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17 October 2018
Williamsport Man Indicted for Marijuana TraffickingRead the Press Release
WILLIAMSPORT - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Jason Webb, age 45, of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, was indicted on October 16, 2018, by a federal grand jury for conspiracy to distribute marijuana and possession with intent to distribute marijuana.
According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Webb conspired with others to distribute marijuana from December 2017 to October 5, 2018, in Lycoming County.
The case was investigated by the Williamsport Bureau of Police, Pennsylvania State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Alisan V. Martin is prosecuting the case.
Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
The penalty under federal law for the offenses is a maximum sentence of up to 30 years in prison and a $2,000,000 fine. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.
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Victoria Man Gets Significant Sentence for Hate Crime in Burning of Local MosqueRead the Press Release
HOUSTON - The 26-year-old man convicted of burning the Victoria Islamic Center in January 2017 has been ordered to federal prison for more than 24 years.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Patrick for the Southern District of Texas, Acting Assistant Attorney General John Gore of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, Special Agent in Charge Fred Milanowski of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Special Agent in Charge Perrye K. Turner of the FBI made the announcement.
A federal jury in Victoria returned guilty verdicts July 16, 2018, on all counts as charged against Marq Vincent Perez. They found him responsible for a hate crime in the burning of the Jan. 28, 2017, and for use of a fire to commit a felony. In addition, they found he possessed an unregistered destructive device for an incident that occurred on Jan. 15, 2017.
Today, Senior U.S. District Judge John Rainey noted the seriousness of the offense before imposing a 294-month-term of imprisonment. In handing down the sentence, the court noted that the most important factor in determining punishment was adequate deterrence, stating that “this conduct would not be tolerated in our society.”
Judge Rainey also commented on hate crimes and how they are “a cancer to our society” and that “this must stop.” The Judge also noted that Perez wanted to send a message to the Muslim community, but the court was also sending a message to Perez and others like him.
At the hearing, three members of the mosque also provided testimony detailing the impact the crime has had on them, their families and the community. They noted that people are still frightened to this day, noting that some of the female members do not even wear the traditional head coverings in public. Some members cannot even bring themselves to return because of their fears.
“The Attorney General has said that the Freedom of religion is indeed our ‘first freedom’—being the first listed right of our First Amendment,” said Patrick. “The Department of Justice prosecutes violent and dangerous crime, but also, and particularly when that crime interferes with someone’s ability to practice their religious faith. Not only was this a dangerous and potentially deadly act, but also one spurred from hate. I am glad justice was served in this case.”
“Everyone in this country has the right to worship freely without fear of violence,” said Gore. “This defendant terrorized the Muslim community in Victoria, and the Department partnered with federal, state and local agencies to ensure that the person responsible for this heinous hate crime would be found and prosecuted.”
“ATF is the primary federal law enforcement agency tasked with investigating House of Worship Fires and views an arson against a house of worship as not just an attack on a building, but as an attack against an entire community,” said Milanowski. “ATF is pleased the defendant has been held accountable for this crime and will continue to respond to these violent crimes using all available resources.”
“Mr. Perez sought to provoke terror within the tranquil space of the Victoria Islamic Center," said FBI Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge Edward Michel. "By deliberately burning down this mosque, Mr. Perez attacked a specific religious congregation in the hope of spreading fear, conflict and depriving Victoria’s Islamic community of their peaceful and safe place to worship. Today's sentencing illustrates that hate crimes will not be tolerated. No one in this country should feel afraid to openly practice their religion or express their beliefs. The FBI will continue to aggressively investigate civil rights violations wherever and whenever they occur."
At the time of the trial, the jury heard that the case was “a simple, straightforward case of hate.”
Testimony at trial detailed how Perez conducted what he described as “recon” by breaking into the mosque a week before he set it on fire. Evidence presented at trial showed Perez communicated with someone through Facebook about breaking into the mosque a second time, the same night of the fire. A witness who was with Perez on the night of the fire described how Perez used a lighter to set papers on fire inside the mosque and how excited Perez was upon seeing the mosque in flames just minutes later.
The witness testified that Perez said that he burned down the mosque, because he wanted to “send a message.”
During the execution of a search warrant, federal agents recovered stolen property taken from the mosque the night of the fire in Perez’s home. Several witnesses at trial also testified about Perez’s animus towards Muslims and that he often used anti-Muslim slurs.
Members of the mosque testified at the trial that they watched from afar as federal, state and local law enforcement officers tried to extinguish the fire, but observed that the fire could not be put out until it had engulfed the entire mosque. Those witnesses also testified that, after the destruction of the mosque, the Victoria Islamic Center raised money online from over 20,000 individuals from all over the United States and more than 90 countries to rebuild the mosque.
When Perez learned that the Victoria Muslim community had raised money to rebuild the mosque, he told a witness that he would burn the mosque down again if it was rebuilt.
ATF and FBI conducted the investigation along with the City of Victoria Fire Marshal’s Office, Victoria Fire Department, Victoria Police Department, Texas Department of Public Safety - Criminal Investigations Division and Texas Rangers with assistance of Texas State Fire Marshal’s Office and Sheriff’s Offices in Victoria and Nueces Counties and the Victoria County District Attorney’s Office.
The City of Victoria has also acknowledged the efforts in this case, noting “The Victoria Fire Department and the City of Victoria would like to extend our gratitude and appreciation to all of our local state and federal partners. We also want to thank all of the local businesses and organizations that have supported the investigation team. This has been a long process, 21 months. We want to thank the community for their patience and support.”
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sharad S. Khandelwal and Kate Suh prosecuted the case along with Trial Attorney Saeed Mody of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division
Vancouver, Washington Man Indicted for Scheme to Claim Disability Benefits while Working under a False IdentityRead the Press Release
An engineer employed with technology manufacturing companies in the Vancouver, Washington area was indicted today by a federal grand jury for a scheme to collect disability benefits under his own identity while working under a false identity, announced U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes. STEVEN LYNN ROSS, 67, is accused of stealing more than $360,000 in government benefits. ROSS possessed identity documents he had fraudulently obtained in the names of children who died in the 1950s and 1960s. ROSS was arrested earlier this month and will be arraigned on the indictment in U.S. District Court in Tacoma on October 29, 2018.
According to records filed in the case, in 1987 ROSS assumed the identities of at least two deceased children in order to open Social Security accounts in their names. One of the children had died in a car accident as a toddler, the other died in a plane crash in 1968 at age thirteen. ROSS used these identities in various ways, obtaining drivers licenses, bank accounts and passports in various names. In 2001, ROSS began collecting Social Security Disability payments in his true name, saying he was unable to work due to physical ailments. In fact, at the same time that he was collecting disability payments, ROSS continued to work under one of the identities he had stolen. In this way, ROSS collected more than $360,000 in disability payments even though he was not disabled under program rules.
The Washington State Department of Licensing began investigating when facial recognition software flagged that ROSS’s image appeared in more than one driver’s license photo. The case was turned over to the Social Security Office of Inspector General (SSA-OIG) and U.S. State Department Diplomatic Security Service (DSS). The DSS determined that ROSS had obtained passports in his own name as well as the names of the two deceased children, and that all three passports contain ROSS’ picture. Between 1998 and 2011, ROSS traveled out of the country 22 times with one of the stolen identities, even as he also traveled internationally using his own name and passport as well.
ROSS is charged with two counts of wire fraud, five counts of theft of public funds, one count of access device fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.
Wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. The other federal felonies are punishable by up to ten years in prison. Aggravated identity theft is punishable by a mandatory two-year term to run consecutive to any sentence imposed on the other counts of conviction.
The charges contained in the indictment are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case was investigated by the Social Security Office of Inspector General (SSA-OIG), the U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), and the Washington State Department of Licensing License Integrity Unit (DOL/LIU).
The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin Diggs. Mr. Diggs is an attorney with the Social Security Administration specially designated to prosecute benefit fraud cases in federal court.
U.S. Attorney welcomes new Assistant U.S. AttorneysRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – United States Attorney Bill Powell is excited to announce the addition of three new attorneys to the Martinsburg office in the Northern District of West Virginia.
Kimberley D. Crockett, Jeffrey Finucane, and Timothy D. Helman were sworn in today by Chief District Judge Gina M. Groh in the Martinsburg Federal Courthouse. Each will be assisting in the criminal division.
“I appreciate the Attorney General’s allocation of additional resources for our district.
Pictured L-R: Jeffrey Finucane, Timothy Helman, Kimberley CrockettIt is the first time in years that we have been able to hire additional prosecutors, and I am confident that they have made our already great group of prosecutors that much better. They are each experienced lawyers who will need little or no time to immediately assist in prosecuting our growing case load,” said Powell.
Kimberley D. Crocket comes to the U.S. Attorney’s Office with both private practice and public service experience. She most recently practiced law from her law firm Crockett Law, located in Martinsburg. Kim earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Journalism from West Virginia University (WVU). She obtained her Master’s Degree in English literature and Women’s Studies from WVU, and then worked as an English professor at Delaware State University. Kim then decided to return to school and attended the WVU College of Law, where she was a DuBois Fellow. She previously served as an assistant prosecutor for both the Berkeley County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, prosecuting felony crimes of violence with an emphasis on crimes against children. While Kim worked for the Jefferson County Prosecutor’s Office she served a year-long position as a Special Assistant United States Attorney (SAUSA) working in Martinsburg.
Jeffrey Finucane comes to the Northern District of West Virginia from the Office of General Counsel at the National Security Agency at Fort Meade, Maryland. Prior to that, Jeff was a prosecutor in Baltimore City. He has also been a member of the United States Army JAG Corps since 2008, serving in the Reserves since 2012. Jeff is a native of Washington, D.C. He attended law school at the University of California at Davis and undergraduate at Washington University, St. Louis.
Timothy D. Helman was hired as two-year term Assistant United States Attorney as a part of the opioid surge in the Northern District specifically to focus on prosecuting fentanyl and heroin cases. Tim is a 30-year resident of Martinsburg, WV, and a 2004 graduate of WVU College of Law. He has spent the past 11 years working in the Berkeley County and Jefferson County prosecuting attorneys’ offices where he prosecuted murder, robbery, public corruption, and other felony cases.
U.S. Army Sergeant at Ft. Bliss Sentenced to 60 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
In El Paso today, a federal judge sentenced 34–year-old U.S. Army Sergeant Ron Mitchell Dunbar to 60 years in federal prison followed by lifetime of supervised release for aggravated sexual abuse of a child and receipt and possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney John F. Bash and Special Agent in Charge Emmerson Buie, Jr., of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), El Paso Division.
On April 19, 2018, Dunbar pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, one count of sexual abuse of a child, one count of aiding and abetting sexual abuse of a child and one count of receipt and possession of child pornography. By pleading guilty, Dunbar admitted that between 2007 and 2009, he sexually assaulted two minor females while on Ft. Bliss. Furthermore, Dunbar admitted that on September 15, 2017, he obtained from 29-year-old Ft. Bliss resident Faith Mitchell Chavez multiple photos he requested of her two minor daughters engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
“A single incident of sexual abuse can permanently alter the course of a child’s life. Today’s 60-year sentence reflects the utter inhumanity of these types of offenses,” stated U.S. Attorney Bash.
“Crimes against children violate the most innocent and helpless members of our community. The FBI will continue to work tirelessly to investigate allegations and crimes such as the ones in this investigation,” stated FBI Special Agent in Charge Buie.
Chavez, who remains in federal custody, is scheduled for sentencing at 8:00am on November 1, 2018, before U.S. District Judge Philip R. Martinez. On July 24, 2018, Chavez pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to produce child pornography. She faces between 15 and 30 years in federal prison.
The FBI, together with the U.S. Army Criminal Investigations Command, investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ian Hanna prosecuted this case on behalf of the Government.
This 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 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 http://www.justice.gov/psc.
Two South Denver Pharmacists Plead Guilty to Felony Charges of Illegally Distributing OpioidsRead the Press Release
DENVER – Stanley (Stan) G. Callas, age 66, of Parker, and Scott Alan Eskanos, age 63, of Highlands Ranch, pled guilty today before Senior U.S. District Court Judge Robert E. Blackburn to charges related to the illegal dispensing and distribution of controlled substances, U.S. Attorney Bob Troyer and DEA Denver Division Special Agent in Charge Tim McDermott announced. Both defendants are scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Blackburn on March 14, 2019.
According to the stipulated facts contained in both defendants’ plea agreements, Stanley Callas and Scott Eskanos were co-owners of Crown Point Pharmacy, located in Parker, Colorado, and Sky Ridge Pharmacy, located at in Lone Tree, Colorado. Callas typically dispensed controlled substances from Crown Point Pharmacy and Eskanos typically dispensed controlled substances from Sky Ridge Pharmacy.
Callas pled guilty to illegal distribution of controlled substances on September 13, 2012, when he dispensed morphine, meperidine, and lorazepam to co-defendant Dianna Smithling outside the usual course of professional practice and for a purpose other than a legitimate medical purpose. Specifically, on September 13, 2012, Callas filled prescriptions for 1,500 morphine sulfate IR 30mg tablets; 450 morphine sulfate ER 60mg tablets; 30 morphine sulfate 100mg tablets; 180 injectable meperidine 100mg/ml vials; and 270 lorazepam 2mg tablets. Each prescription was written by co-defendant Dr. John Alan Littleford and purported to be for a 90-day supply. Smithling was Dr. Littleford’s office manager at the Pain & Injury Clinic in Parker, Colorado, when Callas distributed the controlled substances to her.
Based on the numbers of dosage units, the morphine equivalencies, plus the synergistic effects of taking these controlled substances together, Callas knew or should have known these prescriptions were not for a legitimate medical purpose. Callas also filled additional prescriptions well before the prescriptions he filled on September 13, 2012, were scheduled to run out. On October 9, 2012—approximately 26 days into the 90-day supply filled on September 13—Callas filled another prescription for 180 injectable meperidine 100mg/ml vials which was supposed to last for another 90 days. On November 5, 2012—approximately 53 days into the 90-day supply filled on September 13—Callas filled a prescription for 400 more morphine sulfate 30mg tablets and a prescription for 180 morphine sulfate 200mg tablets. Crown Point Pharmacy maintained real-time computer data which was accessible to Callas at every dispensing and made him aware of Crown Point Pharmacy’s dispensing history for each individual to whom he dispensed controlled substances. Callas did not exercise the degree of independent judgment which was required of him by law.
As part of his plea agreement, Callas agrees the Court can consider his distribution of controlled substances on five other occasions—involving more than 3,600 pills of various opioids, amphetamines, and benzodiazepines as well as fentanyl patches and vials of injectable meperidine—as relevant for sentencing in his case.
Eskanos pled guilty to illegal distribution of controlled substances on September 12, 2012, when he dispensed 840 oxycodone 30mg tablets to an individual who presented a prescription written by co-defendant Dr. Littleford outside the usual course of professional practice and for a purpose other than a legitimate medical purpose. Based on the numbers of dosage units and the morphine equivalencies, Eskanos knew or should have known this prescription was not for a legitimate medical purpose. Eskanos deliberately ignored obvious red flags in order to fill illegitimate prescriptions which were presented and which bore Dr. Littleford’s signature. For example, a review of historical data through the Colorado Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) or additional investigation with Dr. Littleford’s office would have revealed Dr. Littleford was also writing monthly prescriptions for the same individual for 360 oxycodone/acetaminophen 10mg/325mg tablets; 120 oxycodone 80mg tablets; 240 morphine sulfate ER 100mg tablets; 240 clonazepam 2 mg tablets; and 60 temazepam 15mg tablets, which the individual was filling at a pharmacy called Dale’s Pharmacy. In total, the individual was receiving 1,320 pills of oxycodone per month in addition to morphine and benzodiazepines. Sky Ridge Pharmacy maintained real-time computer data which was accessible to Eskanos at every dispensing and made him aware of Sky Ridge Pharmacy’s dispensing history for each individual to whom he dispensed controlled substances. Eskanos did not exercise the degree of independent judgment which was required of him by law.
As part of his plea agreement, Eskanos agrees the Court can consider his distribution of controlled substances on three other occasions—involving 1,500 pills of oxycodone and diazepam—as relevant for sentencing in his case.
As a term of their pretrial release in April 2016, Callas and Eskanos both agreed they would not be employed in any pharmaceutical capacity. Through their plea agreements, both defendants now agree they will not seek new pharmacy licenses or the return of the pharmacy licenses they previously surrendered pursuant to Non-disciplinary Cessation of Practice Agreements they reached with the Colorado Board of Pharmacy on April 22, 2016.
This case was investigated by the DEA Denver Division.
The defendants are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter McNeilly and Jaime Pena.
Two Former Deutsche Bank Traders Convicted for Role in Scheme to Manipulate a Critical Global Benchmark Interest RateRead the Press Release
A former supervisor of Deutsche Bank’s Pool Trading Desk and a former derivatives trader were convicted today in New York for their participation in a scheme to manipulate the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR), a critical global benchmark tied to trillions of dollars in derivatives, loans, mortgages, and other financial products.
Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division; and Special Agent in Charge Matthew J. DeSarno of the FBI’s Washington Field Office’s Criminal Division made the announcement.
Following a month long jury trial before the Hon. Chief Judge Colleen McMahon of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, a jury convicted former Deutsche Bank supervisor Matthew Connolly, 53, of Basking Ridge, New Jersey, of one count of conspiracy and two counts of wire fraud and former derivatives trader Gavin Campbell Black, 48, of London, of one count of conspiracy and one count of wire fraud. A sentencing date has not been set.
“Matthew Connolly and Gavin Black undermined the integrity of our financial markets by manipulating LIBOR, which is widely considered to be the most important number in the financial world because of its impact on trillions of dollars in financial products,” said Assistant Attorney General Benczkowski. “The Justice Department and its law enforcement partners will aggressively investigate and prosecute individuals and financial institutions who engage in this sort of misconduct.”
“Today’s convictions demonstrate our continuing commitment to prosecute those who fraudulently manipulated the financial markets for their own personal benefit and, in doing so, undermined free market competition,” said Assistant Attorney General Delrahim. “Such conduct will not be tolerated by this administration, especially when it threatens to destabilize global markets and financial stability worldwide. This case is a compelling example of effective coordination among law enforcement agencies — both at home and abroad. The Antitrust Division will continue to work with its many partners to aggressively pursue other individuals involved in this or other illegal schemes that undermine free financial markets.”
“Today’s conviction should serve as a reminder of our commitment to hold individuals and institutions accountable for their involvement in complex fraud schemes,” said Special Agent in Charge DeSarno. “The FBI will continue to work with our global partners in bringing those who undermine our financial markets to justice.”
According to evidence presented at trial, LIBOR is an averaged interest rate, calculated based on submissions from lending banks around the world, reflecting the honest and unbiased rates those banks believed they would be charged if borrowing from other banks. LIBOR was published by the British Bankers’ Association, a trade association based in London. The published LIBOR “fix” for USD currency was the result of a calculation based upon submissions from a panel of 16 banks, including Deutsche Bank.
Connolly was Deutsche Bank’s director of the Pool Trading Desk in New York, where he supervised traders who traded USD LIBOR-based derivative products. Black was a director on Deutsche Bank’s Money Market and Derivatives Desk in London, who also traded USD LIBOR-based derivative products. In order to increase Deutsche Bank’s profits on derivatives contracts tied to the USD LIBOR, Connolly directed his subordinates to reach out to Deutsche Bank’s LIBOR submitters to ask them to submit false and fraudulent LIBOR contributions consistent with his traders’ or the banks’ financial interests, rather than the honest and unbiased costs of borrowing, the evidence showed. The jury also heard evidence that Black asked Deutsche Bank’s cash traders who were responsible for submitting the bank’s LIBOR rates to ask that they adjust their submissions to favor his derivative trading positions. According to evidence at trial, several Deutsche Bank LIBOR submitters accommodated the defendants’ LIBOR manipulation requests.
In April 2015, Deutsche Bank entered into a deferred prosecution agreement to resolve wire fraud and antitrust charges and Deutsche Bank Group Services (UK) Limited pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, collectively agreeing to pay a $775 million fine, for the bank’s role in the scheme. Two Deutsche Bank traders pleaded guilty to fraud charges related to the LIBOR manipulation scheme.
Special agents, forensic accountants and intelligence analysts of the FBI’s Washington Field Office are conducting the investigation. Senior Litigation Counsel Carol L. Sipperly and Trial Attorney Alison L. Anderson of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Trial Attorneys Michael Koenig and Christina Brown of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division are prosecuting the case. The department acknowledges the contributions of Clair Dobbin, of Three Raymond Buildings Barristers, and Alan Ward, of Stephenson Harwood LLP, for their advocacy on behalf of the United States in the British courts.
The investigation leading to this case has required, and has greatly benefitted from, a diligent and wide-ranging assistance among various enforcement agencies both in the United States and abroad. In particular, the Department acknowledges and expresses its appreciation for this assistance from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s Division of Enforcement, the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority, and the U.K. Serious Fraud Office. Valuable assistance was provided by the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the Civil Division’s Office of Foreign Litigation.
Tonawanda Man Pleads Guilty to Cocaine ChargeRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y. -- U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Osvaldo Rivera-Amaro, 45, of Tonawanda, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford to attempted possession with intent to distribute cocaine. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Adler, who is handling the case, stated that cocaine was shipped to the defendant from Puerto Rico through the U.S. Postal Service. On December 15, 2017, U.S. Postal inspectors seized a package containing just over two kilograms of cocaine that was addressed to Iramarie Velez on Crane Place in Tonawanda, NY. The cocaine was replaced with sham cocaine, and then the package was delivered on December 28, 2017. After Velez accepted the package, she left the residence but returned a few minutes later with Rivera-Amaro. Velez went back into 62 Crane Place, came back out with the package, and placed it in the back of the defendant’s vehicle. The defendant was subsequently detained, his vehicle was searched, and the package, containing the sham cocaine, was located in the trunk.
Charges are pending against Iramarie Velez. The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Boston Division Inspector-in-Charge Joseph W. Cronin, and the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge James J. Hunt, New York Field Division.
Sentencing is scheduled for January 15, 2019, at 12:00 p.m. before Judge Wolford.
# # # #Three Nigerian nationals living in Grambling and Texas plead guilty to roles in marriage fraud schemeRead the Press Release
MONROE, La. – United States Attorney David C. Joseph announced that three Nigerian nationals living in Grambling and Texas have pleaded guilty Monday to roles in a scheme aimed at obtaining permanent residency illegally.
Adebisi Philip Bode Adejumo, 34, a Grambling, Louisiana, resident and Nigerian citizen; Godspower Raphael Sobaeh, 31, a Fort Worth, Texas, resident and Nigerian citizen; and Olabode Ebenezer Olubodun, 37, a Houston, Texas, resident and Nigerian citizen, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty to one count of conspiracy to make false statements in connection with immigration documents. Adejumo also pleaded guilty to one count of making false statements in connection with immigration documents, Sobaeh to one count of marriage fraud, and Olubodun to one count of making false statements in connection with immigration documents and mail fraud. In May, a federal grand jury returned a 42-count indictment charging 17 Nigerian and Cameroon nationals living in Louisiana, Texas, New York and Maryland with the marriage fraud scheme. Sobaeh, Adejumo and Olubodun are the first to plead guilty. The court set sentencing for February 6, 2019.
According to the indictment, from as late as June 2013 and continuing to 2018, the defendants, who were from Nigeria and Cameroon, used F-1 student and B-2 visitor visas to enter the United States. While here, they entered into fraudulent marriages to stay in the United States. They recruited and paid United States citizens to enter into sham marriages in order to evade immigration laws and procure immigration benefits to which they were not entitled. The defendants filled out immigration forms and supplemental documents using false information, and they forged immigration forms and supplemental documents that they mailed to U.S. Citizenship and Immigrations Services (USCIS). They also attended USCIS interviews where they made false statements under oath in an effort to evade immigration laws.
All the defendants were charged with one count of conspiracy to make false statements in connection with immigration documents, to commit mail fraud, to commit marriage fraud, and to commit aggravated identity theft. For the remaining defendants, charges and a list of the defendants, see the information below:
John Femi Egunjobi, 34, a Grambling resident and Nigerian citizen, was charged with 12 counts of making false statements in connection with immigration documents, nine counts of mail fraud and 15 counts of aggravated identity theft.
Talatu Helen Dada, 38, a Ruston, Louisiana, resident and Nigerian citizen, was charged with one count of making false statements in connection with immigration documents, one count of mail fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.
Oludayo Folarin Olayinka, 38, a Midland, Texas, resident and Nigerian citizen, was charged with one count of making false statements in connection with immigration documents, one count of mail fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.
James Ojo Ayodele, 49, a Ruston resident and Nigerian citizen, was charged with one count of making false statements in connection with immigration documents and one count of aggravated identity theft.
Precillia Asabe Dada, 53, a Ruston resident and Nigerian citizen, was charged with one count of making false statements in connection with immigration documents, one count of mail fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.
Landry Djeiya Tchokogue, 29, a Houston resident and Cameroon citizen, was charged with one count of making false statements in connection with immigration documents, one count of mail fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.
Cedric Gaetan Simou Meughu, 32, a Hyattsville, Maryland, resident and Cameroon citizen, was charged with one count of marriage fraud.
Martin Boris Takam Sagoua, 33, a Vineyard Haven, Maryland, resident and Cameroon citizen, was charged with one count of marriage fraud.
Cecilia Joseph Akpan, 55, a Huntington Station, New York, resident and Nigerian citizen, was charged with one count of making false statements in connection with immigration documents, one count of mail fraud, one count of marriage fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.
Tiimaro Smart Ekanem, 26, a Ruston resident and Nigerian citizen, was only charged with the conspiracy count.
Abiola Esther Olaniyi, 26, a Dallas, Texas, resident and Nigerian citizen, was charged with one count of making false statements in connection with immigration documents, one count of mail fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.
Paul Allele Edeki, 40, a Houston resident and Nigerian citizen, was charged with one count of making false statements in connection with immigration documents, one count of mail fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.
Funmilade I. Oyetunji, 26, a Katy, Texas, resident and Nigerian citizen, was charged with one count of making false statements in connection with immigration documents, one count of mail fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.
And Olorunwa James Akinseloyin, 41, a Ruston resident and Nigerian citizen, was charged with one count of making false statements in connection with immigration documents and one count of aggravated identity theft.
The defendants face up to five years in prison for the conspiracy count, 10 years in prison for the false statements count, 20 years in prison for the mail fraud count, five years in prison for the marriage fraud count and two years in prison for the identity theft count. They also face restitution, forfeiture, three to five years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine for each count. The remaining defendants are scheduled to face trial February 11, 2019.
Homeland Security Investigations Shreveport, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Marshals Service, Louisiana State Police-CIU, Louisiana State Police Narcotics, Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s Office, Shreveport Police Department and Bossier City Marshals Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tiffany E. Fields and Earl M. Campbell are prosecuting the case.
Texas man sentenced to 10 years in prison for role in Shreveport/Bossier City methamphetamine distribution conspiracyRead the Press Release
SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney David C. Joseph announced that a Texas man was sentenced Tuesday to 120 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possessing a firearm.
Donnie Vance Grabener, 64, of Waskom, Texas, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote on one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of felon in possession of a firearm. He was also sentenced to five years of supervised release. According to the May 3, 2018 guilty plea, Grabener and codefendants Thomas Taylor, 65, of Dallas, Texas; Tina Louise Taylor, 43, of Dallas, Texas; and Michael Shane Rushton, 33, of Bossier City, Louisiana, conspired to sell methamphetamine in the Shreveport/Bossier City area from March 2017 to May 2017. A Caddo Parish sheriff’s officer stopped a vehicle Rushton was driving on May 5, 2017 in Bethany, Louisiana. Riding in the vehicle were husband and wife Thomas and Tina Taylor. The officer searched the vehicle and found a box behind the driver’s side seat on the floor filled with paper rags. In the bottom of the box was a grocery sack with seven clear plastic bags that were later tested to contain approximately 983 grams of methamphetamine. Upon further investigation, law enforcement agents learned that Grabener sold methamphetamine with his suppliers being Thomas and Tina Taylor.
Thomas Taylor, Tina Taylor and Rushton pleaded guilty March 5, 2018 to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Rushton was sentenced September 17, 2018 to 60 months in prison with three years of supervised release. Thomas and Tina Taylor were sentenced on August 3, 2018 to 140 months and 120 months in prison respectively. They were also sentenced to five years of supervised release.
The DEA and the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tiffany E. Fields and Mary J. Mudrick prosecuted the case.
Texas Man Sentenced to Almost 25 Years for Hate Crime in Burning Down Mosque in Victoria, TexasRead the Press Release
The Justice Department today announced that Marq Perez, 26, was sentenced to more than 24 years in prison for burning down the Victoria Islamic Center on Jan. 28, 2017. Acting Assistant Attorney General John Gore of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Ryan Patrick for the Southern District of Texas, Special Agent in Charge Fred Milanowski of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Special Agent in Charge Perrye K. Turner of the FBI made the announcement.
A jury found Perez guilty on July 16, for a hate crime in the burning of the Victoria Islamic Center (the mosque) on Jan. 28, 2017, and for the use of fire to commit a federal felony. In addition, the jury found that Perez possessed an unregistered destructive device for a separate but related incident that occurred on Jan. 15, 2017.
“Everyone in this country has the right to worship freely without fear of violence,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General John Gore. “This defendant terrorized the Muslim community in Victoria, and the Department partnered with federal, state, and local agencies to ensure that the person responsible for this heinous hate crime would be found and prosecuted.”
“The Attorney General has said that the Freedom of religion is indeed our ‘first freedom’—being the first listed right of our First Amendment,” said Patrick. “The Department of Justice prosecutes violent and dangerous crime, but also, and particularly when that crime interferes with someone’s ability to practice their religious faith. Not only was this a dangerous and potentially deadly act, but also one spurred from hate. I am glad justice was served in this case.”
“ATF is the primary federal law enforcement agency tasked with investigating House of Worship Fires and views an arson against a house of worship as not just an attack on a building, but as an attack against an entire community,” said Milanowski. “ATF is pleased the defendant has been held accountable for this crime and will continue to respond to these violent crimes using all available resources.”
“Mr. Perez sought to provoke terror within the tranquil space of the Victoria Islamic Center," said FBI Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge Edward Michel. "By deliberately burning down this mosque, Mr. Perez attacked a specific religious congregation in the hope of spreading fear, conflict and depriving Victoria’s Islamic community of their peaceful and safe place to worship. Today's sentencing illustrates that hate crimes will not be tolerated. No one in this country should feel afraid to openly practice their religion or express their beliefs. The FBI will continue to aggressively investigate civil rights violations wherever and whenever they occur."
Testimony at trial detailed how Perez conducted what he described as “recon” by breaking into the mosque a week before he set it on fire. Evidence presented at trial showed that Perez communicated with someone through Facebook about breaking into the mosque a second time, the same night of the fire. A witness who was with Perez on the night of the fire described how Perez used a lighter to set papers on fire inside the mosque and how excited Perez was upon seeing the mosque in flames just minutes later. The witness testified that Perez said that he burned down the mosque, because he wanted to “send a message.” During the execution of a search warrant, federal agents recovered stolen property taken from the mosque the night of the fire in Perez’s home. Several witnesses at trial also testified about Perez’s animus towards Muslims and that he often used anti-Muslim slurs.
When Perez learned that the Victoria Muslim community had raised money to rebuild the mosque, he told a witness that he would burn the mosque down again if it was rebuilt.
Members of the mosque testified at the trial that they watched from afar as federal, state, and local law enforcement officers tried to extinguish the fire, but observed that the fire could not be put out until it had engulfed the entire mosque. Those witnesses also testified that, after the destruction of the mosque, the Victoria Islamic Center raised money online from over 20,000 individuals from all over the United States and over 90 countries to rebuild the mosque.
ATF and FBI conducted the investigation along with the City of Victoria Fire Marshal’s Office, Victoria Fire Department, Victoria Police Department, Texas Department of Public Safety - Criminal Investigations Division and Texas Rangers with assistance of Texas State Fire Marshal’s Office and Sheriff’s Offices in Victoria and Nueces Counties and the Victoria County District Attorney’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sharad S. Khandelwal and Kate Suh prosecuted the case along with Trial Attorney Saeed Mody of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division.
Texas Man Facing Federal Charges Arising Out of In-Flight Incident Resulting in Emergency Landing in New MexicoRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Justin Riley Brafford, 29, of Denton, Texas, made his initial appearance this morning in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., on a criminal complaint charging him with interfering with and intimidating members of a flight crew and flight attendants while on an aircraft, a felony charge, and simple assault, a misdemeanor charge. The charges against Brafford arose out of an in-flight incident requiring an emergency landing at the Albuquerque Sunport on Oct. 16, 2018. Brafford remains in federal custody pending a preliminary hearing and a detention hearing, both of which are scheduled for tomorrow.
The FBI arrested Brafford on Oct. 16, 2018, on a criminal complaint setting forth the charges against Brafford. According to the criminal complaint, on Oct. 16, 2018, while on a flight from Los Angeles, Calif., to Dallas, Tex., Brafford’s criminal behavior caused the flight crew to divert the flight to the Albuquerque Sunport.
The criminal complaint alleges that, while the aircraft was en route to Dallas from Los Angeles, Brafford allegedly assaulted a female victim, leading the victim to request that flight attendants move her to a different seat. It alleges that Brafford approached the victim in her new seat, causing her to seek assistance from a flight attendant. When the flight attendant approached Brafford, he allegedly responded in a belligerent manner, which the flight attendant, other flight crewmembers, and passengers found intimidating. The pilot determined it appropriate to divert the aircraft to the Albuquerque Sunport, where the FBI took Brafford into federal custody.
A conviction on the interference and intimidation charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years of imprisonment and a $250,000 fine, and a conviction on the simple assault charge carries a maximum penalty of a year of imprisonment and a $100,000 fine. Charges in criminal complaints are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty in a court of law.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Presiliano Torrez.
Brafford ComplaintTazewell County Man Indicted on Charges of Receiving Child PornographyRead the Press Release
PEORIA, Ill. – A Tazewell county man, Eric Ingram, 30, of Washington, Ill., is scheduled to be arraigned in federal court on Oct. 31, 2018, on charges that he received child pornography on two occasions in July 2018. The grand jury returned the indictment charging Ingram on Oct. 16.
Ingram was previously arrested and charged in a federal criminal complaint on Oct. 4, 2018. During a court appearance on Oct. 10, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jonathan E. Hawley, Ingram was ordered detained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
According to the affidavit filed in support of the complaint, Facebook, Inc. notified Washington Police Department officials in September of messages between Ingram and a 15-year-old minor that contained sexually explicit conduct. Facebook advised that it appeared Ingram was soliciting the content from the minor victim. Further, the affidavit alleges Ingram lived in close proximity to the minor victim and had discussed meeting in person in the Facebook messages.
If convicted, for receipt of child pornography, the statutory penalty for each count is five to 20 years in prison and up to lifetime supervised release upon release from prison.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine Legge and Ronald Hanna. The charges are the result of a joint investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations and the Washington Police Department.
Members of the public are reminded that an indictment is merely an accusation; the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
St. Thomas Man Arrested for Possession of Marijuana with the Intent to Distribute and Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI – Le’Quan Registe, 24, of St. Thomas was arrested on an indictment charging him with possession with the intent to distribute marijuana and possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking offense, United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced. Registe made his initial appearance before Superior Court Judge Denise Francois today and was detained pending further proceedings.
According to the indictment, on May 18, 2018, Registe was found in possession of marijuana for distribution and he was also in possession of an unlicensed firearm.
If convicted of possession with the intent to distribute marijuana, Registe faces a statutory term of imprisonment up to five years and a $250,000 fine. If convicted on the possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking offense, Registe faces a consecutive seven-year term of imprisonment.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) investigated this case and it is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sigrid M. Tejo-Sprotte.
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 proven guilty.
St. Thomas Man Arrested for Possession of Crack Cocaine with the Intent to Distribute and RobberyRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI – Ricardo Belgara, 49, of St. Thomas was arrested on an indictment charging him with two counts of possession with the intent to distribute crack cocaine and territorial charges of robbery and possession of an unlicensed firearm during the commission of a robbery, United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced. Belgara made his initial appearance before Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller on Tuesday and was detained pending further proceedings.
According to the indictment, between January and February 2014, Belgara sold crack cocaine to an individual on two separate occasions. The rock-like substances purchased from Belgara field-tested positive for crack cocaine on each occasion. Additionally, Belgara aided and abetted the robbery of the individual using a firearm.
If convicted of possession with the intent to distribute crack cocaine, Belgara faces a statutory term of imprisonment up to twenty years and a $250,000 fine. If convicted on the territorial charge of robbery, Belgara faces up to twenty years in prison and if convicted of using a firearm during the commission of the robbery, he faces a mandatory sentence of twenty years but not more than twenty-five years.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) investigated this case and it is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sigrid M. Tejo-Sprotte.
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 proven guilty.
St. Thomas Man Arrested for Possession of Crack Cocaine with the Intent to DistributeRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI – Delroy Tatum, Jr., 53, of St. Thomas was arrested on an indictment charging him with four counts of possession with the intent to distribute crack cocaine, United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced. Tatum made his initial appearance before Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller on Tuesday and was detained pending further proceedings.
According to the indictment, between May and September of 2014, Tatum sold crack cocaine to an individual on four separate occasions. The rock-like substances purchased from Tatum field-tested positive for crack cocaine on each occasion.
If convicted of possession with the intent to distribute crack cocaine, Tatum faces a statutory term of imprisonment up to twenty years and a $250,000 fine.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) investigated this case and it is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sigrid M. Tejo-Sprotte.
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 proven guilty.
Sex Offender Indicted on Federal Charges of Child Sexual ExploitationRead the Press Release
PEORIA, Ill. – A federal grand jury has charged Charles A. Hewitt, 47, of Creve Coeur, Ill., with enticement and exploitation of minor girls to engage in sexual acts. The indictment, returned on Oct. 16, alleges that Hewitt engaged in the sexual exploitation of three minor victims. At the time of the alleged offenses, Hewitt was required to register as a sex offender. Arraignment is scheduled on Oct. 31, 2018.
Hewitt was previously arrested and charged in a federal criminal complaint on Sept. 18, 2018. During a court appearance on Sept. 20, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jonathan E. Hawley, Hewitt was ordered detained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
According to the affidavit filed in support of the complaint, at the time of the alleged offenses, from March 2017 through Sept. 18, 2018, Hewitt was required to register as a sex offender as a result of a 2014 conviction in Woodford county, Ill. Hewitt allegedly used the online social media application Skout.com to meet minors and solicit sexually explicit images from those minors. Hewitt allegedly used a false name, age, and profile pictures, appearing to others as a 15 year old male named “John.” According to the affidavit, Hewitt posed as John’s father, known as “Charlie” to message a minor victim and to discuss his plan to have sexual intercourse with her. It is further alleged in the complaint that Hewitt knew the minor victim was under the age of 18 years old and that he traveled from Peoria to a nearby town to meet a minor victim.
If convicted, as charged, the statutory maximum penalties for enticement (one count) and child sexual exploitation (two counts), as a repeat offender, is up to life in prison. The statutory penalty for committing the alleged offenses as a sex offender is 10 years in prison to be served consecutive to any term of imprisonment imposed for the underlying crime.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Legge. The charges are the result of a joint investigation by the U.S. Secret Service and the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office.
Members of the public are reminded that an indictment is merely an accusation; the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Senior FinCen Employee Arrested and Charged with Unlawfully Disclosing SARsRead the Press Release
Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, William F. Sweeney Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), and Eric M. Thorson, Inspector General for the Department of Treasury, announced today the filing of a criminal complaint charging NATALIE MAYFLOWER SOURS EDWARDS, a/k/a “Natalie Sours,” a/k/a “Natalie May Edwards,” a/k/a “May Edwards,” who is a Senior Advisor at the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”), with unlawfully disclosing Suspicious Activity Reports (“SARs”) and conspiracy to do the same. EDWARDS was arrested yesterday and will be presented this afternoon in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “Natalie Mayflower Sours Edwards, a senior-level FinCEN employee, allegedly betrayed her position of trust by repeatedly disclosing highly sensitive information contained in Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) to an individual not authorized to receive them. SARs, which are filed confidentially by banks and other financial institutions to alert law enforcement to potentially illegal transactions, are not public documents, and it is an independent federal crime to disclose them outside of one’s official duties. We hope today’s charges remind those in positions of trust within government agencies that the unlawful sharing of sensitive documents will not be tolerated and will be met with swift justice by this Office.”
FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William F. Sweeney Jr. said: “In her position, Edwards was entrusted with sensitive government information. As we allege here today, Edwards violated that trust when she made several unauthorized disclosures to the media. Today's action demonstrates that those who fail to protect the integrity of government information will be rightfully held accountable for their behavior.”
Treasury Department Inspector General Eric Thorson said: “Our criminal investigators have been at the center of this investigation as a core part of our responsibility to detect and prevent threats to the integrity and efficiency of Treasury programs and operations. We are committed to working with our law enforcement partners and with FinCEN and other Treasury officials, and appreciate their cooperation and support.”
Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Sigal Mandelker said: “Protecting sensitive information is one of our most critical responsibilities, and it is a role that we take very seriously. We have fully and proactively supported Treasury’s Office of Inspector General’s investigation of leaks of protected information, and thank them for their hard work with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to hold accountable those responsible.”
According to the Complaint[1] filed today in Manhattan federal court:
The mission of FinCEN is to “safeguard the financial system from illicit use and combat money laundering and promote national security through the collection, analysis, and dissemination of financial intelligence and strategic use of financial authorities.”[2] Among other things, FinCEN manages the collection and maintenance of SARs regarding potentially suspicious financial transactions, which, under the Bank Secrecy Act, U.S. financial institutions and other parties are required by law to generate and deliver to FinCEN. Under the BSA and its implementing regulations, willful disclosure of a SAR or its contents by government employees or agents except as necessary to fulfill official duties is a felony.
Beginning in approximately October 2017, and lasting until the present, EDWARDS unlawfully disclosed numerous SARs to a reporter (“Reporter-1”), the substance of which were published over the course of approximately 12 articles by a news organization for which Reporter-1 wrote (“News Organization-1”). The illegally disclosed SARs pertained to, among other things, Paul Manafort, Richard Gates, the Russian Embassy, Mariia Butina, and Prevezon Alexander. EDWARDS had access to each of the pertinent SARs and saved them – along with thousands of other files containing sensitive government information – to a flash drive provided to her by FinCEN. She transmitted the SARs to Reporter-1 by means that included taking photographs of them and texting the photographs to Reporter-1 over an encrypted application. In addition to disseminating SARs to Reporter-1, EDWARDS sent Reporter-1 internal FinCEN emails appearing to relate to SARs or other information protected by the BSA, and FinCEN non-public memoranda, including Investigative Memos and Intelligence Assessments published by the FinCEN Intelligence Division, which contained confidential personal, business, and/or security threat assessments.
At the time of EDWARDS’s arrest, she was in possession of a flash drive appearing to be the flash drive on which she saved the unlawfully disclosed SARs, and a cellphone containing numerous communications over an encrypted application in which she transmitted SARs and other sensitive government information to Reporter-1.
* * *
EDWARDS, 40, of Quinton, Virginia, is charged with one count of unauthorized disclosures of suspicious activity reports and one count of conspiracy to make unauthorized disclosures of suspicious activity reports, both of which carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison. The statutory maximum penalties are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencings of the defendants would be determined by the judge.
Mr. Berman praised the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Treasury Department, and the Treasury Department’s Office of Inspector General. He also thanked the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia for its assistance with the investigation.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Public Corruption Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kimberly J. Ravener and Daniel C. Richenthal are in charge of the prosecution.
[1] The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and EDWARDS is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[2] www.fincen.gov/about/mission
Prison Employee Guilty of Federal ViolationsRead the Press Release
BEAUMONT, Texas – A 39-year-old Beaumont, Texas woman has pleaded guilty to federal violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Joseph D. Brown today.
Charleas Artesha Wilkerson pleaded guilty to charges of public official accepting a bribe today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Keith F. Giblin.
According to information presented in court, in April 2018, while serving in her official capacity as an employee of the Bureau of Prisons, Wilkerson agreed to accept $1,000 in exchange for smuggling suboxone and cell phones to a federal inmate housed at the U.S. Penitentiary in Beaumont, Texas. Federal agents observed Wilkerson retrieve money associated with the smuggling of contraband items. Wilkerson was later arrested as she retrieved a box that she believed to have contained the contraband items. Wilkerson was indicted by a federal grand jury on July 12, 2018.
Under federal statutes, Wilkerson faces up to 15 years in federal prison at sentencing. The maximum statutory sentence prescribed by Congress is provided here for information purposes, as the sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell E. James.
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Poultney Man Sentenced to 24 Months’ Imprisonment for Hosting Out-of-State Drug Dealers at His ResidenceRead the Press Release
The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated today that Wayne Oddo, 54, of Poultney, was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment by Chief United States District Court Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford sitting in Rutland, Vermont. Chief Judge Crawford also sentenced Oddo to a three-year period of supervised release by the U.S. Probation Office, which will begin when Oddo is released from prison.
Oddo previously pled guilty to a violation of a federal law that prohibits making a residence, or other place, available for the purpose of manufacturing, storing, distributing, or using any controlled substance. This statute imposes a maximum sentence of twenty years imprisonment, up to a $500,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release.
According to court records, from about December 2016 to March 2017, Oddo housed two out-of-state drug dealers who sold heroin and crack cocaine in Rutland County. These two drug dealers, Richard Torruellas (a.k.a. “Scoob”), 23, and Franseco Escribano (a.k.a. “Brisco”), 35, were known as the “Jersey Boys,” as they were from the Jersey City, New Jersey area. Both previously pled guilty to conspiring to distribute heroin and cocaine base and each received sentences of 54 months’ imprisonment.
According to the government, Torruellas and Escribano often stayed overnight at Oddo’s residence on Morse Hollow Road in Poultney with their supply of drugs. During the day, they would go into Rutland and use local addicts to sell most of their drugs. In exchange for letting them stay at his residence, Torruellas and Escribano gave Oddo small, personal use amounts of drugs and paid some of his bills. Oddo also allowed Torruellas and Escribano to target shoot with his guns in his backyard.
During the execution of a search warrant at his residence on March 15, 2017, Oddo admitted that he moved the body of Alexandra Rooker, 26, who had fatally overdosed a week earlier at Oddo’s residence. Specifically, Oddo stated that he had moved her body to his shed because of the smell and had not reported her death to anyone.
Several months before the discovery of Rooker’s body, there was another drug related-death at Oddo’s home, and in that situation too, Oddo never called for help. In light of these facts, in its sentencing memorandum, the government argued that a significant sentence of imprisonment was appropriate:
It is astonishing that over a six-month period there were two-drug related deaths at his residence and, in both instances, the defendant appeared to lack the basic decency to notify law enforcement. Most people, even those battling the demons of addiction, know instinctively that there is a line below which it is simply immoral to descend. Hiding the body of a deceased person falls well below that line. The defendant appears to have had no qualms about descending to that dark place.
U.S. Attorney Christina Nolan stated:
“In light of the defendant’s disregard for the dignity of deceased persons, a significant sentence was warranted. This tragic case also shows how destructive and corrosive the opioid crisis is in the State of Vermont.”
“The opioid crisis in Vermont requires a multi-faceted law enforcement approach aimed at reducing supply, which will complement statewide efforts to reduce demand by making drug treatment more accessible to addicts. As part of our continued vigorous prosecutions of large-scale drug dealers, it is necessary to also target those lower-level residents who enable larger out-of-state dealers by providing them with a places to stay, store their product, and conduct drug trafficking activities. Prosecuting these individuals and shutting down these safe houses is necessary because oftentimes these facilitators will host a succession of out-of-state drug dealers. In appropriate cases, such as when the owner of the property is aware of the drug dealing and fails to take reasonable and safe steps to stop it, such as by contacting law enforcement, we will consider utilizing federal forfeiture law to seize and forfeit the property.”
Rutland County State’s Attorney Rosemary Kennedy stated:
“I want to thank the US Attorney’s Office for all their work on this case. The State looks forward to prosecuting the matter in State court.”
This case was investigated by the Vermont State Police Drug Task Force, the Rutland City Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Perella prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States. Wayne Oddo is represented by Steven Barth, Esq., of the Federal Public Defenders Office.
Political Consultant Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Defraud the United States and Making False Statements to Federal InvestigatorsRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO – Derf Butler, owner and president of San Francisco-based Butler Enterprises, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to defraud the United States in connection with a federal construction contract, and making false statements to federal investigators, announced United States Attorney Alex G. Tse, Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge John F. Bennett, and the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Inspector General Special Agent in Charge James Breckenridge. The plea was accepted by the Honorable Charles R. Breyer, U.S. District Judge.
A federal grand jury indicted Butler, 54, of Vallejo, with the charges on April 6, 2017. In pleading guilty to the charges without a plea agreement, Butler has admitted that he conspired with others to knowingly and intentionally defraud the DOE. Specifically, Butler admitted that beginning no later than July 17, 2013, he was involved with others in an illegal scheme to obtain a contract with the DOE to renovate a building on the campus of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL).
Contractors seeking construction work with the DOE are legally required to obtain work through a competitive bidding process. In this case, Butler and others agreed to submit, or participate in the submission of, fraudulent and non-competitive bids to perform the renovation of LBNL Building 84. Specifically, Butler agreed to take steps to ensure that a particular “developer” won the contract by ensuring the developer’s bid on the renovation project was the lowest bid. Butler also helped to orchestrate the submission of bids by other contractors in amounts dictated by the developer. Butler also admitted he understood the bids he arranged for submission by other contractors were not genuine bids and were intended to be higher than the bid submitted to the DOE by the developer.
In addition, Butler admitted meeting with the developer in July of 2013, at which time Butler agreed to locate contractors to submit bids for the DOE contract in amounts higher than the contractor’s bid. During the meeting, the developer gave Butler $2,000 in cash. At the same meeting, Butler proposed that, instead of paying the contractors for submitting the bids, the developer could give the bidders sub-contracting work once the developer won the contract. Later that same month, Butler met with the developer other contractors. All agreed that the contractors would submit separate bids and none of the bids would be lower than the $5.7 million bid to be submitted by the developer. Within the next three months, the contractors’ additional, higher bids were submitted to the DOE and Butler received two additional cash payments of $4,000 and $9,000.
Butler also admitted facts related to making fraudulent statements to investigators. On March 26, 2014, agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation interviewed Butler about his dealings with the developer. Butler told the agents he had never received money from and that he had no financial relationship with the developer. In truth, Butler already had received $15,000, he had requested an additional $15,000, and he had multiple conversations with the developer about the financial benefits he expected to receive once the DOE contract for the renovation project was awarded.
The grand jury charged Butler with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371, and one count of making a false statement, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(2). Pursuant to today’s plea agreement, he pleaded guilty to both counts. Judge Breyer scheduled Butler’s sentencing for January 23, 2019.
Butler faces a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment, a three-year term of supervised release and a $250,000 fine for the conspiracy charge. In addition, Butler faces a maximum penalty of ten years imprisonment, a three-year term of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine for the false statement count. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
On March 9, 2018, Anton Kalafati, 34, of San Francisco, President of B Side Inc. in San Francisco, pleaded guilty to his role in the scheme. Kalafati admitted to being one of the contractors who submitted a sham bid for the LBNL Building 84 renovation contract. There is currently no date scheduled for Kalafati’s sentencing hearing.
The investigation that led to the charges in the indictment arose out of the FBI’s 2012-2014 public corruption investigation of San Francisco political consultant Keith Jackson and then-State Senator Leland Yee, and the related organized crime investigation of Raymond “Shrimp Boy” Chow. The FBI source who was posing as the developer and acting undercover in connection with the CalVet and DOE contracts described above was also involved in the investigation of Jackson and Yee. Jackson and Yee were convicted of corruption charges in 2015.
Assistant United States Attorneys Cynthia Frey, William Frentzen, and David Countryman are prosecuting the case with the assistance of Rosario Calderon and Bridget Kilkenny. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and United States Department of Energy, Office of Inspector General. Additional assistance was provided by the California Department of Veteran’s Affairs.
Pittsburgh Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Heroin and FentanylRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA – A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of violating federal narcotics laws, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
Troy Cole, Jr., age 27, pleaded guilty to two counts before Chief United States District Judge Joy Flowers Conti.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that on or about January 6, 2017,Cole, Jr. possessed with the intent to distribute and distributed a quantity of heroin, a Schedule I controlled substance, and on or about August 23, 2017, Cole possessed with the intent to distribute fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance.
Judge Conti scheduled sentencing for February 5, 2019 at 3:30 p.m. The law provides for a total sentence of not more than 20 years in prison, a fine of $1,000,000, or both. 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 Heidi M. Grogan is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Monroeville Police Department, and Pennsylvania’s Office of Attorney General conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Cole, Jr.
Ohio Man Pleads Guilty to Child Sex Charges Involving Minors in Multiple StatesRead the Press Release
ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 14, 2019, for Andrew J. Stone, 33, of Rocky River, Ohio, who entered pleas of guilty today to charges of transportation of a minor for unlawful sexual activity and production of child pornography. Stone appeared before U.S District Judge Sara Darrow in Rock Island.
According to court documents and admissions made in connection with his guilty pleas, Stone engaged in internet communications with a 15-year old girl who lived in Illinois. In December 2016, Stone traveled from Ohio to Illinois to meet the girl and then drove her to Iowa, where he and the girl engaged in sexual activity and Stone created video of the sexually explicit conduct. In addition, Stone admitted to illegal sexual activity with other minor girls in Illinois, Missouri, and Ohio. Further, Stone admitted that he caused the girls in those states and other girls in Iowa, Virginia, and Pennsylvania to create videos of themselves engaged in sexually explicit conduct and to send the videos to Stone.
Stone was arrested in Ohio on July 28, 2017, and charged in a federal criminal complaint filed in the Central District of Illinois. The grand jury returned an indictment in August 2017. Subsequent investigation revealed the additional illegal sexual activity that Stone admitted in court today.
Stone has agreed to serve a sentence of 35 years (425 months) in prison recommended by the government, according to the plea agreement filed today.
The charges were investigated by the U.S. Secret Service, the Moline Police Department, Illinois State Police, and the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Don Allegro.
This 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 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.justice.gov/psc.
Notorious Pedophile Committed to Federal Custody as a Sexually Dangerous PersonRead the Press Release
RALEIGH – United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr., announced that Chief United States District Judge Terrence W. Boyle committed KELLY GERALD CROSBY, 35, to the custody of the Attorney General as a sexually dangerous person under the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006.
CROSBY has a history of sexually molesting children and engaging in threatening behavior. CROSBY admitted that he sexually molested 15 minors ages 2-13 years old. He also persuaded a 13-year-girl to email him nude photographs. During his incarceration for a probation violation related to that offense, CROSBY wrote to the victim, threatening to rape her. In a separate letter to his sentencing judge, CROSBY threatened to rape the judge’s wife as the judge watched and then kill the judge himself. CROSBY also wrote to a female probation officer and threatened to rape her, too.
CROSBY was prosecuted federally for those threatening letters and ultimately sentenced to additional imprisonment in a federal institution. In March 2018, and while CROSBY was serving that federal sentence, the United States certified him as a sexually dangerous person under the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006. Congress passed that Act in 2006 to provide another powerful legal mechanism for protecting the public from some of the most dangerous sexual offenders. The Act allows the United States to seek civil commitment of sexually dangerous persons who, because of a serious mental illness, abmnormality, or disorder, would have serious difficulty refraining from sexually violent conduct or child molestation.
CROSBY admitted to his sexual misconduct and sexually violent threats in writing during his civil commitment proceeding. Reviewing those facts and other aspects of this case, four independent psychologists – including CROSBY’s own selected examiner – agreed that he met the criteria for civil commitment as a sexually dangerous person. CROSBY’s stipulated facts and the experts’ reports were provided to Chief Judge Boyle who, on October 16, 2018, committed CROSBY to the custody of the Attorney General.
“Kelly Crosby’s record of child molestation and sexually violent threats is undeniably heinous,” said U.S. Attorney Higdon. “He is a dangerous predator who exemplifies the need for the Adam Walsh Act. This Office will continue to vigorously pursue civil commitment of sexually dangerous persons like Crosby. Our communities, our families, and our children deserve nothing less.”
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina litigates all Adam Walsh Act cases for the entire country. All sexually dangerous persons who are committed to federal custody are housed in a federal facility in that district, where intensive, residential treatment is offered to them. CROSBY is the eighty-first sexually dangerous person committed under the Adam Walsh Act.
Assistant United States Attorneys Michael Gordon James and Dennis Duffy represented the government in this case.
Northwest Ambulance Services Owner Charged with 11 Count IndictmentRead the Press Release
HAMMOND – Basil N. Ubanwa, 60 years old, of Crown Point, Indiana, was indicted by a federal grand jury for 11 counts of health care fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Kirsch.
U.S. Attorney Kirsch said, “Health care fraud is a serious crime that drives up the cost of healthcare for all honest Americans. Medicare and Medicaid are not bottomless funds from which theft goes unnoticed or unpunished. Taxpayers are the victims of these crimes. We, with our law enforcement partners, will continue to investigate and aggressively prosecute perpetrators of these fraudulent schemes.”
The indictment alleges that between 2011 and 2018, Ubanwa executed a scheme to obtain hundreds of thousands of dollars by submitting fraudulent claims to Medicare and Medicaid for ambulance services. From 2007 to 2018, Ubanwa was the owner and manager of Northwest Ambulance Services, located in Crown Point, Indiana. Northwest’s primary source of revenue was transporting patients to and from kidney dialysis appointments. According to the indictment, Ubanwa and others directed Northwest employees to transport patients by ambulance who did not qualify for ambulance transportation and who were not eligible to receive such services under Medicare reimbursement rules. Ubanwa and others instructed Northwest employees to bill Medicare and Medicaid for ambulance services that were not medically necessary.
The United States is seeking criminal forfeiture of the proceeds of the alleged crimes including, but not limited to, the over $1.9 million from bank accounts associated with Northwest Ambulance and Ubanwa that are listed in the forfeiture count of the indictment.
The United States Attorney's Office emphasized that an indictment is merely an allegation and that all persons charged are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
If convicted in court, any specific sentence to be imposed will be determined by the judge after a consideration of federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
This case was investigated by the FBI, Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General and the Indiana Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Diane Berkowitz and Abizer Zanzi.
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Northshore Contractor Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Defraud First NBC BankRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – The U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Louisiana announced that JEFFREY DUNLAP, age 44, a resident of Slidell, Louisiana and owner of Phoenix Civil Contractors (“Phoenix”) pleaded guilty today to one count of conspiracy to defraud First NBC Bank, the New Orleans-based bank that failed in April 2017.
According to the Bill of Information, from March 2009 through April 2017, Phoenix and DUNLAP had a banking relationship with First NBC Bank. During that timeframe, Bank President A acted as the loan officer for Phoenix and DUNLAP, reviewing and approving new loans, lines of credit, and advances and incremental increases. The largest Phoenix loan was a revolving line of credit secured by eighty-percent of Phoenix’s accounts receivable. At the direction of Bank President A, DUNLAP submitted false financial statements and inflated accounts receivable for Phoenix to justify incremental increases on the line of credit. Bank President A caused these false supporting documents to be placed in First NBC Bank’s records.
As alleged in the Bill of Information, the purpose of the conspiracy was for the defendant, DUNLAP, Bank President A, and others to unjustly enrich themselves, disguise Phoenix’s true financial status, and conceal the accurate performance of Phoenix’s line of credit. The defendant, DUNLAP, Bank President A, and others sought to obtain money from First NBC Bank, in part, so that Bank President A and Owner B could continue using Phoenix on projects involving Company A, which was co-owned by Bank President A and Owner B. As a result, Bank President A and Owner B benefited by not having to use their own funds to pay Phoenix for work involving Company A.
The false and fraudulent financial statements, accounts receivable, and other documents submitted by DUNLAP disguised Phoenix’s true financial condition from First NBC Bank, bank regulators, investors, and others. By April 28, 2017, First NBC Bank had advanced approximately $22 million to Phoenix on the line of credit, based on these false statements.
DUNLAP could face up to 30 years imprisonment, a fine of more than $1 million, five years of supervised release, and a special assessment of $100.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Office of Inspector General, and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sharan E. Lieberman and Matthew R. Payne, Nicholas D. Moses and Ryan McLaren are in charge of the prosecution.
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Niagara Falls Man Pleads Guilty to Selling HeroinRead 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 Michael Mitchell, 37, of Niagara Falls, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge H. Kenneth Schroeder to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of 40, and a $5,000,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan Tokash, who is handling the case, stated that between June 2013 and September 2015, the defendant conspired with others sell heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine. Mitchell received heroin, cocaine, and crack cocaine base from co-defendant Troy Gillon for distribution to other dealers in the Lockport and Niagara Falls area.The defendant was intercepted, pursuant to court-authorized wiretaps, on his cellular telephone. Mitchell’s intercepted calls related to drug transactions, in which he arranged for sales of controlled substances and included discussions in which he discussed price, quantity, and location of sales. In addition, the defendant made several narcotic sales to an individual working with the Drug Enforcement Administration. Mitchell utilized a residence at 1154 LaSalle in Lockport to store the drugs he received from Troy Gillon for distribution.
Charges remain pending against Troy Gillon. The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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; the Lockport Police Department, under the direction of Acting Chief Steven Preisch; and the Niagara County Drug Task Force, under the direction of Sheriff James Voutour.
Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date.
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New York Man Charged with Possessing with Intent to Distribute More Than Two Kilograms of Heroin and More Than One Kilogram of Fentanyl PrecursorRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – A New York man who was arrested in Mercer County, New Jersey, with more than a kilogram of the fentanyl precursor ANPP, and possessing more than two kilograms of heroin in his New York apartment, made his initial appearance in Trenton federal court, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced today.
David Valle Campos, 45, of Spring Valley, New York, is charged by complaint with one count of possessing with intent to distribute approximately two kilograms of heroin, and one count of possessing with intent to distribute more than a kilogram of 4-Anilino-N-phenethyl-4-piperidine (ANPP), a Schedule II controlled substance used in the manufacture of fentanyl. He appeared Oct. 16, 2018, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Douglas E. Arpert in Trenton federal court and was detained without bail.
According to the complaint:
On Oct. 15, 2018, law enforcement officers learned that Campos planned to sell a substantial quantity of either heroin, fentanyl or both to a buyer in the Trenton area. The officers set up surveillance in the Hamilton Township, New Jersey, parking lot where they expected the transaction to occur. They observed Campos meet with another individual and return to his vehicle. Officers stopped the vehicle and discovered approximately 1.2 kilograms of a substance that tested positive for ANPP. A subsequent search of Campos’s Spring Valley, New York, apartment resulted in the seizure of approximately 2.1 kilograms of a substance that tested positive for heroin.
Campos faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum potential penalty of life in prison, and a $10 million fine.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Cherry Hill, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Brian Michael of HSI Newark, with the investigation leading to the charges. He also thanked the Rockland County Sheriff’s Office; the Rockland County Intelligence Center; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the N.J. State Police; the Village of Spring Valley, New York, Police Department; and the Customs and Border Protection Air Unit, New York, for their assistance with the case.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Molly S. Lorber of the Criminal Division in Trenton.
The charges and allegations in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
New York City Man Admits He Brought Heroin to Western Pennsylvania for DistributionRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A resident of New York, NY, pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of conspiracy to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
William Rosario, age 25, pleaded guilty yesterday to one count before Chief United States District Judge Joy Flowers Conti.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that from in and around November 2016 through in and around February 2017, Rosario conspired with his codefendants, David Francis and Jose Ortega, to possess with intent to distribute and distribute 100 grams or more of heroin, which he transported from New York to the Western District of Pennsylvania.
Chief Judge Conti scheduled sentencing for February 5, 2019 at 2:30 p.m. The law provides for a total sentence of not less than five and up to 40 years in prison, a fine of $5,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Pending sentencing, the court continued the defendant’s bond.
Assistant United States Attorney Tonya Sulia Goodman is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, Monroeville Police Department, Stowe Township Police Department, Ingram Borough Police Department, Pennsylvania State Police, and Monaca Police Department conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Rosario.
New Haven Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Charges Stemming from East Haven Overdose DeathRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that DEVELL CONLEY, 32, of New Haven, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to narcotics distribution offenses.
This matter stems from an ongoing statewide initiative targeting narcotics dealers who distribute heroin, fentanyl or opioids that cause death or serious injury to users.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on May 5, 2017, the East Haven Police Department responded to a report of an untimely death of a 27-year-old female at a residence in East Haven. At the scene, officers seized drug and non-drug evidence, including three small bags that contained a substance that tested positive for the presence of fentanyl. Investigators also seized the victim’s cellphone.
The investigation revealed that CONLEY had provided drugs to the victim shortly before her death. He also had distributed heroin and crack cocaine to several drug users between July 2016 and May 2017.
CONLEY has been detained since his arrest on May 18, 2017.
CONLEY pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of heroin and fentanyl, and one count of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of heroin and cocaine base (“crack”). Judge Hall scheduled sentencing for January 9, 2019, at which time CONLEY faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years on each count.
This matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Haven Task Force and the East Haven and New Haven Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick F. Caruso.
New Haven Man Charged with Multiple Bank Robbery OffensesRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that, on September 18, 2018, a federal grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment charging VINCENT JONES, 50, of New Haven with two counts of bank robbery and one count of attempted bank robbery.
JONES appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge William I. Garfinkel in Bridgeport and entered a plea of not guilty to the charges. He has been detained since August 9, 2018, when he was arrested on related state charges.
The indictment alleges that JONES attempted to rob the Key Bank located at 245 Main Street in East Haven on July 31, 2017; robbed the Webster Bank located at 247 Boston Post Road in Orange of $5,469 on July 31, 2017, and robbed the Bank of America located at 1331 Boston Post Road in Milford of $6,578 on August 8, 2018.
If convicted, JONES faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years on each count.
U.S. Attorney Durham stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the East Haven, Orange, Milford, New Haven and Waterbury Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas P. Morabito.
Navajo Man from Shiprock Sentenced to Prison for Firearms Offenses, Including Discharging Weapon Near a SchoolRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Eric Multine, 33, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Shiprock, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to 60 months in prison for unlawfully possessing a firearm and ammunition, and discharging a firearm near a school. Multine will be on supervised release for three years after completing his prison sentence.
The FBI arrested Multine on Dec. 26, 2017, on a criminal complaint charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm on Dec. 20, 2017, on the Navajo Indian Reservation in San Juan County, N.M. According to the complaint, officers of the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety (NNDPS) responded to a shots fired call for service near an elementary school on the Navajo Indian Reservation on Dec. 20, 2017. The NNDPS officers arrested Multine on tribal charges and found a firearm in his pocket incident to the arrest. Multine was federally charged after it was determined that he was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition because of his prior conviction for possessing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
On March 16, 2018, Multine pled guilty to a two-count felony information charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and with discharging a firearm in a school zone. In entering the guilty plea, Multine admitted being unlawfully in possession of a firearm and ammunition on Dec. 20, 2017, despite his status as a convicted felon. Multine also admitted discharging the firearm within 1,000 feet of an elementary school.
This case was investigated by the Farmington office of the FBI and the Shiprock office of the NNDPS. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle T. Nayback prosecuted the case.
Mount Holly Woman Convicted of Bank Fraud Conspiracy and Other Charges for $1 Million Fake Car Loan SchemeRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A federal jury in Charlotte returned a guilty verdict late yesterday against Kimberlie L. Flemings, 49, of Mt. Holly, N.C. for her role in a $1 million fake car loan scheme, announced Andrew Murray, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. The jury found Flemings guilty of conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud; wire fraud affecting financial institutions; and multiple counts of financial institution fraud. U.S. District Judge Robert J. Conrad presided over the trial.
Two of Flemings’ co-conspirators, Stanley Reginald Barron, 38 of Cornelius, N.C. and Brian Lyles, 46, formerly of Jersey City, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud. Lyles also pleaded guilty to bank fraud. They are currently awaiting sentencings.
According to evidence presented at trial, witness testimony and filed court documents, from at least 2012 to 2015, Flemings, Barron, Lyles and others submitted dozens of fraudulent automobile and personal loan applications in their names, and the names of at least 30 other individuals they had recruited to participate in the scheme, to at least 19 banks and credit unions. As a result of the fraudulent applications, the co-conspirators obtained more than $1 million in fraudulent loan proceeds. To facilitate the fraud, the co-conspirators created fake automobile dealerships that purported to be the sellers of vehicles purchased with the fraudulent loans. The co-conspirators also set up bank accounts, websites, and addresses associated with these fake automobile dealerships, and created fictitious purchase orders which were submitted to the financial institutions as part of the loan application.
Flemings, Barron and Lyles deposited the fraudulently-obtained checks from the financial institutions into accounts Barron controlled. After keeping a portion of the fraudulent loan proceeds, Barron distributed the rest to Flemings, Lyles, and others. According to court records, the majority of the loans defaulted, causing losses to the impacted financial institutions. To cover up the fraud, Barron and others made false statements to the defrauded banks and credit unions that attempted to collect on the debts, including that borrowers had been the victims of identity theft and that they had not authorized the loans.
Flemings is currently released on bond. Each of the charges the defendant was convicted of carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine. A sentencing date has not been set.
In making today’s announcement U.S. Attorney Murray thanked the Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and the Office of Inspector General of the Federal Housing Finance Agency for their investigation of the case, and recognized the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles for their assistance.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel Ryan and Taylor J. Philips of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte are in charge of the prosecution.
Moscow Man Sent to Prison on Federal Child Pornography ChargeRead the Press Release
COEUR D’ALENE – Jacob Anthony Lincoln, 28, of Moscow, was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court to 63 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for obscene visual representations, U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced. Lincoln pleaded guilty on March 19, 2018.
According court records, in 2016, law enforcement officers observed that a computer in the Moscow area was making child pornography available on the internet. This information, and other evidence, resulted in a state search warrant for Lincoln’s Moscow residence. During the subsequent search, officers seized a computer from Lincoln’s bedroom. When examined, the computer had 2,590 files depicting child pornography, including images of children being sexually abused.
U.S. District Court Judge David C. Nye, also ordered Lincoln to forfeit the hard drive he used during the commission of the crime and to pay $2,000 to a child whose image Lincoln possessed. Lincoln will be required to register as a sex offender because of his conviction.
This case was investigated by the Moscow Police Department, Latah County Sheriff’s Office with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. These agencies are members of the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, a coalition of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies who investigate and prosecute individuals who use the internet to criminally exploit children.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. As part of Project Safe Childhood, the U.S. 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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Montana Woman Pleads Guilty to Stealing from Forest Service Fee-TubesRead the Press Release
COEUR D’ALENE – Michaeleen Rae Herron, 45, of Lolo, Montana, pleaded guilty yesterday to theft of public money, U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced. Herron was indicted by a federal grand jury in Coeur d’Alene on May 15, 2018, and has remained in federal custody since her arrest on September 19, 2018.
According to statements made in court, on October 20, 2016, Herron went into United States Forest campgrounds, maintained by the United States Forest Service, and stole money from campground fee-tubes. Herron admitted that she fished money through deposit slots and pried fee-tubes open to take the money. Herron admitted that she stole $500.
Herron’s sentencing is set for December 18, 2018 before Chief U.S. District Court Judge B. Lynn Winmill at the federal courthouse in Coeur d’Alene. Herron faces up to one year in prison, and a $100,000 fine for her crime.
This case was investigated by law enforcement officers with the United States Forest Service.
# # #Mobile County Man Receives 46 Month Sentence for Possession of a Firearm After Felony ConvictionRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Richard W. Moore of the Southern District of Alabama announced that Deanthony T. Murphy, a 24 year old resident of Theodore, Alabama was sentenced to 46 months incarceration for possession of a firearm after being convicted of a felony Assault, Second Degree.
On June 12, 2018, according to a factual statement Murphy signed in connection with his guilty plea to being a felon in possession of a firearm, on about February 23, 2018, Murphy was speeding while driving a red Pontiac Firebird on Highway 90 in Mobile County, Alabama. Based on this traffic violation, a Mobile County Sheriff’s deputy executed a traffic stop. The deputy asked for and received Murphy’s driver’s license. A records check revealed that Murphy had active misdemeanor arrest warrants. He was arrested and the vehicle was set to be towed. During an inventory search of the vehicle, a loaded firearm was located lodged between the driver’s seat and the center console. The firearm is described as a Jimenez Arms, 9mm pistol. Murphy admitted that he possessed the firearm. Also found during the search was approximately 525 grams of marijuana, a set of digital scales, and an open box of sandwich baggies.
At that time, Murphy had been convicted of at least one felony, namely, Assault Second Degree, on March 25, 2014, in the Circuit Court of Mobile County, Alabama, case number CC-2013-004639.
Special Agents of the Department of Homeland Security/ICE along with deputies of the Mobile, County, Alabama Sheriff’s office investigated the case and brought it to the U. S. Attorney=s Office for prosecution. The prosecutor assigned to the case is Assistant United States Attorney, Gina S. Vann.
Mexican Citizen Sentenced for Illegal Re-entry into United StatesRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Catarino Vargas-Moreno, age 42, and a citizen of Mexico, was sentenced today to time served (32 days in jail) for illegal re-entry into the United States.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Robert N. Garcia, Chief Patrol Agent, United States Border Patrol, Swanton Sector.
Vargas-Moreno was removed from the United States to Mexico on September 14, 2009, following an illegal entry into the United States. On September 15, 2018, he was arrested at a Border Patrol checkpoint on New York State Route 9 near North Hudson, New York. Vargas-Moreno was a passenger in a vehicle that pulled into the checkpoint. Following a fingerprint check, Vargas-Moreno admitted that he returned to the United States without permission following the 2009 removal.
Following the sentencing, Vargas-Moreno was remanded to the custody of the Department of Homeland Security, for removal proceedings.
This case was investigated by Border Patrol and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward P. Grogan.
Mescalero Apache Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Assault ConvictionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Timothy Gregg Enjady, 54, an enrolled member of the Mescalero Apache Nation who resides in Mescalero, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to 18 months in prison for his conviction on an assault charge. Enjady will be on supervised release for two years after completing his prison sentence.
The BIA arrested Enjady in Aug. 2017, on a criminal complaint charging him with assaulting a Mescalero Apache woman on June 7, 2017, on the Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation in Otero County, N.M. According to the complaint, Enjady assaulted the woman by hitting her in the face with his fist, hitting her with an object, and placing his thumb in her eye.
Enjady was indicted on Jan. 17, 2018, and was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, an aluminum crutch, with intent to do bodily harm.
On May 1, 2018, Enjady pled guilty to the indictment, and admitted that on June 7, 2017, he assaulted the victim by striking her in the face and head with an aluminum crutch. Enjady further admitted that the victim suffered facial contusions, head lacerations, and a corneal abrasion as the result of the assault.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the FBI and the Mescalero Agency of the BIA’s Office of Justice Services and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron O. Jordan of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office.
The case was brought pursuant to the Tribal Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (Tribal SAUSA) Pilot Project in the District of New Mexico, which is sponsored by the Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against Women under a grant administered by the Pueblo of Laguna. The Tribal SAUSA Pilot Project seeks to train tribal prosecutors in federal law, procedure and investigative techniques to increase the likelihood that every viable violent offense against Native women is prosecuted in either federal court or tribal court, or both. The Tribal SAUSA Pilot Project was largely driven by input gathered from annual tribal consultations on violence against women, and is another step in the Justice Department's on-going efforts to increase engagement, coordination and action on public safety in tribal communities.
Meridian Man Pleads Guilty to Importation of Chemicals to Manufacture Synthetic Cannabinoid and Illegal Possession of FirearmsRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – Bilal Hamid Love, 35, of Meridian, pled guilty yesterday before Senior U.S. District Judge William H. Barbour III to importing the controlled substance AB-PINACA and possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Jere T. Miles, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations in New Orleans.
"We will remain vigilant in order to capture this poison being sent through our mail system before it hits our streets and harms our citizens. I commend our Postal agents, Homeland Security agents and prosecutor for being proactive and catching this criminal before he hurt our community even more," said U.S. Attorney Hurst.
On March 22, 2015, agents with Homeland Security Investigations and the United States Postal Inspection Service found two packages that were coming from Hong Kong to a resident in Meridian, Mississippi. Inside the packages was AB-PINACA, a powder that is used in making synthetic cannabinoid. Love lives in Meridian and was also the manager at a local sporting goods store in Meridian. Agents searched the sporting goods store and found 3 firearms and numerous packages of synthetic cannabinoid for sale. Agents also searched Love’s home and found numerous items that are used in making synthetic cannabinoid, such as sprayers, AB-PINACA, flavoring, and dryers. Agents also found more firearms, cocaine and marijuana plants. Love was charged in a multi-count federal indictment on March 7, 2018.
"Homeland Security Investigations is highly focused on identifying illegal cross-border shipments as one of its highest priorities," said Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations New Orleans Jere T. Miles. "The boldness of this criminal effort to import illegal drugs into the U.S. through the mail seriously underestimated the dedication of HSI and its federal partners to identify and seek prosecution of those engaged in this brazen criminal activity."
Love faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a $1 million fine. A sentencing date will be determined by the Court.
This case was a joint investigation by U.S. Homeland Security Investigations and the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the East Mississippi Drug Task Force, the Mississippi State Crime Laboratory, and the United States Marshal Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Erin Chalk.
Massachusetts Man Pleads Guilty to Sending Threatening Letters, Some Containing Suspicious White PowderRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Beverly man pleaded guilty today in connection with mailing threatening letters containing suspicious white powder to high-profile individuals, law enforcement officials and others.
Daniel Frisiello, 25, pleaded guilty to 13 counts of mailing a threat to injure the person of another and six counts of false information and hoaxes. U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled sentencing for Jan. 16, 2019. Frisiello was arrested and charged on March 1, 2018, and has been in home detention since.
Frisiello mailed five high-profile individuals around the country an envelope that contained suspicious white powder and a note indicating that the powder was dangerous and intended to cause harm. There were notable commonalities among the envelopes, including a Boston postmark. Further investigation revealed that one victim had also received a “glitter bomb,” that is, an envelope containing glitter sent to an unsuspecting individual that, when opened, spills out onto the recipient. Law enforcement traced financial records to Frisiello, who had ordered and paid for the glitter bomb to be delivered to the victim. Furthermore, trash recovered from Frisiello’s residence contained remnants of the cut-out computer-printed messages that Frisiello sent to some victims.
More specifically, in 2015, Frisiello sent two letters that threatened the manager of a Massachusetts company that had recently terminated one of Frisiello’s family members. During the 2016 presidential campaign, Frisiello sent a white-powder letter to family members of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump, which caused a significant hazardous material response by law enforcement. The letter promised that if Trump did not drop out of the race, the next letter would not be a fake. In 2016, Frisiello also sent letters to the heads of four law enforcement agencies in Connecticut and Rhode Island, warning them to drop an investigation into Nathan Carman, who allegedly killed his mother and grandfather, threatening that one police chief would join Carman’s mother “at the bottom of the sea” and that a state police colonel would not only drown, but also receive “a bullet in [his] brain.” In 2017, Frisiello sent a letter threatening to shoot the assistant district attorney who was prosecuting Michelle Carter for involuntary manslaughter and to also shoot the judge who was hearing the case. In 2018, Frisiello sent white powder letters to another member of the First Family, a United States Attorney, United States Senator Deborah Stabenow, a Stanford law professor, and a candidate for the United States House of Representatives.
Frisiello was tied to the threatening letters through fingerprints and further investigation.
The charge of mailing a threat to injure the person of another provides for a sentence of no greater than five years in prison, or 10 years in prison for threats addressed to a federal official, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of false information and hoaxes provides for a sentence of no greater than five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Joseph W. Cronin, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division; Stephen Marks, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service Boston Field Office; and Beverly Police Chief John G. LeLacheur made the announcement today. The investigation was led by the FBI Boston Division’s Joint Terrorism Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott L. Garland, Deputy Chief of Lelling’s National Security Unit, is prosecuting the case.
Man Sentenced to Eight Years in Prison for Bank Fraud and Witness TamperingRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, P.R. - United States District Court Judge Aida Delgado-Colón sentenced José Andrés Colón-Santos to eight years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for bank fraud and tampering with a witness by intimidation, threats, corrupt persuasion, or misleading conduct, announced United States Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez. The Court also ordered the defendant to make restitution payments to 12 victims in a total amount of $73,727.82.
On May 2, 2018, Colón-Santos plead guilty to committing bank fraud and tampering with a witness by intimidation, threats, corrupt persuasion or misleading conduct, in a case where he targeted elderly victims. Colón-Santos admitted to having unlawfully enriched himself by obtaining bank account information and personal identifying information (social security number, date of birth, address as well as credit/debit card and PIN numbers) from victims whose ages ranged from 69 to 83 years old. According to his guilty plea, Colón-Santos would obtain the name and number of his elderly victims from a telephone book. He would then call them and procure their personal identifying information by impersonating a bank officer. After obtaining their personal identifying information, he would take control of the victims’ bank accounts by calling the bank to change the addresses in the account and request replacement cards. He would use the newly issued ATM cards to withdraw funds for his personal use and benefit. Whenever the bank account owner was a female, co-defendant Erika Rosado-Matías would impersonate the bank account owner to request the change of address and replacement cards. The scheme caused substantial financial hardship to more than 12 victims.
Colón-Santos was also sentenced for intimidating and threatening a 75-year old female by threatening her with physical harm if she in any manner provided information or testimony to law enforcement agents involved in the investigation of his fraudulent scheme. Judge Delgado-Colón indicated that this conduct was significantly reprehensible and warranted the severity of the sentence imposed.
“The prosecution of this case and the severity of this sentence should serve to reassure the public that we are paying close attention to the well-being of our elders, and that we will spare no expense to take fraudsters off the streets. Law enforcement will not stand by as criminals attempt to fleece a very vulnerable group of our community. These criminals are disrupting their lives by stealing their savings and destroying their credit through calculated and pervasive fraud schemes,” stated U.S. Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez. “I urge everyone to take steps to protect their personally identifiable information (PII) from criminals who seek illicit profits through fraudulent schemes.”
The criminal prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dennise N. Longo-Quiñones. The investigation was conducted by the United States Postal Inspection Service with the assistance of Puerto Rico Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations.
Co-defendant Erika Yazmin Rosado-Matías plead guilty on July 31, 2018 and her sentencing is scheduled for October 22, 2108 before United States District Court Judge Aida Delgado-Colón.
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License Plate Reader Helped Identify Robbery SuspectRead the Press Release
TOPEKA, KAN. – A Topeka man was indicted in federal court Wednesday on a charge of robbing a Walgreens store, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said.
Bill Oliver Chavez, 42, Topeka, Kan., is charged with one count of robbing a commercial business. The indictment alleges that on Sept. 13, 2018, Chavez robbed a Walgreens store at 3696 S.W. Topeka, Blvd.
Documents filed in court allege the lifted his shirt and showed the cashier what appeared to be the butt of a gun. The cashier emptied the register and the robber left the store with the money.
Surveillance video showed the robber was driving a four-door Nissan Maxima with a sunroof. An investigator used data from a license plate reader to help narrow the search for cars of the type in the video and owners who fit the description of the robber.
If convicted, Chavez faces a penalty of up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Topeka Police Department and the FBI investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Maag is prosecuting.
OTHER INDICTMENTS
Lamar Ray Steele, 28, Topeka, Kan., is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction. The indictment alleges that on Sept. 29, 2018, Steele possessed a 9 mm handgun.
If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The FBI investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Maag is prosecuting.
John Wesley Towner, Jr., 30, Topeka, Kan., is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction. The indictment alleges that on Jan. 23, 2018, he possessed a 9 mm handgun.
If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The FBI investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Maag is prosecuting.
In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.
Last Four Defendants Convicted in Multi-State Dog Fighting CaseRead the Press Release
A federal jury in Trenton, New Jersey convicted four defendants yesterday of violating the animal fighting prohibitions of the federal Animal Welfare Act. The jury deliberated six hours following a nearly four-week long trial before U.S. District Judge Peter G. Sheridan. The four defendants convicted yesterday are the last to be adjudicated in this case, which is part of Operation Grand Champion, an ongoing multi-state dog fighting investigation. The defendants are Justin Love of Sewell, New Jersey; Robert A. Elliott, Sr. of Millville, New Jersey; Dajwan Ware of Fort Wayne, Indiana; and Robert Arellano of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Each count of conviction carries a maximum of five years in prison and a criminal fine of up to $250,000. The defendants will be sentenced on Feb. 20, 2019. Five other defendants in the case previously pleaded guilty to dog fighting and firearms charges and were sentenced to a total of 153 months in prison.
The jury convicted four defendants of engaging in a conspiracy to sponsor and exhibit dogs in animal fighting ventures and to buy, sell, possess, train, transport, deliver and receive dogs for purposes of having the dogs participate in animal fighting ventures. They also found defendants Love and Arellano guilty of unlawfully trafficking in fighting dogs and defendants Love and Elliott of unlawfully possessing fighting dogs.
The evidence at trial established that Arellano sold and shipped two fighting dogs to Love and co-conspirator Anthony “Monte” Gaines by air cargo in December 2014. One of those dogs was subsequently fought in a “roll” or test fight the following day, and sustained a serious injury. Gaines also transported a fighting dog named “Bubbles” to Dajwan Ware in order to hide her from law enforcement after local authorities in New Jersey located Gaines’s dog fighting yard. For his part, Elliott, Sr., housed a fighting dog named “Fancy” on behalf of Gaines and co-conspirator Frank Nichols, and possessed twelve fighting dogs of his own.
“Under the leadership of Attorney General Sessions, our Division is aggressively pursuing those who engage in the cruel and brutal practice of dog fighting, which is often linked with many forms of violent and organized criminal activity,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey H. Wood of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “Yesterday’s four convictions demonstrate our firm commitment to fight back against those who would abuse these animals, in clear violation of federal law, to satiate bloodthirsty spectators and gamblers. I applaud the law enforcement officers and prosecutors who worked tirelessly to deliver justice in these cases.”
“Dog fighting is vicious and cruel. And beyond the needless suffering it inflicts on animals, it exacts a toll on local animal shelters, humane organizations, and the taxpayers of New Jersey,” said U.S. Attorney Carpenito. “The message from these convictions is simple: if you fight dogs in New Jersey, you will face prosecution and imprisonment.”
“The provisions of the Animal Welfare Act were designed to protect animals from being used in illegal fighting ventures,” said Special Agent in Charge Bethanne M. Dinkins for U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General. “Together with the Department of Justice, animal fighting is an investigative priority for USDA OIG, and we will work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and assist in the criminal prosecution of those who participate in animal fighting ventures.”
“This is a great example of interagency cooperation — in this case USDA and Cherry Hill HSI — stopping a barbaric practice that permanently damages and often kills dogs,” said Brian Michael, Special Agent in Charge, HSI Newark. “Those who engage in this heinous activity should know that they face serious legal consequences.”
The phrase “Grand Champion” is used by dog fighters to refer to a dog with more than five dog fighting “victories.” To date, 123 dogs have been rescued as part of Operation Grand Champion, and either surrendered or forfeited to the government. The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Ethan Eddy of the Justice Department’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen O’Leary. The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Office of Inspector General; Homeland Security Investigations, Cherry Hill Office; and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Las Vegas Man Sentenced for Disorderly Conduct at Federal CourthouseRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – A Las Vegas resident who created multiple disturbances at the Lloyd D. George Federal Courthouse after he refused to follow Court Security Officer orders was found guilty and sentenced Tuesday, announced U.S. Attorney Dayle Elieson for the District of Nevada and U.S. Marshal Gary Schofield for the District of Nevada.
Following a bench trial, Joshua Martinez, 30, was found guilty of one count of creating a disturbance on federal property and he was immediately sentenced by U.S. Magistrate Judge George Foley Jr. to a one year stay away order from the Courthouse, a $500 fine, and two days of credit for time he spent in custody.
Between February 2017 and August 2018, Martinez created disturbances at the Federal Courthouse located in Downtown Las Vegas on multiple occasions. Martinez had previously been arrested at the Courthouse on two occasions because of his disruptive behavior. He was also told to leave the premises two times prior for failing to comply with Courthouse regulations. During these incidents, he created a disturbance by loitering, shouting at Court Security Officers, filming inside the Courthouse, obstructing use of the Courthouse entrance, and impeding and disrupting the performance of official duties by Government employees. Filming inside the Courthouse is prohibited per a Court Order. On August 1, 2018, Martinez attempted to gain access to the Courthouse. He was asked to leave due to his prior disruptive behavior. Martinez refused to comply with the Courthouse Security Officers’ orders and yelled derogatory terms at the officers. His actions disrupted Courthouse personnel duties, and ultimately led to his arrest and conviction.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kilby Macfadden and Chad McHenry prosecuted the case.
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Las Vegas Man Convicted of Production of Child Pornography and Possession of Hundreds of Images and Videos of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Following a three-day trial, Lonny Joseph DiTirro Jr. was found guilty of sexually exploiting children by producing child pornography and possessing hundreds of images and videos of child pornography, including infants and toddlers, announced U.S. Attorney Dayle Elieson for the District of Nevada.
A jury convicted DiTirro, 36, of Las Vegas, of four counts of sexual exploitation of children by producing child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. United States District Judge Kent J. Dawson presided over the jury trial and scheduled sentencing for February 6, 2019.
According to evidence presented at trial, on September 10, 2015, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Officers received a concerned citizen’s report of possible child exploitation. The responding officers conducted an interview with the concerned citizen who stated she found a SD card belonging to DiTirro that contained child pornography. Law enforcement later executed a search warrant on the SD card. A forensic examination of the SD card revealed 254 images and 42 videos of child pornography, depicting infants, toddlers, and sadomasochism/violence.
The SD Card also contained over 50 folders bearing the names and ages of minor females that contained nude photos and videos of the minors. Law enforcement identified several victims who all testified that they met DiTirro on a social media/dating application called MeetMe when they were under the age of 16. The victims further testified that DiTirro lied to the victims about his age, claiming he was a teenager or in his 20s, and went as far as falsifying his birth certificate in an effort to coerce, entice, and induce the victims into various sexual activities. Evidence presented at trial showed that DiTirro recorded sex acts with the minor victims, and that he created screenshots of sexually explicit Skype video chats of the victims. DiTirro catalogued these videos and screenshots on the SD Card.
The maximum possible statutory penalty is 140 years imprisonment.
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elham Roohani and Christopher Burton are prosecuting the case.
Investigation concerning other potential victims in this case is ongoing. If you have information about DiTirro or believe you or someone you know may have been a victim, you are encouraged to contact the nearest FBI field office, local law enforcement, or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s (NCMEC) CyberTipline at www.cybertipline.org.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood and for information about internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
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Las Cruces Man Arrested for High-Speed Flight from U.S. Border Patrol CheckpointRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Cody Payton, 25, of Las Cruces, N.M., made his initial appearance today in federal court on a criminal complaint charging him with fleeing from a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint at a high rate of speed. Payton remains in federal custody pending a preliminary hearing and a detention hearing, both of which are scheduled for Oct. 22, 2018.
Border Patrol agents arrested Payton in the early hours of Oct. 15, 2018, after he entered and allegedly fled from the U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint on Interstate 25 in Doña Ana County, N.M. According to the criminal complaint, after Payton drove into the checkpoint, Border Patrol agents directed him to a secondary inspection area based on Payton’s allegedly unusual behavior and hesitant responses while in the checkpoint’s primary inspection area. Payton allegedly disregarded agents’ directions and allegedly drove away from the checkpoint, leading agents in a high-speed pursuit. Agents arrested Payton approximately an hour after he allegedly fled from the immigration checkpoint.
The statutory penalty for a conviction on a high-speed flight from an immigration checkpoint charge is a maximum of five years in federal prison. Charges in criminal complaints are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty in a court of law.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the U.S. Border Patrol and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Hammond of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office.
Justice Department Smashes Records for Violent Crime, Gun Crime, Illegal Immigration Prosecutions; Increases Drug and White Collar Crime ProsecutionsRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney Trent Shores announced today that the Northern District of Oklahoma increased prosecution of violent crime and firearms defendants by more than 100 percent in Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 when compared to FY 2017. The increased prosecutions have shown promising results across Tulsa, with 36 fewer homicides in FY 2018 when compared to FY 2017. Across the nation, under the leadership of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the Department of Justice charged the largest number of violent crime and firearm defendants in its history in Fiscal Year (FY) 2018.
“President Donald Trump is a law-and-order President—and this is a law-and-order administration,” said Attorney General Jeff Sessions. “The Department of Justice is breaking law enforcement records and doing so by significant margins. When I took office as Attorney General, I ordered federal prosecutors and agents to take illegal guns off of our streets, to prosecute crimes aggressively, to protect our nation’s borders, and to target white collar fraud. With support from our state and local partners, our federal prosecutors and agents have delivered—and I am grateful to them and the fabulous state and local officers who worked so hard to make these achievements possible. And we are seeing results. Violent crime and homicides, which jumped in 2015 and 2016, both dropped in 2017 and will drop again in 2018. There can be no doubt that good law enforcement policies can make our communities safer.”
“The men and women of the United States Attorney’s Office are working diligently to protect the citizens of the Northern District of Oklahoma. We are specifically focused on targeted crime reduction, not simply increasing prosecution numbers. We are partnering with state, local, and tribal law enforcement officials to target those criminals posing the greatest threats to our community,” stated U.S. Attorney Trent Shores. “Collaborative law enforcement is good law enforcement. That includes participation of citizens in community policing as well as community engagement by justice officials. Whether violent crime, drug trafficking, or white collar crime, federal prosecutors in northeastern Oklahoma stand ready to act. I am proud of the selfless efforts of all the public servants who work in law enforcement and the justice arena. Criminals should be on notice that we will hold them accountable when they run afoul of the law in northeastern Oklahoma.”
According to data from the Executive Office of United States Attorneys (EOUSA), the number of defendants charged with criminal felony offenses increased by nearly 15 percent from more than 71,200 defendants in FY 2017 to more than 81,800 in FY 2018.
In FY 2018, the Justice Department charged the largest number of violent crime defendants since EOUSA started to track this category more than 25 years ago (more than 16,800)—surpassing by nearly 15 percent the previous record set just last year.
In FY 2018, the Justice Department charged more than 15,300 defendants with federal firearms offenses, which is 17 percent more than the previous record.
In FY 2018, over 23,400 defendants were charged with felony illegal re-entry, an increase of more than 38 percent from FY 2017.
In FY 2018, over 23,600 defendants were charged with drug-related offenses, an increase of more than six percent from FY 2017.
Also in FY 2018, the Justice Department increased white-collar prosecutions by more than three percent, charging more than 6,500 defendants.
Finally, in FY 2018, more than 68,400 defendants were charged with misdemeanor illegal entry. This is the highest number of such defendants charged since EOUSA started to track this category and an almost 86 percent increase from the previous year. This total is also more than 4 percent higher than the previous record of over 65,500 defendants set in FY 2013
Justice Department Smashes Records for Violent Crime, Gun Crime, Illegal Immigration Prosecutions, Increases Drug and White Collar ProsecutionsRead the Press Release
Under the leadership of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the Department of Justice charged the largest number of violent crime and firearm defendants in its history in Fiscal Year (FY) 2018.
“President Donald Trump is a law-and-order President—and this is a law-and-order administration,” said Attorney General Jeff Sessions. “The Department of Justice is breaking law enforcement records and doing so by significant margins. When I took office as Attorney General, I ordered federal prosecutors and agents to take illegal guns off of our streets, to prosecute crimes aggressively, to protect our nation’s borders, and to target white collar fraud. With support from our state and local partners, our federal prosecutors and agents have delivered—and I am grateful to them and the fabulous state and local officers who worked so hard to make these achievements possible. And we are seeing results. Violent crime and homicides, which jumped in 2015 and 2016, both dropped in 2017 and will drop again in 2018. There can be no doubt that good law enforcement policies can make our communities safer.”
According to data from the Executive Office for United States Attorneys (EOUSA), the number of defendants charged with criminal felony offenses increased by nearly 15 percent from more than 71,200 defendants in FY 2017 to more than 81,800 in FY 2018.
In FY 2018, the Justice Department charged the largest number of violent crime defendants since EOUSA started to track this category more than 25 years ago (more than 16,800)—surpassing by nearly 15 percent the previous record set just last year.
In FY 2018, the Justice Department charged more than 15,300 defendants with federal firearms offenses, which is 17 percent more than the previous record.
In FY 2018, over 23,400 defendants were charged with felony illegal re-entry, an increase of more than 38 percent from FY 2017.
In FY 2018, over 23,600 defendants were charged with drug-related offenses, an increase of more than six percent from FY 2017.
Also in FY 2018, the Justice Department increased white-collar prosecutions by more than three percent, charging more than 6,500 defendants.
Finally, in FY 2018, more than 68,400 defendants were charged with misdemeanor illegal entry. This is the highest number of such defendants charged since EOUSA started to track this category and an almost 86 percent increase from the previous year. This total is also more than 4 percent higher than the previous record of over 65,500 defendants set in FY 2013.
Jackson Man Sentenced to over 16 Years Under Project EJECT for Illegally Possessing a Firearm as a Prior Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – Deonte Terrell Proctor, 33, of Jackson, was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge William H. Barbour, Jr., to 195-months in federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Dana Nichols with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
On December 2, 2016, members of the Jackson Police Department served a search warrant on Archer Avenue in Jackson. During the execution of the search warrant, Deonte Terrell Proctor attempted to flee in his car, nearly running over a JPD detective. Proctor then crashed into a ditch and attempted to flee on foot. Proctor threw a firearm into some bushes, but it was later recovered. Proctor subsequently admitted to police that the firearm was his.
Proctor is a convicted felon, having been previously convicted in the Circuit Court of Hinds County for the following felony offenses: receiving stolen goods, felon with firearm, and multiple felony offenses for possession of cocaine and the sale of cocaine.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, and the Jackson Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Keesha D. Middleton.
This case is part of Project EJECT, an initiative by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi under the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). EJECT is a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach to fighting and reducing violent crime in Jackson through prosecution, prevention, re-entry and awareness. EJECT stands for "Empower Jackson Expel Crime Together." PSN is a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. 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.
Jackson County Gang Member Pleads Guilty to Illegally Possessing a FirearmRead the Press Release
Gulfport, Miss. – James Edward Hays, 34, of Vancleave, entered a guilty plea yesterday, before U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden, to possession of a firearm by a felon, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Dana Nichols with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Hays, a Simon City Royal gang member, faces a maximum of 10 years in prison on the charge. He further faces a fine of $250,000 along with 3 years of supervised release. Sentencing is set for January 18, 2019, at 9:00 a.m.
On April 25, 2018, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call of a person passed out behind the wheel of a running car at a gas station. Deputies found Hays, a three-time convicted felon, with methamphetamine, heroin and a loaded gun.
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. The case is prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Annette Williams.