The marijuana would often be contained in hidden locations in vehicles to avoid detection from law enforcement officers. Upon returning to the Kingsport area, Burchett had other co-conspirators ready to unload and store the marijuana until it could be divided up and sold by him and others working on his behalf. In addition to marijuana, Burchett also obtained Butane Honey Oil (BHO or hashish oil) from sources in Oregon that was transported back to east Tennessee and resold for profit. He further engaged in financial transactions involving the proceeds of the illegal distribution of marijuana, which included bulk currency shipments, the acquisition of vehicles and firearms and the transfer of real property.
One of Burchett’s co-defendants, Chad Allen Dorton, 35, of Kingsport, Tennessee, proceeded to trial in September 2017. Evidence and testimony introduced at trial showed the conspirators purchased, transported, and distributed 2500 to 3700 lbs. of marijuana during the conspiracy period, with a street value of $12 - $18 million. All of the drugs were distributed in Kingsport and surrounding areas. Following the trial, Dorton was convicted of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 1,000 kilograms or more of marijuana. He was sentenced on December 4, 2017, to serve 168 months in federal prison.
Law enforcement agencies participating in the investigation included the Drug Enforcement Administration, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Second Judicial Drug Task Force, Sullivan County Sherriff’s Office, Kingsport Police Department, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations, and the Rogue Area Drug Enforcement of Josephine County, Oregon. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Wayne Taylor, David L. Gunn and T.J. Harker represented the United States.
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. 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.
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Keshena Man Sentenced to 36 Months in Prison for Involuntary Manslaughter on Menominee Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
Matthew D. Krueger, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that Saswaen Waukechon (age: 38), of Keshena, was sentenced on November 8, 2018 to 36 months in prison and 36 months of supervised release after a conviction for Involuntary Manslaughter on the Menominee Indian Reservation. The sentence was the result of a June 28, 2018, guilty plea before Chief United States District Judge William C. Griesbach.
The investigation revealed that Waukechon operated his motor vehicle while intoxicated on January 13, 2018. Waukechon drove onto the ice at Legend Lake and struck a bridge in the area of Brave Island, causing extensive damage to the passenger compartment of the vehicle and killing a front seat passenger. Analysis of Waukechon’s blood alcohol content showed that it was well over twice the legal limit at the time of driving.
In sentencing Waukechon, Chief Judge Griesbach noted the serious nature of the offense. Chief Judge Griesbach also noted there was “no excuse for this,” and stated his desire was to “deter others who callously go out and drive after drinking.” Chief Judge Griesbach also observed the impact the offense had on the victims’ family and the Menominee Indian community as a whole.
The case was investigated by the Menominee Tribal Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Wisconsin State Patrol and Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Andrew J. Maier.
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For additional information contact:
Public Information Officer Dean Puschnig at 414 297-1700
Joplin Man Charged with Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Joplin, Mo., man was charged in federal court today with receiving and distributing child pornography over the internet after law enforcement officers searched his apartment and also found a firearm and items associated with Nazis, violence and racial hatred.
Daniel Rehman, 24, was charged in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Springfield, Mo., with receiving and distributing child pornography from May 5 to Nov. 7, 2018.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the federal criminal complaint, law enforcement received a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that Rehman had uploaded multiple files of child pornography to his Tumblr account.
On Nov. 7, 2018, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Rehman’s residence and seized his cell phone and a flash drive; officers also seized Rehman’s laptop computer from another residence. According to the affidavit, Rehman told officers he had been viewing child pornography for several years and had downloaded images of child pornography of children as young as infants.
Law enforcement officers also located a poster on the wall of Rehman’s apartment, the affidavit says, which depicted an adult male choking a female child. Officers located a green flag hung on one of the apartment walls, which Rehman said was a flag for Pakistani Nazis. In the kitchen, above the cabinets, officers located a German Nazi officer’s hat. A Ruger handgun was located inside a metal ammunition can with more than 300 rounds of ammunition. According to the affidavit, these items were not seized by officers as they were not evidence of child pornography that the search warrant authorized the seizure of.
Investigators found images of child pornography on Rehman’s cell phone and on the flash drive, the affidavit says, as well as a significant amount of child pornography anime. Investigators also found multiple images depicting violence and racial hatred. For example, Rehman allegedly created an image in which he is wearing a Nazi officer’s hat in front of a large pile of dead bodies. In another image, a cartoon character duck is depicted with a caption bubble stating, “When you trick the autistic kid into raping the girl with Down syndrome you record it, sell the video to a local pedophile and use the profit to buy guns to shoot up the school.”
The charge contained in this complaint is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charge must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force and Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Information: Federal Court ArraignmentsRead the Press Release
The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that the following persons were arraigned before U.S. Magistrate judges and indictments handed down by the Grand Jury unsealed. Indictments are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty:
Appearing before U.S. Magistrate John T. Johnston in Great Falls on Nov. 14, 2018 and entering a Not Guilty plea was:
AARON JAMES PEPION, 38, of Browning, appeared on charges of being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm and ammunition. If convicted of the most serious charge in the indictment, Pepion faces a maximum 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years supervised release. The case was investigated by the FBI and Blackfeet Tribal law enforcement. Pacer case reference. 18-92
Appearing on Nov. 15 and entering a Not Guilty plea was:
KRIS DALE HARDING, 47, of Sun Prairie, appeared on charges of conspiracy to distribute explosives without a license, possession of stolen explosives and prohibited person in possession of explosives. If convicted of the most serious charge, Harding faces a maximum 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years supervised release. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Russell Country Drug Task Force. Pacer case reference. 18-90
Appearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan in Billings on Nov. 13 and entering a Not Guilty plea was:
JENICA D. PASSES, 30, of Crow Agency, appeared on charges of theft of government property and misappropriation of postal funds. If convicted of the most serious charge in the indictment, Passes faces a maximum 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years supervised release. The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Service. Pacer case reference. 18-127
If any of the above cases are of interest to your media organization and the community it serves, we encourage you to monitor the progress of the case regularly through the U.S. District Court calendar and the PACER system.
To establish a PACER account, which will allow you to review documents filed in the case, please go to, http://www.pacer.gov/register.html. To access the district court’s calendar, please go to https://ecf.mtd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/PublicCalendar.pl.
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Individual Arrested for Posting Threatening Messages on Twitter to Bomb CNNRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico– On November 14, 2018, a federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned an indictment against Carlos Rodríguez-Vidal, charging him for threatening to injure people and damage property by means of explosives using an instrumentality of interstate and foreign commerce, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 844(e), announced United States Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez. The FBI is in charge of the investigation.
According to the information contained in a criminal complaint, between November 6 and November 8, 2018 Twitter user @SYROH10 posted various threatening messages directed toward CNN, a 24-hour cable news network that has physical premises in various places throughout the United States, including Miami, Florida. The following are among the threatening messages:
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“I hate CNN I wish to explode them.”
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“I hate you and I hope to see you when we explode CNN.”
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“I hate you CNN, people of the United States we must take CNN off the air, put a bomb in all CNN office.”
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“Bomb to CNN all over the country.”
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“Put bomb at CNN we are United States and CNN is enemy and need to remove them from the air.”
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“Soon CNN Miami office of CNN will get a gift.”
FBI agents first learned of these threats when a CNN employee reported them on November 7, 2018. Upon further investigation and a search warrant, on November 10 FBI agents arrested Rodríguez-Vidal at his residence in Cabo Rojo, PR.
“The defendant attempted to create fear within CNN, and was mimicking the individual who recently sent letter bombs to prominent current and former government officials,” said Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez, U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. “We commend the CNN employee who reported the threats to the FBI, and the agents who promptly investigated this matter. Federal authorities will continue to prosecute those who use social media to threaten, promote violence, or incite violent acts.”
“Any member of the public has the right to criticize whomever or whatever they want, publicly or privately. However, making threats of violence or encouraging others to commit acts of violence, through social media or other communications systems, is a serious crime and we are required to enforce this law diligently,” stated Douglas A. Leff, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI, San Juan Division.
Assistant United States Attorney Alexander Alum is in charge of the prosecution of the case. If convicted, Rodríguez-Vidal faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years, a term of supervised release of up to three years, and a fine of up to $250,000.
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Hyundai Construction Equipment Americas Inc. Sentenced to $1.9 Million Criminal Fine for Violating the Clean Air ActRead the Press Release
On Wednesday, November 14, 2018, Hyundai Construction Equipment Americas Inc. (Hyundai), then a subsidiary of Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. Ltd, pleaded guilty and was sentenced in federal court in Atlanta, Georgia, to pay a $1.95 million dollar criminal fine for conspiring to defraud the United States government and to violate the Clean Air Act, the Justice Department announced today. The charges relate to construction equipment Hyundai imported for sale into the United States from the Republic of Korea that contained engines that did not comply with air emissions standards under the Clean Air Act.
Hyundai imports construction and other equipment into the United States, which it sells to its dealer network. During a phase-in period for new air emissions standards, Hyundai opted to participate in a transition program that allowed it to import limited numbers of engines not in compliance with the new standards. As part of the program, Hyundai had to report the number of imported noncompliant engines to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Hyundai’s imports of noncompliant engines substantially exceeded its allowance. A consultant retained by Hyundai to provide advice about complying with the requirements warned the company that it was out of compliance and that it risked a substantial penalty. The consultant advised Hyundai to stop importing and notify the EPA. Nonetheless, Hyundai continued to import the noncompliant engines, and its employees conspired to lie to the EPA and to impede EPA’s ability to enforce emissions standards. Ultimately, Hyundai submitted a report that intentionally understated the number of noncompliant engines it had imported from Korea.
“This case underscores the necessity for foreign companies that opt to do business in the United States to comply with our Nation’s laws developed to protect human health and the environment,” said Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Bossert Clark for the Environment and Natural Resources Division. “A self-reporting regime, such as the one here, depends upon the honesty and integrity of the regulated parties. We hope that this case will chart a new course for Hyundai, and serve as a lesson for all companies that interact with our regulatory agencies.”
“Hyundai Construction Equipment Americas tried to increase its profits by illegally importing diesel engines that did not comply with U.S. Clean Air Act regulations,” said EPA Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Assistant Administrator Susan Bodine. “This case shows that EPA and our law enforcement partners will not allow importers to gain a competitive advantage or risk the health and safety of our communities by evading U.S. environmental laws.”
Assistant Attorney General Clark thanked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigation Division for its work in this investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Senior Counsel Krishna Dighe of the Environmental Crimes Section of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Huber, Deputy Chief of the Complex Fraud Section, of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.
Houma Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – NICHOLAS GARCIA (“GARCIA”), age 33, of Houma, Louisiana, pleaded guilty yesterday to possession of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Peter G. Strasser.
According to documents filed in federal court, special agents with the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation (“LBI”) obtained a search warrant for GARCIA’s residence in Houma, Louisiana. Law enforcement officers and agents with LBI, the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) executed the search warrant. On February 21, 2018, law enforcement officers arrested GARCIA after finding that GARCIA was in possession of a Samsung Galaxy tablet that contained images and videos of child pornography. A subsequent computer forensic examination by HSI revealed over 350 images and 3 videos depicting the sexual victimization of pre-pubescent children on GARCIA’s Samsung device.
Sentencing will be held on February 21, 2019, before U.S. District Judge Barry W. Ashe. The maximum penalty GARCIA may receive is not more than twenty (20) years imprisonment and a supervised release term of up to life.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
U.S. Attorney Strasser praised the work of the U. S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation, and Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office in investigating this matter. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Project Safe Childhood Coordinator and Financial Crimes Unit Supervisor, Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba.
Hopewell Man Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison for Selling Fentanyl that Caused an Overdose DeathRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A resident of Hopewell Township, Pa., has been sentenced in federal court to 7 years’ imprisonment on his conviction of distribution of fentanyl, which he acknowledged caused the death of a victim identified as L.K., United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
United States District Judge Nora Barry Fischer imposed the sentence on Corey Bargerstock, 43.
According to information presented to the court, on July 6, 2016, Bargerstock sold stamp bags of fentanyl to L.K., which caused L.K. to fatally overdose.
Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Fischer stated that the sentence was sufficient but not greater than necessary to fulfill the goals of sentencing.
Assistant United States Attorneys Tonya Sulia Goodman and Timothy Lanni prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Brady commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Beaver County District Attorney’s Office Detectives Bureau, and the Hopewell Township Police Department for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Bargerstock.
Honduran Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Illegally Reentering the United StatesRead the Press Release
A man entered the United States illegally from Honduras was sentenced on November 13, 2018, to three months’ in prison.
Denis Orlando Orellana-Martinez, age 32, from Honduras, received the sentence after a September 18, 2018, guilty plea to one count of illegal re-entry.
At the guilty plea, Orellana-Martinez admitted he had illegally entered the United States from Honduras in 2012, after previously being deported. On August 23, 2018, Orellana-Martinez was arrested for public intoxication in Sioux County, Iowa.
Orellana-Martinez was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Orellana-Martinez was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 1-year term of supervised release after the prison term.
Orellana-Martinez is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Fletcher and investigated by Enforcement and Removal Office of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Bureau.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 18-CR-04077.
Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Heroin Trafficker Indicted for Transporting 4.5 Kilograms Hidden Inside Car BatteryRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Francisco Castaneda Rivera has been indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly transporting 4.5 kilograms of heroin - hidden inside a car battery - from Texas to the Atlanta area.
“Drug trafficking organizations go to great lengths to creatively conceal and transport their poisonous merchandise across the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “Thanks to our vigilant and perceptive law enforcement agents, this large quantity of heroin was discovered and seized before it could make its way into our community.”
“Drug distribution is about delivering misery to the consumer,” said Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “DEA’s mission is about removing the supply before it gets to the consumer. This case was successful because of the dedicated efforts of our federal, state and local law enforcement partners and the United States Attorney’s Office.”
According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the indictment, and other information presented in court: On October 20, 2018, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle from Texas traveling east along Interstate 20 in Douglas County, Georgia. Rivera, who was previously known to law enforcement, was the owner and an occupant of the vehicle. Law enforcement searched the vehicle and observed that the battery in the truck was significantly cleaner than the rest of the engine compartment. Upon closer inspection, agents realized that the battery had been altered. They opened it and found five packages wrapped in electrical tape along with a motorcycle battery wired to provide electrical current sufficient to operate the vehicle. The substance inside the packages tested positive for heroin. Rivera was arrested and denied bond.
Francisco Castaneda Rivera, 64, of Houston, Texas was charged with possession with intent to distribute and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute at least one kilogram of heroin. He was arraigned on November 16, 2018, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Catherine M. Salinas.
Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with valuable assistance provided by the Georgia State Patrol.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Garrett L. Bradford and David A. O’Neal are prosecuting the case.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.gov.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Helena woman sentenced for wire fraud; aggravated identity theftRead the Press Release
HELENA—U.S. Attorney Kurt G. Alme announced today that Katherine Marie Krieger, a Helena resident, was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison, three years supervised release and ordered to pay $236,924.17 restitution for stealing a person’s personal identity and using it to embezzle money from an investment account.
Senior U.S. District Judge Charles C. Lovell presided at the sentencing.
Krieger, 30, also known as Katherine Marie Waayenberg, pleaded guilty on Sept. 11 to wire fraud and to aggravated identity theft as part of plea agreement.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Racicot said the embezzlement scheme ran from February 2015 to August 2015. Krieger, and her then-husband, had moved from Michigan to Montana in 2010 so her husband could work for a company in Helena. Krieger befriended the owners of the company and then started embezzling from their Edward Jones investment account.
During the embezzlement, Krieger made 58 payments to her Capital One credit card account using money from the victims’ Edward Jones account. The total loss associated with the Edward Jones transactions was $109,138.49, but Krieger agreed to pay more for losses associated with her scheme.
When questioned about the theft in August 2015, Krieger claimed her mail had been stolen, including a check she had received for babysitting services from the victims. She also claimed she thought her identity had been stolen and that the perpetrator must have used the victims’ Edward Jones account number – obtained from the babysitting check – to make the Capital One credit card payments. And she claimed she thought the perpetrator who stole her identity must have obtained that credit card without her knowledge.
The investigation, however, found that Krieger had deposited the babysitting check into her personal bank account and that the Capital One credit card charges were for goods and services she received.
AUSA Racicot prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI and the Lewis and Clark Sheriff’s Office.
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Gun Thief Sentenced in Federal CourtRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Richard W. Moore of the Southern District of Alabama announced that Jesse Lane, 25, of Ellisville, Alabama, was sentenced today for his participation in stealing firearms and possessing stolen firearms. He pled guilty to the two charges in federal court during July of 2018.
United States District Court Judge William H. Steele imposed a sentence of 33 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release. During his supervision, the judge ordered that Lane undergo testing and treatment for illegal drug use. Lane was ordered to pay $200 in special mandatory assessments, but no fine was imposed.
The case was investigated by the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted in the United States Attorney’s Office by Assistant United States Attorney Gloria A. Bedwell.Guatemalan Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Illegally Reentering the United StatesRead the Press Release
A man who entered the United States illegally from Guatemala was sentenced on November 13, 2018, to 10 months’ in prison.
Elmer Martinez-Niz, age 24, from Guatemala, received the sentence after a September 17, 2018, guilty plea to one count of illegal re-entry.
At the guilty plea, Martinez-Niz admitted he had illegally entered the United States from Guatemala in 2012, after previously being deported from the U.S. On February 15, 2017, Martinez-Niz was arrested in Osceola County for possession of controlled substance (meth), and possession of drug paraphernalia. He also has subsequent arrests in Osceola County for OWI 2nd and driving without a license.
Martinez-Niz was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Martinez-Niz was sentenced to ten months’ imprisonment to be served consecutively with any terms of imprisonment he may receive from the State of Iowa, Osceola County offenses. He must also serve a 1-year term of supervised release after the prison term.
Martinez-Niz is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Fletcher and investigated by Enforcement and Removal Office of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Bureau.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 18-CR-04011.
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Fulton Man Sentenced for Manufacturing a Silencer, Illegally Possessing FirearmsRead the Press Release
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Fulton, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally manufacturing a firearm suppressor, or “silencer,” and illegally possessing firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition after making threats toward state workers involved in the case in which he lost custody of his children.
Nathaniel Craig Carroll, 37, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 10 years in federal prison without parole.
On July 17, 2018, Carroll pleaded guilty to illegally making a firearm, possessing an illegally made firearm and being a drug user in possession of firearms.
According to court documents, Carroll had repeatedly communicated threats, directly and indirectly, to state children’s division employees involved in a case where Carroll’s children were taken from the home. Law enforcement officers had also received reports of explosions at Carroll’s residence; Carroll was believed to be igniting “tannerite” to create the explosions. On Oct. 24, 2017, a judge in Callaway County determined that the case was going to move toward the permanent removal of the children from Carroll’s custody, which upset him a great deal. Carroll’s statements and conduct in the aftermath of the hearing resulted in the evacuation and two-day closure of all Missouri Department of Social Services offices in Callaway County, including the Children’s Division.
Immediately after the Oct. 24, 2017, court hearing, Carroll was seen at the Westlake Ace Hardware store. A Calloway County sheriff’s deputy was concerned that Carroll was intent on hurting himself because of what had happened at the hearing earlier, and therefore followed up with employees at the hardware store to determine what Carroll was purchasing.
Carroll purchased several items that could be used to manufacture a suppressor. Carroll made a statement to the store clerk about needing items to build a suppressor. Carroll does not have a federal license to manufacture a suppressor.
Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Carroll’s residence on Oct. 25, 2017. Officers seized two homemade silencers, 13 firearms (including two assault rifles that had been spray-painted in black paint, a JC Higgins .22-caliber rifle bearing no serial number and retrofitted for a homemade suppressor, and several other weapons bearing no serial numbers), thousands of rounds of ammunition and substantial user quantities of marijuana.
Officers searched the Carroll family’s Honda Odyssey and found “Adolph Hitler Flyers” that stated the following: “Our Furher reminds US, National Socialism Depends on the loyalty of the people and the indoctrination of youth, All Citizens Report, Nonconforming Parents To Their, Children’s Division, From the National Socialist American Worker’s Party.”
This case was prosecuted by Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael S. Oliver. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI, the Callaway County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the MUSTANG Drug Task Force and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
Fugitive Apprehended in North CarolinaRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A convicted fraudster who had been on the run since early November was arrested this morning as he exited a hotel in Charlotte, N.C.
David J. Aubel, 60, of Matthews, N.C., was apprehended today after failing to appear for his sentencing hearing in federal court in Boston on Nov. 5, 2018. Aubel was detained today following an initial appearance in federal court in Charlotte, N.C. A date for his sentencing hearing in Massachusetts has not yet been rescheduled.
In November 2017, Aubel pleaded guilty to conspiracy, securities fraud, and wire fraud in connection with his role in a stock manipulation scheme. According to court documents, Aubel repeatedly failed to appear for multiple sentencing hearings scheduled throughout September and October 2018. Each time, Aubel informed the Court either telephonically or through counsel that his father was in poor health and that he was at his bedside. The Court rescheduled Aubel’s sentencing hearing for Oct. 18, 2018; however, Aubel once again failed to appear at that hearing – informing the Court through counsel that he had been hospitalized the night before. The Court issued an arrest warrant at the government’s request; however, the warrant was later recalled. Aubel’s sentencing was then rescheduled for Nov. 5, 2018.
On the morning of Nov. 5, 2018, the government opposed a motion for self-surrender filed by Aubel. In its opposition, the government disclosed for the first time that it had recently discovered evidence suggesting that Aubel had continued to engage in criminal conduct while released on bail. Aubel subsequently failed to appear at the sentencing hearing later that day.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Gregory Allyn Forest, U.S. Marshal of the Western District of North Carolina; John Gibbons, U.S. Marshal of the District of Massachusetts; and Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordi de Llano, Deputy Chief of Lelling’s Securities & Financial Fraud Unit, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Palid of the Securities and Exchange Commission are prosecuting the case.
Former Registered Financial Advisor Pleads Guilty to Bank Fraud for Role in Scheme to Fraudulently Obtain and Misuse Credit Lines, Generating over $1 Million in Improper CommissionsRead the Press Release
A former registered financial advisor previously employed by UBS Financial Services Inc. of Puerto Rico (UBS-PR) pleaded guilty today for his role in a scheme to fraudulently obtain and misuse non-purpose credit lines for purchasing securities, resulting in over $1 million in improperly generated commissions, announced Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Special Agent in Charge Douglas A. Leff of the FBI’s San Juan, Puerto Rico Field Office.
José G. Ramirez-Arone Jr., 60, currently of Fulton, Maryland, previously of San Juan, Puerto Rico, pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud before U.S. District Judge Thomas F. Hogan of the District of Columbia. Sentencing has been scheduled for Feb. 8, 2019, before Judge Hogan.
As part of his guilty plea, Ramirez-Arone admitted that, in his role as a financial advisor, he participated in a scheme in which various of his clients at UBS-PR fraudulently obtained non-purpose credit lines (i.e., credit lines for which purchasing securities was expressly prohibited by an internal UBS-PR policy) offered by UBS Bank USA (UBS-UT), a Utah-based subsidiary of UBS Financial Services, Inc. He admitted knowing that his clients then misused them by drawing funds from the credit lines for purchasing securities, directly violating the credit lines’ terms of use.
Ramirez-Arone further admitted that the scheme took advantage of the low interest rate of UBS-UT’s non-purpose credit lines, and the payout interest rate of closed-end funds (CEFs) offered by UBS-PR, which were mainly comprised of Puerto Rican bonds. Ramirez-Arone admitted that the CEFs had a payout interest rate exceeding the low interest rate of the non-purpose credit lines. To capitalize on the difference between the low and high interest rates by engaging in arbitrage, Ramirez-Arone advised various clients that they could draw funds from a UBS-UT non-purpose credit line and invest the funds in a UBS-PR CEF, he admitted.
In addition, Ramirez-Arone admitted that, to circumvent the prohibition against purchasing securities with non-purpose credit line funds, and to obscure from UBS-PR the origin of the funds, he advised clients to obtain a UBS-UT non-purpose credit line by misrepresenting in a credit line application the proposed reason for needing the credit line, which was an important piece of information for UBS-UT. He further admitted that he advised clients—after the credit line was issued—to transfer UBS-UT non-purpose credit line funds to a third-party bank (i.e., outside of the UBS banking system), before transferring the same funds back into the UBS banking system to UBS-PR for investment in a CEF. This practice diminished UBS-UT’s ability to recognize that funds originating from a UBS-UT non-purpose credit line were later being invested in a UBS-PR CEF. As a result of at least a portion of his illicit activity, from in or about January 2011 through in or about September 2013, Ramirez-Arone improperly generated approximately $1,225,500 in commissions, he admitted.
This case was investigated by the FBI. Trial Attorney Cory E. Jacobs of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section is prosecuting the case.
The Criminal Division’s Fraud Section plays a pivotal role in the Department of Justice’s fight against white collar crime around the country.
Former Owner and CEO of Yellowstone Partners Investment Firm Indicted for FraudRead the Press Release
BOISE - David Hansen, 47, formerly of Idaho Falls, was indicted yesterday, by a federal grand jury sitting in Boise on 17 counts of wire fraud and six counts of tax fraud, U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced.
Hansen was the 90 percent owner and chief executive officer of Yellowstone Partners, LLC, an investment management firm headquartered in Idaho Falls. The indictment alleges the following: Yellowstone Partners managed its clients’ investment funds pursuant to management agreements that provided for Yellowstone Partners to collect fees for its services. The actual client funds were kept in accounts at national brokerage firms. Yellowstone Partners would receive its fees by submitting billing requests to the brokerage firms. Those requests were supposed to comply with the fees set forth in the management agreements between Yellowstone Partners and its clients.
The indictment furthermore alleges that: From 2008 to 2016, Hansen systematically and intentionally overbilled many of his clients’ accounts. He personally submitted fraudulent billing requests to a brokerage firm, and he also directed certain of his employees to do the same. The fraudulent billings resulted in the transfer to Hansen and Yellowstone Partners of client funds in amounts far in excess of what was allowed for under the management agreements. It is estimated that Hansen defrauded his clients of at least $9,448,941 through his overbilling scheme.
The indictment furthermore alleges that: In 2012 and 2013 Hansen aided and assisted in the preparation of false and fraudulent income tax returns for Yellowstone Partners and himself. Specifically, as part of the overall fraud at Yellowstone Partners, Hansen caused Yellowstone Partners’ revenue and his own income to be significantly underreported.
The indictment finally alleges that: if convicted of wire fraud, Hansen shall forfeit $9,448,941.
The charge of wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to five years of supervised release.
The charge of aiding and assisting in the presentation of a false and fraudulent tax return is punishable by up to 3 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to one year of supervised release.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the IRS-Criminal Investigations Division.
An indictment is a means of charging a person with criminal activity. It is not evidence. The person is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Former Menomonee Falls Resident Indicted in Federal Court with Under-Reporting $2.6 Million in IncomeRead the Press Release
Matthew D. Krueger, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that John Miller Ragland (age: 71) formerly of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin has been charged in an indictment with four counts of tax evasion. Specifically, the indictment charges that Mr. Ragland under-reported his income during the years 2010 - 2013 by more than $2.6 million and, thereby, attempted to evade more than $750,000 in federal income taxes.
Each of the offenses with which Mr. Ragland is charged carries a maximum possible penalty of up to 5 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, or both.
This matter was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation. The matter has been assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Matthew L. Jacobs for prosecution.
The public is cautioned that an indictment is merely the formal method of issuing charges against an individual. A person is presumed innocent until such time, if ever, as the government establishes his or her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
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For Additional Information Contact:
Public Information Officer Dean Puschnig 414-297-1700
Former Hennepin County Employee Indicted on Theft of Government FundsRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced a federal indictment charging ROBERT ANTHONY COLEMAN, 45, and YOLANDA YVETTE COLEMAN aka YOLANDA YVETTE PITTMAN, 50, with multiple counts related to the theft of more than $248,000 of government funds. ROBERT COLEMAN is also charged with two counts of false statements and an additional count of Social Security fraud. They will make their initial appearances in U.S. District Court at a later date. 1]
According to documents filed with the court, from least October 2010 through August of 2018, ROBERT COLEMAN and YOLANDA PITTMAN conspired to fraudulently obtain government funds and public assistance including, Section 8 rental housing assistance subsidies, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, and Medical Assistance benefits, by purposefully submitting false applications to the government entities responsible for implementing these programs.
Further, according to documents filed with the court, YOLANDA PITTMAN used her role as an employee of Hennepin County Human Services and Public Health Department to affect COLEMAN’S receipt of benefits and failed to note that she lived with ROBERT COLEMAN. PITTMAN also acted as COLEMAN’S Personal Care Attendant (PCA) for several years, with COLEMAN’S Medical Assistance benefits paying for these PCA services.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Department of Housing and Urban Development – Office of the Inspector General, Hennepin County Fraud Unit, and the Social Security Administration – Office of the Inspector General.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Hudleston and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey Middlecamp.
Defendant Information:
ROBERT ANTHONY COLEMAN, 45
Minneapolis, Minn.
Charges:
- Conspiracy, 1 count
- Theft of government funds- housing, SNAP, and Social Security Fraud, 1 count
- False statement, 2 counts
- Social Security Benefits Fraud, 1 count
YOLANDA YVETTE COLEMAN, aka YOLANDA YVETTE PITTMAN, 50
Minneapolis, Minn.
Charges:
- Conspiracy, 1 count
- Theft of government funds- housing, SNAP, and Social Security Fraud, 1 count
- Theft from a Program Receiving Federal Funds, 1 count
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United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota: (612) 664-5600
[1] The charges contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Former Connecticut Attorney Sentenced to More Than 6 Years in Prison for Stealing Nearly $2 MillionRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that THOMAS M. MURTHA, 62, of Birmingham, Michigan and formerly of Newtown, Connecticut, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 78 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for stealing nearly $2 million from clients, friends and family members.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Murtha operated a law practice under the name Maher & Murtha LLC in Bridgeport. Beginning in approximately November 2011, Murtha stole approximately $2 million from more than 20 individuals, including law clients, friends and family members. More than $516,000 of the stolen funds were for the benefit of an individual with mental health issues. As part of the scheme, Murtha submitted false or forged documents to victims. He also incurred charges on credit cards in the names of others without their knowledge or permission.
The investigation revealed that Murtha used some of the stolen funds in connection with the purchase of a $725,000 house in Birmingham, Michigan, and on other lavish expenses, including the purchase and care of show horses.
Judge Shea ordered Murtha to pay total restitution of $1,994,467.15. Murtha also has agreed to forfeit his interests in the house in Michigan and a 2.11 carat diamond engagement ring that the government has seized.
In September 2016, Murtha resigned from the bar after three grievance complaints were filed against him. He was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on April 5, 2017, and a grand jury returned a multi-count indictment against him on August 16, 2017. On May 30, 2018, he pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.
Murtha, who is released on bond, was ordered to report to the U.S. Marshals Service on November 26, 2018, to begin serving his sentence.
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Greenwich Police Department, with the assistance of the Connecticut Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer R. Laraia and David T. Huang.
Former COO of Montgomery County Department of Economic Development Pleads Guilty to Federal Wire Fraud and Tax Charges for Embezzling More Than $6.7 Million in County FundsRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – Byung Il Bang, a/k/a Peter Bang, age 59, of Germantown, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to wire fraud and making false statements on his tax returns, in connection with a scheme in which he embezzled more than $6.7 million from the Montgomery County government and failed to report the money as income on his tax returns.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Kelly R. Jackson of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office; and Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy.
According to his plea agreement, from 2010 through July 2016, Bang was the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Department of Economic Development for Montgomery County, Maryland (MC-DED). In 2016, the MC-DED was privatized and Bang’s position was moved to the Montgomery County Department of Finance, where he was employed until May 2017.
The MC-DED established business incubator and/or innovation centers throughout the County with different areas of focus, such as computer technology, biological technology, and small minority - and women-owned businesses, to help small businesses by giving them below-market rent, placing them in an environment with other small businesses, and providing education on how to run a business. As MC-DED COO, Bang oversaw budgets for these incubators and was authorized to request disbursement of County funds to the incubators. Bang’s position also enabled him to authorize and direct the disbursement of money from County partners, including the Maryland Economic Development Corporation (MEDCO), and the Maryland Conference & Visitors Bureau, without any significant oversight or approval.
In 2010, Montgomery County and the Chungcheongbuk-Do province of South Korea entered into an agreement to develop an incubator fund. On July 20, 2010, Bang caused a company called Chungbuk Incubator Fund LLC to be incorporated in the State of Maryland and opened four bank accounts in the name of the company, listing his home address as the address of the LLC. Bang used this entity and the bank accounts to facilitate his fraud.
Bang admitted that between 2010 and 2016, he fraudulently authorized the disbursement of $6,705,669.37 from the Montgomery County government to the bank accounts of the fraudulent entities that Bang created and controlled. Specifically, between 2010 and 2016, Bang caused the Montgomery County Department of Finance to issue checks and direct deposits totaling $5,447,964; caused MEDCO to send a total of $1,213,987.63 to bank accounts controlled by Bang; and caused the Maryland Conference & Visitors Bureau to send a total of $43,717.74 to the Chungbuk LLC accounts. Bang did not report the money he embezzled as income on his individual tax returns. His failure to report those funds as income resulted in $2,335,913 in taxes due and owing to the IRS.
Bang also admitted that he lied on his County financial disclosure statements for the years 2012 through 2016, by failing to disclose his interest in the Chungbuk entities, including: property holdings; his relationship with an income source; and the type and amount of income he received.
As part of his plea agreement, Bang is required to pay restitution in the full amount of the victims’ losses, and to plead guilty in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, to the state charges of theft scheme over $100,000, and misconduct in office.
Bang faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for wire fraud, and three years in prison for making false statements on his tax returns. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis has scheduled sentencing for February 22, 2019 at 1:00 p.m.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the IRS-CI and the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas M. Sullivan and Erin B. Pulice who are prosecuting the case.
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Five Defendants Plead Guilty in Drug Conspiracy InvestigationRead the Press Release
Abingdon, VIRGINIA – Five members of a drug distribution organization that trafficked methamphetamine, heroin, oxycodone, cocaine, and other drugs from Georgia into Southwest Virginia pleaded guilty recently in federal court to federal drug conspiracy charges, United States Attorney Thomas T. Cullen and Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring announced.
Christy Marie Doffermyer, 47, of Kingsport, Tenn., pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and distributing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, as well as distributing heroin and oxycodone. At sentencing, Doffermyer faces a mandatory minimum sentence of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a fine of up to $10 million.
Timothy Terrell Peek, 34, of Greensboro, Ga., pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and distributing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, as well as distributing heroin, oxycodone, cocaine, and alprazolam. At sentencing, Peek faces a mandatory minimum sentence of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a fine of up to $10 million.
Audrea Augusta Woodward, 50, of Big Stone Gap, Va., pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and distributing oxycodone. At sentencing, Woodward faces a maximum statutory penalty of up to 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $2 million.
Timothy Allen Barr, 51, of Coeburn, Va., and Paul Thomas Jones, 25, of Big Stone Gap, Va., pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and distributing oxycodone. At sentencing, Barr and Jones each face a maximum statutory penalty of up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million.
“Crystal methamphetamine is a highly addictive and dangerous drug,” U.S. Attorney Cullen stated today. “We are committed to working with our federal, state, and local partners in Southwest Virginia to dismantle and prosecute organizations that traffic in it. I am grateful for our partnership with Attorney General Herring’s office on this critical law-enforcement initiative.”
“Reducing the availability of crystal methamphetamine and other drugs in Southwest Virginia is a high priority for my office. My office and I work diligently to partner with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and federal, state, and local law enforcement to crack down on those who transport dangerous drugs into the Commonwealth for distribution,” Virginia Attorney General Herring said today. “We appreciate the hard work and dedication of our law enforcement partners and will continue to aggressively prosecute those who endanger the lives of our citizens.”
In all, 11 individuals have been charged as part of this drug trafficking conspiracy. Another defendant is scheduled to enter a guilty plea later this month, with others set for trial in mid-December.
According to evidence presented at the guilty plea hearings by Special Assistant United States Attorney and Virginia Assistant Attorney General Suzanne Kerney-Quillen, the defendants conspired to traffic a variety of controlled substances, including methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, morphine, oxycodone, and alprazolam, from sources in Watkinsville, Georgia, into Southwest Virginia for redistribution. The organization operated primarily in Lee and Wise counties from November 2016 through March 1, 2018. Arrests on March 1, 2018, resulted in the seizure of approximately 197 grams of crystal ice methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, morphine, and oxycodone.
The investigation of the case was conducted by the Southwest Virginia Drug Task Force, Virginia State Police, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Special Assistant United States Attorney M. Suzanne Kerney-Quillen, a Virginia Assistant Attorney General assigned to the Attorney General’s Major Crimes and Emerging Threats Section, prosecuted the case for the United States.
Financial Analyst Sentenced to Federal Prison for Embezzling more than $1.1 Million from HoneywellRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – Errol Buggs, a principal finance analyst for Honeywell International, Inc., was sentenced to federal prison for embezzling more than $1.1 million from his employer in a fraud scheme.
“Financial professionals who are unscrupulous are an insider threat to their employers because they have access to payment systems and can learn how to circumvent internal controls to enrich themselves,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “Employers must remain vigilant against fraudulent vouchers, fictitious vendors, and sharing or theft of log-in credentials by employees.
“Wire fraud is an offense the FBI takes very seriously,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Atlanta Field Office. “Buggs took advantage of his position as a financial analyst for his own personal greed, violating the trust put in him by his employer.”
According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: From January 2012 through June 2016, Buggs worked in the Roswell, Georgia office of Honeywell International, Inc., an American multinational conglomerate headquartered in New Jersey. An employee at a Honeywell subsidiary in Canada discovered three suspicious wire transfers to a supposed vendor in Georgia for which there were no supporting invoices.
An investigation determined that the payee, Tredd LLC, was a shell company incorporated by Buggs, who was listed in the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office as its Chief Operating Officer. Further investigation showed that Buggs setup Tredd as a vendor in Honeywell’s invoice payment system using a legitimate vendor’s address.
As a senior finance analyst, Buggs was authorized to approve vouchers initiated by colleagues. The defendant used the log-in credentials of a colleague and the credentials of two former employees. By masquerading as other employees, Buggs was able to approve fictitious vouchers and bypass safeguard restrictions against self-dealing of this kind. He used this scheme to cause 28 wire transfers and a check to be sent to his bogus Georgia company. The money trail led to a bank account controlled by Buggs in metropolitan Atlanta. The total amount embezzled was determined to be $1,134,493.35.
Errol Buggs, 44, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced to two years in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release on November 15, 2018, by U.S. District Judge Thomas W. Thrash, Jr. He was also ordered to pay $1,134,493.35 in restitution to Honeywell.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Pearce prosecuted the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Federal Jury Finds Armed Career Criminal Guilty on Firearm ChargeRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces that a federal jury has found Sean Justin Owens (35, Jacksonville) guilty of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Owens faces a mandatory minimum term of 15 years, and up to life, in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for February 26, 2019.
Owens was indicted on February 21, 2018.
According to testimony presented at trial, Owens was found to be in possession of a firearm after officers from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) investigated his illegally parked vehicle. As the officers approached the parked vehicle, Owens quickly left the car and headed toward a nearby residence. When the officers checked the vehicle tag, it was not associated with any vehicle. As one of the officers tried to obtain the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), he saw a firearm on the front console. Owens’s driver license was inside his vehicle, confirming his identity. In addition, an occupant of the home Owens had entered after leaving the vehicle confirmed that the vehicle belonged to Owens.
At the time of this incident, Owens had multiple prior felony convictions and, therefore, was prohibited from possessing a firearm under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Washington.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. In the Middle District of Florida, U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.
Dominican Nationals Sentenced to 95 and 50 Months Respectively, for Possession of Cocaine on Board a VesselRead the Press Release
St. Croix, USVI – United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced today two additional sentencings originating from a large-scale drug trafficking conspiracy investigated and prosecuted on St. Croix. Yesterday, District Court Judge Anne E. Thompson sentenced Luis Antonio Rijos-Santana, age 51, of the Dominican Republic, to 95 months in prison and Maurucio Javier Diaz, age 30, also of the Dominican Republic, to 50 months in prison for possession of cocaine on board a vessel. In addition, Judge Thompson sentenced Rijos-Santana to six years of supervised release and to pay a special assessment of $100.00,and Diaz to two years of supervised release and to pay a fine of $500.00 and a special assessment of $100.00.
Diaz and Rijos-Santana entered guilty pleas to possession of a controlled substance on board a vessel on July 10, 2017 and July 19, 2017 respectively. Court documents revealed that while on routine patrol along the north coast of Puerto Rico, U.S. Coast Guard Cutter operator Richard Dixon, together with assistance provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), located a vessel operating without lights, approximately 58 nautical miles north of Fajardo, Puerto Rico in international waters. The Coast Guard and CBP observed Diaz, Rijos-Santana, and co-defendant Carlos Manuel Castro Felix discarding small items, consistent with electronics, over the side vessel. Rijos-Santana was the operator of the vessel, which bore no markings and flew no flag. The Coast Guard intercepted and boarded the vessel, where officers discovered 45 bales of cocaine with a net weight of 909 kilograms.
Felix was originally charged along with Diaz and Rijos-Santana. He entered a guilty plea and was sentenced to 70 months in prison on February 1, 2018.
The incident was investigated by the U.S. Coast Guard, the Department of Homeland Security-U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alphonso G. Andrews, Jr.
District Man Sentenced to More Than 16 Years in Prison for Sexually Assaulting StepdaughterRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A 39-year-old man, from Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 16 years and eight months in prison on a charge stemming from years of sexual abuse against his stepdaughter, beginning when she was only 10 years old, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu.
The defendant, who is not identified here to protect the privacy of the victim, pled guilty on Aug. 29, 2018, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to first-degree child sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances. He was sentenced by the Honorable Milton C. Lee. Following his prison term, the man will be placed on lifetime supervised release. He also will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. The man, a Honduran national, also will be subject to removal proceedings.
According to the government’s evidence, the man sexually abused his stepdaughter beginning when she was 10 years old. The sexual abuse took place from 2010 until 2018. It was constant, occurring several times a week throughout the victim’s teenage years. It led to two pregnancies when the victim was 12 and 13 years old. The defendant told the victim that if she reported the abuse, the victim’s mother would side with him, and would kick the victim out of the house. She believed him, and so she kept silent for years. During that time, the defendant manipulated the victim into complying with his sexual demands through threats, bribes, and misleading promises that he loved her and would take care of her. The sexual abuse only came to light when a member of the victim’s family witnessed one of the sexual acts after the victim turned 18. The man was arrested on April 4, 2018, and has been in custody ever since.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu praised the work of officers from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Youth Investigation Division. In addition, she commended the work of the Special Agents of the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force, who assisted in the investigation. She also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Juanita Harris and Criminal Investigator John Marsh. Finally, she commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Loeb, Jodi Lazarus, and Marisa West, who investigated and prosecuted this case.
District Man Sentenced to 66 Months Prison After Possessing Packaged Narcotics and a Loaded Firearm While on Federal Supervision for an Urban ShootingRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Everett Purvis, 36, of Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to 66 months in prison following his possession of a loaded firearm and packaged narcotics while on federal supervised release for convictions related to a 2008 shooting, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Purvis pled guilty in July 2018, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm. On Nov. 13, 2018, the Honorable José M. López sentenced Purvis to a total term of 42 months of incarceration to be followed by three years of supervised release.
Today, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the Honorable Chief Judge Beryl A. Howell revoked Purvis’ supervised release and ordered him to serve 24 months of incarceration, to run consecutively to the Superior Court sentence.
According to the government’s evidence, on April 11, 2018, members of MPD’s Narcotics and Special Investigations Division’s Criminal Interdiction Unit detained Purvis in front of his residence in the 4200 block of Fourth Street SE, after he was observed engaging in a hand-to-hand drug transaction. Purvis was apprehended in possession of a clear plastic bag containing a plastic twist with crack cocaine, 29 green ziploc bags each containing crack cocaine, and 10 clear ziploc bags each containing crack cocaine.
Following a search warrant on Purvis’s residence, MPD recovered a semi-automatic handgun that was loaded with nine 9mm cartridges inside of the magazine and one 9mm cartridge in the chamber. His fingerprint was subsequently recovered from the firearm.
At the time of his arrest, Purvis was on federal supervision for five separate felony convictions following a May 2008 shooting outside a residential apartment complex – in the same 4200 block of Fourth Street SE where the defendant was most recently arrested -- and assault of two separate victims. In that incident, Purvis opened fire across the courtyard of a busy apartment complex in broad daylight, striking a window of an apartment building and shattering glass that caused lacerations to a woman inside. He committed that offense after being released months earlier from a separate felony firearms conviction. In total, Purvis’s recent firearms conviction represents his fourth felony firearms conviction arising out of four separate events.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case. They also cited the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Macchiaroli, Monica Dolin, Brian B. Ganjei, and Cynthia Walicki-Chan.
District Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Murder of Woman in Southeast Washington ApartmentRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Kevin L. Smith, 47, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 25 years in prison for killing a woman last December in her apartment in Southeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Smith pled guilty in August 2018, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to a charge of second-degree murder while armed. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for an agreed-upon prison sentence of 15 to 27 years. The Honorable Juliet McKenna accepted the plea and sentenced Smith accordingly. Following his prison term, Smith will be placed on five years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, in the early hours of Dec. 2, 2017, the defendant had a fight with the mother of his child, inside their apartment in the 1700 block of 16th Street SE. The fight ended with the woman kicking the defendant out of the apartment for good. The woman’s mother, Valerie Coleman, who also lived there, supported her daughter’s decision. Hours later, at approximately 8 a.m. the same day, Smith came back. Inside the bedroom where the mother of his child and their young daughter were sleeping, he woke up the mother of his child by striking her face with a handgun. He then went to Valerie Coleman’s bedroom and shot her twice in the head. After the shooting, Smith left the apartment. The Metropolitan Police Department arrived shortly afterward, and Ms. Coleman, 55, was pronounced dead on the scene. Police found spent .380-caliber cartridge casings from the bedroom where Ms. Coleman was slain.
Later that day, Smith was arrested in Northeast Washington. A search of his person resulted in the recovery of the .380-caliber semi-automatic handgun that was used to kill Ms. Coleman. Smith has been in custody ever since.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker and Paralegal Specialist Debra Joyner. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jin Park and Ahmed Baset, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Deer Lodge man sentenced in child pornography caseRead the Press Release
HELENA-- Deer Lodge resident Rex Thomas Kendall, who admitted to possessing child pornography, was sentenced on Thursday to 35 months in prison and 15 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt G. Alme said.
Senior U.S. District Judge Charles C. Lovell presided at sentencing.
Kendall, 62, pleaded guilty on Sept. 12, 2018 to possessing child porn.
An investigation began in November 2017 after the editor of the Silver State Post, which contracted with Kendall to write stories, found child porn images on a thumb drive Kendall used to submit stories to the newspaper. The editor had provided Kendall the thumb drive several months earlier. The editor had assigned Kendall two stories, which he submitted for review on the device. The editor reviewed the stories then found the child porn images when he decided to clean up the thumb drive for Kendall.
The next day, Kendall left his personal laptop in his work area at the Post’s offices. Newspaper officials, who had delivered the thumb drive to law enforcement, also turned over the laptop to investigators.
After getting search warrants, FBI investigators examined the laptop and thumb drive and found numerous images of child porn. The investigation also determined that Kendall would use the newspaper’s internet service for personal matters and that it was not unusual for him to be at the office late in the evenings or on weekends.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Bartleson prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Powell County Sheriff’s Office, Montana Division of Criminal Investigation and FBI.
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Dallas Tax Return Preparer Pleads Guilty in False Tax Return SchemeRead the Press Release
A Dallas, Texas, area tax return preparer pleaded guilty today to conspiring to defraud the United States and to assisting in the preparation of false tax returns, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Erin N. Cox for the Northern District of Texas.
According to documents and information provided to the court, Mario Melendez, 29, worked as a manager and tax return preparer at Uptown Multi Services, which was a tax preparation business located in the Northern District of Texas.
From November 2013 and continuing through at least May 2014, Melendez conspired with others to prepare federal income tax returns for clients that included false education credits and Schedule C expenses as well as other fraudulent items. As the manager of Uptown, Melendez taught training classes for new return preparers during which he instructed employees how to prepare fraudulent tax returns in order to maximize client refunds. Melendez is responsible for attempting to cause a tax loss of over $3.8 million to the United States.
Sentencing is scheduled for April 5, 2019. Melendez faces a statutory maximum of eight years in prison, as well as a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Zuckerman and U.S. Attorney Cox commended special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, who investigated the case, and Trial Attorney Alexander Effendi of the Tax Division and Assistant United States Attorney Melanie Smith, who are prosecuting this case.
Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the division’s website.
Criminal Complaint Filed Against McCandless Man Caught by FBI while Intending to Rob 4th Bank in 8 DaysRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH – Dylan Michael Poole, 24, of McCandless, Pa., has been charged by criminal complaint with robbing three area banks and attempting to rob a fourth bank, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
Poole was arrested on Nov. 15, 2018 after entering the PNC Bank in Latrobe, Pa. FBI investigators found on his person a robbery demand note that stated, "I have a gun this is a robbery empty the drawer no funny business no one gets hurt." According to the criminal complaint filed in this case, this note was similar to ones Poole left at the scene of two of his prior bank robberies: Nov. 9 in Donegal, Pa., and Nov. 13 in Wexford, Pa.
Additionally, the complaint alleges that on Nov. 8, 2018, Poole entered the WesBanco Bank in McCandless, Pa., and handed the teller a note that read, "This is a robbery, give me all the 100s, 50s and 20s. No funny stuff and nobody will get hurt." Poole received approximately $2,030 from the teller and fled the bank.
On Nov. 9, 2018, Poole entered a PNC Bank located in Donegal, Pa. He approached the teller and handed the teller a note that read, "I have a gun empty all your 100s, 50s, 20s from the drawer. No funny business and no one gets hurt." Poole received approximately $2,388 from the teller and fled the bank. During his flight, Poole left the note behind. Pennsylvania State Police collected the note when responding to the scene.
On Nov. 13, 2018, Poole entered a First National Bank in Wexford, Pa. Poole approached the teller and handed the teller a note that read, "This is a robbery empty the drawer I have a gun that I don’t want to use no funny business no one gets hurt." Poole received $1,028 from the teller and fled the bank. Poole also left this note in the bank during his flight and it was recovered by Allegheny County Police.
FBI investigators were able to track a vehicle leaving the Nov. 13, 2018 bank robbery that was captured on video surveillance. The car was registered to Poole. On November 15, 2018, FBI investigators set up surveillance on Poole at his home in McCandless. Poole drove to the PNC Bank in Latrobe and entered the bank. Once Poole entered the bank he was arrested by FBI investigators. Located on the person of Poole was a note that read, "I have a gun this is a robbery empty the drawer no funny business no one gets hurt."
After Poole was detained, investigators searched his vehicle and recovered money stolen from the November 13, 2018 robbery in Wexford.
Poole made an initial appearance today in federal court. U.S. Magistrate Judge Lisa Lenihan scheduled a detention hearing for Poole on Nov. 20 at 11:30 a.m.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not more than 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorneys Timothy M. Lanni and Yvonne Saadi are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The FBI Pittsburgh’s Violent Crimes Task Force, with assistance from the Pennsylvania State Police, Northern Regional Police Department, Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, McCandless Police Department and Shaler Township Police Department conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.
A criminal complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Convicted Felon Sentenced to More Than 7 Years in Federal Prison for Illegally Possessing Two Loaded Handguns in a Chicago ParkRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A convicted felon has been sentenced to more than seven years in federal prison for illegally possessing two loaded semi-automatic handguns in a park in the Little Village neighborhood of Chicago.
LUIS REYNOSO possessed the guns on the afternoon of April 24, 2017, in Piotrowski Park, in the 4200 block of West 31st Street in Chicago. Reynoso also possessed four bags of marijuana and $345 in cash. Reynoso had previously been convicted of multiple felonies, including attempted murder, and was not legally allowed to possess a firearm.
Reynoso, 38, of Chicago, pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of illegal possession of a firearm by a felon. U.S. District Judge Ronald A. Guzman on Tuesday sentenced Reynoso to seven years and eight months in federal prison.
The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Jeffrey S. Sallet, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Eddie Johnson, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.
“Firearms and firearm-related violence have plagued the City of Chicago for years, and a felon in possession of a firearm – like Reynoso – presents a risk and threat of violence to the community,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Storino argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “Reynoso’s illegal possession of a firearm is part of the larger cycle of illegal gun possession that fuels the gun violence in this city and continues to victimize all residents of the City of Chicago.”
Evidence in the case revealed that Reynoso stored the loaded handguns and some of the baggies of marijuana in a red bag, which he had with him in the park. When a law enforcement officer approached him, Reynoso left the bag and ran off, leading the officer on a foot chase along 31st Street. The officer eventually caught up with Reynoso and arrested him. The officer discovered the cash and a bag of marijuana on Reynoso’s person. The officer then walked Reynoso back to the red bag, which contained the two firearms and three additional baggies of marijuana.
Convicted Felon Sentenced for Armed Robbery of Waffle House and Assault on Police OfficersRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – Jason Philpot, a 10-time convicted felon, was sentenced to federal prison for the armed robbery of a Waffle House and assault on police officers, whom he led on a high-speed chase and shot at after the robbery.
“Philpot amassed nine felony convictions during the past 20 years prior to committing the offenses in this case,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. The citizens of our district are fortunate that his tenth felony, an armed robbery that involved a high-speed chase and shots fired at police officers, did not end in tragedy. Our community is now safer with Philpot behind bars.”
“The complete disregard shown by this defendant for the safety of the Waffle House employees and customers, the motoring public, and law enforcement officers who were shot at, is reprehensible,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Atlanta field office. “The FBI would like to thank the employee who called 911 and DeKalb County Police for helping us make sure Philpot serves a lengthy sentence in federal prison.”
According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: On September 30, 2014, Philpot and his accomplice entered the Waffle House on LaVista Road in Tucker, Georgia, shortly after 10:30 PM. Philpot wore a black mask and carried an assault-style rifle while his accomplice wore a green mask and carried a handgun. The robbers approached two waitresses at gunpoint and demanded that the women provide money from their cash registers and relinquish any personal cash. Philpot and his accomplice then emptied the cash register, took the waitresses’ tip money, demanded access to the safe, and forced the waitresses to accompany the robbers to the rear of the restaurant before placing the women on the floor at gunpoint.
A Waffle House employee standing outside the restaurant saw the robbers flee and called 911, thereby alerting a nearby DeKalb County police officer about the robbery. The officer encountered the robbers and unsuccessfully attempted to stop them before they escaped in a car driven by the defendant. Philpot and his accomplice then led multiple police officers on a high-speed car chase through a busy commercial area. Philpot eventually crashed his car. He and his accomplice fled on foot and fired at the pursuing officers. The defendants fired 11 rounds at police officers before Philpot was arrested at a nearby hotel and his accomplice was apprehended in a brush area close to the hotel. Philpot pleaded guilty to the armed robbery of the restaurant, but proceeded to trial on the offenses of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence – the armed robbery – and being a previously convicted felon in possession of a firearm. A jury convicted him of the offenses on August 4, 2017.
The jury acquitted Philpot’s accomplice of all charges related to the Waffle House robbery and his accomplice subsequently pleaded guilty to committing the armed robbery of a McDonald’s restaurant that occurred days before the Waffle House robbery. Philpot’s accomplice received a sentence of 10 years in prison.
Jason Philpot, 38, of Atlanta, Georgia was sentenced to 25 years, eight months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and DeKalb County Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan K. Buchanan, Deputy Chief of the Violent Crime and National Security Section, and Jessica C. Morris prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). In keeping with the Attorney General’s mission to reduce violent crime, the Northern District of Georgia’s PSN program focuses on prosecuting those individuals who most significantly drive violence in our communities, and supports and fosters partnerships between law enforcement and schools, the faith community, and local community leaders to prevent and deter future criminal conduct.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Citizen of Mexico Sentenced to 14 Years for Illegal Re-Entry and Failure to Register as A Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Paul G. Byron has sentenced Ramon Lopez-Alvarado (59, Valles, Mexico) to 14 years in federal prison for illegal re-entry into the United States and failure to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). Lopez-Alvarado pleaded guilty to failure to register as a sex offender on July 27, 2018. A federal jury found him guilty of illegal re-entry on August 7, 2018.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Lopez-Alvarado, an alien of the United States who had previously been removed from the country in 2000, 2009, and 2013, was found to be back in the Orlando area in March 2018. At the time, Lopez-Alvarado had prior felony convictions for committing lewd acts on a child and failing to register as a sex offender. When he returned to the United States, he again failed to register as a sex offender as required by SORNA.
SORNA is part of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006. The Adam Walsh Act also provides for the use of federal law enforcement resources, including the United States Marshals Service, to assist state and local authorities in locating and apprehending non-compliant sex offenders.
“This sentencing represents law enforcement partners working together to make our communities and our nation safer,” said acting Miami Field Office Director Jim Martin. “This criminal alien will now be held accountable for his actions.”
“The United States Marshals Service will remain steadfast in its pursuit to ensure that convicted sex offenders adhere to the registration requirements clearly outlined in the Adam Walsh Child Protection Act,” said U.S. Marshal William “Bill” Berger for the Middle District of Florida.
This case was investigated by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement ERO and the United States Marshals Service. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kara M. Wick.
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 United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to 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.
Cassadaga Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography ChargeRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Daniel Villafane-Lozada, 23, of Cassadaga, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara to possession of child pornography involving a prepubescent minor. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and a $250,000 fine.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy V. Murray, who is handling the case, stated that on April 19, 2018, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at the defendant’s residence and seized a digital memory card which contained 30 videos and 22 images of child pornography. Some of the images depicted prepubescent minors or minors under 12 years old, the sexual abuse or exploitation of an infant or toddler, and depictions of violence.
As part of his plea, Villafane-Lozada admitted that between 2014 and 2017, he engaged in sexual contact with two minor victims under the age of 18 years old.
The plea is the result of an investigation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly, and the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Edward Kennedy.
Sentencing is scheduled for March 1, 2019, at 12:30 p.m. before Judge Arcara.
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California man sentenced in methamphetamine conspiracyRead the Press Release
BILLINGS – A California man who admitted being part of an organization that brought multi-pound quantities of methamphetamine to the Billings area and Crow Indian Reservation was sentenced on Thursday to eight years in prison and five years supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt G. Alme said.
U.S. District Judge Susan Watters presided at the sentencing of Miguel Morales, 27, of San Jose, who pleaded guilty in April to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute meth.
In the summer of 2015, law enforcement officers began investigating a drug trafficking organization in which men from San Jose, Calif., were bringing multi-pound quantities of meth Montana for distribution. The investigation found that Morales worked with the organization and in 2016 was in Billings and Crow Agency to distribute meth to others and to collect money.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lori Suek prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI task force and Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of its renewed focus on targeting violent criminals.
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California man gets 10 years for Kalispell meth traffickingRead the Press Release
MISSOULA—A man who admitted bringing methamphetamine to Kalispell for distribution was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison on Thursday, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Chief U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen sentenced Christopher George Nomura, 35, of Corona, Ca., to five years for conviction on possession with intent to distribute meth, a consecutive five years for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and to five years supervised release.
Nomura pleaded guilty to the charges on Aug. 1, 2018.
Law enforcement officers arrested Nomura at a Kalispell hotel in February 2016 after a confidential informant bought meth from Nomura’s codefendant. The codefendant told investigators he drove with Nomura to Kalispell and that Nomura had brought meth to sell. When agents arrested Nomura, they found two pistols and a baggie of meth on his person.
Nomura admitted to agents he and his codefendant drove from California in early 2016 with about a pound of meth to distribute and that he had returned to California and got more meth for distribution in Kalispell.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Bartleson prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Northwest Drug Task Force.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of its renewed focus on targeting violent criminals.
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CDC Senior Contracting Officer Sentenced for Failing to Disclose Payments from ContractorRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – Carlos Smiley was sentenced to federal prison for making false statements in his annual conflict of interest certification. Smiley was a long-time federal employee and Senior Contracting Officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the former President of the Atlanta Chapter of the National Contract Management Association.
“Federal contracting officers must disclose payments from outside parties fully and honestly,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “Failure to do so limits the ability of federal agencies to detect, deter and punish undisclosed conflicts of interest.”
“We hold our employees to the highest standard and expect them to demonstrate the utmost integrity as civil servants to the nation,” said Elton Malone, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General – Special Investigations. “Smiley’s sentencing demonstrates, making false statements for the purpose of financial gain will not be tolerated.”
According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: On February 16, 2012 and January 7, 2013, Smiley completed Confidential Financial Disclosure Reports required by his position as a CDC Contracting Officer. Both times, Smiley answered “no” to the question asking whether he had received outside income.
Between September 2011 and January 2012, Smiley received several payments from A-TEK, a Virginia-based holding company that was seeking to do business with the CDC during that time. CDC previously granted Smiley’s request to operate a company called Charisma III, Inc. as an outside business activity. After that, Smiley ostensibly received payments through Charisma III for real estate investment advice.
In 2012, A-TEK was awarded a single-source contract for the staffing of CDC field stations overseas. Smiley signed the contract as the approving contracting officer for CDC. A-TEK turned down the contract after learning of the relationship between Smiley and a representative of its holding company, who was also an A-TEK employee until fired for his conduct. Smiley failed to disclose six payments for a total of $30,600.
In 2015, CDC investigators confronted Smiley about the payments. He admitted to receiving them and to having invented the Charisma III officer whose fictitious name appeared on the purported agreement between Charisma III and the holding company for real estate investment advice.
Carlos Smiley, 57, of Roswell, Georgia was sentenced to three months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Thomas W. Thrash, Jr. on November 15, 2018. Smiley was also sentenced to one year of supervised release and 200 hours community service following his release from prison. He was also fined $5,000. Smiley was convicted of the charge on July 19, 2018, after pleading guilty to making false statements.
The case was investigated by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Pearce prosecuted the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Butte woman sentenced in meth trafficking caseRead the Press Release
MISSOULA—U.S. Attorney Kurt G. Alme announced that Jennifer Lynn Marshall, of Butte, was sentenced on Wednesday to eight years in prison for conspiracy and firearms convictions in a methamphetamine trafficking case.
Marshall, 43, pleaded guilty in August to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute meth and to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Chief U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided at the hearing and imposed three years in prison for the drug crime and an additional five years in prison for the firearms violation.
An investigation into meth trafficking found that Marshall sold one ounce of pure meth to a confidential informant in May 2016 and later that month left with an informant to drive to California to buy four pounds of meth. However, Marshall was stopped and arrested in Dillon while traveling to California and was found to have $12,000 and a .380 caliber handgun in her possession.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Bartleson prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Missouri River Drug Task Force.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of its renewed focus on targeting violent criminals.
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Burlington, New Jersey, Doctor Arrested for Role in $20 Million Telemedicine Compounded Medication SchemeRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Burlington, New Jersey, man was arrested Friday for his role in a telemedicine scheme to prescribe expensive compounded medications to patients who did not need them, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Dr. Bernard Ogon, 45, is charged by complaint with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. He made his initial court appearance this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph A. Dickson in Newark federal court and was released on $500,000 secured bond.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Telemedicine allows health care providers to evaluate, diagnose, and treat patients remotely – without the need for an in-person visit –by interacting with a patient using telecommunications technology, such as the internet or telephone. Ogon was paid by various telemedicine companies to prescribe exorbitantly expensive compounded medications, such as pain creams, scar creams, migraine creams, and metabolic supplements/“wellness capsules,” regardless of whether they were medically necessary for the patient.
The telemedicine companies sent Ogon prescriptions to sign for compounded medications, and Ogon signed the prescriptions without having established any prior doctor-patient relationship, speaking with the patient, or conducting any kind of medical evaluation.
The telemedicine companies often filled out the prescriptions completely – including selecting the compound medications to be prescribed – before Ogon ever saw them. Once Ogon received the filled-out prescriptions, he needed only to sign them to complete the prescription.
Ogon often received little or no information about the patients before he signed the prescriptions. As a result, Ogon on multiple occasions signed prescriptions for either expensive compounded scar cream or pain cream even though he had not received any information indicating that the patient needed them. Ogon also signed prescriptions for patients residing in states where he was not licensed to practice medicine.
After Ogon signed the medically unnecessary prescriptions, they were sent to compounding pharmacies with whom he or other entities involved in the scheme had relationships. The compounding pharmacies then filled the prescriptions and billed the patient’s health care benefit program regardless of medical necessity.
The telemedicine companies paid Ogon on a per-prescription basis for many prescriptions he signed. One telemedicine company paid Ogon between $20 and $30 per prescription. Ogon’s participation in the conspiracy caused a loss to health care benefit programs of more than $20 million, at least $3 million of which was sustained by TRICARE – a health care benefit program for members of the military and their families.
The charge of conspiracy to commit health care fraud is punishable by a maximum of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie in Newark; the U.S. Department of Defense, Office of the Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Leigh-Alistair Barzey, and special agents of the Department of Health and Human Services, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Scott J. Lampert, with the ongoing investigation leading to today’s arrest.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jason S. Gould and Erica Liu, Chief of the Opioid Abuse Prevention and Enforcement Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Newark.
The charge and allegations in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Buffalo Man, Convicted by Federal Jury, Sentenced on Gun and Drug ChargesRead 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 Larry Willis, 33, of Buffalo, NY, who was convicted following a jury trial of possessing crack cocaine with intent to distribute, maintaining a drug involved premises, possessing firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking activities, and being a felon-in-possession of firearms and explosives, was sentenced to serve 210 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Laura A. Higgins and Paul E. Bonanno, who handled the trial of the case, stated that between November 2016 and December 1, 2016, Willis and co-defendant Isiah Pierce utilized two apartments inside 70 Henrietta Avenue, Buffalo, New York, to manufacture, package, and store quantities of crack cocaine, heroin, cocaine, fentanyl, and butyryl fentanyl, along with the proceeds from the sale of such substances. To protect their product and their proceeds, the defendants maintained multiple firearms and ammunition within each of the apartments.
During the execution of a search warrant in the lower apartment at 70 Henrietta Avenue, officers recovered crack cocaine, three firearms and ammunition, a digital scale with drug residue, packaging material, whisks, spoons, and cutting agents. A subsequent search of the upper apartment uncovered additional amounts of crack cocaine, a mixture of heroin and butyryl fentanyl, three handguns, and numerous rounds of ammunition.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Erie County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Timothy Howard and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Safe Streets Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Gary Loeffert.
Isiah Pierce is awaiting sentencing.
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Brunswick County Man Sentenced to 204 Months in Prison for Drug Trafficking OffensesRead the Press Release
RALEIGH – The United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Robert J. Higdon, Jr., announced that United States District Court Judge James C. Dever III sentenced RODNEY TROY WILLIAMS, 50, of Bolivia, North Carolina, to 204 months in prison, followed by 60 months of supervised release.
WILLIAMS was charged in a two-count Indictment that was issued by the grand jury for the Eastern District of North Carolina on January 31, 2018. The indictment charged WILLIAMS with multiple drug trafficking counts relating to the distribution of cocaine base crack. All of the charged crimes took place in Brunswick and Robeson Counties of North Carolina.
In April, 2017, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office investigated a drug trafficking group that WILLIAMS allegedly worked for. On April 10, 2017, based upon multiple leads, the FBI and Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office followed WILLAMS from his home in Brunswick County to a residence in Robeson County, North Carolina. While WILLIAMS traveled back to Brunswick County, law enforcement initiated traffic stops on both cars traveling with WILLIAMS. In one of the vehicles, agents recovered roughly 100 grams of crack cocaine. All of the individuals from both vehicles were arrested and eventually confessed to working with WILLIAMS to traffic the seized crack cocaine.
At sentencing, the Court found that WILLIAMS was the leader of the drug trafficking organization. Further, the Court noted WILLIAMS’S lengthy criminal history, which includes multiple drug trafficking felonies, as part of the justification for the sentence imposed.
This case was brought by the United States Attorney’s Office through partnership with the Brunswick County Sherriff’s Office and the FBI. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brad Knott.
Brockway, Pa. Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Firearms ViolationRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A former resident of Jefferson County, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to a term of imprisonment of 18 months, to be followed by 2 years of supervised release on his conviction on a charge of violating federal firearms laws, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
Chief United States District Judge Joy Flowers Conti imposed the sentence yesterday on Douglas Means, 35, formerly of Brockway, Pa.
According to information presented to the court, in August of 2016, Means stole a .380 caliber semiautomatic Smith and Wesson pistol from his father’s residence in Brockway, PA. Means kept the firearm for a few weeks before selling it to his drug source for $400 and 1 gram of cocaine. The firearm was transferred to a drug dealer in New York, so that it could be resold for more money. The gun was later recovered in New York with the serial number intact. Means wrote a voluntary statement confessing to his conduct.
Assistant United States Attorney Shanicka L. Kennedy prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
This case was prosecuted under Project Safe Neighborhoods, a collaborative effort by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, prosecutors and communities to prevent, deter and prosecute gun crime. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, along with a detective from the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.
Brockport Man Sentenced for Aiding and Abetting Credit Card Fraud and Identity TheftRead 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 Paul Kozlyuk, 32, of Brockport, NY, who was convicted of aiding and abetting the unlawful transfer, possession, and use of identification documents, authentication features, and information, was sentenced to serve 27 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford to. The defendant was also ordered to pay more than $95,000 in restitution to victim businesses.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kyle Rossi and Melissa Marangola, who handled the case, stated that the defendant conspired with co-defendant Kyle Bertrand and others, to steal goods from various businesses. As part of the scheme, defendant Bertrand stole the identification of individuals residing in multiple states, including their names, Social Security Numbers, dates of birth, and credit card information. During the scheme, using the stolen identifications, Bertrand, at the request of Kozlyuk, made unlawful purchases of items for the defendant. Kozlyuk then paid Kyle Bertrand with Walmart money grams. Kozlyuk paid Bertrand a fraction of the actual market price of the stolen goods, and either kept the goods or sold them for a profit, through his former business, the Marketview Heights Garage.
Kozlyuk unlawfully obtained vehicle parts from various out-of-state venders, which he later sold to vendors. Kozlyuk also stole inventory from vendors in the Western District of New York. All told, Kozlyuk stole or attempted to steal a total of $144,688.35 in goods.
Kozlyuk was charged along with co-defendants Kyle Bertrand, Herbert Street, Michael Gerone, and Richard Lipke. All defendants have been convicted.
Today’s sentencing is the result of an investigation by the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Eric Laughton; the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief Mark Simmons, and Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Gary Loeffert.
Bridgeport Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug Charge Related to Investigation of Stratford Overdose DeathRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that, on November 13, 2018, TALVIN HINTON, 42, of Bridgeport, pleaded guilty in Bridgeport federal court to one count of distribution of heroin.
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, on September 23, 2017, the Stratford Police Department and emergency medical personnel responded to a suspected overdose of a 25-year-old female at a Stratford home. The victim was transported to the hospital where she was pronounced deceased. At the scene, officers collected nine bags of suspected heroin and other evidence of drug use.
The State of Connecticut Chief Medical Examiner determined the victim’s cause of death to be intoxication of a combination of heroin, fentanyl and other substances.
The investigation revealed that Hinton was the source of the narcotics purchased by the victim shortly before she died.
Between January and March 2018, investigators made four controlled purchases of heroin from Hinton. He was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on March 20, 2018.
Hinton is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport on February 5, 2019, at which time he faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.
Hinton is released on a $25,000 bond pending sentencing.
This matter is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force, which includes personnel from the DEA, Connecticut State Police and Norwalk, Stamford, Stratford, Milford, Bridgeport and Trumbull Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Natasha M. Freismuth.
Bolivar Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Bolivar, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for receiving and distributing child pornography over the internet.
Kevin Robert Thomas, 46, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 20 years in federal prison without parole.
Thomas pleaded guilty on June 11, 2018. The investigation began when a law enforcement officer, using investigative tools for unlawful internet usage, noticed that Thomas was using peer-to-peer file-sharing software to make child pornography available on his computer. Officers executed a search warrant at Thomas’s residence and seized three computers.
Investigators examined the computers and found 261 images and videos of child pornography on two of the computers. The images and videos depicted children from five to 16 years old.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Abram McGull, II. It was investigated by the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crime Task Force, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Polk County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department and the Bolivar, Mo., Police Department.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."