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5 November 2018
Jury Convicts Walterboro Man of Federal Narcotic and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
Charleston, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon announced today that Marion Katrell Campbell, 38, of Walterboro, South Carolina, was convicted in federal court of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Evidence presented at the trial established that on July 8, 2017, Campbell was the driver and sole occupant of a car stopped by officers with the Walterboro Police Department for a defective headlight. Campbell was placed under arrested for driving with a suspended license and failure to pay multiple traffic citations, and a K9 search was conducted on his vehicle. After the K9 alerted, officers searched the vehicle and discovered a loaded .38 caliber Charter Arms revolver under the driver’s seat, extra ammunition on the driver’s side floorboard and in the driver’s door, plastic bags containing methamphetamine in the driver’s door and center console, and additional plastic baggies used for packaging drugs for distribution on the front passenger seat and in the passenger door. In total, five plastic bags containing 42 prepackaged smaller bags of methamphetamine were found in the car. The total net weight of the methamphetamine was a little less than 37 grams.
After Campbell was arrested, he placed numerous phone calls to his friends and family from jail trying to convince other people to claim the firearm found in the vehicle that night. He also openly discussed how much he was paying for his drugs and boasted about the quality. The Government’s expert in drug trafficking was able to explain to the jury how the prices he quoted and the terms he used showed the conversations were about methamphetamine.
Campbell faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system.
United States District Judge Bruce H. Hendricks of Charleston presided over the trial and will sentence Campbell after receiving and reviewing a presentence report prepared by the United States Probation Office.
The case was investigated by the Walterboro Police Department and agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case was prosecuted pursuant to 14th Circuit Solicitor Duffie Stone’s longstanding partnership with the United States Attorney’s Office to target career criminals in Beaufort, Jasper, Hampton, Colleton, and Allendale Counties in federal court. Solicitor Stone stated, “The partnership between our office and the United States Attorney’s Office has been tremendously successful and continues to make the 14th Circuit a safer place to live.”
This case was also prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state and local Project CeaseFire initiative, which aggressively prosecutes firearm cases. Project CeaseFire is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority. In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001. Special Assistant United States Attorney Carra Henderson of the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office and Assistant United States Attorney Jamie Schoen of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charleston prosecuted the case.
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Judge Sentences Businessman for Defrauding the City of San Antonio with Respect to an Alamodome Janitorial Services ContractRead the Press Release
In San Antonio this morning, 54-year-old Geoffrey Comstock, owner and operator of the Frio Nevado Corporation (Frio Nevado), was sentenced on his conviction for overbilling the City of San Antonio by more than $350,000 for janitorial services at the Alamodome announced United States Attorney John F. Bash and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent in Charge Shane Folden.
United States District Judge David C. Guaderrama sentenced Comstock to 25 months imprisonment followed by a three year supervised release term. Judge Guaderrama also ordered Comstock to pay $358,454 in restitution.
On December 13, 2017, a jury convicted Comstock of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and six substantive counts of wire fraud. Testimony during trial revealed that from 2002 to 2016 Frio Nevado had a contract to provide janitorial services to the City of San Antonio at the Alamodome on a daily basis and for special events. Between June 2014 and January 2016 Comstock implemented a scheme to submit fraudulent invoices to the City of San Antonio that inflated the number of man hours of janitorial work performed at the Alamodome. A contract review in 2016 by the City of San Antonio Financial Department revealed that in July 2015 Comstock began preparing, or directed other employees to prepare and submit, timesheets that did not accurately reflect the names of employees, number of employees, or number of man hours expended to justify the previously submitted false invoices. Based upon those fraudulent invoices the City of San Antonio overpaid Frio Nevado by more than $350,000. The jury acquitted Comstocks’s former billing coordinator, 58-year-old Anna Becerra, of all charges.
“This sentencing serves as a real warning to those who defraud the financial system for personal gain,” said Shane Folden, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in San Antonio. “HSI is committed to working with its law enforcement partners to pursue thieves such as Mr. Comstock who brazenly enrich themselves through fraud. Today’s sentence clearly holds the defendant accountable for his actions while providing the San Antonio taxpayers some relief from the fraud he committed.”
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigated this case with the cooperation of the City of San Antonio. Assistant United States Attorneys Gregory Surovic and Bud Paulissen prosecuted this case on behalf of the Government.Illegal alien indicted for attempting to send prohibited rifle scope to MexicoRead the Press Release
PRESS RELEASE
Indianapolis – Josh J. Minkler, the United States Attorney, announced today that ALFREDO DIMAS-LEYVA, a Mexican citizen illegally in this country, has been indicted by a Federal Grand Jury for multiple crimes, including attempting to send a rifle scope to Mexico.
According to court documents, DIMAS-LEYVA placed false information on a United States Customs Declaration on August 20, 2018 when he attempted to mail a Field & Stream 4x32 telescopic sight to an individual in Mexico. Such items are prohibited for export to Mexico, due to the state of violence in that country.
DIMAS-LEYVA was encountered and arrested by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) at his place of employment in Brownsburg. During his arrest, DHS Agents discovered that DIMAS-LEYVA is a convicted felon who had been previously deported from this country and was using multiple false identity documents to illegally work and stay in this country.
An Indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
In October 2017, United States Attorney Josh J. Minkler announced a Strategic Plan designed to shape and strengthen the District’s response to its most significant public safety challenges. This prosecution demonstrates the office’s firm commitment to utilize and partner with law enforcement agencies to prosecute illegal immigration cases, to prosecute our most violent criminals and focus local prosecutions on illegal gun possession. See United States Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Indiana Strategic Plan Section 1.8, 2.2 and 2.9.
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Hungarian Nationals Charged with Aggravated Identity TheftRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser announced the filing of a bill of information on Wednesday, October 31, 2018 charging two Hungarian nationals with aggravated identity theft.
The bill of information charges DANIEL TANASE, age 39, and GABRIELLA TEKSE, age 31, with one count each of aggravated identity theft. Should they be convicted, they each face a mandatory term of imprisonment of two years, a maximum $250,000.00 fine, and up to one year of supervised release.
According to court documents, the defendants were arrested after an investigation initiated by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office based on reports that two individuals were attempting to use stolen debit card information to withdraw money at ATMs in Orleans and Jefferson Parishes. Members of the Louisiana Financial Crimes Task Force arrested the defendants on June 19, 2018, at an Airbnb in Jefferson Parish where they were found with $32,612.00 in cash and approximately 81 gift cards that had been encoded with stolen bank account information.
U.S. Attorney Strasser reiterated that the bill of information is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendants must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
U.S. Attorney Strasser also praised the agencies that contributed to this bill of information. This prosecution represents a coordinated effort of federal and state law enforcement authorities within the Louisiana Financial Crimes Task Force. The Task Force includes representatives from the U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Department, and the New Orleans Police Department. Additionally, U.S. Attorney Strasser thanked the Jefferson Parish District Attorney’s Office for their assistance. Assistant United States Attorney Matthew R. Payne is in charge of the prosecution.
Holly Springs Man Sentenced to over Four Years in Federal Prison under Project EJECTRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – Marquavius Dewante Morrow, 25, of Holly Springs, was sentenced Friday by Chief United States District Judge Daniel P. Jordan III, to fifty-four months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for carjacking, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Christopher Freeze with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Morrow, also known as "Peanut," was also ordered to pay a $1,500 fine.
On November 8, 2017, Morrow and Gathern McClain carjacked a victim at knifepoint near the Regions Bank ATM located at 947 North State Street in Jackson. The victim later identified Morrow in a photo lineup. Each of the defendants confessed to their involvement in the carjacking. McClain was sentenced in July to eighty-four months imprisonment for his involvement in the crime.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the Jackson Police Department. It is part of Project EJECT, an initiative by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi under the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). EJECT is a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach to fighting and reducing violent crime in Jackson through prosecution, prevention, re-entry and awareness. EJECT stands for "Empower Jackson Expel Crime Together." PSN is a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. 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.
Head of Stock Trading Operation Was Sentenced Today to 30 Months in Prison for Trading on Inside InformationRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – The owner and operator of a stock trading operation was sentenced today to 30 months in prison for trading on inside information related to confidentially marketed stock offerings as part of a multimillion-dollar insider trading scheme, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Steven Fishoff, 61, of Westlake Village, California, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp to Count Four of an indictment, charging him with securities fraud. Judge Shipp imposed the sentence today in Trenton federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On numerous occasions between May 2010 and August 2013, Fishoff, Ronald Chernin, Steven Costantin, Paul Petrello, and Joseph Spera short sold the securities of numerous public companies, on the basis of inside information obtained by Fishoff and others acting with or on behalf of Fishoff.
For each of these offerings, Fishoff or one or more of the day traders that he employed —including his friend, Chernin, and his brother-in-law, Costantin — entered into confidentiality or “wall-crossing” agreements as representatives of Fishoff’s trading entities, whereby they agreed not to disclose or trade on inside information concerning the offerings, such as the name of the issuers and the timing and pricing of the transactions, and were “brought over the wall” for the narrow purpose of determining whether to purchase the offered securities.In breach of the confidentiality and trading restrictions of the wall-crossing agreements, Fishoff tipped Petrello and Spera (who is identified as CC-1 in the indictment), either directly or through Petrello, with the inside information about the confidentially marketed offerings — specifically, advising them of the stock trading symbols of the companies, and the timing and sometimes the pricing of the upcoming offerings.
Fishoff shorted the stock of the public companies, including Synergy Pharmaceuticals, Inc., based on the inside information, in anticipation of a drop in the stocks’ price when the stock offerings were disclosed to the public. Fishoff and his co-defendants traded through the accounts of their respective trading entities or through related accounts that they controlled, shorting the securities and covering the short positions after the stock offerings were publicly announced.
By trading on this valuable, nonpublic information in violation of the confidentiality agreements, Fishoff and his co-defendants gained more than $3.9 million in profits over the course of the three-year scheme. Petrello and Spera split their profits with Fishoff, generally on a 50-50 basis, as compensation to Fishoff for the inside information that he provided to them. Chernin and Costantin, who executed trades using Fishoff’s capital, also split their combined profits with Fishoff on a 50-50 basis.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Shipp sentenced Fishoff to three years of supervised release and fined him $50,000. Fishoff also agreed to settle the parallel civil forfeiture action, United States of America v. The Contents of Wedbush Securities Account Number 8313 et al., Civil Action No. 17-5334, and to forfeit the property named as defendants in rem in the verified complaint filed in the parallel civil forfeiture action.
Chernin, Costantin, Petrello, and Spera also have pleaded guilty in the insider trading scheme and are awaiting sentencing.
U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie in Newark, for the investigation leading to today’s sentencing. He also thanked the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s New York Regional Office under the direction of Sanjay Wadhwa.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shirley U. Emehelu, Chief of the Asset Recovery Money Laundering Unit, Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas P. Grippo of the Economic Crimes Unit, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Devlin of the Asset Recovery Money Laundering Unit.
Defense counsel: Daniel Brown Esq. and Lionel André Esq., Washington, D.C.
Hartford Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun and Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that DENROY FABLE, also known as “Kik,” 35, of Hartford, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to firearm and narcotics offenses.
According to court documents and statements made in court, beginning in late December 2017, members of the FBI’s Connecticut Violent Crime Task Force and the Hartford and Manchester Police Departments were involved in a search of a fugitive who was wanted in connection with a homicide in Manchester. Investigators developed information connecting Fable to the fugitive being sought.
On January 2, 2018, investigators stopped Fable’s car in the vicinity of Airport Road in Hartford. A search of Fable’s jacket revealed a loaded Ruger 9mm handgun and quantities of crack cocaine and marijuana. After Fable was arrested, investigators searched Fable’s residence on Wethersfield Avenue in Hartford and located the fugitive. A search of the residence also revealed resale quantities of cocaine, crack and fentanyl/heroin; other evidence of narcotics trafficking, and multiple rounds of assorted ammunition.
Fable’s criminal history includes state convictions for criminal possession of a firearm, and carrying a pistol without a permit.
It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.
Fable pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon, and offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years, and one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, cocaine base (“crack”) and heroin, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. Judge Hall scheduled sentencing for January 28, 2019.
Fable has been detained since his arrest.
This matter is being investigated by the FBI’s Connecticut Violent Crime Task Force and the Hartford and Manchester Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey M. Stone.
Hammond Man Indicted for Theft of More Than $240,000.00 in Social Security FundsRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Peter G. Strasser announced that DANNY L. LETARD (“LETARD”), age 57, of Hammond, Louisiana, was indicted Friday, November 2, 2018 by a federal grand jury for Theft of Government Funds, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 641.
According to the indictment, beginning in 1989, LETARD filed for and later became eligible for Social Security Administration disability benefits of approximately $2,177.30 per month. During this period, LETARD formed a number of businesses including, but not limited to, Excavation/Dozer Company, Virginia Shop Site Cleaning Services, Virginia’s Job Site Cleaning, Virginia Cleaning Services, and R & D Dozer Excavation & Pipe Fabr. LETARD’s businesses were registered in the names of LETARD’s family members rather than in his name to conceal his employment. LETARD’s businesses performed demolition work and the cleaning of job sites according to occupational license applications filed with Tangipahoa Parish. LETARD also operated heavy construction equipment as part of his businesses. Accordingly, LETARD fraudulently received approximately $242,000.00 in Social Security Administration disability benefits he was not entitled to due to his employment.
U.S. Attorney Strasser reiterated that the indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
If convicted, LETARD faces a maximum penalty of ten (10) years imprisonment, followed by up to three (3) years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000.00, and a mandatory $100 special assessment.
U.S. Attorney Strasser praised the work of the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U. S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba, Supervisor of the Financial Crimes Unit.
Granite Bay Man Pleads Guilty to Multi-Million Dollar Product Substitution Fraud on Federal Government AgenciesRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Jim A. Meron, 54, of Granite Bay, pleaded guilty today to wire fraud related to a government-procurement fraud scheme, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.
According to court documents, between May 2011 and July 2017, Meron used two office supply businesses he operated to defraud federal government agencies out of as much as $3.5 million, in thousands of transactions, by substituting and delivering cheaper, generic versions of expensive, name-brand products his customers ordered, and pocketing the price difference. As part of his plea, Meron agreed to forfeit more than $1.7 million in assets seized during the investigation of his crimes.
Meron’s companies, WOW Imaging Products LLC and Time Enterprises LLC, contracted to sell office supplies to federal agencies through two web-based government sales portals, GSA Advantage, operated by the General Services Administration, and DOD EMall, operated by the Department of Defense. After Meron received payments for the premium products his customers ordered, he obtained compatible products from his suppliers that cost him a fraction of what his customer paid for the brand-name products they ordered. Meron then substituted and delivered those cheaper products for the more expensive products his customers ordered, and retained the difference in cost. Over time, Meron extended his substitution scheme to nearly all orders for those name-brand products, and never intended to deliver what his customers ordered.
This case is the product of an investigation by the General Services Administration Office of Inspector General and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys André M. Espinosa and Kevin Khasigian are prosecuting the case.
Meron is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller on February 4, 2019. Meron faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count of conviction. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
Government Forfeits More Than $143 Million in Fraud Proceeds Seized from David H. BrooksRead the Press Release
Earlier today, U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert entered an order forfeiting more than $143 million in assets that had been seized from David H. Brooks, the now-deceased founder and former Chief Executive Officer of DHB Industries, Inc. (DHB), a supplier of body armor to the U.S. military and law enforcement agencies. In 2010, following an eight-month trial, Brooks was convicted of mail and wire fraud, securities fraud and obstruction of justice. He subsequently pleaded guilty to filing false tax returns. The Court had ordered the seized assets to be used to pay forfeiture and victim restitution as part of Brooks’s sentence. Brooks appealed his fraud convictions and sentence, but died in prison while that appeal was pending. As a result, his fraud convictions and sentence were vacated. The seized assets, however, remained restrained in a parallel civil forfeiture action previously filed by the government. Pursuant to a global settlement agreement reached in the civil forfeiture action, the forfeited assets will be made available to compensate close to 90 percent of the approved losses suffered by thousands of investor victims and by DHB’s successor, SS Body Armor I, Inc. (SSBA), through the remission process administered by the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and William F. Sweeney, Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the forfeiture.
“This case demonstrates the critical role that civil forfeiture plays in depriving criminals of their ill-gotten gains and putting those funds back in the hands of victims,” stated United States Attorney Donoghue. “Brooks’s sentence – which justly included criminal forfeiture and victim restitution – was frustrated for reasons having nothing to do with his well-established guilt. While justice may have been delayed, it will not be denied. Our Office remains dedicated to vindicating the rights of victims and insuring that crime does not pay.” Mr. Donoghue thanked the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the U.S. Marshals Service for their assistance in this case.
“Brooks was rightfully sentenced to a lengthy prison term and ordered to pay more than $90 million in victim restitution following his conviction, but, due to circumstances out of the government’s control, the restitution order was abated,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Sweeney. “Today’s civil forfeiture order effectively reinstates the financial sanctions imposed on Brooks and will allow the government to compensate Brooks’s victims for the bulk of their losses. Through these type of civil forfeiture actions, the FBI will continue to seek justice for victims and remind criminals that their misdeeds will not be rewarded.”
As proven at his criminal trial, Brooks committed a series of fraud schemes that were varied and pervasive. Brooks, along with his co-conspirators, manipulated DHB’s books and records and then lied to auditors in an effort to cover-up the schemes. In late 2004, by which time the accounting fraud had inflated the price of DHB stock to over $20 per share, Brooks began selling millions of DHB shares, netting him over $185 million. After these insider sales, the price of DHB stock fell to pennies on the dollar and the stock was de-listed from the American Stock Exchange. In another scheme, Brooks looted DHB by using corporate funds to finance his family’s lavish lifestyle, including a multi-million-dollar bat mitzvah party for his daughter, vacations in exotic locations and cosmetic surgery.
In August 2013, Brooks was sentenced to 17 years in prison. As part of his sentence, the Court ordered Brooks to: forfeit approximately $65 million; pay an $8.7 million fine; pay approximately $2.9 million in restitution to the IRS; and pay approximately $91.5 million in restitution to thousands of investor victims and to SSBA, which sought bankruptcy protection in the wake of Brooks’s fraud. The forfeiture and restitution were to be satisfied from the assets that the government seized from Brooks, including funds in accounts at a number of financial institutions, foreign currency, gold Krugerrands, luxury cars, jewelry and a commissioned replica of the famous Wall Street “Charging Bull” statue.
Brooks died in prison in October 2016. In September 2017, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Brooks’s obligation to pay approximately $91.5 million in victim restitution abated because he died before the completion of his appeal. With the abatement of the restitution order, along with the fraud convictions, forfeiture and fine, Brooks’s death effectively erased more than $165 million in criminal penalties and victim restitution. Brooks’s tax convictions and tax restitution order, however, survived his death as they were based on his guilty plea to separate tax charges.
Following Brooks’s death, the government prosecuted its civil forfeiture action, which was not abated, against the seized assets. The civil forfeiture action proceeded on many of the same fraud allegations presented in the criminal case as well as on allegations that Brooks and his family laundered the fraud proceeds through a web of trusts, tax shelters and shell companies that Brooks created and placed in his family members’ names. The global settlement resolves the civil forfeiture action as well as other litigation involving Brooks’s victims and the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The forfeiture of more than $143 million represents the largest civil forfeiture recovery by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. Pursuant to the remission process, the DOJ has exercised its discretion to use the forfeited assets to compensate victims. It is expected that the funds to be remitted to investors and SSBA will reimburse these victims for approximately 90 percent of their DOJ-approved losses. The settlement further provides for the full payment of the approximately $2.9 million tax restitution order to the IRS.
The government’s case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Laura D. Mantell, Tanya Y. Hill, Karin Orenstein and Artemis Lekakis.
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 10-CV-4750
Gooding Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
BOISE – Yazmani Gomez-Sandoval, 36, of Gooding, Idaho, was sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court in Boise to 240 months in prison to be followed by a life term of supervised release, for possession of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced. The sentence was imposed by Chief U.S. District Court Judge B. Lynn Winmill. Gomez-Sandoval pleaded guilty on June 13, 2018.
According to court records, in June 2017, agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) identified Gomez-Sandoval as one of many individuals accessing an online chat room and trading images and videos of child pornography. On at least five occasions, Gomez-Sandoval posted digital video files depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, including images of toddlers and infants and sadistic and masochistic abuse, in the chat room.
In December 2017, HSI agents obtained a search warrant for Gomez-Sandoval’s residence in Gooding. They seized and searched Gomez-Sandoval’s cellphone, where they discovered approximately 71 images and 15 videos depicting child pornography. Gomez-Sandoval admitted to agents that he accessed the online chat room and traded images of child pornography with other individuals. He also admitted to agents that he had recently sexually abused a six or seven year old child in Gooding, and had sexually abused three other children between the ages of 4 and 6 while in Mexico between 2003 and 2006.
“This case demonstrates the importance of investigating those persons involved in possessing, receiving, distributing and producing child pornography,” U.S. Attorney Davis said. “Often, persons involved in child pornography also have committed hands-on sex offenses. By focusing on these investigations, we may be preventing the future sexual abuse of a child. I commend Homeland Security Investigations for their efforts in this case. Thanks to their diligence, Mr. Gomez-Sandoval was held responsible for his actions, and no longer represents a threat to children in Idaho.”
“We are dedicated to removing these dangerous predators from the community,” said Brad Bench, Special Agent in Charge of HSI Seattle. “Combatting individuals who prey on our most vulnerable, our children, is of the utmost importance to HSI and our law enforcement partners. We must protect our children from those who seek to harm them.”
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, and 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.”
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Former St. Martinville, Louisiana, Deputy Chief Found Guilty of Excessive Force, Obstruction, and ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Former St. Martinville, Louisiana, Police Department (SMPD) Deputy Chief of Investigations Codi Dodge, 35, was found guilty today in the Western District of Louisiana of four felony counts, including a civil rights violation for using excessive force against an arrestee, and three counts of obstruction and conspiracy to cover up the incident.
After five days of trial, the jury convicted Dodge of using excessive force on an arrestee, in violation of the arrestee’s Fourth Amendment rights to be free from unreasonable force. The jury also convicted Dodge of obstructing justice by falsifying records related to the unlawful use of force incident, and by conspiring with other members of the St. Martinville Police Department to cover up his actions.
“Illegal conduct by officers who abuse their power and violate the civil rights of the citizens they promise to serve harms the public trust and will not be tolerated,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General John Gore. “The Department will continue to vigorously enforce our nation’s laws and hold officers who break the law accountable.”
“Law enforcement officers are sworn to uphold and defend the laws of our nation,” said U.S. Attorney David C. Joseph. “When they themselves break those laws, they violate not just the rights of their victims, but also compromise the public's trust in law enforcement. My office will hold them accountable.”
Evidence presented at trial established that, on Aug. 13, 2016, Dodge forced entry into the home of an individual he suspected had stolen from him. After unlawfully entering the individual’s home, Dodge threatened the individual before striking him in the face with a firearm, causing bodily injury. Dodge then arrested the individual, and brought him back to the St. Martinville Police Department, where Dodge continued to threaten him. After learning that the incident had been reported to the FBI, Dodge conspired with other members of the St. Martinville Police Department to falsify reports regarding the incident, and to mislead the FBI in its investigation of the matter.
Dodge faces a statutory maximum of 55 years in prison, though the actual sentence will be set by the court at a later date.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Lafayette, Louisiana, Resident Agency. The case is being prosecuted by Deputy Chief Bobbi Bernstein and Trial Attorney Tim Visser of the Civil Rights Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney John Luke Walker of the Western District of Louisiana. Trial Attorney Risa Berkower of the Civil Rights Division participated in the investigation of the case.
Former Financial Manager Admits Embezzling $82K from Steel Valley AuthorityRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA - A resident of North Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of bank fraud and mail fraud, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
Nicolette Gizzi, 44, pleaded guilty on Friday to two counts before United States District Judge Cathy Bissoon.
In connection with the guilty plea to bank fraud, the court was advised that from December 2009 through approximately June 2016, Gizzi, who was employed as the Financial Manager for Steel Valley Authority, embezzled $82,060.50, which was under the control of PNC Bank. She perpetrated the embezzlement by issuing checks to herself and her credit card company, without authorization, and forging the required signatures. The Court was further advised that the funds at issue were primarily public funds, as Steel Valley Authority obtains it operating funds through grants from the United States Department of Labor.
In connection with the guilty plea to mail fraud, the court was advised that Gizzi had a prior federal court conviction in South Carolina for embezzling from an employer and owed $141,480.60 in restitution. The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina attempted to collect the restitution by issuing a writ of garnishment to Steel Valley Authority. Gizzi, however, received the writ of garnishment and undertook several fraudulent actions to minimize her garnishment payments and to conceal her previous conviction from Steel Valley Authority.
Judge Bissoon scheduled sentencing for March 14, 2019 at 2:15 p.m. The law provides for a total sentence of 30 years in prison, a fine of $1,000,000, or both for bank fraud and 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both for mail fraud. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Lee J. Karl is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Nicolette Gizzi.
Former FBI San Diego Paralegal Specialist Sentenced to Prison for Theft of Government FundsRead the Press Release
A former paralegal specialist for the San Diego Division of the FBI was sentenced today to 24 months in prison for embezzling nearly $250,000 in government funds. Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Special Agent in Charge James K. Cheng of the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General’s (DOJ-OIG) Los Angeles Field Office made the announcement.
Lynn M. Morris, 56, of San Diego, California, pleaded guilty on March 7 to one count of embezzlement of government property. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Larry Alan Burns ordered Morris to pay $278,000 in restitution.
“Lynn Morris capitalized on her position at the FBI to line her own pockets with stolen government funds,” said Assistant Attorney General Benczkowski. “This conviction demonstrates the Department of Justice’s commitment to investigating and prosecuting government employees who abuse their authority. Individuals who violate the public trust will be held accountable.”
“Lynn Morris abused her position for personal gain and betrayed the trust of her FBI colleagues,” said DOJ-OIG Special Agent in Charge Cheng. “The Office of the Inspector General is resolute in its commitment to protecting the integrity of the Department of Justice by investigating those engaged in corruption.”
“After Lynn Morris’ guilty plea in March of this year, the San Diego FBI worked closely with the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General in order to fully investigate the conduct of our employee,” said FBI San Diego Division Special Agent in Charge John Brown. “We were resolute to restoring the integrity and trust that these criminal actions had tarnished by locating every dollar she had stolen from the government.”
According to documents submitted in connection with her plea, between July 2014 and November 2016, Morris embezzled approximately $159,821.90 that belonged to the United States and converted the funds for her own personal use. The funds were held in an account owned by the FBI San Diego Division’s Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU), where Morris was a paralegal specialist and the AFU’s designated coordinator. The court found that Morris also embezzled $92,010.92 from an additional AFU account and stole $26,351.10 from FBI evidence rooms. Morris admitted that to convert government funds to her own use, she used her knowledge and position within the FBI to withdraw cash from the AFU’s account undetected and deposited portions of the stolen proceeds into her personal checking account.
This case was investigated by the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General, with assistance from the FBI San Diego Division. Trial Attorneys Marco A. Palmieri and Jessica C. Harvey of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section prosecuted the case.
Former Employee of Dunbar Armored Named in Federal Indictment Alleging $300,000 Theft from Company’s Cash Storage FacilityRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A former Dunbar Armored employee has pleaded not guilty to federal conspiracy and bank theft charges contained in a grand jury indictment that alleges a scheme to smuggle $300,000 in cash out of Dunbar’s storage facility in Vernon.
Eric Miranda, 37, of East Los Angeles, was arraigned on November 2 and, while bond was set, he remains in federal custody at this time.
Miranda was arrested on October 21 as he entered the United States from Mexico, and he subsequently made his first court appearance in federal court in San Diego. He was arraigned after being transported to Los Angeles by the United States Marshals Service.
Miranda is named in a four-count indictment charging him with conspiracy to commit bank theft from the Dunbar cash storage facility. He also is charged with three counts of bank theft.
The indictment alleges that Miranda stole cash from the Dunbar vault by using “dummy” stacks of $100 bills that he switched out for real stacks of $100,000. First, Miranda created “dummy” stacks of $100,000 by taking hundreds of $1 bills and sandwiching them between $100 bills – in order to make them appear to be stacks of $100 bills totaling $100,000. Miranda allegedly then smuggled the “dummy” stacks into the Dunbar vault, where he and his co-conspirator switched them for real stacks of $100,000. Miranda and his co-conspirator then marked the dummy stacks to ensure they were not placed into circulation. Finally, Miranda smuggled the real stacks of money out of the vault room by hiding it in a postal box. On more than three occasions in late 2017 and early 2018, Miranda smuggled a total of approximately $300,000 out of the Dunbar facility.
At his arraignment on Friday, Miranda was ordered to stand trial on December 18.
If convicted of the charges in the indictment, Miranda would face a statutory maximum sentence of 35 years in federal prison.
Miranda’s alleged co-conspirator – Monique Castruita, 35, of Maywood – has also been charged in relation to this case and is scheduled to be arraigned later this month.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
The case was investigated by special agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, who received substantial assistance from the City of Vernon Police Department.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jeffrey M. Chemerinsky and Joseph D. Axelrad of the Violent and Organized Crime Section.
Former Captain with Bristol County Sheriff’s Office Sentenced for Smuggling Profits to PortugalRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A former Captain with the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office was sentenced today in connection with helping Carlos Rafael, known as the Codfather in the fishing industry, and the owner of one of the largest commercial fishing businesses in the U.S., smuggle the profits of his illegal overfishing scheme to Portugal.
Jamie Melo, 46, of North Dartmouth, Mass., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper to one year of probation, with the first eight months to be served in home confinement. In June 2018, Melo was convicted by a federal jury of one count of conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States and one count of structuring the export of monetary instruments. The jury acquitted Melo of one count of bulk cash smuggling.
During the trial, evidence showed that while at Logan International Airport Melo asked his friends and travel companions to carry envelopes of cash for Rafael on a flight to the Azores in Portugal. At the time, Melo was an Administrative Captain with the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office and was traveling to the Azores with Rafael for a charity event sponsored by the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office. Prior to the flight, Melo asked three of his travel companions to follow him into the men’s bathroom at Logan Airport before going through the TSA Security Checkpoint. In the bathroom, Melo distributed four envelopes of cash to his companions, taking one for himself. Two days after arriving in Portugal, bank records demonstrate that Rafael deposited $76,000 in U.S. currency into his Portuguese bank account.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Mark Tasky, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Philadelphia Field Office; and Kristina O’Connell, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation in Boston, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Neil Gallagher and Justin O’Connell of Lelling’s Securities and Financial Fraud Unit prosecuted the case.
Florida Tax Return Preparer Convicted of Filing False Income Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
A Port St. Lucie, Florida, man was convicted by a federal jury today in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida of ten counts of aiding and assisting in the filing of false income tax returns and three counts of filing false income tax returns announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Ariana Fajardo Orshan.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, from 2012 through 2015, Richard Maurival prepared income tax returns for clients that claimed false education credits and false business expenses, and other deductions to inflate by thousands of dollars refunds paid by the Internal Revenue Service. In addition to filing fraudulent income tax returns for his clients, Maurival falsified his own income tax returns, by not fully reporting the fees he earned in his tax preparation business for tax years 2012, 2013, and 2014.
U.S. District Judge James Ivan Cohn for the Southern District of Florida set sentencing for January 17, 2019. The defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 3 years in prison on each count, as well as a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Zuckerman and U.S. Attorney Orshan commended special agents of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, who investigated the case, and Tax Division Trial Attorney Grace Albinson and Assistant U.S. Attorney Diana Acosta, who prosecuted the case.
Florida Resident Pleads Guilty to Making False Statements to Federal Government to Defraud USVI ContractorRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI – Adrian L. Foster, 50, of Florida, pleaded guilty in United States District Court before Judge Curtis Gomez, to one count of making a false statement to a federal agency, United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced.
According to court documents, Foster was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Foster Construction of South Florida, Inc., located in Miami, FL. In 2013, Foster entered into contracts to facilitate the completion of two projects in the Virgin Islands National Park in Cruz Bay, St. John, VI. Between 2013 and 2016, Foster falsified multiple certifications to the National Park Service (NPS) and misappropriated federal funds from NPS that were designated to a U.S. Virgin Islands construction company.
Foster faces a maximum sentence of 5 year’s incarceration. She also faces a minimum period of supervised release of 3 years, and a maximum fine of $250,000. Additionally, Foster has agreed to pay full restitution, plus interest, to the victim construction company. Her sentencing is scheduled for March 7, 2019.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of the Interior - Office of the Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mervin A. Bourne, Jr.
Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Cocaine ChargeRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Josue Vega, 37, of Kissimmee, Florida, pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, before U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years, and a $1,000,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Katelyn Hartford, who is handling the case, stated that on June 2, 2017, and June 15, 2017, the defendant sold 93 grams of cocaine in Rochester. Subsequently, on August 2, 2017, Vega was observed obtaining 31 grams of cocaine with the intent to distribute it to others.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge James J. Hunt, New York Field Division.
Sentencing is scheduled for February 6, 2019, at 3:00 p.m. before Judge Wolford.
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Final Defendant Sentenced as Part of Operation Rolling ThunderRead the Press Release
Abingdon, VIRGINIA – United States Attorney Thomas T. Cullen announced today that Lelana Long, 37, of Meadows of Dan, Va., was sentenced last week to 121 months of incarceration, bringing to an end this phase of Operation Rolling Thunder, an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Washington Field Division, and local law enforcement in Virginia and North Carolina.
To date, the collaborative effort has resulted in 23 defendants being convicted of charges related to the distribution of methamphetamine and firearms possession in Southwest Virginia and North Carolina.
“As this case indicates, we are committed to working with our federal, state, and local partners to target individuals and organizations who traffic methamphetamine,” U.S. Attorney Cullen stated. “Methamphetamine and firearms are a particularly dangerous and deadly combination, and one that we will not tolerate. I commend the ATF and our local partners in Southwest Virginia for their leadership and persistence in addressing this problem.”
“ATF is committed to ridding American streets of crime, not just in large cities but also in the rural areas that are often hit hardest by the scourge of illegal firearms and drugs,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Thomas L. Chittum III. “This investigation is a great example of how we work with our law enforcement partners to dismantle criminal organizations and protect the communities they infest. It should serve as a reminder to others that no matter where you are, if you commit a federal crime, we will do everything we can to put you behind bars.”
According to evidence presented at numerous hearings by Assistant United States Attorney Zachary T. Lee, Long was a member of a drug trafficking organization responsible for the transportation of large quantities of methamphetamine from Greensboro, N.C. for distribution in Galax, Va., Grayson County, Va., Carroll County, Va., and Surry County, N.C. Additionally, many of the members of the organization possessed and used firearms to further their drug trafficking activities.
As a result of the investigation, the following defendants have been sentenced:
- Timothy Bowman, 46, of Cana, Va., to 300 months imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.
- Amy Hoyt, 46, of Mt. Airy, N.C., to 228 months imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking.
- Grandy Nester, 33, of Pilot Mt., N.C., to 295 months imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking.
- Sanson P. Rodriguez, 56, of Lexington, N.C., to 264 months imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
- Amber Bilyeu,, a.k.a. “Rose” 32, of Mt. Airy, N.C., to 252 months imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
- Karen Hawks, 45, of Low Gap, N.C., to 262 months imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
- Walter Sexton, a.k.a. “Butch”, 64, of Galax, Va. to 87 months imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
- Brittany Cochran, 28, of Fries, Va. to 87 months imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
- Annette Freeman, 32, of Cana, Va., to 235 months imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
- Brad Hunley, 29, of Galax, Va., to 134 months imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
- Shawanna Phipps, 37, of Independence, Va., to 120 months imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
- Brian Graff, 33, of Independence, Va., to 120 months imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
- Riley Alley, 26, of Cana, Va., to 52 months imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
- Calvin Jermaine Maxwell, 34, of Galax, Va., to 188 months imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
- David Norman, 29, of Galax, Va., to 57 months imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
- Jonathan Choate, 34, of Independence, Va., to 240 months imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
- Kevin Humphries, 38, of Cana, Va., to 120 months imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
- Jackie Christopher Parsons, 39, of Mouth of Wilson, Va., to 120 months imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
- Jessilyn Jones, 26, of Independence, Va., to 70 months imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
- Vickie Grose, 48, of Galax, Va., to 51 months imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
- Stacey Jerome Sawyers, 30, of Galax, Va., to 57 months imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
- Travis Brian Anders, 35, of Sugar Grove, Va., to 158 months imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
The investigation of this case was conducted by the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office, Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, Surry County Sheriff’s Office, Virginia State Police, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, Galax Police Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Washington Field Division, United States Marshals Service, and the United States Secret Service. Assistant United States Attorney Zachary T. Lee prosecuted the case for the United States.
Federal Law Enforcement Agent Sentenced to Federal Prison for Helping Mexican National with Criminal Record Re-Enter the U.S.Read the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A special agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) has been sentenced to 12 months and one day in federal prison for his conviction on four federal offenses related to assistance he provided to a Mexican national with a criminal record to re-enter the United States and then lying to cover it up.
Felix Cisneros Jr., 44, of Murrieta, an 11-year veteran of ICE who is now on indefinite suspension from the agency, was sentenced by United States District Judge Christina A. Snyder, who said the prison term should deter both the defendant and other law enforcement agents from engaging in criminal conduct.
In April, a jury found Cisneros guilty of four felony counts: conspiracy to aid and assist the entry of an alien convicted of an aggravated felony into the United States, acting as agent of another person in a matter affecting the government, falsification of records in a federal investigation, and making false statements.
According to court documents and the evidence presented to the jury, Cisneros agreed to help a suspected crime figure, Levon Termendzhyan, by facilitating Termendzhyan’s business associate re-enter the United States after traveling to Mexico City in September 2013. Termendzhyan was named in a federal indictment filed in August in the District of Utah that charges him with money laundering.
Termendzhyan’s business associate, Santiago Garcia-Gutierrez, was a lawful permanent resident of the United States, but because of prior criminal convictions and an outstanding warrant for his arrest, he was barred from being legally admitted into the United States upon his return. Two months earlier, United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) had seized Garcia’s Mexican passport and his “Green Card” when he attempted to enter the United States, but he was paroled in –meaning he was temporarily allowed into the United States – pending the resolution of his criminal case.
As part of the conspiracy, Cisneros persuaded CBP officers to return Garcia’s passport, ensured that Garcia would be allowed to re-enter the United States after the September 2013 trip, and urged CBP to extend Garcia’s parole that allowed him to remain in the United States pending resolution of his immigration status. Cisneros provided assistance to Garcia knowing about his prior convictions. Cisneros also accepted a financial benefit from Garcia, namely, Dodger playoff tickets, for his agreement to use his status as an HSI special agent to intervene with CBP on Garcia’s behalf.
As part of the conspiracy, Cisneros had queried a law enforcement database, which provided him information about Garcia’s prior convictions, as well as information that Garcia was suspected of participating in criminal activities. Cisneros also improperly utilized the database to determine whether federal law enforcement was monitoring Termendzhyan’s activities.
In a sentencing memorandum filed with the court, prosecutors wrote, “After conspiring with Garcia to facilitate Garcia’s travel to and from the United States, [Cisneros] engaged in a series of deceptive acts to conceal both his assistance to Garcia and his knowledge of Termendzhyan’s illicit activities.”
The falsification of records and the false statements charges relate to Cisneros lying about his longstanding relationship with Garcia during a regular background investigation being conducted as part of his employment as an ICE agent.
The case against Cisneros is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General; and the ICE Office of Professional Responsibility.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Patricia A. Donahue, Chief of Trials, Integrity and Professionalism, and Sheila Nagaraj of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section.
Federal Fugitive Paul Girard Apprehended on St. Croix without IncidentRead the Press Release
St. Croix, USVI –Federal defendant Paul Girard was apprehended early on Sunday morning on St. Croix by federal and local law enforcement agents. A team comprised of Deputy United States Marshals, DEA, FBI, ATF, and VIPD agents and officers located and arrested Girard without incident. Girard, who recently completed a federal sentence, was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges alleging conspiracy, Hobbs Act robberies, firearms violations, and money-laundering. During the pendency of the fugitive investigation, Crime Stoppers offered up to $ 20,000 for information leading to Girard’s arrest.
The Agencies involved in the investigation included the United States Marshal Service (USMS), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD), the Virgin Islands Bureau of Corrections (VI BOC), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the United States Attorney’s Office (USAO), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), United States Coast Guard (USCG), and Crime Stoppers USVI. Federal authorities expressed appreciation for citizen cooperation and assistance in this matter.
United States Attorney Shappert reminds the public that an indictment is merely a formal charging document and is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless found guilty.
Federal Court Holds West Palm Beach Tax Preparer in ContemptRead the Press Release
On Friday, November 2, 2018, a federal court in West Palm Beach, Florida, held that Renel Herard violated a permanent injunction entered against him on October 18, 2016, which barred him from preparing, filing, or assisting in the preparation or filing of federal tax returns for others.
In March 2017, following an investigation of Herard’s activities, the United States filed a Motion for Order to Show Cause asking the court to hold Herard in civil contempt based on evidence that he was assisting a business located three doors down from his own to prepare returns for his former customers in violation of the injunction against him. That investigation was undertaken by the Tax Division as part of its effort to monitor the conduct of return preparers who have been enjoined from preparing returns, and hold those who have continued to do so accountable for violating that ban.
Faced with the evidence against him, Herard admitted that he assisted others to prepare returns in 2017 and agreed to reimburse the United States for the cost of its investigation into his activities. Based on those admissions, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida found that Herard violated the injunction entered in October, 2016, and held him in civil contempt. For that contempt, the court ordered Herard to pay the United States $52,654 to reimburse the government for the costs that it incurred to investigate Herard’s post-injunction conduct.
Additionally, the court further enjoined Herard from maintaining any interest in, working at, or providing any direct or indirect assistance to an individual or entity that provides tax preparation services.
The injunction barring Herard from preparing tax returns remains in effect, and the court authorized the United States to continue to monitor his compliance with its orders.
In the past decade, the Tax Division has obtained injunctions against hundreds of unscrupulous tax preparers and tax scheme promoters. Information about these cases is available on the Justice Department’s website. An alphabetical listing of persons enjoined from preparing returns and promoting tax schemes can be found here. If you believe that one of the enjoined persons or businesses may be violating an injunction, please contact the Tax Division with details.
Defendants in Elite Motors racketeering scheme sentenced in federal courtRead the Press Release
Charged with Conspiracy to Commit Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO)
PRESS RELEASE
Indianapolis – United States Attorney Josh J. Minkler announced today that four of the lead defendants in a racketing scheme have been sentenced in federal court by U.S. District Judge William T. Lawrence.
Mohamed Noshi Mahmoud, a/k/a Noshi 41, Fishers, 70 months’ imprisonment
Mahdi Khelifi, 26, Indianapolis, 75 months’ imprisonment
Hamzi Dridi, a/k/a Alex, 28, Indianapolis, 72 months’ imprisonment
Issa Kayyali, 30, Indianapolis, 35 months’ imprisonment
“Elite Imports was used as a sanctuary to perpetrate three separate, but interrelated fraud schemes causing financial and untold loss to corporate America and individual victims,” said Minkler. “These defendants abused processes in place that would allow citizens with largely subprime credit to get back on their feet through legitimate vehicle sales.”
Mohamed Noshi Mahmoud (Noshi) was the principal leader and manager of Elite Enterprise which operated two used car dealerships and several “shell” companies in Indianapolis. Noshi directed other members and associates of the enterprise to engage in activity that assisted him in carrying out unlawful acts. Khelifi was a managing sales associate involved in the day-to-day operations of the dealership, Kayyali was a sales associate and Dridi was the service manager and mechanic in charge of the chop shop the dealership used to disassemble vehicles that were oftentimes reported stolen.
According to court documents, Noshi and the other Elite managers engaged in three separate but interlocking fraud schemes on behalf of the business enterprise. The first was to procure fraudulent documents and submit them to lending and financial institutions to underwrite the purchase of cars, trucks and motorcycles on behalf of Elite’s customers. The documents included social security numbers, dates of birth and paystubs from the shell companies Elite employees or associates created.
The second scheme was a conspiracy to defraud insurance carriers by submitting false claims of stolen vehicles. The defendants allegedly claimed that certain vehicles were damaged or stolen, thereby causing the insurance carriers to release claim money to the policy and lien holder benefitting Elite. In many cases stolen vehicles and/or parts were located in the chop shop storage unit leased by Noshi.
The third scheme involved theft from specialty financing companies who gave Elite short-term financing and lines of credit for vehicles in inventory. These specialty financing companies were defrauded through a series of steps including false representations made by Elite management.
The case was investigated through a collaborative partnership between federal, state, and local officials. The investigation was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Social Security, OIG, the Lawrence Police Department (Indiana), and the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, with assistance provided by the Indiana Secretary of State, Auto Division and the Indiana Attorney General Consumer Fraud Division.
“These sentences send a very clear message that illegal business practices won’t be tolerated,” said Grant Mendenhall, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Indianapolis Division. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners will not look the other way when individuals attempt to defraud the hard working residents of Indiana.”
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Cynthia J. Ridgeway and Kristina M. Korobov.
In October 2017, United States Attorney Josh J. Minkler announced a Strategic Plan designed to shape and strengthen the District’s response to its most significant public safety challenges. This prosecution demonstrates the Office’s firm commitment to prosecuting those who commit large-scale fraud schemes that exploit vulnerable victims. See United States Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Indiana Strategic Plan 5.1
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Defendant in $1.1 Million Nationwide Fraud Scheme Targeting Casinos and Credit Card Companies Is SentencedRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Vivian Wang, 55, of Alpharetta, Georgia, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller to two years in prison for wire fraud related to a nationwide casino and credit card fraud scheme and aggravated identity theft, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.
According to court documents, between August 2008 and August 2014, Wang participated in a scheme to defraud casinos and credit card companies across the country. The scheme involved using false identities in the names and Social Security numbers of migrant workers to apply for casino credit called “markers” and to open credit card accounts. A marker is a cash advance provided by a casino to a patron, and it is often secured by a check from the patron’s bank account.
Wang, working in concert with her co-defendant, Frank Luo, initially timely repaid several markers at different casinos and several credit cards in order to give the impression of creditworthiness to future casinos and credit card companies. Wang and Luo recruited “clients” to the scheme to induce the casinos and credit card companies to part with even more money under fraudulent pretenses.
Wang and her co-schemers coordinated their gambling activity in order to give the appearance of losing money (and thereby encouraging the casinos to issue future markers) when in fact one schemer would “lose” money while another would gain the same. In other instances, one schemer would surreptitiously deliver the issued gambling chips to another in order to give the appearance of having spent them. At the end of the scheme, Wang and her co-schemers did not repay the casino markers or the significant outstanding credit card balances accrued in a short amount of time once creditworthiness had been established. The combined fraud led to over $1.1 million in losses to casinos and credit card companies.
Wang used an Illinois state identity card in the name of a particular migrant worker to achieve various parts of the scheme, including presentation of that identification at a Placerville-area casino in August 2013 to obtain a $30,000 marker.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the California Department of Justice’s Bureau of Gambling Control. Assistant United States Attorney Matthew M. Yelovich prosecuted the case.
Luo was sentenced to three years in prison.
Court of Appeals Affirms Conviction of Massachusetts Man Sentenced to 33 Months in Prison for StalkingRead the Press Release
CONCORD – The U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit affirmed the conviction of David Ackell, 49, of Seekonk, Massachusetts, for using facilities in interstate commerce to stalk a female resident of New Hampshire, announced United States Attorney Scott W. Murray.
Ackell was found guilty of the offense after a four-day jury trial in December 2016. Ackell will now serve a 33-month federal prison sentence that was imposed in July of 2017. He will serve his sentence at a facility designated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
According to the evidence presented during the trial, Ackell sent an on-line private message to the victim when she was 16 years old. Thereafter, the victim agreed to send photographs of herself to Ackell because Ackell repeatedly promised that he would not save them. Several months later, Ackell persuaded the victim to send partially nude photographs of herself to him. After the victim turned 18, she repeatedly told Ackell that she wanted to end their relationship. Ackell prevented this from happening by, among other things, threatening to send the victim’s photographs to her family and friends. He also told the victim that if she ended their relationship, a 14-year-old girl would be raped.
In appealing his conviction, Ackell argued, among other things, that the federal stalking statute was a violation of the freedom of speech under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and that the evidence present by the government was insufficient. In a unanimous decision, the First Circuit Court of Appeal rejected these arguments. In rejecting the First Amendment claim, the Court wrote that the federal stalking statute "does not, on its face, regulate protected speech or conduct that is necessarily intertwined with speech or expression." Pertaining to the sufficiency of the evidence against Ackell, the Court remarked that "the evidence provided a substantial basis for a rational [jury] to conclude beyond a reasonable doubt" that Ackell stalked the victim in violation of federal law.
“I am grateful that the U.S. Court of Appeals has agreed that Ackell’s egregious conduct was a violation of federal law,” said U.S. Attorney Murray. “He will serve a well-deserved federal prison sentence. I hope that this result provides some comfort to the victim who was stalked by this defendant.”
"Mr. Ackell used the internet to exploit, threaten, and extort his victim, without remorse or accountability for his actions,” said Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “We'd like to thank her for her bravery and courage in coming forward to report his criminal behavior, in the hopes that other children wouldn't be exploited in the same way. The protection of our children from depraved predators, who make online threats or exploit our most vulnerable, will continue to be a top priority for the FBI."
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Hancock, New Hampshire Police Department, and the Seekonk, Massachusetts Police Department investigated the case.
At trial, Assistant United States Attorneys Helen White Fitzgibbon and Robert Kinsella represented the government. Assistant United States Attorney Seth R. Aframe represented the government in the Court of Appeals.
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Cleveland man arrested and charged with firearms violationsRead the Press Release
A Cleveland man was arrested and charged with firearms violations in federal court.
Ahmed Williams, 37, was charged with one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm. Williams possessed five .410 shotgun cartridges and a modified flare gun on Oct. 26, despite a previous conviction for attempted felonious assault.
Williams was arrested on Oct. 26 when he went to the Cleveland Clinic Children’s Rehabilitation Department, where his child was a patient. Williams told workers at the Cleveland Clinic that “people were out to kill him” and making unusual statements about the FBI, police officers and other topics, according to an affidavit filed in the case.
Williams denied having a firearm, but later said he had a firearm concealed in his pants. Cleveland Clinic police officers retrieved a HK Sig P2 flare fun as well as five .410 shotgun cartridges. Williams agreed to be transported to the Cleveland Clinic Emergency Department for an evaluation, according to the affidavit.
This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Cleveland Clinic Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. Patton.
If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than maximum.
A charge is only an allegation and not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Charleston Man Sentenced to Prison for Heroin and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Charleston man caught selling heroin within 1000 feet of Stonewall Jackson Middle School and possessing a firearm in January 2017 was sentenced today to 48 months in prison, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart. Stuart commended the efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) and the Charleston Police Department.
“A parent’s worst nightmare,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “We will not tolerate gun-toting drug dealers peddling their poisons near our schools. We are working every day to lock up drug dealers like Stevenson.”
On January 4, 2017, agents with the ATF and the Charleston Police Department Special Enforcement Unit used a confidential informant to make a controlled buy of heroin from Dana Stevenson. The buy occurred in the vicinity of the Kentucky Fried Chicken near Washington Street in Charleston. The location was within 1000 feet of Stonewall Jackson Middle School. The defendant provided the informant with suspected heroin.
On January 18, 2017, officers conducted a search warrant at Stevenson’s residence and recovered a Glock .40 caliber firearm. Stevenson was prohibited from possessing any firearm under federal law because he had been convicted in 2014 in Kanawha County, West Virginia for wanton endangerment.
Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie S. Taylor prosecuted the case. United States District Judge Goodwin imposed the sentence.
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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###Champaign Man Sentenced to Eight Years in Prison for Distribution, Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
URBANA, Ill. – A Champaign, Ill., man, Jaime Breckenridge, 34, of the 2200 Block of S. First Street, was sentenced today on charges of distribution and possession of child pornography, as announced by U.S. Attorney John C. Milhiser, Central District of Illinois. U.S. District Chief Judge James E. Shadid ordered Breckenridge to serve 96 months (8 years) in federal prison. In addition, Breckenridge was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $3,000 to a victim of the offense.
On March 28, 2018, Breckenridge entered a plea of guilty to both offenses as charged in the indictment which was returned by the grand jury in September 2017.
Breckenridge was arrested on Aug. 5, 2017, in Marion, Ill., after being charged in a federal criminal complaint with the same offenses. During a court appearance on Aug. 7, 2017, before U.S. Magistrate Reona J. Daly, in Benton, Ill., Breckenridge was ordered detained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elly M. Peirson. The charges are the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
California Man Sentenced on Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
CONCORD – United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced that Tyler J. Hughes, 25, of California and formerly a Petty Officer in the United States Coast Guard stationed in Massachusetts, was sentenced to time served for making false statements during the purchase of a firearm. Hughes also agreed to forfeit five firearms and ammunition.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on three separate occasions: January 20, 2017, October 22, 2017 and November 21, 2017, Hughes purchased a firearm from a federally licensed firearms dealer in New Hampshire. During each purchase, Hughes completed ATF Form 4473 and falsely claimed that he lived in New Hampshire in order to purchase the firearms. Hughes never lived in New Hampshire.
Hughes previously pleaded guilty to three counts of making false statements during the purchase of a firearm on July 10, 2018.
“As part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, we work with our law enforcement partners to enforce our nation’s gun laws,” said U.S. Attorney Murray. “By enforcing our gun laws and taking other steps to prevent violent crime, we will improve public safety for all of our citizens.”
The matter was investigated by the United States Coast Guard Investigative Service, the New Hampshire State Police DMV Task Force and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Debra M. Walsh prosecuted the case.
The case is part of ATF’s Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative, which is a federally-funded program intended to reduce gun violence through law enforcement training, public education, and aggressive law enforcement efforts to investigate and prosecute gun-related crimes.
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Buffalo Man Sentenced on Cocaine 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 Jesus Rojas, 32, of Buffalo, NY, who was convicted of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, cocaine and crack cocaine, was sentenced to serve 36 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura A. Higgins, who handled the case, stated that between October 27, 2016, and October 23, 2017, the defendant on five separate occasions sold cocaine to a confidential source working with law enforcement officers. On January 5, 2017, a search warrant was executed at Rojas’s residence on Military Road in Tonawanda. Officers seized over 25 grams of marijuana and a digital scale. A second search warrant was executed on October 23, 2017, and officers seized another quantity of marijuana.
Today’s sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge James J. Hunt, New York Field Division.
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Buffalo Man Sentenced on Cocaine 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 Levon Dickson, 44, of Buffalo, NY, who was convicted of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, cocaine, was sentenced to serve 60 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan T. Cullinane, who handled the case, stated that between June and August of 2017, the defendant distributed more than 500 grams of cocaine in the Western District of New York. Specifically, on three occasions, Dickson sold cocaine to an undercover law enforcement officer. On August 3, 2017, a search warrant was executed at the defendant’s residence and officers recovered cocaine and items used to distribute cocaine.The sentencing is the culmination of an investigation on the part of the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge James J. Hunt, New York Field Division.
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Boise Man Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for Access with Intent to View Child PornographyRead the Press Release
BOISE – Jose Luis “Joey” Sanchez, 39, of Boise, was sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court in Boise to 30 months in prison followed by ten years supervised release, for access with intent to view child pornography, U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced.
According to court records, between November 2015 and January 2016, agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) observed Sanchez logging into an online video conferencing application chatroom multiple times, where users were posting and viewing images of child pornography. Detectives with the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force served a search warrant at Sanchez’s residence and seized his laptop computer. ICAC detectives also interviewed Sanchez, where he admitted to logging into the chatroom, observing child pornography, and later returning to the chatroom. Detectives found evidence on Sanchez’s computer showing that he accessed the chatroom and communicated with other users about his sexual interest in children and locations where child pornography could be viewed.
Chief U.S. District Court Judge B. Lynn Winmill also ordered Sanchez to forfeit the laptop computer used in the commission of the charged offense. As a result of his conviction, Sanchez will be required to register as a sex offender.
This case was investigated by the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force and Homeland Security Investigations. The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. As part of Project Safe Childhood, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho and the Idaho Attorney General’s Office partner to marshal federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
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Biopharmaceutical Employee Sentenced for Insider TradingRead the Press Release
BOSTON – An employee of a Cambridge-based biopharmaceutical company was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for engaging in an insider trading scheme.
Schultz “Jason” Chan, 54, of Newton, the Director of Biostatistics at a Cambridge-based biopharmaceutical company, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani to three years in prison and one year of supervised release. Judge Talwani also ordered the defendant to either pay a fine or forfeiture of $65,000 and restitution to be determined at a later date. In July 2018, Chan was convicted by a federal jury of one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and three counts of securities fraud. Co-defendant Songjiang Wang, 54, of Westford, the Director of Statistical Programming at a different biopharmaceutical company, was convicted during the same trial of one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and two count of securities fraud. Wang is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 13, 2018.
From August 2013 to September 2015, Wang and Chan, who were friends, conspired to commit securities fraud by trading insider information regarding successful clinical drug trials at their respective companies. Specifically, Wang traded on inside information Chan provided regarding a clinical study conducted by Chan’s employer. In addition, over a period of several months, Wang tipped Chan of clinical trial results of a Phase 3 clinical trial being conducted by his employer. Furthermore, Wang gave Chan cash, which Chan used to purchase stock shares of Wang’s employer. Chan subsequently sold those shares and paid back Wang.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division, made the announcement today. The United States Attorney’s Office received valuable assistance from the Securities and Exchange Commission. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordi de Llano, Deputy Chief of Lelling’s Securities and Financial Fraud Unit, and Assistant United States Attorney Kriss Basil, also of the Securities and Financial Fraud Unit, are prosecuting the case.
Atlantic County, New Jersey, Therapist Charged with Assault-For-Hire PlotRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – A Somers Point, New Jersey, woman has been charged with planning the assault of a North Attleboro, Massachusetts, man, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced today.
Diane Sylvia, 58, is charged by criminal complaint with one count of solicitation to commit a crime of violence. She is scheduled to appear today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen M. Williams in Camden federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On Sept. 24, 2018, an individual contacted the FBI. The individual is a former member of an organized criminal gang who sought therapy from Sylvia, a licensed clinical social worker who provides mental health counseling at an office in Linwood, New Jersey. Knowing the patient’s past history with this violent gang, Sylvia allegedly asked the individual to conspire to kill a man who resides in Massachusetts, whom Sylvia said had been bilking her for money over the years. The individual alerted law enforcement to Sylvia’s plans and discontinued therapy with her.
In early October, at the direction of law enforcement officials, the individual introduced Sylvia to a purported hitman, who was in reality an undercover FBI agent. Sylvia told the undercover FBI agent that she did not want the Massachusetts man killed; she wanted him beaten and permanently disfigured. Sylvia said, “He needs his pretty little face bashed in, that’s what I really want.” She later added that “a broken arm would help, too,” explaining that “all he has is, like, his big muscles and his cute face.” She later repeated, “I really just want his face punched in, I swear to God. And his arm broken, that’s what I want.” When the undercover agent asked why Sylvia wanted to do this, she claimed the man “ended up with some stuff on me that he was gonna report me to the licensing board, which means I have no job.” When asked how assaulting this man would help Sylvia, she replied, “It’s just gonna make me feel better” and “it’s the only way I can get him back.”
The undercover agent advised Sylvia to purchase a pre-paid phone to communicate with him about the assault, which she did. Sylvia arranged two more meetings with the undercover FBI agent, all at her office. During one of the meetings, Sylvia clarified how she wanted the intended victim assaulted: “Something that makes him not so cute”—while making a slashing motion on her cheek—“something so he can’t do push-ups, so he can’t work out.” During the last two meetings, Sylvia paid the undercover FBI agent a total of $5,000 cash to carry out the assault plan.
The solicitation of a crime of violence charge carries a statutory maximum of five years in prison and $250,000 fine.
U.S. Craig Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie in Newark, with the investigation leading to the charges. He also thanked the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office, the Atlantic County Sheriff's Office, the Department of Labor-Office of Inspector General, the N.J. Department of Human Services Police, the N.J. State Police, and the Northfield Police for their roles in the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alyson M. Oswald of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Camden.
The charges and allegations in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Defense counsel: Michael Paulhus Esq., Toms River
Assistant United States Attorneys to Serve as District Election Officers for Seven Counties during November 6 General ElectionRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – United States Attorney Nicola T. Hanna announced today that Assistant United States Attorneys Erik M. Silber and Lindsey Greer Dotson will serve as the District Election Officers during Tuesday’s general election and will lead the local efforts in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program.
As the District Election Officers, AUSAs Dotson and Silber will be responsible for overseeing the handling of complaints related to election fraud and voting rights abuses. If complaints are received, the AUSAs will coordinate with the FBI Field Office in Los Angeles and will consult with the Justice Department in Washington.
AUSAs Silber and Dotson will serve as the District Election Officers for the Central District of California, which includes the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo.
The Justice Department has an important role in deterring election fraud and discrimination at the polls, and will combat these violations whenever and wherever they occur. The Department’s long-standing Election Day Program furthers these goals, and seeks to ensure public confidence in the integrity of the election process, by providing local points of contact within the Justice Department for the public to report possible election fraud and voting rights violations while the polls are open on Tuesday, November 6.
Federal law protects against crimes such as intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input.
Federal law also contains special protections for the rights of voters and provides that they can vote free from intimidation or harassment. For example, actions designed to interrupt or intimidate voters at polling places by questioning or challenging them, or by photographing or videotaping them, under the pretext that these are actions to uncover illegal voting may violate federal voting rights law. Further, federal law protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice.
The FBI will have special agents available across the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on Election Day. Agents at the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, which serves the same seven counties as the United States Attorney’s Office, can be reached by the public at (310) 477-6565.
In order to respond to complaints of election fraud or voting rights abuses on November 6 and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, AUSAs Dotson and Silber will be on duty while the polls are open. Members of the public can reach them at the United States Attorney’s Office by calling (213) 894-2400.
On Election Day, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division staff members will be available all day by telephone to receive complaints from the public related to possible violations of the federal voting rights laws (1-800-253-3931 or TTY 202-305-0082). In addition, individuals may also report complaints by fax to 202-307-3961, by email to [email protected], and by a complaint form on the Department’s website: www.justice.gov/crt/votercomplaint.
Complaints related to disruption at a polling place should always be reported immediately to local election officials, including officials in the polling place. Complaints related to violence, threats of violence or intimidation at a polling place should be reported immediately to local police authorities by calling 911. These complaints should also be reported to the Justice Department after local authorities have been contacted.
Last week, the Department of Justice provided information about its efforts through the Civil Rights Division and Criminal Division to ensure that all qualified voters have the opportunity to cast their ballots and have their votes counted free of discrimination, intimidation or fraud in the election process.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Miller will lead the efforts of the office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day programRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Justin E. Herdman announced today that Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Miller will lead the efforts of the office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day program for the upcoming November 6, 2018, general election.
AUSA Miller has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer for the Northern District of Ohio and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of complaints of election fraud and voting rights abuses in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.
“Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted without it being stolen because of fraud,” Herdman said. “The Department of Justice will act promptly and aggressively to protect the integrity of the election process.”
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring election fraud and discrimination at the polls, and combating these violations whenever and wherever they occur. The Department’s long-standing Election Day Program furthers these goals, and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the integrity of the election process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible election fraud and voting rights violations while the polls are open on election day.
Federal law protects against such crimes as intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from acts that intimidate or harass them. For example, actions of persons designed to interrupt or intimidate voters at polling places by questioning or challenging them, or by photographing or videotaping them, under the pretext that these are actions to uncover illegal voting may violate federal voting rights law. Further, federal law protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or illiteracy).
The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy. We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice. In order to respond to complaints of election fraud or voting rights abuses on November 6, 2018, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, United States Attorney Herdman stated that AUSA Miller will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. She can be reached by the public at the following telephone number: 216-622-3855.
In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The local FBI field office can be reached by the public at 216-522-1400.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section in Washington, DC by phone at 1-800-253-3931 or (202) 307-2767, by fax at (202) 307-3961, by email to [email protected] or by complaint form at http://www.justice.gov/crt/complaint/votintake/index.php.
Herdman said: “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the cooperation of the American electorate. It is imperative that those who have specific information about discrimination or election fraud make that information available immediately to my Office, the FBI, or the Civil Rights Division.”
3 November 2018
Jury Returns Conviction on Felony Assault on Federal Officer ChargesRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO, CA – On Wednesday, October 31, 2018, a jury found defendant Carlos Miranda-Alonso guilty of felony assault on a federal officer, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 111(a)(1), and felony assault on a federal officer with a dangerous weapon, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 111(b). The defendant separately pleaded guilty to being an alien who knowingly eluded examination and inspection by immigration officers, in violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1325(a)(2), a misdemeanor.
According to the evidence presented at trial, the defendant illegally entered the United States on May 10, 2018 by crawling under the International Boundary Fence. He then spent several hours making his way north before a U.S. Border Patrol Agent stopped the defendant while he was walking out of a protected wildlife estuary and onto a walking path near the Tijuana Estuary Visitor’s Center in Imperial Beach, California.
When the Border Patrol Agent attempted to handcuff the defendant, the defendant swung his arm, hitting the Agent and breaking his grasp. The defendant then ran several hundred yards into the estuary and for the next several minutes resisted the Agent’s attempts to capture him by striking the Agent’s arms. When the Agent managed to get the defendant to the ground, the defendant picked up a section of 4x4 wooden fence post, stood up, and swung it at the Agent. The Defendant dropped the post after the Agent drew his firearm; no shots were fired. After approximately 15 minutes, the defendant was apprehended by several other Border Patrol Agents who had arrived on the scene to assist.
“United States Border Patrol agents put their lives on the line every single day to protect our borders,” said U.S. Attorney Adam L. Braverman. “This office will vigorously pursue justice against those who engage in violence against agents carrying out that critical mission.”
“The safety and well-being of the federal law enforcement officers protecting our nation’s borders are a priority for the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” said John Brown, FBI Special Agent in Charge. “As shown in today’s conviction, we will fully investigate and bring to justice those who assault officers while carrying out their daily duties in order to keep our country safe.”
“I would like to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for ensuring acts of violent aggression against Border Patrol Agents will not be tolerated. I am also grateful for the jury’s just decision finding this defendant guilty,” said Chief Patrol Agent Rodney S. Scott. “Assault a U.S. law enforcement officer: expect to be held accountable.”
The sentencing is scheduled for January 22, 2019 at 9:00 a.m. in front of Judge William Q. Hayes.
Department of Justice 2018 Election Security Fact SheetRead the Press Release
In anticipation of the upcoming midterm elections on November 6, 2018, the Department of Justice today provided information about its efforts through the Civil Rights Division, the Criminal Division, the National Security Division, and the FBI to assist state and local jurisdictions in ensuring that all qualified voters have the opportunity to cast their ballots and have their votes counted free of discrimination, intimidation or fraud in the election process.
“The Department of Justice and its component agencies protect our democratic process year-round,” said Attorney General Jeff Sessions. “During election season, we put in place additional security awareness and monitoring measures with our federal, state, and local partners to ensure the securest possible settings for our elections. Any attempts to interfere or subvert our democratic process by foreign or domestic entities will be met with severe consequences. The American people can be confident that their voices will be heard.”
Complaints related to violence, threats of violence, or intimidation at a polling place should always be reported immediately to local authorities by calling 911. They should also be reported to the Department of Justice after local authorities are contacted.
Below is a list of recent and ongoing action the Department of Justice has undertaken to ensure election security. The Department of Justice works year-round to ensure free and fair elections for all Americans.
Department of Justice’s Election Day Watch Program
In order to strengthen election security efforts, the Department of Justice and the FBI will host a live Election Day Watch at the FBI’s Strategic Information and Operations Center. President Trump outlined the Administration’s efforts to protect the elections from foreign interference in a Sept. 12 announcement.
Civil Rights Division
On Nov. 6, the Civil Rights Division will implement a comprehensive program to help protect the right to vote that will include the following:
- The Civil Rights Division will conduct monitoring in the field at polling places around the country.
- Civil Rights Division staff in Washington, D.C., will be ready to receive election-related complaints of potential violations relating to any of the federal statutes the division enforces. The division will take appropriate action and will coordinate with other entities within the Department of Justice concerning these complaints before, during, and after Election Day.
- Civil Rights Division staff will be available to receive complaints related to voting by telephone (1-800-253-393 or 202-307-2767) or by TTY (202-305-0082), by fax (202-307-3961), by email ([email protected]), and by complaint form on the Department of Justice’s website at https://www.justice.gov/crt/voting-section.
For more information on the Justice Department's efforts to protect the right to vote and prosecute ballot fraud, see here and here.
Criminal Division
On Nov. 6, the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices will work with specially trained FBI personnel in each district to ensure that complaints from the public involving possible voter fraud are handled appropriately. Specifically:
- In consultation with federal prosecutors at the Department of Justice’s Public Integrity Section in Washington, D.C., the District Election Officers in U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, FBI officials at Headquarters in Washington, D.C., and FBI special agents serving as Election Crime Coordinators in the FBI’s 56 field offices will be on duty while polls are open, to receive complaints from the public.
- Election-crime complaints should be directed to the local U.S. Attorney’s Office or the local FBI office. A list of U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and their telephone numbers can be found at https://www.justice.gov/usao/find-your-united-states-attorney. A list of FBI offices and accompanying telephone numbers can be found at https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/
- Department of Justice Public Integrity Section prosecutors are available to consult and coordinate with the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the FBI regarding the handling of election-crime allegations.
For more information on the Criminal Division’s efforts to fight election crime, see here and here.
National Security Division
On Nov. 6, National Security Division attorneys will participate in interagency Election Day sync meetings to ensure that the Department of Justice is aware of the latest information from the Intelligence Community, to secure necessary authorizations from Department leadership in the event of a federal response, and to coordinate any interagency response.
In addition, lawyers from the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section and Counterespionage Section will be co-located at the FBI’s national monitoring Command Post (CP) at the Strategic Information and Operations Center (SIOC) at FBI Headquarters to provide operational guidance to local U.S Attorney’s Office and FBI field offices in the event of any election-related incident involving international or domestic terrorism, malicious cyber activities, or other threats to national security.
For more information on the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section, see here.
Report of The Attorney General’s Cyber Digital Task Force
On July 19, 2018, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein formally issued the Report of The Attorney General’s Cyber Digital Task Force in response to the establishment of the Cyber Digital Task Force by Attorney General Jeff Sessions in February of 2018. The report addresses the Department of Justice’s efforts to address cyber-enabled threats, including malign foreign influence operations that target U.S. elections. The Deputy Attorney General’s full remarks at the Aspen Security Forum can be found here.
2 November 2018
Wisconsin Woman Sentenced to Prison for Role in Monroe County Heroin ConspiracyRead the Press Release
SCRANTON—The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, announced that Catherine Abbey, age 34, formerly of Saw Creek, Pennsylvania, who now resides in Wisconsin, was sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Court Judge James M. Munley to serve one year in prison for her role in a heroin and cocaine trafficking conspiracy based in Monroe County.
According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Abbey previously admitted to participating in the drug conspiracy headed by Eddie Pace, which operated in Monroe County between 2012 and 2015. Abbey admitted to obtaining between 80 and 100 grams of heroin (which is equivalent to between 3,000 and 4,000 retail bags of heroin) in Paterson, New Jersey, on several occasions and transporting it to Pace in Monroe County. Pace and others distributed the drugs to customers in the Monroe County area.
Abbey was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2015. All seven members charged in the indictment have entered guilty pleas. Daryl Trent was sentenced to 90 months in prison. Anton Woodson received a 63-month prison sentence. Shawnette Isaac was sentenced to 30 months in prison. Eddie Pace, the leader of the drug ring, and two other co-conspirators are awaiting sentencing.
Judge Munley ordered Abbey to serve three years on supervised release following her prison sentence.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pennsylvania State Police, and local police from Monroe County. Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis P. Sempa prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. 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.
This case was also brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Heroin Initiative targets heroin traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit heroin related offenses.
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West Boylston Man Sentenced for Methamphetamine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A West Boylston man was sentenced today in federal court in Worcester for his role in a methamphetamine conspiracy.
Brian Zukowski, 36, was sentenced today to 28 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay forfeiture of $4,850. In January 2018, Zukowski pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and to possess methamphetamine with intent to distribute.
In 2016 and 2017, Zukowski purchased methamphetamine from various suppliers for his own use and for resale to others, including individuals in Massachusetts and Florida, where Zukowski spent a significant amount of time. Zukowski also conspired with a Worcester man to obtain methamphetamine in Texas to be shipped back to New England and Florida, and he conspired with a Worcester man regarding the shipment of methamphetamine from Las Vegas to Massachusetts.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; and Joseph W. Cronin, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Abely of Lelling’s Worcester Branch Office prosecuted the case.
Verona, New Jersey, Man Sentenced to 22 Months in Prison for Illegal Possession of Multiple Guns, Including Replica He Turned into Machine GunRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – An Essex County, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 22 months in prison for possessing three guns as a previously convicted felon, including a replica Thompson submachine gun that he modified into a working automatic firearm, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
David Lutter, 69, of Verona, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Esther Salas to an indictment charging him with one count of possessing three firearms as a previously convicted felon. Judge Salas imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
In January 2017, Lutter met with an undercover agent from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF-E) and negotiated the sale of a functioning Thompson submachine gun. The gun had originally been a replica, but Lutter had modified it with real gun parts to convert it into a functioning automatic firearm, which, according to Lutter, could fire 20 to 25 bullets per second. Lutter had also equipped it with what he called a “rock-and-roll switch,” which could toggle between semi-automatic and automatic mode.
Lutter sold the undercover agent the submachine gun, a .32-caliber revolver, and 100 rounds of ammunition for $525. A few months later, in May 2017, Lutter sold the undercover agent a .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol, bullets, and gun parts for $500. When Lutter was arrested in June 2017, law enforcement searched a storage facility he rented and recovered several hundred additional bullets and firearm parts. All three firearms and the recovered ammunition are in the possession of law enforcement.
At no time was Lutter licensed to sell firearms and was prohibited from possessing them due to his 1993 felony conviction for sexual assault of a minor.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Salas sentenced Lutter to two years of supervised release.U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the ATF Newark Field Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge John B. DeVito, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason S. Gould of the Opioid Abuse Prevention and Enforcement Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Newark.
Defense counsel: Kevin Carlucci Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender, Newark
Vallejo Business Owner Sentenced for Multimillion Dollar Mortgage and Foreclosure Rescue Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sergio Roman Barrientos, 64, of Poway, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Garland E. Burrell Jr. to 14 years in prison for conspiring to commit wire fraud affecting a financial institution and bank fraud, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.
According to court documents, from about September 2004 through February 2008, Barrientos and co-conspirators Zalathiel Aguila and Omar Anabo operated an entity named Capital Access LLC, in Vallejo. They preyed on homeowners nearing foreclosure, convinced them to sign away title in their homes, spent any equity those homeowners had saved, and used straw buyers to defraud federally insured financial institutions out of millions of dollars in home loans obtained under false pretenses. The equity stripped from the distressed homeowners’ properties was then used for operational expenses of the scheme and personal expenses of Barrientos and his coconspirators. Vulnerable homeowners across California lost their homes and savings as a result of the scheme, and lenders lost an estimated $10.47 million from the fraud.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew M. Yelovich and Todd A. Pickles are prosecuting the case.
Co-defendant Zalathiel Aguila pleaded guilty and is scheduled for sentencing on November 16, 2018. Aguila faces a maximum statutory penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
United States Attorney Announces Resources for Election Day ProgramRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Announces Resources for Election Day Program
District Election Officer and Law Enforcement Resources Will Be AvailableTo Receive Complaints of Election Fraud and Voting Rights Abuses
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – November 2, 2018
Adam L. Braverman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of California, announced today that Assistant United States Attorney Christopher P. Tenorio will lead the efforts on behalf of the United States Attorney’s Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming elections on November 6, 2018. Mr. Tenorio has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer for the Southern District of California, which includes San Diego and Imperial Counties. He will be responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of complaints of election fraud and voting rights abuses in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
United States Attorney Braverman said, “We are committed to ensuring that every citizen will have the right to vote without interference or discrimination. Anyone with information regarding voting fraud or election abuses is encouraged to immediately contact our local FBI Office or our District Election Officer.”
The Department of Justice hopes to deter and prosecute election fraud and discrimination occurring at the polls. The Department also seeks to ensure public confidence in the integrity of the election process by providing local points of contact for the public to report possible election fraud and voting rights violations. United States Attorney Braverman stated that Mr. Tenorio will be on duty while the polls are open during Election Day. He can be reached at (619) 546-8413.
In addition, the FBI will have Special Agents available to receive allegations of election fraud, intimidation, suppression of votes, and other election abuses. The FBI can be reached at 858-320-1800. Information can also be submitted to tips.fbi.gov. Complaints may also be made directly to the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, Voting Section in Washington, D.C. at (800) 253-3931 or (202) 307-2767.
Federal law protects against crimes such as intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots against voters’ wishes or without their input. The law also contains special protections for eligible voters to exercise their rights free from intimidation or harassment. Prohibited actions include those designed to interrupt or intimidate voters at polling places by questioning or challenging them, or by photographing or videotaping them, under the pretext that such actions are necessary to uncover illegal voting. Further, federal law protects the right of voters to cast their own ballot or receive assistance from a person of their choice.
US Attorney Outlines North Texas Election Day ProgramRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox has announced that Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Nicole Dana will lead the efforts of her office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 6, 2018, general election.
AUSA Dana has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the Northern District of Texas, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of complaints of election fraud and voting rights abuses in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.
“Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted without it being stolen because of fraud,” said Nealy Cox. “The Department of Justice will act promptly and aggressively to protect the integrity of the election process.”
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring election fraud and discrimination at the polls, and combating these violations whenever and wherever they occur. The Department’s long-standing Election Day Program furthers these goals, and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the integrity of the election process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible election fraud and voting rights violations while the polls are open on election day.
Federal law protects against such crimes as intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from acts that intimidate or harass them. For example, actions of persons designed to interrupt or intimidate voters at polling places by questioning or challenging them, or by photographing or videotaping them, under the pretext that these are actions to uncover illegal voting may violate federal voting rights law. Further, federal law protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or illiteracy).
The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy. We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice. In order to respond to complaints of election fraud or voting rights abuses on November 6, 2018, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, U.S. Attorney Nealy Cox stated that AUSA/DEO Nicole Dana will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. She can be reached by the public at by phone at 214-659-8600.
In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The local FBI field office can be reached by the public at 972-559-5000.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section in Washington, DC by phone at 1-800-253-3931 or 202-307-2767, by fax at 202-307-3961, by email to [email protected] or by complaint form at http://www.justice.gov/crt/complaint/votintake/index.php.
According to U.S. Attorney Nealy Cox, “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the cooperation of the American electorate. It is imperative that those who have specific information about discrimination or election fraud make that information available immediately to my Office, the FBI, or the Civil Rights Division.”
U.S. Attorney’s Office to Conduct Election Day MonitoringRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — The U.S. Attorney’s Office will monitor the federal, state and local elections in Chicago and surrounding suburbs on Nov. 6, 2018, John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, announced today.
As part of the monitoring effort, the office will operate a telephone hotline for citizens to report complaints related to the voting process. Assistant U.S. Attorneys and other office personnel will monitor the hotline and respond to complaints, as needed.
The hotline number, staffed on Election Day only, is (312) 469-6157.
“A crucial part of our democracy is the integrity of our electoral system,” said U.S. Attorney Lausch. “A citizen who is entitled to vote should not be hindered or prevented from doing so, and we stand ready to ensure the sanctity of the process.”
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring election fraud and discrimination at the polls, and combating these violations wherever they occur. The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program seeks to ensure public confidence in the voting process.
Federal voting-rights laws protect the rights of voters to mark their own ballot or be assisted by a person of their choice. Actions designed to interrupt or intimidate voters at polling places may constitute a violation. Federal law protects against such crimes as intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. Violations carry penalties ranging from one to ten years in prison, and fines of up to $250,000.
For information as to the location and hours of polling sites, Illinois residents are advised to contact the Illinois State Board of Elections by logging on to www.elections.il.gov or by calling (312) 814-6440.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Honors over 200 Law Enforcement Officials in Annual Awards Ceremony for Outstanding Efforts in Fighting CrimeRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – United States Attorney Nick Hanna is presenting awards today to more than 200 members of law enforcement agencies for their outstanding work in dozens of cases prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office. During the office’s annual Law Enforcement Awards ceremony, officials from federal and local agencies – as well as six Canadian police officers – are being honored for their work in rooting out criminal wrongdoing in Southern California.
“We honor these brave and committed agents, officers and employees of our partner agencies for their tirelessness commitment to maintain public safety and preserve the freedoms all Americans enjoy,” said U.S. Attorney Hanna.
The award recipients are being honored for their contributions towards protecting U.S. national security, responding to the opioid epidemic, combating fraud, fighting public corruption, preventing cyber-crime attacks, and enforcing the nation’s environmental laws.
Those honored included two FBI Special Agents who worked tirelessly to track down witnesses and evidence from two decades ago that helped secure a guilty plea from a gang member who participated in the slaying of an African-American man in Highland Park in 1999. Merced Cambero, who along with fellow gang members shot and killed Kenny Wilson as part of a series of racially motivated crimes, was brought to justice last year after more than a decade as a fugitive. Earlier this year, Cambero pleaded guilty to federal civil rights charges and was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison.
More than a dozen FBI agents, intelligence analysts and specialists received awards for groundbreaking work that culminated in a criminal complaint charging a North Korean computer programmer with being part of a government-backed conspiracy to conduct a series of destructive cyberattacks around the world, including an attack that decimated Sony Pictures Entertainment and others that targeted financial institutions and U.S. defense contractors. The charges were the first ever brought by the U.S. against a North Korean citizen for malicious cyber activity.
A team from the FBI, the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs’ Office of Inspector General, and IRS Criminal Investigation were honored for their work leading to the conviction of David Richard Scott, a parking lot operator who cheated the VA out more than $13 million. Scott received a 70-month prison sentence, was ordered to pay $12.6 million in restitution, and was ordered to forfeit $8 million in assets. The Veterans Affairs’ contracting official who took bribes from Scott for 15 years pleaded guilty and was sentenced to prison in September.
The honorees at today’s ceremony came from the following law enforcement agencies:
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Federal Bureau of Investigation
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Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
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Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation
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Simi Valley Police Department
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Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department
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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations
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Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau
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U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office of Inspector General
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California Department of Insurance – Fraud Division
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U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General
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U.S. Department of State
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U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General
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U.S. Postal Inspection Service
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U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General
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Drug Enforcement Administration
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U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, Office of Inspector General
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Riverside County Probation Department
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Riverside County Sheriff’s Department
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
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U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General
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Los Angeles County Fire Department, Arson Investigation Unit
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South Gate Police Department
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El Monte Police Department
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Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Special Enforcement Bureau – Arson Explosive Detail
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U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service
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U.S. Coast Guard
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Criminal Investigation Division
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Royal Canadian Mounted Police
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Sûreté du Québec
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Sûreté du Québec de police de la Ville de Montréal
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U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service
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Federal Housing Finance Authority, Office of Inspector General
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U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security
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U.S. Department of State, Foreign Service National Investigator
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Torrance Police Department
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Los Angeles Police Department
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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Office of Professional Responsibility
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Los Angeles County Probation Department
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Long Beach Police Department
U.S Attorney Hanna said, “We are eternally grateful the hard work and sacrifice given by these members of law enforcement. Every one of the honorees serves as a prime example of the outstanding commitment shown by every law enforcement officer who serves the public.”
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U.S. Attorney’s Office and Law Enforcement Partners Seize 352 Firearms in Fiscal Year 2018Read the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced today that the District of New Jersey seized 352 firearms as part of criminal prosecutions in Fiscal Year 2018.
The District of New Jersey worked jointly with its law enforcement partners, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Marshal’s Service, and numerous agencies of the State of New Jersey.
“As part of our mission to keep the public safe from violent crime, the United States Attorney’s Office has removed more than 300 firearms from the hands of criminals in the last year alone,” U.S. Attorney Carpenito said. “Each one of these firearms represented a clear and present danger to the safety of our citizens, and we are proud to work with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to reduce the threat of armed criminals in New Jersey.”
“Taking these guns off the streets is proof that Attorney General Sessions’ initiatives to fight gun violence are successful and are having an impact,” ATF Newark Field Division Special Agent in Charge John B. DeVito said. “The use of Crime Gun Intelligence is instrumental in achieving these objectives, and ATF remains committed to removing the firearms that endanger our communities.”
During the 2018 fiscal year, firearms seizures in the District of New Jersey included:
• Nine AR-15 type assault rifles
• More than a dozen other “long guns,” including shot guns and rifles, and even an M2 machine gun
• More than 300 pistols and revolvers“To keep New Jersey streets safe, the FBI along with our local and state partners will aggressively pursue the seizure and forfeiture of guns from violent criminals and convicted felons,” Newark FBI Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie said.
“Transnational criminal organizations operating in New Jersey rely on firearms as a tool to further their criminal activity,” Brian Michael, Special Agent in Charge, HSI Newark, said. “HSI and all our law enforcement partners are determined to keep these weapons out of the hands of dangerous criminals that pose a threat to public safety and the special agents/officers that pursue them each and every day.”
“When we remove crime guns and the criminals who carry them from our communities, we attack the root of gun violence,” N.J. Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said. “The 352 guns forfeited by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in collaboration with law enforcement partners across New Jersey represent 352 guns that will never kill or maim a resident or one of our law enforcement officers. We work best when we work together, and our collaborative efforts to prosecute gun crimes and share intelligence about illegal guns trafficked into New Jersey are having a strong impact.”
“We are pleased to have partnered with the U.S. Attorney’s Office the recovery of over 300 firearms this year,” Newark Public Safety Director Anthony F. Ambrose said. “We will remain vigilant in working with U.S. Attorney Carpenito and his law enforcement partners in the confiscation of illegal firearms with an aim towards an ongoing reduction of violent crime.”
“U.S. Attorney Carpenito’s unwavering leadership to reducing gun violence has facilitated a significant statistical decrease in the number of gun homicides and firearm related aggravated assault incidents in Camden,” Camden County Police Chief J. Scott Thomson said. “Removing violent criminals and their guns from the streets with the promise of federal prosecution continues to serve as a major deterrent that makes neighborhoods safer.”
The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, along with their law enforcement partners, are responsible for seizing and forfeiting firearms that are involved in criminal activities. Many of these forfeitures result when previously-convicted felons continue to carry firearms, and are convicted of being felons in possession of weapons, pursuant to Section 922(g) of Title 18 of the United States Code. The law requires that these firearms be forfeited.
U.S. Attorney for Idaho Names Election Day ContactsRead the Press Release
BOISE – United States Attorney Bart M. Davis announced today that Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs) Jack Haycock, Ray Patricco and Traci Whelan will lead the efforts of his Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 6, 2018, general election. AUSAs Haycock, Patricco and Whelan have been appointed to serve as District Election Officers for the District of Idaho, and in that capacity are responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of complaints of election fraud and voting rights abuses in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.
“Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have their vote properly counted,” said U.S. Attorney Davis. “The Department of Justice will act promptly and aggressively to protect the integrity of the election process.”
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring election fraud and discrimination at the polls, and combating these violations whenever and wherever they occur. The Department’s long-standing Election Day Program furthers these goals, and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the integrity of the election process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible election fraud and voting rights violations while the polls are open on Election Day.
Federal law protects against such crimes as intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from acts that intimidate or harass them. For example, actions of persons designed to interrupt or intimidate voters at polling places by questioning or challenging them, or by photographing or videotaping them, under the pretext that these are actions to uncover illegal voting may violate federal voting rights law. Further, federal law protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or illiteracy).
“The franchise is the cornerstone of our American system of governance,” said Davis. “We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice.”
In order to respond to complaints of election fraud or voting rights abuses on November 6, 2018, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, United States Attorney Davis stated that AUSAs Haycock, Patricco and Whelan will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. They can be reached by the public at the following telephone numbers:
- (208) 251-0589 in Pocatello for AUSA Haycock;
- (208) 334-9118 in Boise for AUSA Patricco; and
- (208) 676-7344 in Coeur d’Alene for AUSA Whelan.
Additionally, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) will have Special Agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on Election Day. For matters in eastern and southern Idaho, FBI agents in Boise can be reached by the public at (208) 344-7843 and for matters in northern Idaho, FBI agents in Coeur d’Alene can be reached by the public at (208) 664-5128.
After Election Day, complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the District of Idaho Civil Chief, AUSA Nicholas Woychick at (208) 334-9120 or the Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section in Washington, D.C. by phone at 1 (800) 253-3931 or (202) 307-2767, by fax at (202) 307-3961, by email to [email protected] or by complaint form at justice.gov/crt/complaint/votintake.
“Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the cooperation of the American electorate,” said Davis. “It is imperative that those who have specific information about discrimination or election fraud make that information available immediately to my Office, the FBI, or the Civil Rights Division.”
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U.S. Attorney and DEA Announce Significant Milestones During 16th National Prescription Take Back DayRead the Press Release
With the robust participation of Americans nationwide, the Drug Enforcement Administration and its law enforcement partners have now surpassed its 10 million pound goal and collected nearly 11 million pounds of unused, unwanted or expired prescription medications over the course of 16 successful DEA National Prescription Drug Take Back events.
“The results of our most recent Take Back Day clearly demonstrate a need for this initiative as a tool in the fight against America’s opioid crisis,” said DEA Acting Administrator Uttam Dhillon. “The success of this event is a direct reflection of DEA’s commitment to prevent drug addiction and overdose deaths in the U.S. Together, we are all helping to make a difference to keep our friends and families safe.”
Clyde E. Shelley, Jr. the Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s Dallas Division, which overseas DEA operations in Oklahoma and Texas, announced that during the 16th semiannual event on Oct. 27, DEA and federal, state and local partners disposed of more than 900,000 pounds of prescription medications collected at nearly 6,000 sites across the country. Together with almost 5,000 local, state and federal partners, DEA collected and destroyed more than 457 tons of potentially dangerous leftover prescription drugs. This brings the total amount of prescription drugs collected by DEA since the fall of 2010 to 10,878,950 pounds, or 5439.5 tons.
The Dallas Field Division experienced record participation and collected 32,941 pounds of unused, unwanted or expired prescription medications across Texas and Oklahoma.
Oklahomans located in the 11 counties (Tulsa, Pawnee, Osage, Creek, Washington, Nowata, Rogers, Craig, Mayes, Ottawa, and Delaware Counties) which comprise the federal Northern District of Oklahoma did their part in meeting the milestone, turning over 864.492 pounds of expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. United States Attorney Trent Shores and DEA Special Agent in Charge Clyde E. Shelley, Jr., championed the efforts of federal, state, local, and tribal community partners who helped make the event a success.
United States Attorney Trent Shores of the Northern District of Oklahoma stated, “Hundreds of Oklahomans lose their lives every year due to prescription opioid overdoses. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. The DEA’s Drug Take Back Day saves lives. Disposing of these prescription drugs keeps them out of the hands of our children and loved ones and helps stop the spread of addiction. I am thankful to the DEA for their hard work in setting up this event and every Oklahoman who turned in their outdated and unused prescriptions.”
“The DEA Prescription Drug Take-Back program provides all citizens of Texas and Oklahoma the ability to properly and safely dispose of prescription medication that may otherwise be used for nefarious purposes. DEA Dallas is proud to work hand-in-hand with our law enforcement partners and members of the community to stem the massive amount of prescription drugs that serve as a catalyst for the opioid epidemic,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Clyde E. Shelley, Jr.
National Prescription Drug Take Back Day events continue to remove opioids and other medicines from the nation’s homes, where they could be stolen and abused by family members and visitors, including children and teens.
DEA began putting on Take Back Day events when the public had no other way to appropriately dispose of their leftover painkillers and other potentially dangerous drugs. These events have been extremely successful not only in getting unused drugs out of the house, but also in raising awareness of their link to addiction and overdose deaths. Since DEA launched this program nine years ago, doctors are prescribing fewer painkillers, and law enforcement agencies, pharmacies and others have installed permanent prescription drug drop boxes on-site, making drug disposal even more convenient.
Helping people to dispose of potentially harmful prescription drugs is just one way DEA is working to reduce the addiction and overdose deaths plaguing this country due to opioid medications.
The DEA encourages parents, along with their children, to educate themselves about the dangers of legal and illegal drugs by visiting DEA’s interactive websites at www.justthinktwice.com, www.GetSmartAboutDrugs.com and www.dea.gov. Also follow DEA Dallas via Twitter at @DEADALLASDiv
Complete results for DEA’s fall Take Back Day are available at https://takebackday.dea.gov/#initiative-results. DEA’s next Prescription Drug Take Back Day is April 27, 2019.