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19 September 2018
McNairy County Men Indicted Federally for Being Felons in Possession of FirearmsRead the Press Release
Jackson, TN – A federal grand jury returned an indictment against two McNairy county men for being felons in possession of firearms. D. Michael Dunavant, United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee announced the indictments today.
According to the indictment, Chaderick McClain, 27, of Selmer, was charged with two counts of possessing a firearm transported in interstate commerce after being convicted of a felony, in violation of Title 18, USC, § 922 (g) (1). The United States also seeks criminal forfeiture of any proceeds related to the crime.
Corey Mayfield, 43, of Ramer, Tennessee, was also charged with two counts possessing a firearm transported in interstate commerce after being convicted of a felony, in violation of Title 18, USC, § 922 (g)(1). The United States also seeks criminal forfeiture of any proceeds related to the crime.
U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said, "Felons with multiple prior convictions present a public safety risk in West Tennessee, and will be held accountable for illegal possession of firearms."
This case was investigated by the McNairy County Sheriff’s Office; Selmer Police Department; and Federal Bureau of Investigation Safe Streets Task Force; along with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
"We appreciate the cooperation and assistance of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in addressing these career criminals and helping us keep them off the streets," said McNairy County Sheriff Guy Buck.
"We hope this sends a message to criminals who have guns," said Assistant Chief Kim Holley of the Selmer Police Department.
If convicted, each defendant faces up to 10 years imprisonment, 3 years supervised released and $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Taylor Eskridge is prosecuting this case on the government’s behalf.
The charges and allegations in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Massachusetts State Trooper Agrees to Plead Guilty in Overtime Abuse InvestigationRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A suspended Massachusetts State Police Trooper has agreed to plead guilty today in connection with the ongoing investigation of overtime abuse at the Massachusetts State Police (MSP).
Gary Herman, 45, of Chester, who was previously arrested on June 27, 2018, was charged with one count of embezzlement from an agency receiving federal funds. Herman has agreed to plead guilty pursuant to a plea agreement, but a hearing date has not yet been scheduled.
According to court documents, Herman was an MSP Trooper assigned to Troop E, which was responsible for enforcing criminal and traffic regulations along the Massachusetts Turnpike, Interstate I-90. In 2016, Herman earned $227,826, which included approximately $63,053 in overtime pay.
According to court documents, Herman was paid for overtime shifts that he did not work at all or from which he left early. Herman concealed his fraud by submitting fraudulent citations designed to create the appearance that he had worked overtime hours that he had not, and falsely claimed in MSP paperwork and payroll entries that he had worked the entirety of his overtime shifts. On multiple occasions Herman fabricated bogus citations, copying the driver information from citations that he had issued months earlier, in order to be paid for overtime shifts he did not work at all.
Herman has agreed to plead guilty to collecting $12,468 for overtime hours that he did not work.
The overtime in question involved the Accident and Injury Reduction Effort program (AIRE) and the “X-Team” initiative, which were intended to reduce accidents, crashes, and injuries on I-90 through an enhanced presence of MSP Troopers who were to target vehicles traveling at excessive speeds.
In 2016, MSP received annual benefits from the U.S. Department of Transportation in excess of $10,000, which were funded pursuant to numerous federal grants.
Herman is the third Trooper to plead guilty as a result of the ongoing investigation. On July 2, 2018, former Trooper Gregory Raftery, 47, of Westwood, pleaded guilty, and on Sept. 14, 2018, suspended Trooper Kevin Sweeney, 40, of Braintree, pleaded guilty. Three other Troopers have been charged: on June 27, 2018, former Lieutenant David Wilson, 57, of Charlton; and former Trooper Paul Cesan, 50, of Southwick, were arrested and charged with the same crime. On July 25, 2018, retired Trooper Daren DeJong, 56, of Uxbridge, was charged.
Pursuant to the plea agreement, the government will recommend a sentence of between six and 12 months of incarceration. The charge of theft of government funds provides for a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss. 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; and Douglas Shoemaker, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dustin Chao, Mark Grady, and Neil Gallagher of Lelling’s Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the court documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Maryland and Texas Men Indicted for Alleged $364 Million Ponzi Scheme—One of the Largest Ever Charged in MarylandRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has indicted three men on charges of conspiracy, wire fraud, identity theft, and money laundering, arising from an alleged $364 million investment fraud scheme. The indictment was returned under seal on September 11, 2018, and unsealed on September 18, 2018, upon the arrests of the defendants. Charged in the indictment are:
Kevin B. Merrill, age 53, of Towson, Maryland; Jay B. Ledford, age 54, of Westlake, Texas and Las Vegas, Nevada; and
Cameron R. Jezierski, age 28, of Fort Worth, Texas.The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur and Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office. A related enforcement action and complaint was announced by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Co-Director of Enforcement Stephanie Avakian.
“Federal prosecutors, FBI agents, and our SEC partners together interrupted an ongoing fraud scheme, with the potential to victimize even more people. According to the indictment, the defendants lured investors through an elaborate web of lies, duping them into paying millions of dollars into this Ponzi scheme,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur. “Most of these investors are just learning that they have been victimized. The effects of this kind of fraud can be devastating. We urge anyone who thinks they may be a victim to contact the FBI at www.FBI.Gov/MerrillLedford or e-mail [email protected].”
“The FBI takes our responsibility to investigate and pursue those who commit fraud for personal gain very seriously,” said Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the FBI’s Baltimore Division. “We will continue working with our law enforcement partners to hold accountable those who use illegal means and criminal behavior to take advantage of others. We are committed to protecting investors from the illegal and deceptive practices Mr. Merrill and Ledford used to defraud investors out of their hard earned money and savings.”
According to the fourteen-count indictment, beginning in January 2013, the defendants perpetrated a Ponzi scheme to defraud investors of more than $364 million. The scheme was revealed with the arrests and unsealing of the indictment. Specifically, the indictment alleges that Merrill and Ledford invited investors to join them in purchasing consumer debt portfolios. “Consumer debt portfolios” are defaulted consumer debts to banks/credit card issuers, student loan lenders, and car/truck financers which are sold in batches called “portfolios” to third parties which attempt to collect on the debts. The defendants falsely represented to investors that they would use the investors’ money to buy consumer debt portfolios and make money for them by (1) collecting the payments that people made on their debts or (2) selling the portfolios for a profit to third party debt buyers--in a practice called “flipping.” According to the related complaint filed by the SEC, the victim investors included small business owners, restauranteurs, construction contractors, retirees, doctors, lawyers, accountants, bankers, talent agents, professional athletes, and financial advisors, located in Maryland, Washington, D.C., Northern Virginia, Las Vegas, Texas, and elsewhere.
The indictment alleges that in order to induce investors to participate, the defendants falsely represented who they were buying the debt portfolios from and how much they were paying for the portfolios; whether they were investing their own funds, and their track record of success. At times, according to the indictment, there was no underlying debt portfolio purchased with the investors’ money. To conceal the truth, the defendants created imposter companies with names similar to actual consumer debt sellers or brokers and opened bank accounts in the names of those imposter companies. In addition, to lend credibility to the transactions, the defendants created false portfolio overviews, sales agreements which used the names and forged signatures of actual employees of the sellers, created false collections reports, and falsified bank wire transfer records and bank statements.
Further, the indictment alleges that the defendants falsely represented that the monies they paid to investors were “proceeds” from collections and/or flipping debt portfolios, when in fact, the proceeds were paid from funds provided by other investors. The indictment alleges that Merrill, Ledford, and Jezierski personally enriched themselves and concealed their diversion of $73 million of investors’ funds to purchase and renovate high end homes in Maryland, Texas, Nevada, and Florida, purchase luxury automobiles, jewelry, boats, and a share in a jet plane, gamble $25 million at casinos, and support a lavish lifestyle.
The indictment seeks to forfeit nine properties, 26 luxury cars, one boat, interest in an aircraft, a life insurance policy, seven and nine carat diamond rings, and a 23 carat diamond bracelet, which were allegedly purchased with proceeds of the scheme to defraud.
If convicted, Merrill, Ledford, and Jezierski each face a maximum of 20 years in prison for the wire fraud conspiracy and for each of five counts of wire fraud. Merrill and Ledford each also face 20 years in prison for an additional two counts of wire fraud, as well as 20 years in prison for a money laundering conspiracy, and for each of four counts of money laundering. Finally, Merrill and Ledford face a mandatory two years in prison, consecutive to any other sentence, for identity theft. The defendants also face possible fines of $250,000, or twice the gross gain, for the wire fraud conspiracy and for each count of wire fraud and money laundering. Merrill and Ledford face an additional fine of $500,000, or twice the value of the property, for the money laundering conspiracy.
The SEC has filed a parallel civil complaint in this matter.
If you believe you may have been a victim, or have information concerning these charges, please complete a brief questionnaire at www.fbi.gov/MerrillLedford or you can email [email protected]. Your responses are voluntary. You may be contacted by the FBI.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.
Merrill and Ledford each had an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Baltimore and Las Vegas, respectively, on September 18, 2018, and were ordered to be detained. Jezierski also had his initial appearance in Las Vegas and was released under the supervision of U.S. Pretrial Services. Merrill is scheduled to have a detention hearing on Thursday, September 20th at 3:30 p.m. Jezierski is expected to have his initial appearance in Maryland on September 24, 2018, and Ledford is expected to be brought to Maryland for a court appearance at a later date.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI in Baltimore, Dallas, Las Vegas and Tampa, and the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Office of the Inspector General for their work in this investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joyce K. McDonald and Martin J. Clarke, who are prosecuting the criminal case.
Manchester Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Trafficking and Firearms ChargesRead the Press Release
CONCORD - United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced today that Kory Almand, 35, of Manchester, pleaded guilty in federal court to participating in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to court documents and statements made in court, beginning in early 2016 and continuing through his arrest in July of 2017, Almand conspired with other individuals in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Maine to obtain large quantities of fentanyl from sources in Lawrence, Massachusetts for distribution in New Hampshire and Maine. On July 19, 2017, Almand sold 100 grams of fentanyl to an undercover New Hampshire State Police detective. On July 25, 2017, Almand made a second sale of 198 grams of fentanyl to the undercover detective after which Almand was arrested and found to have a loaded .38 caliber firearm concealed in his waistband. Subsequent to Almand’s arrest, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant on his vehicle and seized $750 in cash and an additional 267.67 grams of fentanyl.
Almand will be sentenced on January 4, 2019. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years on the drug conspiracy charge and an additional five-year mandatory minimum sentence on the firearm charge.
“The transportation of fentanyl into the State of New Hampshire poses a significant and ongoing threat to our community,” said U.S. Attorney Murray. “When dealers in dangerous drugs carry firearms, the peril to public safety is even greater. In order to protect the citizens of the Granite State, we will continue to work closely with all of our law enforcement partners to put fentanyl traffickers out of business. Because of the risks presented by these crimes, we will not hesitate to seek mandatory minimum sentences for traffickers, especially those who use or possess firearms.”
This matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, New Hampshire State Police, and the Manchester and Tilton Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Cole Davis.
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Man with Assaultive Past to Serve over 3 Years for Gun PossessionRead the Press Release
A man who possessed a gun after multiple prior felony and domestic abuse convictions was sentenced today to more than 3 years in federal prison.
Nicholas Freitag, age 36, from Clear Lake, Iowa, received the prison term after a March 28, 2018, guilty plea to possession of a firearm by a felon and domestic abuser.
In a plea agreement, Freitag admitted that, in July 2017, he and his girlfriend purchased a firearm from another individual at a truck stop in Evansdale, Iowa. After the gun was later found in the trunk of Freitag’s vehicle, Freitag stated that he needed the gun for protection during his employment as a truck driver. Freitag also has a prior felony conviction for possessing a firearm in February 2017.
Freitag was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by Chief United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Freitag was sentenced to 37 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority. In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001.
Freitag is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Justin Lightfoot and investigated by the Clear Lake Police Department.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 18-CR-3002.
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Life Sentence for Man Convicted of Drug Trafficking and Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Joe Kelly announced today that the Honorable Laurie Smith Camp, Chief United States District Court Judge, sentenced Jorge Alberto Sainz Navarrete, 32, today to life imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. He was also sentenced to 240 months for two counts of conspiracy to commit money laundering and one count of laundering of monetary instruments. All sentences are to run concurrently. Sainz Navarrete was convicted following a jury trial in Omaha, Nebraska, that concluded on June 15, 2018.
Sainz Navarrete had previously been convicted in the District of Minnesota of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of actual methamphetamine. He was sentenced to a term of imprisonment in that earlier case, following which he was removed from the United States to Mexico.
The Nebraska case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Omaha Police Department, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, the Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office, and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement.
Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas to Receive $390,599 in Federal Grant Money to Improve Public SafetyRead the Press Release
The Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas (Kickapoo) will receive a $390,599 federal grant to address violent crime against Indian women. U.S. Attorney John F. Bash joined the Department of Justice today in announcing the award to the Kickapoo as part of more than $13 million in grants being awarded to improve public safety, serve victims of crime, combat violence against women, and support youth programs in American Indian and Alaska Native communities.
“The specific purpose of this federal grant is to reduce crimes of domestic violence, sexual assault, sex trafficking and stalking on the Kickapoo Reservation,” stated U.S. Attorney Bash.
With this funding, Kickapoo Tribal Government and Tribal Law Enforcement will develop or provide a crisis hotline, supportive services, support groups and victims assistance such as court accompaniment, advocacy, counseling and transitional housing assistance.
Nationwide, grants were awarded to 133 American Indian tribes, Alaska Native villages, and other tribal designees through the Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation (CTAS), a streamlined application for tribal-specific grant programs. Of the $113 million, just over $53 million comes from the Office of Justice Programs, more than $35 million from the Office on Violence Against Women, and more than $24.7 million from the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.
CTAS awards cover nine purpose areas: public safety and community policing; justice systems planning; alcohol and substance abuse; corrections and correctional alternatives; children’s justice act partnerships; services for victims of crime; violence against women; juvenile justice; and tribal youth programs. CTAS funding helps tribes develop and strengthen their justice systems’ response to crime, while expanding services to meet their communities’ public safety needs.
“There is an unacceptable level of violent crime and domestic abuse in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. This increase in resources, together with our aggressive investigation and prosecution of crimes, shows how seriously Attorney General Sessions and the entire Department of Justice take these issues. We are committed to reducing violent crime and improving public safety,” said Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Jesse Panuccio.
Today’s announcement is part of the Justice Department’s ongoing initiative to increase engagement, coordination and action on public safety in American Indian and Alaska Native communities.
For a listing of today’s announced CTAS awards go to: www.justice.gov/tribal/page/file/1095161/download.
Kewa Pueblo Woman Pleads Guilty to Federal Voluntary Manslaughter ChargeRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Lena Quintana, 44, an enrolled member and resident of Kewa Pueblo, N.M., pled guilty yesterday in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to a voluntary manslaughter charge.
Quintana was arrested on Nov. 27, 2017, on an indictment charging her with second degree murder on Sept. 7, 2016, on the Kewa Pueblo in Sandoval County, N.M. According to the indictment, Quintana killed the victim by hitting him with a vehicle.
During yesterday’s proceedings, Quintana pled guilty to a felony information charging her with voluntary manslaughter. In entering the guilty plea, Quintana admitted that on Sept. 7, 2016, she killed the victim by driving her vehicle at a high rate of speed towards the victim and hitting him while he was walking on the side of the road. Quintana acknowledged that the victim died as the result of her actions.
At sentencing, Quintana faces a statutory maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. A sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Southern Pueblos Agency of the BIA’s Office of Justice Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elisa Dimas is prosecuting the case.
KC Woman Pleads Guilty to Fraudulent Tax Refund SchemeRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A woman pleaded guilty in federal court today to a scheme to file fraudulent tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service resulting in $182,410 in fraudulent refunds being issued.
Tanisha Williams, 40, of Kansas City, Mo., pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief District Court Judge Greg Kays to filing a false claim with the IRS and wire fraud.
According to court documents, Williams participated in a scheme to defraud the IRS by helping in the filing of false income tax returns on behalf of others that claimed refunds to which they were not entitled. At times, Williams recruited individuals to file federal income tax returns under their own names and Social Security numbers. At other times, Williams used stolen identity information to file federal income tax returns. As part of the scheme, false Form W-2 information was used to inflate the income on the federal individual income returns filed for some of the taxpayers. These fraudulent refunds would then be deposited onto pre-paid debit cards. Once the funds were deposited to the debit cards, the money was withdrawn as cash or the cards were utilized for personal expenses.
Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, Williams acknowledged that the scheme to defraud the IRS resulted in $182,410 in fraudulent refunds, an amount that Williams will be required to pay back as restitution.
Under federal statues, Williams is subject to a sentence of up to 25 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant 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 United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Ketchmark. It was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation.
Justice Department Will Award up to $246 Million in Grants to Improve Public Safety in American Indian and Alaska Native CommunitiesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – United States Attorney Trent Shores joined the Department of Justice today in announcing more than $113 million in grant awards to improve public safety, serve victims of crime, combat violence against women, and support youth programs in American Indian and Alaska Native communities, including the Cherokee Nation, the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, the Osage Nation of Oklahoma, the Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma, and the Wyandotte Nation.
“I am proud of the productive partnership forged between my office and tribal nations. Our collaborative enforcement model delivers fair, impartial, and effective justice to tribal communities in the Northern District of Oklahoma. These justice focused grants will strengthen priority areas for each of the tribal recipients,” said U.S. Attorney Trent Shores. “Implementing the programs and services supported by this funding will have a lasting impact in Indian Country. As United States Attorney, I will uphold the federal trust responsibility to the federally recognized tribes in northeastern Oklahoma.”
Nationwide, grants were awarded to 133 American Indian tribes, Alaska Native villages, and other tribal designees through the Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation, a streamlined application for tribal-specific grant programs. Of the $113 million, just over $53 million comes from the Office of Justice Programs, more than $35 million from the Office on Violence Against Women, and more than $24.7 million from the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.
In addition, the Department is in the process of allocating up to $133 million in a first-ever set aside program to serve victims of crime in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. The awards are intended to help tribes develop, expand and improve services to victims of crime by providing funding, programming and technical assistance. Recipients will be announced in the near future.
“With these awards, we are doubling the amount of grant funding devoted to public safety programs and serving victims of crime in Native American communities,” said Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Jesse Panuccio, who made the announcement during his remarks at the 26th Annual Four Corners Indian Country Conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico. “There is an unacceptable level of violent crime and domestic abuse in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. This increase in resources, together with our aggressive investigation and prosecution of crimes, shows how seriously Attorney General Sessions and the entire Department of Justice take these issues. We are committed to reducing violent crime and improving public safety.”
The Four Corners Conference is facilitated annually by U.S. Attorneys from Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah to provide a forum for discussion of justice-related topics with a large number of populous and diverse tribal nations located in the region.
CTAS awards cover nine purpose areas: public safety and community policing; justice systems planning; alcohol and substance abuse; corrections and correctional alternatives; children’s justice act partnerships; services for victims of crime; violence against women; juvenile justice; and tribal youth programs. CTAS funding helps tribes develop and strengthen their justice systems’ response to crime, while expanding services to meet their communities’ public safety needs.
Today’s announcement is part of the Justice Department’s ongoing initiative to increase engagement, coordination and action on public safety in American Indian and Alaska Native communities.
A listing of today’s announced CTAS awards is available at: www.justice.gov/tribal/page/file/1095161/download.
Justice Department Will Award up to $246 Million in Grants to Improve Public Safety in American Indian and Alaska Native CommunitiesRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice today announced more than $113 million in grant awards to improve public safety, serve victims of crime, combat violence against women, and support youth programs in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. Grants were awarded to 133 American Indian tribes, Alaska Native villages, and other tribal designees through the Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation, a streamlined application for tribal-specific grant programs. Of the $113 million, just over $53 million comes from the Office of Justice Programs, more than $35 million from the Office on Violence Against Women, and more than $24.7 million from the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.
In addition, the Department is in the process of allocating up to $133 million in a first-ever set aside program to serve victims of crime in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. The awards are intended to help tribes develop, expand and improve services to victims of crime by providing funding, programming and technical assistance. Recipients will be announced in the near future.
“With these awards, we are doubling the amount of grant funding devoted to public safety programs and serving victims of crime in Native American communities,” said Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Jesse Panuccio, who made the announcement during his remarks at the 26th Annual Four Corners Indian Country Conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico. “There is an unacceptable level of violent crime and domestic abuse in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. This increase in resources, together with our aggressive investigation and prosecution of crimes, shows how seriously Attorney General Sessions and the entire Department of Justice take these issues. We are committed to reducing violent crime and improving public safety.”
The Four Corners Conference is facilitated annually by U.S. Attorneys from Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah to provide a forum for discussion of justice-related topics with a large number of populous and diverse tribal nations located in the region.
CTAS awards cover nine purpose areas: public safety and community policing; justice systems planning; alcohol and substance abuse; corrections and correctional alternatives; children’s justice act partnerships; services for victims of crime; violence against women; juvenile justice; and tribal youth programs. CTAS funding helps tribes develop and strengthen their justice systems’ response to crime, while expanding services to meet their communities’ public safety needs.
Today’s announcement is part of the Justice Department’s ongoing initiative to increase engagement, coordination and action on public safety in American Indian and Alaska Native communities.
A listing of today’s announced CTAS awards is available at: www.justice.gov/tribal/page/file/1095161/download.
Justice Department Will Award up to $246 Million in Grants to Improve Public Safety in American Indian and Alaska Native CommunitiesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – United States Attorney Trent Shores joined the Department of Justice today in announcing more than $113 million in grant awards to improve public safety, serve victims of crime, combat violence against women, and support youth programs in American Indian and Alaska Native communities, including the Cherokee Nation, the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, the Osage Nation of Oklahoma, the Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma, and the Wyandotte Nation.
“I am proud of the productive partnership forged between my office and tribal nations. Our collaborative enforcement model delivers fair, impartial, and effective justice to tribal communities in the Northern District of Oklahoma. These justice focused grants will strengthen priority areas for each of the tribal recipients,” said U.S. Attorney Trent Shores. “Implementing the programs and services supported by this funding will have a lasting impact in Indian Country. As United States Attorney, I will uphold the federal trust responsibility to the federally recognized tribes in northeastern Oklahoma.”
Nationwide, grants were awarded to 133 American Indian tribes, Alaska Native villages, and other tribal designees through the Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation, a streamlined application for tribal-specific grant programs. Of the $113 million, just over $53 million comes from the Office of Justice Programs, more than $35 million from the Office on Violence Against Women, and more than $24.7 million from the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.
In addition, the Department is in the process of allocating up to $133 million in a first-ever set aside program to serve victims of crime in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. The awards are intended to help tribes develop, expand and improve services to victims of crime by providing funding, programming and technical assistance. Recipients will be announced in the near future.
“With these awards, we are doubling the amount of grant funding devoted to public safety programs and serving victims of crime in Native American communities,” said Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Jesse Panuccio, who made the announcement during his remarks at the 26th Annual Four Corners Indian Country Conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico. “There is an unacceptable level of violent crime and domestic abuse in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. This increase in resources, together with our aggressive investigation and prosecution of crimes, shows how seriously Attorney General Sessions and the entire Department of Justice take these issues. We are committed to reducing violent crime and improving public safety.”
The Four Corners Conference is facilitated annually by U.S. Attorneys from Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah to provide a forum for discussion of justice-related topics with a large number of populous and diverse tribal nations located in the region.
CTAS awards cover nine purpose areas: public safety and community policing; justice systems planning; alcohol and substance abuse; corrections and correctional alternatives; children’s justice act partnerships; services for victims of crime; violence against women; juvenile justice; and tribal youth programs. CTAS funding helps tribes develop and strengthen their justice systems’ response to crime, while expanding services to meet their communities’ public safety needs.
Today’s announcement is part of the Justice Department’s ongoing initiative to increase engagement, coordination and action on public safety in American Indian and Alaska Native communities.
A listing of today’s announced CTAS awards is available at: www.justice.gov/tribal/page/file/1095161/download.
Justice Department Will Award up to $246 Million in Grants to Improve Public Safety in American Indian and Alaska Native CommunitiesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – United States Attorney Peter E. Deegan, Jr. joined the Department of Justice today in announcing more than $113 million in grant awards to improve public safety, serve victims of crime, combat violence against women, and support youth programs in American Indian and Alaska Native communities, including $373,511 in funding for public safety and community policing to the Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa.
“Improving public safety and protecting vulnerable victims in all of our communities remains a priority for my office and the Department of Justice,” said Deegan. “Along with prosecuting the most violent and dangerous offenders in the district, the grant awarded to the Meskwaki Tribe is another step we are taking to make our communities safer for all.”
Nationwide, grants were awarded to 133 American Indian tribes, Alaska Native villages, and other tribal designees through the Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation, a streamlined application for tribal-specific grant programs. Of the $113 million, just over $53 million comes from the Office of Justice Programs, more than $35 million from the Office on Violence Against Women, and more than $24.7 million from the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.
In addition, the Department is in the process of allocating up to $133 million in a first-ever set aside program to serve victims of crime in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. The awards are intended to help tribes develop, expand and improve services to victims of crime by providing funding, programming and technical assistance. Recipients will be announced in the near future.
“With these awards, we are doubling the amount of grant funding devoted to public safety programs and serving victims of crime in Native American communities,” said Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Jesse Panuccio, who made the announcement during his remarks at the 26th Annual Four Corners Indian Country Conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico. “There is an unacceptable level of violent crime and domestic abuse in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. This increase in resources, together with our aggressive investigation and prosecution of crimes, shows how seriously Attorney General Sessions and the entire Department of Justice take these issues. We are committed to reducing violent crime and improving public safety.”
The Four Corners Conference is facilitated annually by U.S. Attorneys from Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah to provide a forum for discussion of justice-related topics with a large number of populous and diverse tribal nations located in the region.
CTAS awards cover nine purpose areas: public safety and community policing; justice systems planning; alcohol and substance abuse; corrections and correctional alternatives; children’s justice act partnerships; services for victims of crime; violence against women; juvenile justice; and tribal youth programs. CTAS funding helps tribes develop and strengthen their justice systems’ response to crime, while expanding services to meet their communities’ public safety needs.
Today’s announcement is part of the Justice Department’s ongoing initiative to increase engagement, coordination and action on public safety in American Indian and Alaska Native communities.
A listing of today’s announced CTAS awards is available at: www.justice.gov/tribal/page/file/1095161/download.
Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Justice Department Will Award up to $246 Million in Grants to Improve Public Safety in American Indian and Alaska Native CommunitiesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Robert J. Troester of the U.S. Attorney’s Office joined the Department of Justice today in announcing more than $113 million in grant awards to improve public safety, serve victims of crime, combat violence against women, and support youth programs in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. The following tribes in the Western District of Oklahoma have been awarded these amounts:
- Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma: $898,035 to combat violence against women
- Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribes: $1,450,129 for corrections and victim assistance
- Citizen Potawatomi Nation: $476,650 for public safety and community policing
- Comanche Nation: $2,412,117 for public safety and community policing, substance abuse, violence against women, and justice for children
- Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma: $449,999 for victim assistance
- Kaw Nation: $746,001 for public safety and community policing and substance abuse
- Otoe-Missouria Tribe of Indians: $449,594 for victim assistance
- Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma: $239,671 for public safety and community policing
- The Chickasaw Nation: $1,422,800 for public safety and community policing and violence against women
- Tonkawa Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma: $157,463 for public safety and community policing
Throughout Oklahoma, nineteen tribes will receive $17,833,044 in public safety grants.
"In addition to prosecuting criminal cases in Indian Country, U.S. Attorney’s Offices support healthy tribal communities and the welfare of all tribal citizens," Mr. Troester said. "I am thrilled that the Department of Justice can make this financial investment to enhance public safety in Oklahoma’s Indian Country."
Nationwide, grants were awarded to 133 American Indian tribes, Alaska Native villages, and other tribal designees through the Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation, a streamlined application for tribal-specific grant programs. Of the $113 million, just over $53 million comes from the Office of Justice Programs, more than $35 million from the Office on Violence Against Women, and more than $24.7 million from the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.
In addition, the Department is in the process of allocating up to $133 million in a first-ever set aside program to serve victims of crime in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. The awards are intended to help tribes develop, expand, and improve services to victims of crime by providing funding, programming, and technical assistance. Recipients will be announced in the near future.
"With these awards, we are doubling the amount of grant funding devoted to public safety programs and serving victims of crime in Native American communities," said Acting Associate Attorney General Jesse Panuccio, who made the announcement during his remarks at the 26th Annual Four Corners Indian Country Conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico. “There is an unacceptable level of violent crime and domestic abuse in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. This increase in resources, together with our aggressive investigation and prosecution of crimes, shows how seriously Attorney General Sessions and the entire Department of Justice take these issues. We are committed to reducing violent crime and improving public safety.”
The Four Corners Conference is facilitated annually by U.S. Attorneys from Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah to provide a forum for discussion of justice-related topics with a large number of populous and diverse tribal nations located in the region.
CTAS awards cover nine purpose areas: public safety and community policing; justice systems planning; alcohol and substance abuse; corrections and correctional alternatives; children’s justice act partnerships; services for victims of crime; violence against women; juvenile justice; and tribal youth programs. CTAS funding helps tribes develop and strengthen their justice systems’ response to crime, while expanding services to meet their communities’ public safety needs.
Today’s announcement is part of the Justice Department’s ongoing initiative to increase engagement, coordination, and action on public safety in American Indian and Alaska Native communities.
A listing of today’s announced CTAS awards is available at: www.justice.gov/tribal/page/file/1095161/download.
Justice Department Will Award up to $246 Million in Grants to Improve Public Safety in American Indian and Alaska Native CommunitiesRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO- U.S. Attorney Alex G. Tse joined the Department of Justice today in announcing more than $113 million in grant awards to improve public safety, serve victims of crime, combat violence against women, and support youth programs in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. Tribes receiving awards in the Northern District of California include the following:
Blue Lake Rancheria Tribe $256,150 Cher-Ae Heights Indian Community of the Trinidad Rancheria $450,000 Hoopa Valley Tribe Total $731,362 Hopland Band of Pomo Indians $265,539 Yurok Tribe Total $1,628,658In addition, the Karuk Tribe, spanning both the Northern and Eastern Districts of California, will be receiving a $1,682,084 grant.
“The programs funded by these awards can be extremely effective in improving public safety and preventing violence against vulnerable populations in Native American communities,” said United States Attorney Tse. “The funds granted to the tribes in this district reflect the Department of Justice’s continued commitment to support violence reduction and promote public safety.”
Nationwide, grants were awarded to 133 American Indian tribes, Alaska Native villages, and other tribal designees through the Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation, a streamlined application for tribal-specific grant programs. Of the $113 million, just over $53 million comes from the Office of Justice Programs, more than $35 million from the Office on Violence Against Women, and more than $24.7 million from the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.
In addition, the Department is in the process of allocating up to $133 million in a first-ever set aside program to serve victims of crime in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. The awards are intended to help tribes develop, expand and improve services to victims of crime by providing funding, programming and technical assistance. Recipients will be announced in the near future.
“With these awards, we are doubling the amount of grant funding devoted to public safety programs and serving victims of crime in Native American communities,” said Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Jesse Panuccio, who made the announcement during his remarks at the 26th Annual Four Corners Indian Country Conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico. “There is an unacceptable level of violent crime and domestic abuse in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. This increase in resources, together with our aggressive investigation and prosecution of crimes, shows how seriously Attorney General Sessions and the entire Department of Justice take these issues. We are committed to reducing violent crime and improving public safety.”
The Four Corners Conference is facilitated annually by U.S. Attorneys from Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah to provide a forum for discussion of justice-related topics with a large number of populous and diverse tribal nations located in the region.
CTAS awards cover nine purpose areas: public safety and community policing; justice systems planning; alcohol and substance abuse; corrections and correctional alternatives; children’s justice act partnerships; services for victims of crime; violence against women; juvenile justice; and tribal youth programs. CTAS funding helps tribes develop and strengthen their justice systems’ response to crime, while expanding services to meet their communities’ public safety needs.
Today’s announcement is part of the Justice Department’s ongoing initiative to increase engagement, coordination and action on public safety in American Indian and Alaska Native communities.
A listing of today’s announced CTAS awards is available at: www.justice.gov/tribal/page/file/1095161/download.
Justice Department Will Award up to $246 Million in Grants to Improve Public Safety in American Indian and Alaska Native CommunitiesRead the Press Release
Washington -- United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank joined the Department of Justice today in announcing more than $113 million in grant awards to improve public safety, serve victims of crime, combat violence against women, and support youth programs in American Indian and Alaska Native communities, including $899,135 to the Aroostook Bank of Micmacs and $899,556 to the Penobscot Nation for their violence against women programs, and $749,774 to the Point Pleasant Passamaquoddy Tribe for its justice and drug and alcohol abuse programs.
Nationwide, grants were awarded to 133 American Indian tribes, Alaska Native villages, and other tribal designees through the Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation, a streamlined application for tribal-specific grant programs. Of the $113 million, just over $53 million comes from the Office of Justice Programs, more than $35 million from the Office on Violence Against Women, and more than $24.7 million from the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.
In addition, the Department is in the process of allocating up to $133 million in a first-ever set aside program to serve victims of crime in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. The awards are intended to help tribes develop, expand and improve services to victims of crime by providing funding, programming and technical assistance. Recipients will be announced in the near future.
“With these awards, we are doubling the amount of grant funding devoted to public safety programs and serving victims of crime in Native American communities,” said Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Jesse Panuccio, who made the announcement during his remarks at the 26th Annual Four Corners Indian Country Conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico. “There is an unacceptable level of violent crime and domestic abuse in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. This increase in resources, together with our aggressive investigation and prosecution of crimes, shows how seriously Attorney General Sessions and the entire Department of Justice take these issues. We are committed to reducing violent crime and improving public safety.”
The Four Corners Conference is facilitated annually by U.S. Attorneys from Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah to provide a forum for discussion of justice-related topics with a large number of populous and diverse tribal nations located in the region.
CTAS awards cover nine purpose areas: public safety and community policing; justice systems planning; alcohol and substance abuse; corrections and correctional alternatives; children’s justice act partnerships; services for victims of crime; violence against women; juvenile justice; and tribal youth programs. CTAS funding helps tribes develop and strengthen their justice systems’ response to crime, while expanding services to meet their communities’ public safety needs.
Today’s announcement is part of the Justice Department’s ongoing initiative to increase engagement, coordination and action on public safety in American Indian and Alaska Native communities.
A listing of today’s announced CTAS awards is available at: www.justice.gov/tribal/page/file/1095161/download.
Justice Department Will Award up to $246 Million in Grants to Improve Public Safety in American Indian and Alaska Native CommunitiesRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – United States Attorney Dayle Elieson joined the Department of Justice today in announcing more than $113 million in grant awards to improve public safety, serve victims of crime, combat violence against women, and support youth programs in American Indian and Alaska Native communities, including the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe who will receive $1,004,552; the Inter-Tribal Council of Nevada who will receive $450,000; the Moapa Band of Paiutes who will receive $299,900; and the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe who will receive $1,350,000.
Nationwide, grants were awarded to 133 American Indian tribes, Alaska Native villages, and other tribal designees through the Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation, a streamlined application for tribal-specific grant programs. Of the $113 million, just over $53 million comes from the Office of Justice Programs, more than $35 million from the Office on Violence Against Women, and more than $24.7 million from the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.
CTAS awards cover nine purpose areas: public safety and community policing; justice systems planning; alcohol and substance abuse; corrections and correctional alternatives; children’s justice act partnerships; services for victims of crime; violence against women; juvenile justice; and tribal youth programs. CTAS funding helps tribes develop and strengthen their justice systems’ response to crime, while expanding services to meet their communities’ public safety needs.
In addition, the Department is in the process of allocating up to $133 million in a first-ever set aside program to serve victims of crime in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. The awards are intended to help tribes develop, expand and improve services to victims of crime by providing funding, programming and technical assistance. Recipients will be announced in the near future.
“With these awards, we are doubling the amount of grant funding devoted to public safety programs and serving victims of crime in Native American communities,” said Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Jesse Panuccio, who made the announcement during his remarks at the 26th Annual Four Corners Indian Country Conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico. “There is an unacceptable level of violent crime and domestic abuse in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. This increase in resources, together with our aggressive investigation and prosecution of crimes, shows how seriously Attorney General Sessions and the entire Department of Justice take these issues. We are committed to reducing violent crime and improving public safety.”
The Four Corners Conference is facilitated annually by U.S. Attorneys from Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah to provide a forum for discussion of justice-related topics with a large number of populous and diverse tribal nations located in the region.
Today’s announcement is part of the Justice Department’s ongoing initiative to increase engagement, coordination and action on public safety in American Indian and Alaska Native communities.
A listing of today’s announced CTAS awards is available at: www.justice.gov/tribal/page/file/1095161/download.
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Justice Department Seeks to Shut Down Tax Return Preparer Operating Stores in Florida and MississippiRead the Press Release
The United States filed a civil injunction suit seeking to bar Lakeesha Tucker, Lakeesha Tucker LLC, and Simplified Financial Services LLC, from owning, operating, or franchising a tax return preparation business and preparing tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced today.
The complaint, filed in United States District Court in Florida, also requests that the court require Tucker and the LLCs to disgorge ill-gotten fees that they obtained from the U.S. Treasury through the alleged false tax return preparation.
According to the complaint, Tucker and her tax preparation businesses, Lakeesha Tucker LLC and Simplified Financial Services LLC, which in 2018 operated stores in Florida and Mississippi, but in the past have also operated stores in North Carolina and Tennessee, prepare and file tax returns to falsely increase their customers’ refunds and profit through exorbitant and often undisclosed fees, at the expense of their customers and the U.S. Treasury.
The complaint alleges that Tucker and the businesses engage in misconduct, including:
- Falsely claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit;
- Claiming improper filing status (e.g., head of household even though the person is not entitled to that status);
- Fabricating businesses and related business income and expenses;
- Fabricating deductions, such as charitable contributions and unreimbursed, employee business expenses; and
- Charging deceptive and unconscionable fees.
According to the complaint, Tucker previously worked at LBS Tax Services. Since September 2014, the United States has filed 20 similar lawsuits in Florida, North Carolina, and Georgia, including suits against the franchisor of LBS and numerous former LBS franchisees and managers, many of whom allegedly rebranded and continued to operate tax preparation businesses. Through these lawsuits, the United States has obtained permanent injunctions and money judgments disgorging millions in ill-gotten tax preparation fees.
The IRS has a list of steps on its website that you can take and ten tips for choosing a tax preparer. Each year, the IRS releases the top 12 scams, known as the Dirty Dozen. Return preparer fraud is one of the IRS’s Dirty Dozen Tax Scams for 2018, and taxpayers seeking a return preparer should remain vigilant. The IRS has some information on its website for choosing a return preparer and has launched a free directory of federal tax preparers.
In the past decade, the Tax Division has obtained injunctions against hundreds of unscrupulous tax preparers. Information about these cases is available on the Justice Department’s website. An alphabetical listing of persons enjoined from preparing returns and promoting tax schemes can be found on this page. If you believe that one of the enjoined persons or businesses may be violating an injunction, please contact the Tax Division at [email protected] with details.
Justice Department Awards Ute Mountain Ute Tribe over $1,000,000 to Improve Public SafetyRead the Press Release
DENVER – U.S. Attorney Bob Troyer joined the Department of Justice today in announcing grants to improve public safety in Indian Country. In Colorado, the Ute Mountain Ute tribe received $1,646,931 as a part of this program. Of that amount, $898,918 is for Public Safety and Community Policing (COPS). Also, $748,013 was awarded to the tribe for Justice Systems and Alcohol and Substance Abuse (BJA). The announcement was made at the annual Four Corners Indian Country Conference, which is being held this year in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
“Productivity and prosperity can only grow where crime is reduced,” said U.S. Attorney Bob Troyer. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Colorado continues to do all it can to give prosperity on our tribal lands a fighting chance.”
Nationwide, grants were awarded to 133 American Indian tribes, Alaska Native villages, and other tribal designees through the Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation, a streamlined application for tribal-specific grant programs. Of the $113 million, just over $53 million comes from the Office of Justice Programs, more than $35 million from the Office on Violence Against Women, and more than $24.7 million from the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.
In addition, the Department is in the process of allocating up to $133 million in a first-ever set aside program to serve victims of crime in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. The awards are intended to help tribes develop, expand and improve services to victims of crime by providing funding, programming and technical assistance. Recipients will be announced in the near future.
“With these awards, we are doubling the amount of grant funding devoted to public safety programs and serving victims of crime in Native American communities,” said Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Jesse Panuccio, who made the announcement during his remarks at the 26th Annual Four Corners Indian Country Conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico. “There is an unacceptable level of violent crime and domestic abuse in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. This increase in resources, together with our aggressive investigation and prosecution of crimes, shows how seriously Attorney General Sessions and the entire Department of Justice take these issues. We are committed to reducing violent crime and improving public safety.”
The Four Corners Conference is facilitated annually by U.S. Attorneys from Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah to provide a forum for discussion of justice-related topics with a large number of populous and diverse tribal nations located in the region.
CTAS awards cover nine purpose areas: public safety and community policing; justice systems planning; alcohol and substance abuse; corrections and correctional alternatives; children’s justice act partnerships; services for victims of crime; violence against women; juvenile justice; and tribal youth programs. CTAS funding helps tribes develop and strengthen their justice systems’ response to crime, while expanding services to meet their communities’ public safety needs.
Today’s announcement is part of the Justice Department’s ongoing initiative to increase engagement, coordination and action on public safety in American Indian and Alaska Native communities.
A listing of today’s announced CTAS awards is available at: www.justice.gov/tribal/page/file/1095161/download.
Jury Convicts Albany Man of Intending to Distribute Heroin, Cocaine and Crack CocaineRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – A jury today voted to convict Dwayne G. Perkins, age 37, of Albany, of possessing and intending to distribute heroin, cocaine, and more than 28 grams of crack cocaine.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and James N. Hendricks, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Evidence during the 3-day trial established that the FBI identified Perkins during the course of investigating another drug dealer, Tyrone D. Marshall. FBI and other law enforcement executed a search warrant on Perkins’s Albany apartment on April 4, 2017. An FBI Agent searched Perkins and found him to be hiding, in bags attached to his underwear, what turned out to be approximately 42 grams of crack cocaine, 36 grams of cocaine, and 7.5 grams of heroin mixed with fentanyl. Agents also seized, from the apartment, two digital scales and $1,746 in cash.
Perkins, who has four prior drug felony convictions, faces at least 10 years and up to life in prison, and a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of at least 8 years and up to life, when he is sentenced on January 21, 2019 by United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
Marshall, age 37, of Troy, New York, pled guilty on August 15, 2018 to conspiring to distribute cocaine and crack cocaine in Albany and Rensselaer Counties, and will be sentenced by Judge D’Agostino on December 10.
This case was investigated by the FBI and its Capital District Safe Streets Gang Task Force, which includes FBI Special Agents and members of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, including the New York State Police, the New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, and the Albany Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Barnett.
Jury Convicts Albany County Sisters of Conspiracy to Commit Visa FraudRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – A jury voted today to convict Dalia Lita, age 55, of Latham, New York; Elina Rahman, age 45 of Watervliet, New York; and Lubna Rahman age 45, of Watervliet, of conspiracy to commit visa fraud by submitting false information to the United States government in order to obtain immigrant visas.
The announcement was made by the United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Kevin M. Kelly, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Evidence presented during the 3-day trial established that in 2001, Lita filed, with United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, petitions for her sisters Elina and Lubna, knowing that those petitions contained false statements meant to conceal their true identities and prior, illegal residence in the United States. In addition, as part of the criminal conspiracy, Elina and Lubna Rahman filed applications for family-based immigrant visas in 2012, knowing that the applications also contained the same false statements. Based on the false information the sisters provided, Elina Rahman and Lubna Rahman were issued immigrant visas when they were otherwise ineligible to enter the United States.
Each of the sisters faces up to 5 years in prison, a maximum $250,000 fine, and a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of up to 3 years when they are sentenced on January 14, 2019 by Senior United States District Judge Thomas J. McAvoy. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant was charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
This case was investigated by HSI and prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason W. White.
Joint Federal/State Investigation Seizes Heroin Valued at Approximately $95,000Read the Press Release
Since August 2018, members of the Vermont State Police Drug Task Force (VDTF), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have been investigating the importation, sale and distribution of heroin and fentanyl in the greater Caledonia County area. The investigation identified both local distributors and out-of-state suppliers of heroin and fentanyl.
As part of the investigation, on September 6, 2018, members of the Vermont State Police Westminster Barracks stopped Richard Trudeau, 31, and Julie Hurst, 40, of St. Johnsbury, Vermont, on I-91 in Springfield, Vermont. A subsequent search of Trudeau and Hurst’s vehicle yielded approximately 4000 bags of heroin that later tested positive for the presence of fentanyl.
On September 13, 2018, members of the VDTF, HSI and FBI coordinated with various agencies in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to arrest Luis A. Rodriguez, 22, of Mt. Holyoke, Massachusetts, a suspected source of supply for heroin and fentanyl in Caledonia County. Rodriguez was taken into custody in Northampton, Massachusetts and was found to be in possession of approximately 5000 bags of a substance that later tested positive for the presence of fentanyl. Subsequent investigation revealed that Rodriguez had an additional 4,880 bags of heroin/fentanyl at his residence in Holyoke.
As a result of this joint investigation, approximately 14,000 bags of suspected heroin/fentanyl were seized, with an estimated street value of approximately $95,000. The following Agencies were instrumental in this coordinated effort: Vermont State Police, Vermont Drug Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Holyoke Police Department, Northampton Police Department, Easthampton Police Department, Massachusetts State Police, Hampden County Sheriff’s Department, Hampshire County Sheriff’s Department, Hampshire County Narcotics Task Force, and the FBI Western Massachusetts Gang Task Force. U.S. Attorney Christina Nolan praised the collaborative investigation of state and federal law enforcement in Vermont and Massachusetts. “These seizures of the deadly drug fentanyl potentially saved thousands of Vermonters. At the same time, our law enforcement community deprived a dangerous drug trafficking organization of nearly $100,000 in proceeds that would have been earned on the backs of the suffering addicted. Combatting the fentanyl crisis will continue to be a top priority for the U.S. Attorney’s Office and we will work tirelessly with our partners at all levels of law enforcement and across state lines to bring justice to those who would profit hugely from the tragedy of addiction.”
“Effective coordination between federal, state, and local agencies is absolutely essential for us to identify and disrupt drug traffickers,” said James N. Hendricks, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. “The FBI, together with our law enforcement partners, will continue to investigate and bring justice to individuals like those arrested in this case.”
Hurst and Trudeau appeared in federal court on September 7, 2018, before U.S. Magistrate Judge John M. Conroy. Rodriguez appeared in federal court on September 14 and September 18, 2018, before U.S Magistrate Judge John M. Conroy. All were detained pending further proceedings in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew C. Gilman represents the United States in this matter. Lisa B. Shelkrot represents Hurst. Mark A. Kaplan represents Trudeau. Michael L. Desautels and David L. McColgin represents Rodriguez.
Jerseyville Man Sentenced to 6 Years in Prison for Conspiracy to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Christopher Scott Fry, 48, of Jerseyville, Illinois was sentenced today to serve six years in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Steven D. Weinhoeft, announced. Fry pled guilty to the charges in June and has been in federal custody since January 23.
Documents filed in the case establish that, from March to late September 2016, Fry supplied Robert W. Schrader with approximately one pound of methamphetamine every month. Schrader, who is also under federal indictment, would allegedly then sell the meth to others throughout the Madison and Jersey County area. Schrader’s case is still pending, and he is presumed innocent of the charges unless or until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
As part of his sentence, Fry was ordered to forfeit $15,000 in U.S. currency and serve a five-year term of supervised release following his imprisonment.
The investigation was conducted by the Metropolitan Enforcement Group of Southwestern Illinois (MEGSI), the South Central Illinois Drug Task Force (SCIDTF), and the Jersey County Sheriff’s Department.
Indictment: Junction City Contractor Sold Meth to Undercover InvestigatorsRead the Press Release
TOPEKA, KAN. – A Junction City contractor was indicted Wednesday on charges of selling more than $7,000 worth of methamphetamine to undercover investigators, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said.
Gerald W. Etherton, 59, Junction City, Kan., is charged with six counts of distributing methamphetamine. According to court records, in April 2018 the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and other law enforcement agencies began investigating Etherton, who owned Jerry’s Construction at 305 E. 8th in Junction City. Undercover agents made a series of buys from Etherton ranging in amount from an ounce of meth for $600 to a quarter of a pound for $2,000.
If convicted, Etherton faces a penalty of not less than 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $10 million on five of the six counts, and up to 20 years and a fine up to $1 million on one of the counts. The KBI investigated with the assistance of the Geary County Sheriff’s Office, the Junction City Police Department and the Geary County Attorney’s Office. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Skip Jacobs is prosecuting.
OTHER INDICTMENTS
Guillermo D. Andrade, 22, Oklahoma City, Okla., and Kiamichi F. Bond, 21, Norman, Okla., are charged with possession with intent to distribute 21 pounds of methamphetamine. In addition, Bond in charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction. The crime is alleged to have occurred July 12, 2018, in Thomas County, Kan.
Upon conviction, the drug count carries a penalty of not less than five years and not more than 40 years in federal prison and a fine up to $5 million. The firearm count carries a penalty of up to 10 years and a fine up to $250,000. The Kansas Highway Patrol and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mona Furst is prosecuting.
Blake Nicol, 25, Salina, Kan., is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. The crimes are alleged to have occurred July 3, 2018, in Saline County, Kan.
If convicted, Nicol faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $1 million on the drug charge, up to 10 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the charge of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, and not less than five years and a fine up to $250,000 on the charge of possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. The Salina Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Skip Jacobs is prosecuting.
Taylor M. DeGarmo, 38, Wichita, Kan., Bret M. Davis, 36, Derby, Kan., and Vanessa M. Hull, 34, Winfield, Kan., are charged with drug trafficking. DeGarmo is charged with one count of distributing methamphetamine (count two), one count of possession with intent to distribute meth (count three) and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking (count four). Davis and Hull are charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute meth (count one). The crimes are alleged to have occurred Sept. 5 and 6, 2018, in Sedgwick County, Kan.
Upon conviction, the crimes carry the following penalties:
Counts one and two: Not less than five years, not more than 40 years, and a fine up to $5 million.
Count three: Not less than 10 years and a fine up to $10 million.
Count four: Not less than five years and a fine up to $250,000.
The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Metzger is prosecuting.
Nathan J. Moss, 32, Columbus, Kan., is charged with one count of stealing a firearm from a licensed dealer, two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction and one count of unlawful possession of a silencer. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in August 2018 in Crawford and Cherokee counties.
Upon conviction, the crimes carry the following penalties:
Theft from a licensed firearms dealer: Up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000.
Unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon: Up to 10 years and a fine up to $250,000.
Unlawful possession of a silencer: Up to 10 years and a fine up to $250,000.
The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, the Pittsburg Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch is prosecuting.
In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.
Indian Tribe in Kansas to Receive $805,000 in Public Safety Grants from DOJRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – The Sac and Fox Nation of Missouri in Kansas and Nebraska will receive $805,563 in public safety grants from the Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said today.
The tribe, headquartered in Reserve, Kan., will receive the funding from the Justice Department’s Office of Violence Against Women. The money is part of $113 million in grants the Justice Department announced this week to improve public safety, serve victims of crime, combat violence against women and support youth programs in American Indian and Alaska Native communities.“Our office is working with tribal governments to protect women in Indian Country from domestic violence, sexual assault and other crimes,” McAllister said.
Nationwide, 133 tribal governments and designees received grants.
Hobart Man Sentenced and Ordered to Pay over $300,000 in RestitutionRead the Press Release
HAMMOND – Kirk E. Stroh, 46 years old, of Hobart, Indiana, was sentenced by District Court Judge Joseph S. Van Bokkelen on his plea of guilty to one count of wire fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Thomas L. Kirsch II.
Stroh was sentenced to 5 months imprisonment followed by 7 months of supervised release. Stroh was ordered to pay $327,438.50 in restitution to the victim, and a $160,000 money judgment forfeiture.
According to court documents, between July 2012 and March 2015, Stroh helped co-defendant Lucy Owens embezzle over $300,000 from a local freight services company where Owens and Stroh’s wife were employed. At the time, Stroh was employed by a rival trucking company. Stroh used a stolen fuel card, provided by Owens, to obtain over $300,000 in cash advances at fuel stations, which he split evenly with Owens.
Owens, who was convicted by a jury of seven counts of wire fraud in May, is scheduled to be sentenced on November 8, 2018.
This case was investigated by the Hammond Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Abizer Zanzi and Nathaniel Whalen.
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Hartford Heroin Trafficker Sentenced to More Than 6 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ALEX ORTIZ-GOMEZ, 35, a citizen of Colombia last residing in Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford to 78 months of imprisonment for trafficking heroin.
According to court documents and statements made in court, the Drug Enforcement Administration Hartford Task Force identified ORTIZ-GOMEZ as the head of a drug trafficking organization that was distributing large quantities of heroin in the Hartford area. The investigation, which included court-authorized wiretaps, revealed that members of the organization used an apartment on Wayland Street in Hartford to store heroin, cocaine, drug packaging materials and cash, and to process and package narcotics for street sale.
On May 13, 2015, ORTIZ-GOMEZ traveled from Hartford to New York City where law enforcement officers conducted a motor vehicle stop of the car and seized approximately $125,000 in cash.
ORTIZ-GOMEZ and several co-conspirators were arrested on June 4, 2015. On that date, a search of the Wayland Street apartment revealed a bag of cocaine, approximately 400 bags of heroin, a heroin stamp, six boxes containing hundreds of stamped bags for packaging heroin, and other items used to process and package heroin for street sale. A related search of co-conspirator’s residence in East Hartford revealed 500 grams of heroin, thousands of bags used to package heroin, a heroin brand stamp and other items.
ORTIZ-GOMEZ has been detained since his arrest. On February 5, 2018, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin.
ORTIZ-GOMEZ, who came to the U.S. from Colombia as a child, faces immigration proceedings when he completes his prison term.
Six other individuals were charged and convicted as a result of this investigation.
This matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Task Force with the assistance of the Connecticut State Police. The DEA Task Force includes participants from the Bristol, East Hartford, Hartford, Manchester, New Britain, Rocky Hill, Wethersfield, Willimantic and Windsor Locks Police Departments, and the Food and Drug Administration. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey M. Stone.
Guatemalan Man Sentenced for Being in the United States IllegallyRead the Press Release
Bangor, Maine: United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Victor Yobany Archila-Rojas, 28, of Guatemala, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to time served (53 days) for entering the United States after having been removed and deported. The defendant pleaded guilty on August 14, 2018.
Court records reveal that on July 29, 2018, the defendant entered the United States from Canada in Sandy Bay Township, Maine at a location not designated for entry. U.S. Border Patrol agents located the defendant shortly after he entered. He is a citizen of Guatemala and was removed from the United States in 2013. He is subject to deportation.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Border Patrol.
Gaffney Man Sentenced on Federal Firearm ChargeRead the Press Release
Greenville, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon stated that Steven Ray Garner, age 44, of Gaffney, was sentenced in federal court to 60 months imprisonment with 3 years of supervised release to follow. Garner previously pled guilty to felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2). United States District Judge Bruce H. Hendricks imposed the sentence.
Evidence presented in court established that on January 22, 2017 a deputy with the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office was on routine patrol and noticed Garner and another individual sitting in a vehicle parked in front of a vacant house. The deputy recognized the person in the passenger seat as someone with outstanding warrants and took that individual into custody.
The deputy then patted down Garner to check him for weapons. During that search, the deputy located a loaded Colt .357 magnum in Garner’s waistband. A check of NCIC revealed that the gun had been reported stolen out of Spartanburg County. Garner was also found to be in possession of a small amount of methamphetamine.
Further NCIC check revealed that Garner had been previously convicted of second degree burglary (violent) in 2002 and manufacturing methamphetamine in 2012 and was thus prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms and ammunition.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office and was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state and local Project CeaseFire initiative, which aggressively prosecutes firearm cases. Project CeaseFire is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority. In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001. Assistant United States Attorney Sloan Ellis of the Greenville office prosecuted the case.
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Former Youth Football Coach Charged with Sexual Exploitation of ChildrenRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Norwell man was charged today in federal court in Boston with sexual exploitation of children. The defendant previously coached Norwell youth football.
Derek Sheehan, 48, was charged with three counts of sexual exploitation of children. He is currently in state custody on related charges pending in the Hingham District Court, which include three counts of aggravated rape of a child. Sheehan will appear in federal court at a later date. According to court documents, Sheehan is also charged - in connection with another victim - in Hingham District Court with one count of assault and battery on a child under 14.
It is alleged that on Aug. 17, 2018, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Sheehan’s home and seized several electronic devices that revealed evidence of child pornography. A forensic review of one of those devices has so far resulted in the discovery of hours of video footage of Sheehan, on multiple dates, sexually abusing a child who appeared to be asleep at Sheehan’s home. At the time of the assaults, the child was 11-and-12-years-old.
Given the number of devices seized, the high storage capacity of many of the devices, and the fact that some devices appear to be encrypted, the investigation and forensic review is ongoing.
Members of the public who have questions, concerns, or information about this case should contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at 617-748-3274. Anyone with questions about how to talk to their child about sexual abuse should visit the Plymouth County Child Advocacy Center website at https://cac.plymouthda.com/.
The charge of sexual exploitation of children provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and up to 30 years in prison, a minimum of five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz; Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; and Norwell Police Chief Theodore Ross made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anne Paruti, Lelling’s Project Safe Childhood coordinator and a member of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit, is prosecuting the case.
The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Former Ocean County Chiropractor Admits Income Tax Evasion and Failure to File Report of Russian Bank AccountRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – A former chiropractor with offices in Lakewood, New Jersey, today admitted evading income taxes totaling more than half a million dollars from 2012 through 2015 and failing to report a Russian bank account, to which he wired more than $1.5 million, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Carlo Amato, 57, of Beachwood, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp in Trenton federal court to one count of tax evasion and one count of failure to file a report of foreign financial account (FBAR) while violating another law of the United States and as part of a pattern of illegal activity involving more than $100,000 in a 12-month period.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From 2012 through 2015, Amato operated a chiropractic office in Lakewood through two entities: Chiropractic Care Consultants Inc. and Accident Recovery Physical Therapy. He deposited, or caused to be deposited, checks for chiropractic services into accounts held in the names of his minor children. Amato knew that these checks were taxable as income, but he did not disclose the payments to his accountant, nor did he report them on his tax returns. Amato also failed to report as taxable income certain additional funds that were deposited into Chiropractic Care’s and Accident Recovery’s business bank accounts. For example, Amato reported $0 in taxable income and $0 in tax due on his 2014 income tax return. His taxable income for 2014 was, in fact, $561,258, and Amato admitted that the tax due and owing to the IRS for 2014 was $197,036. Amato admitted that he also evaded more than $300,000 in taxes for the tax years 2012, 2013, and 2015.
Amato, a U.S. citizen, admitted that in 2014, he had an account at UniCredit Bank in Russia. He admitted that he wired more than $1.5 million to Russian bank accounts, including the UniCredit Bank account, and that he knew that he was obligated to report any foreign bank account with an aggregate value of more than $10,000. Amato admitted that he nonetheless failed to file a report of foreign account, commonly known as an FBAR, for the year 2014. Amato also admitted that the funds he failed to report were the product of a fraudulent scheme in which Amato overbilled at least six insurance companies by more than $1 million by billing for services that were never rendered. Amato previously pleaded guilty in Ocean County Superior Court to first degree financial facilitation of criminal activity for money laundering of funds from the overbilling scheme.
The tax evasion charge to which Amato pleaded guilty carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gain to any person or loss to any victims of the offense. The failure to file a report of foreign account charge to which Amato pleaded guilty carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of $500,000 or twice the gain to any person or loss to any victims of the offense. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 9, 2019.
Under the terms of his plea agreement, Amato will file amended tax returns and make full restitution for the years 2012 through 2015 and file accurate FBARs for the years 2012 through 2017.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge John Tafur, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea. U.S. Attorney Carpenito thanked the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronato, and the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie, for their roles in the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elisa T. Wiygul of the Criminal Division in Trenton.
Former NYPD Anti-Terrorism Officer Sentenced to Four Years in Prison for Narcotics, Fraud, Identity Theft, and Counterfeit Currency OffensesRead the Press Release
Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that REYNALDO LOPEZ, a former New York City Police Department (“NYPD”) officer, was sentenced to four years in prison in connection with narcotics, credit card fraud, identity theft, and counterfeiting offenses. LOPEZ previously pled guilty to the charges on February 16, 2018, in Manhattan federal court before United States District Judge Edgardo Ramos, who also imposed LOPEZ’s sentence.
U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “Reynaldo Lopez betrayed and abused the trust placed in him by the NYPD and the people of New York. He swore to protect the public from criminal activity, only to turn around and participate in significant crimes of his own, including not only credit card and identity fraud, but also agreeing to distribute multiple kilograms of heroin. His sentence today is a reminder that this Office and its law enforcement partners will continue to fight this kind of corruption, and that no one is above the law.”
In sentencing LOPEZ, Judge Ramos said: “[LOPEZ] is an individual that we as a society trusted to enforce our laws, trusted him enough to give him a weapon, trusted him enough to go out into the streets and protect our communities, our children, our businesses, etc. He is an individual with excellent resources who absolutely did not have to do what he did, absolutely did not have to engage in these crimes.”
According to the allegations in the Information to which LOPEZ pled guilty, a criminal complaint filed against LOPEZ, and other filings made in the case, and statements made during the plea and other proceedings in the case:
During the time periods charged, LOPEZ was an NYPD police officer assigned to the Anti-Terrorism Unit of the Transit Bureau.
On November 29, 2017, LOPEZ attempted to traffic approximately three kilograms of heroin from a location in New Jersey to the Bronx, New York. LOPEZ agreed to transport and protect what he believed were three kilograms of heroin to a drug dealer located in the Bronx under LOPEZ’s protection as an NYPD police officer. During the attempted transaction, LOPEZ described having previously engaged in narcotics trafficking and stated that “with me it’s guaranteed, they know for sure, they just send me out, do your thing, get an address, meet the person, do your thing, and I’m gone.” LOPEZ was arrested when he attempted to make the delivery.
In addition, from May 2017 through November 2017, LOPEZ engaged in a scheme to create and utilize fraudulent credit cards, including by using stolen identity information. He was part of a counterfeit credit card operation whose participants used stolen or otherwise illicitly obtained personal identifying information to create fraudulent credit cards, and then used those cards to purchase merchandise for themselves. As part of his role in these crimes, LOPEZ also possessed and used a device that applies electronic data to blank physical credit cards.
Also from May 2017 through November 2017, LOPEZ possessed and used counterfeit United States currency. In multiple recorded conversations, LOPEZ discussed his possession of counterfeit money and provided a sample to an undercover NYPD officer, stating that he previously had successfully used the counterfeit currency.
* * *
In addition to the prison term, LOPEZ, 27, of Brooklyn, New York, was sentenced to three years of supervised release.
Mr. Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the NYPD Internal Affairs Bureau.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Public Corruption Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex Rossmiller is in charge of the prosecution.
Former Jersey City Police Officer Sentenced to 23 Months in Prison for Conspiracy to Commit Fraud and Accept Corrupt PaymentsRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A former Jersey City police officer was sentenced today to 23 months in prison for accepting approximately $55,000 in corrupt payments in exchange for helping employers operate at worksites without the required presence of an off-duty police officer and for helping a police officer obtain compensation for off-duty work he did not perform, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Anthony Iannicco, 49, of Jersey City, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John Michael Vazquez to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit fraud and accept corrupt payments. Judge Vazquez imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Iannicco was a police officer with the Jersey City Police Department (JCPD) from 1995 to 2016. From 2008 through 2016, his duties included serving as the “assistant pick coordinator” for Jersey City’s West District. As the assistant pick coordinator, Iannicco assigned police officers to off-duty details.
Under Jersey City’s municipal code, off-duty police officers were not permitted to receive cash payments directly from off-duty employers. Rather, the employers were supposed to pay Jersey City, which would then pay the off-duty police officers, minus certain fees, taxes and deductions, including an administrative fee payable to Jersey City per hour that the off-duty police officers worked.
Iannicco conspired with numerous employers to cut Jersey City out of the process of hiring and compensating off-duty police officers. Generally, Iannicco permitted these employers to operate at worksites without the presence of a police officer when such a presence was required. In exchange, Iannicco accepted cash payments directly from these employers in violation of Jersey City rules and regulations.
Altogether, from 2011 to 2016, Iannicco collected payments of approximately $55,000 directly from off-duty employers and a conspirator.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Vazquez sentenced Iannicco to three years of supervised release and ordered forfeiture of $55,000 and restitution of $219,196.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.
JCPD is cooperating with the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna, Deputy Chief of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Newark.
Defense counsel: John A. Azzarello Esq., Morristown, New Jersey
Former High School Counselor Indicted for Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Greenbrier West High School Counselor Changed Daughter’s Grades to Obtain Financial Scholarships
BECKLEY, W.Va. – United States Attorney Mike Stuart announced that yesterday a federal grand jury indicted Mellissa Krystynak, of Stuart, Florida, on six counts of mail fraud relating to a scheme to defraud Greenbrier West High School and several scholarship organizations.
Krystynak, 49, was a school counselor at Greenbrier West from 2011 until 2017. While she was employed there, two of her children attended the school. The indictment alleges that Krystynak used her administrator access to the school’s grading system to inflate over 35 of her daughters’ grades. The indictment goes on to allege that, with Krystynak’s assistance, one of her daughters applied for and was awarded over $10,000 in financial scholarships during her senior year. These scholarships were based on applications containing the fraudulent report cards and transcripts. The indictment charges Krystynak with causing the scholarship checks to be mailed to her daughter’s college.
Krystynak’s initial appearance is scheduled on October 3, 2018 in front of United States Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn in Beckley. Krystynak faces up to 20 years in prison for each count.
The investigation is being conducted by the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Education. Assistant United States Attorney Gabriele Wohl is handling the prosecution.
The indictment can be found
here .Please note: An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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###Former G.E.O. Guard Sentenced to 57 Months in Federal Prison for Agreeing to Smuggle Crystal Methamphetamine into FacilityRead the Press Release
In San Antonio today, a federal judge sentenced a former employee of the Central Texas Detention Facility – GEO (GEO) to 57 months imprisonment for agreeing to provide crystal methamphetamine to an inmate inside the federal detention facility announced U.S. Attorney John F. Bash, Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs, San Antonio Division and U.S. Marshal Susan Pamerleau.
In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez ordered that 28–year–old Abigail Jolynn Abrego be placed under supervised release for a period of three years after completing her prison term. Judge Rodriguez also sentenced Abrego’s co-defendant and boyfriend, 55–year–old Leonard Belmares, to 46 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. Judge Rodriguez ordered Abrego and Belmares to surrender to federal authorities on or before November 30, 2018, to begin serving their respective prison terms.
Earlier this year, both defendants pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to providing contraband in prison. By pleading guilty, they admitted that in November 2017, they met with an undercover agent and agreed to smuggle methamphetamine into the facility and give it to an inmate in exchange for $1,500. They also admitted to working together on at least three previous occasions to smuggle drugs and/or contraband into the facility in exchange for money.
“I commend the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI and our U.S. Marshals Service personnel on their collaborative success in this investigation,” said U.S. Marshal Susan Pamerleau. “Their hard work and diligent efforts resulted in justice being served today.”
The Federal Bureau Investigation and the U.S. Marshals Service investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Wannarka prosecuted this case on behalf of the Government.
Former Director of Child Food Program Pleads Guilty to Defrauding USDA of More Than $500,000, Filing False Tax ReturnRead the Press Release
ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Nora L. Steele, the former operations director of a Rock Island, Ill., program that provided summer and after-school meals to at-risk children today waived indictment and plead guilty to defrauding the government of approximately $515,617, and filing a false tax return. Steele, 66, of Silvis, Ill., plead guilty to one count each of fraud and filing a false tax return in her appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jonathan E. Hawley in Rock Island. Sentencing has been scheduled on Jan. 17, 2019, before Chief U.S. District Judge James E. Shadid in Peoria.
Steele served as the operations director for the Quad Cities Area Children’s Food Program (QCACFP) from its inception in February 2016 until she left the organization in June 2017. Prior to the creation of QCACFP, Steele had served in a similar capacity since 2004 for an affiliated entity, Church of Peace, in Rock Island.
Church of Peace and later QCACFP provided summer and after-school meal services to at-risk children throughout the Quad Cities area. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, reimbursed the program a set amount per meal served. On a monthly basis, QCACFP submitted requests for reimbursement to the State of Illinois, which in turn received funding from USDA to pay the reimbursement.
Meals were provided in conjunction with after-school learning or care programming, typically at elementary or junior high schools and were operated by YMCA or Spring Forward Learning. During the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 school years, QCACFP provided meal services to 35 to 50 sites in the Quad Cities and Galesburg, Ill., communities each month.
In today’s hearing, and according to court documents, Steele admitted that from August 2015 to June 2017, she submitted falsely inflated meal count forms for reimbursement. In some cases additional meals that were not served were added to counts of legitimate meals that were served to children. In other cases, Steele submitted fraudulent meal count forms when no meals at all were served at a particular location on a given day.
Among other things, the inflated reimbursement payments were used to fund Steele’s salary and salaries for Steele’s family members who performed nominal duties for the food program. Steele also set up a retirement account for herself that was fully funded by the food program. Steele also used the program’s credit card to make personal purchases from QVC, including a compact, foldable exercise bike which Steele categorized as uniforms.
In addition, Steele created and claimed fabricated mileage reimbursements. Steele consistently claimed to have driven approximately 1,500 miles per monthly pay period for a monthly reimbursement of approximately $840 for work related travel that she did not actually make. For the period of March 2016 through June 2017, Steele claimed work travel mileage reimbursement for more miles than the total mileage the vehicles belonging to Steele and her husband travelled during the same time period. As a result of the fraudulent mileage reimbursement claims, Steele received $15,059 in 2015 and $19,282 in 2016 that was not taxed or reported as income on Steele’s personal tax returns, for a total tax liability of $10,128.
At sentencing, the statutory maximum penalty for mail fraud is 20 years in prison. For filing a false tax return, the penalty is up to three years in prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John K. Mehochko is prosecuting the case on behalf of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of Illinois, Rock Island Division. The charges are the result of investigation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General; IRS, Criminal Investigation and the FBI Springfield Division.
Former Chief Operating Officer of Long Island Federal Credit Union Arrested for EmbezzlementRead the Press Release
An indictment was unsealed today in federal court in Central Islip charging Suzanne Silva with embezzling over $465,000 during her seven-year tenure as Chief Operating Officer of Winthrop University Hospital Employees Federal Credit Union located in Mineola, New York (hereinafter Winthrop). Silva was arrested today, and her initial appearance is scheduled for this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Arlene R. Lindsay.
Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and William F. Sweeney, Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the charges.
“As alleged in the indictment, Silva abused her authority as Chief Operating Officer and stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from the credit union, which she used to fund an extravagant lifestyle,” stated United States Attorney Donoghue. “Today’s arrest demonstrates that this Office will hold executives at financial institutions accountable for abrogating their duties and using their access to line their pockets.”
“Greed surfaces at all levels when criminals see a payday, and they think no one is watching,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Sweeney. “In this investigation, someone noticed nearly half a million dollars was gone and now the COO faces criminal charges. This should serve as an example to others who believe their title enables them to escape notice when engaging in illegal behavior.”
As alleged in the indictment and court filings, between March 2011 and June 2018, Silva took advantage of her position at Winthrop to make unauthorized transfers totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars from operating accounts of Winthrop to personal accounts in her name and the names of family members. Silva used the funds to take Caribbean cruises, travel to Cancun and pay thousands of dollars a month for purchases from Amazon and Etsy. Silva’s employment was terminated by Winthrop in June 2018.
If convicted, Silva faces a maximum of 30 years’ imprisonment.
The charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Charles P. Kelly and Madeline O’Connor.
The Defendant:
Suzanne Silva
Age: 35
Carle Place, New York,E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 18-CR-507 (DRH)
Foreign National Sentenced to Prison for His Role in Stolen Identity Refund Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
A Honduran national was sentenced to 24 months in prison yesterday for theft of government funds in connection with his role in a stolen identity tax refund fraud scheme, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney John R. Lausch Jr. for the Northern District of Illinois.
According to documents and information provided to the court, Elin Matute, formerly of Waukegan, Illinois, cashed fraudulently obtained tax refund checks issued in the names of identity theft victims. In total, the scheme involved approximately 200 false tax returns and resulted in an intended tax loss of over $1.1 million. Matute cashed the checks at his bank and a local checking cashing business by claiming that the people listed on the checks were family members. Matute would then deposit the proceeds into bank accounts he controlled and would also send portions of the money overseas.
In addition to the term of imprisonment imposed, the court ordered Matute to serve three years of supervised release and pay $630,498 in restitution to the IRS.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Zuckerman and U.S. Attorney Lausch commended special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation who investigated the case, and Trial Attorneys John T. Mulcahy and Gregory P. Bailey of the Tax Division, who are prosecuting the case. Zuckerman also thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago for their substantial assistance.
Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found at www.justice.gov/tax.
Fitzgerald Man Sentenced for Possession with Intent to Distribute CocaineRead the Press Release
ALBANY: Charles E. Peeler, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, announces that Lakevis Woodard, age 31, of Fitzgerald, Georgia was sentenced to serve 24 months in federal prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine Base before U.S. District Court Judge Leslie J. Abrams in Albany, Georgia on September 13, 2018.
On October 19, 2017, local law enforcement was conducting an authorized roadblock in Ben Hill County, Georgia. Mr. Woodard approached the roadblock and drug agents, who had been receiving information that Mr. Woodard was selling drugs in the area, were present. A drug detection dog alerted on Mr. Woodard’s vehicle, and a subsequent search of the vehicle revealed a Ruger, Model 1911, .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol under the driver’s seat.
During a subsequent search of Mr. Woodard’s residence, officers located a gallon-sized Ziploc bag of marijuana and a box containing powder cocaine, crack cocaine, and a set of digital scales. Lab test results from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation determined the presence of 22.625 grams of cocaine base, commonly known as “crack” cocaine.
“Guns and crack cocaine pose a significant danger to our community,” said U.S. Attorney Charles E. Peeler. “I commend the Ben Hill County Sheriff’s Office and the Georgia Department of Community Supervision for their investigation and efforts in this case.”
This case was investigated by the Ben Hill County Sheriff’s Office and the Georgia Department of Community Supervision. Assistant United States Attorney Leah E. McEwen prosecuted the case for the United States.
Questions concerning this case should be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603.
Final Member of Major Middle Georgia Methamphetamine Organization Sentenced to Life in Prison Without ParoleRead the Press Release
MACON: Charles E. Peeler, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, announces that Russell Todd Mathis, age 45, of Warner Robins, Georgia, was sentenced, on September 19, 2018, to life in prison for his role in a methamphetamine and marijuana distribution conspiracy. Mr. Mathis received a mandatory life sentence because he had two prior drug convictions. The sentence was handed down by U. S. District Court Judge Marc T. Treadwell in Macon. There is no parole in the federal system.
Mr. Mathis was convicted of the charges on June 6, 2018 following a three-day jury trial. Evidence presented at trial showed that from July 2016 to October 2016, Mr. Mathis was a customer of Walter Williams, a/k/a “Bubba,” of Lizella, Georgia. Mr. Mathis purchased methamphetamine from Mr. Williams and distributed it to a number of other distributors in Middle Georgia. At Mr. Mathis’ trial, Mr. Williams estimated that he distributed one to two pounds of methamphetamine to Mr. Mathis weekly for 16 weeks.
Mr. Mathis was the sole defendant to go to trial. Eleven co-defendants entered guilty pleas and were previously sentenced:
- Ruben Perez, age 32 of Covington, Georgia
- Guilty plea entered: February 27, 2018
- Offense: Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine
- Sentence: 20 years imprisonment
- Antonio Mendez-Ramos, age 33, of Jonesboro, Georgia and Mexico
- Guilty plea entered: March 21, 2018
- Offense: Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine
- Sentence: 17 years and 6 months imprisonment
- Walter Williams a/k/a “Bubba,” age 40, of Lizella, Georgia
- Guilty plea entered: December 1, 2017
- Offense: Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine
- Sentence: 16 years and 8 months imprisonment
- James Howell, a/k/a “Flip,” age 28, of Macon, Georgia
- Guilty plea entered: November 20, 2017
- Offense: Distribution of methamphetamine
- Sentence: 12 years and 7 months imprisonment
- Ashlee Shaw, age 29, of Lizella, Georgia
- Guilty plea entered: March 20, 2018
- Offense: Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine
- Sentence: 10 years imprisonment
- Shana Walker, age 33, of Macon, Georgia
- Guilty plea entered: December 19, 2017
- Offense: Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine
- Sentence: 8 years and 1 month imprisonment
- Milton Dobbin Evans, age 66, of Macon, Georgia
- Guilty plea entered: February 27, 2018
- Offense: Use of Communications Facility in Causing or Facilitating the Commission of Felonies under the Controlled Substances Act
- Sentence: 4 years imprisonment
- Layla Keaney, age 38, of Gray, Georgia
- Guilty plea entered: December 14, 2017
- Offense: Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine
- Sentence: 18 months imprisonment
- Danna Stokes, age 38, of Bonaire, Georgia
- Guilty plea entered: February 27, 2018
- Offense: Use of Communications Facility in Causing or Facilitating the Commission of Felonies under the Controlled Substances Act
- Sentence: 1 year and 1 day imprisonment
- Bobby Martinez, age 28, of East Point, Georgia
- Guilty plea entered: April 16, 2018
- Offense: Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine
- Sentence: 5 years of probation
- Chadwick Nicholson, age 41, of Lizella, Georgia
- Guilty plea entered: December 21, 2017
- Offense: Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana
- Sentence: 5 years of probation
“Methamphetamine continues to be one of the most destructive drugs in our district. It not only ruins the lives of those who choose to use it and choose to deal it, it also affects families, law enforcement, healthcare providers, governments, and citizens across our district,” said United States Attorney Charles E. Peeler. “This life sentence sends a strong message that our office and our law enforcement partners will not rest until we hold accountable those responsible for spreading this poison. I want to thank the DEA, GBI, Peach County Sheriff’s Office, Bibb County Sheriff’s Office, and Houston County Sheriff’s Office for leading the charge in this matter.”
“Bubba Williams was a major supplier in the Middle Georgia area for some time. Todd Mathis was his #1 distributor, and he was responsible for spreading a lot of this crystal poison in our community. It’s good to see local, state and federal law enforcement working together to take someone like him off the streets,” said Peach County Sheriff Terry Deese. “This might not stop the flow of methamphetamine to this area but it will slow it down for some time. It will take a while for someone else to come in and set up a network such as the one we have just dismantled.”
“The cocktail of deadly chemicals used to manufacture methamphetamine is a recipe for disaster,” said Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “These substances are not only volatile and toxic, but they also destroy families, communities and lives. Because of the collective effort between DEA, its local, state and federal law enforcement counterparts and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, these defendants were brought to justice and will no longer be able to distribute this insidious drug.”
“These convictions demonstrate the great work of law enforcement at all levels to investigate and prosecute the distribution of illegal drugs affecting Georgia and our surrounding states,” said GBI Director Vernon Keenan. “The GBI remains committed to working with our local and federal partners in drug enforcement to address these types of crimes.”
This case was investigated by the Peach County Sheriff’s Office, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Georgia Bureau of Investigation, with the assistance of the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office and Houston County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth S. Howard handled the prosecution of the defendants who have been sentenced. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Crane is handling the prosecution of Mr. Mathis.
Questions concerning this release should be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603 or [email protected].
- Ruben Perez, age 32 of Covington, Georgia
Federal Court Shuts Down Pasadena-Based Tax Return Preparer after Finding that Her Fraudulent Returns Cost the IRS Millions of DollarsRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A federal court has issued an order that permanently bars a tax return preparer who operated offices in Pasadena – as well as other cities in California, Colorado and Kansas – from preparing federal income tax returns, United States Attorney Nick Hanna announced today.
Maria Del Consuelo Vazquez is the subject of a permanent injunction filed Monday by United States District Judge Fernando M. Olguin. In Monday’s order, Judge Olguin also prohibited Vazquez from owning a tax return preparation business.
Vasquez operated tax preparation business in Pasadena; Corona; Santa Ana; Brighton, Colorado; and Hutchinson, Kansas under a Nevada corporation she called MCV Business Network, Inc. In recent years, Vazquez filed thousands of tax returns for clients under her IRS-issued Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN).
According to a lawsuit filed by federal prosecutors on July 13 and testimony presented to the court, Vazquez substantially inflated or completely fabricated charitable contributions and unreimbursed employee business expenses to illegally generate federal income tax refunds for her clients or to substantially understate clients’ tax liabilities.
“Vazquez prepared and filed a total of 9,216 tax returns from January 1, 2015 to May 21, 2018 with her PTIN,” Judge Olguin wrote. “Based on the average deficiency of $2,830.29 from her audited returns, that suggests Vazquez’s fraudulent returns have resulted in harm of over $26 million to the United States from January 1, 2015 to present.”
This case against Vazquez was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Melissa Briggs of the Tax Division.
On its website, the IRS has ten tips for choosing a tax preparer. Each year, the IRS releases the top 12 scams, known as the Dirty Dozen. Return preparer fraud is one of the IRS’s Dirty Dozen Tax Scams for 2018, and taxpayers seeking a return preparer should remain vigilant. The IRS has published information on choosing a return preparer and has launched a free directory of federal tax preparers.
Over the past decade, the Justice Department has obtained injunctions against hundreds of unscrupulous tax preparers and has published an alphabetical listing of persons enjoined from preparing returns and promoting tax schemes. If you believe that one of the enjoined persons or businesses may be violating an injunction, please contact the Tax Division at [email protected] with details.
Federal Court Orders $1.3 Million Judgment Against Toxicology Laboratory for Committing Healthcare FraudRead the Press Release
FRANKFORT, Ky. – The U.S. District Court has entered a civil judgment of $1,374,058, in favor of the United States and against Calloway Laboratories, Inc. (“Calloway”), a clinical laboratory based in Woburn, Massachusetts, holding Calloway liable for submitting false claims to federal healthcare programs, including Medicare and TRICARE.
This civil judgment, announced today by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, is part of a settlement agreement resolving False Claims Act allegations that, during the period May 2014 to November 2014, Calloway submitted false claims for payment for urine drug testing referred by physicians to whom Calloway provided free testing supplies. As part of the settlement agreement, Calloway acknowledged that it provided free testing supplies to physicians for the purpose of inducing or rewarding referrals of urine drug testing to Calloway. Calloway then submitted claims to Medicare and TRICARE seeking payment for the testing referred by these physicians.
The provision of free testing supplies to induce or reward referrals violates the Anti-Kickback Statute, a federal law that prohibits offering or providing anything of value to physicians to encourage the referral of services covered by federal healthcare programs. This conduct also violates the Stark Law, which prohibits a laboratory from billing Medicare for services referred by physicians with whom the laboratory has an improper financial relationship. Both the Anti-Kickback Statute and the Stark Law are intended to ensure that medical decision-making is not compromised by improper financial incentives and is instead based on the best interest of the patient.
“Offering financial incentives to physicians in exchange for patient referrals undermines the integrity of our health care system,” said U.S. Attorney Robert M. Duncan, Jr. “Our office will continue to protect both patients and taxpayers by holding those who engage in kickback schemes accountable.”
The Government’s investigation began with the filing of a whistleblower lawsuit brought by a former Calloway employee under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act. Under the Act, private parties may bring suit on behalf of the government and may receive a portion of any federal recovery.
This matter was handled by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General, Office of Investigations; the U.S. Department of Defense, Office of the Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service; and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky. The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine Corndorf and Carrie B. Pond.
Employee of Essex County Sheriff’s Office Charged with Attempted ExtortionRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – An employee of the Essex County Sheriff’s Office was charged with soliciting payments from a man posing as a land developer for information regarding properties under foreclosure, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced today.
Abdush Shahid Ahmad, 51, of Newark, was charged by complaint with attempted extortion under color of official right affecting interstate commerce. He made his initial appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Leda Dunn Wettre in Newark federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
An employee in the civil process division of the Essex County Sheriff’s Office, Ahmad had access to writs of execution on homes to be sold at public auction by the Sherriff’s Office as a result of foreclosure actions. Ahmad allegedly indicated to a cooperating witness that he had access to that information before the information was made public on the Essex County Sheriff’s Office website or announced in local newspapers. Ahmad attempted to sell approximately 20 writs of execution to the cooperating witness who posed as a land developer, and who was operating at the direction of law enforcement agents. Ahmad received $100 for each writ and made clear that he expected an additional $4,900 for each property that the cooperating witness was able to acquire using the non-public information. Ahmad allegedly recorded the terms of the arrangement in a contract that he signed and presented to the cooperating witness in person, to avoid using his e-mail to send the contract to the cooperating witness.
The count of attempted extortion under color of official right affecting interstate commerce carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s charges.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacques S. Pierre of the Special Prosecutions Division.
The allegations and charges in the complaint are merely accusations and the defendant is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Defense counsel: Carol Gillen Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender
Eight people from Akron indicted trafficking methamphetamine and heroinRead the Press Release
Eight people from Akron were indicted in federal court for their roles in a conspiracy to traffic methamphetamine and heroin.
Named in the 18-count indictment are: Patrick Griffin, 31; Leonard Jones, Jr., 39; Jerome Walton, 34; Isaac Love, 33; Robert Hammond, 34; Anthoney Carter, 29; Eric Bennett, 26; and Natorria Clark, 33.
Griffin received the methamphetamine and heroin from a source in California. He and Walton distributed the drugs to customers including Jones, Love, Hammond, Carter and Bennett. Carter traveled between California and Ohio to transport the drugs for Griffin, according to the indictment.
This took place from June 2015 through this month, according to the indictment.
Walton is additionally charged with possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than maximum.
This cases is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Teresa Riley following an investigation by the Summit County Sheriff's Office, Summit County Drug Unit, Summit County Prosecutor's Office, Ohio State Highway Patrol, U.S. Marshal Service and police departments from Copley, Barberton, Reminderville, Cuyahoga Falls, Springfield, New Franklin, Stow, the University of Akron and Silver Lake.
An indictment is only a charge. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
District of Minnesota Tribes to Receive $8.6 Million in Public Safety GrantsRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald joined the Department of Justice today in announcing more than $113 million in grant awards to improve public safety, serve victims of crime, combat violence against women, and support youth programs in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. Six tribes within the District of Minnesota have received grants totaling more than $8.6 million.
The Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe will receive a total of $1,921,228, the Lower Sioux Indian Community will receive a total of $3,261,780, the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe will receive a total of $1,187,669, the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians will receive a total of $1,310,299, the Prairie Island Indian Community will receive a total of $598,976, and the White Earth Reservation Tribal Council will receive a total of $337,426.
U.S. Attorney MacDonald said, “Violent crime disproportionately affects many of our Native American communities. These grants will directly support efforts to address some of the toughest challenges – such as domestic violence and opioid and substance abuse.”
Nationwide, grants were awarded to 133 American Indian tribes, Alaska Native villages, and other tribal designees through the Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation, a streamlined application for tribal-specific grant programs. Of the $113 million, just over $53 million comes from the Office of Justice Programs, more than $35 million from the Office on Violence Against Women, and more than $24.7 million from the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.
In addition, the Department is in the process of allocating up to $133 million in a first-ever set aside program to serve victims of crime in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. The awards are intended to help tribes develop, expand and improve services to victims of crime by providing funding, programming and technical assistance. Recipients will be announced in the near future.
Today’s announcement is part of the Justice Department’s ongoing initiative to increase engagement, coordination and action on public safety in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. A listing of today’s announced CTAS awards is available at: www.justice.gov/tribal/page/file/1095161/download.
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United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota: (612) 664-5600
Director of Finance at Local Company Admits to EmbezzlementRead the Press Release
St. Louis, MO – James Guccione, 51, of St. Louis County pleaded guilty to wire fraud this afternoon before Chief Judge Rodney Sippel in St. Louis.
According to his plea agreement, Guccione admitted to a fraud scheme whereby he ordered computer hardware and software through his employer and converted the equipment to his own use. Additionally, Guccione admitted to falsifying reimbursement requests from his employer which were directed into his personal bank account. As Director of Finance, Guccione admitted he abused a position of trust in the execution of the fraud scheme. Guccione did not agree to a particular amount of loss but the U.S. Attorney’s Office contends more than $331,000 was taken during the scheme.
Judge Sippel accepted Guccione’s plea and deferred sentencing until December 21, 2018. The maximum penalty for wire fraud is 20 years’ imprisonment, a fine of $250,000 or both. Restitution to the victim is also mandatory.
The case was investigated by the Clayton Police Department with assistance from the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Tom Albus is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Corinth Man Ordered to Pay $50,000 Fine and Banned from Hunting for Killing Migratory BirdsRead the Press Release
OXFORD, Miss. William C. Lamar, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Mississippi, and Luis Santiago, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announced that:
Frederick Alvin Corder, 53, of Corinth, Mississippi, was sentenced Wednesday to pay a $50,000 fine for his role in trapping and killing migratory birds. In addition to the fine, Corder was placed on probation for a term of two years. As a condition of his probation, Corder will be prohibited from hunting anywhere in the world or participating in field trials for a period of two (2) years.
Corder was previously found guilty of eight counts charging him with violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (“MBTA”) and one count of conspiracy to violate the MBTA following a bench trial on August 6-7, 2018, before United States Magistrate Judge David A. Sanders, in Oxford, Mississippi. Each count pertained to the taking or attempted taking of migratory birds of prey, including hawks and owls, on Cedar Oak Plantation in Marshall County, Mississippi. Corder, who utilized Cedar Oak Plantation for purposes of releasing pen-raised quail for field trials and the training of bird dogs, participated in a scheme over a three to four year period to trap and kill hawks and owls that might prey upon the released quail.
“We take our mission working with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks and the citizens of Mississippi in conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats very seriously,” said United States Fish and Wildlife Service Special Agent in Charge Santiago. “The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement will continue to work closely with our State partners to assist them in these important investigations.”
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to work closely with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks to hold accountable those individuals who choose to violate the law by abusing our environment,” stated U.S. Attorney Lamar.
This case was investigated by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement and the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. The case was prosecuted for the United States by AUSA Robert Mims.
Convicted Felon Sentenced to Prison for Firearm PossessionRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A previously convicted felon was sentenced yesterday to 10 years in prison for possession of a firearm.
“Convicted felons who possess firearms will be investigated and prosecuted at every opportunity,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Our primary mission is public safety, and keeping guns out of the hands of convicted felons goes a long way towards ensuring the safety of our law enforcement partners and the communities they serve. We are committed to removing illegally possessed firearms from our streets, and are zeroing in on criminals like Mr. Willis who are carrying firearms and driving crime in our communities.”
According to court documents, Zaymar Antonio Willis, 31, of Richmond, possessed multiple firearms, including a Bushmaster model XM15-E2S, caliber 223 Remington/ 5.56x45mm NATO semiautomatic pistol, with a 30-round magazine. Willis was prohibited from possessing a firearm due to his prior felony convictions that included a 2009 drug trafficking conviction and a 2013 drug trafficking conviction. In addition to the 3 semiautomatic pistols recovered from the residence, the police also recovered a number of drug-related items, including digital scales, a plate with a razor blade and residue, numerous plastic sandwich bags with the corners ripped off and a small quantity of heroin wrapped in a plastic bag corner. Law enforcement also recovered over $3,500 in cash.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Thomas L. Chittum, III, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division, and Alfred Durham, Chief of Richmond Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson. Assistant U.S. Attorney Olivia L. Norman prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:18-cr-41.
Convicted Felon Sentenced to Federal Prison for Bribing a Postal EmployeeRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – September 19, 2018 – Mark Shankle, 28, of Nashville, Tennessee, was sentenced Monday to 15 months in prison for paying a bribe to a public official, announced U.S. Attorney Don Cochran of the Middle District of Tennessee. Shankle was indicted in March and pleaded guilty on June 11, 2018.
According to court documents, in December 2017 Shankle approached an employee of the United States Postal Service in Joelton, Tennessee and solicited his assistance in receiving a shipment of steroids. Shankle offered to pay the employee $300 to hold and deliver the package to him when it arrived at the post office. After arranging to have the package shipped under a false name, Shankle gave the employee $100. The postal employee reported the incident to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
In late December 2017, the Postal Service identified the target package which had been shipped from Oakland, California. Agents obtained a search warrant for the package and discovered that it contained approximately two pounds of marijuana. A controlled delivery of the package was arranged and Shankle was arrested after picking up the package at the rear of the Ashland City, Tennessee Post Office on January 2, 2018.
At the time of his arrest, Shankle was on supervised release after having been convicted in 2011, in U.S. District Court in Nashville, of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the USPS Office of Inspector General. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Siji Moore.
Connecticut Business Owner Sentenced for Export ViolationRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that IMRAN KHAN, 44, of North Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to three years of probation, the first six months of which KHAN must serve in home confinement, for violating U.S. export law. Judge Underhill also ordered KHAN to perform 100 hours of community service and pay a $3,000 fine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, from at least 2012 to December 2016, KHAN and two of his family members engaged in a scheme to purchase goods that were controlled under the Export Administration Regulations (“EAR”) and to export those goods without a license to Pakistan, in violation of the EAR. Through companies conducting business as Brush Locker Tools, Kauser Enterprises-USA and Kauser Enterprises-Pakistan, the three defendants received orders from a Pakistani company that procured materials and equipment for the Pakistani military, requesting them to procure specific products that were subject to the EAR. When U.S. manufacturers asked about the end-user for a product, the defendants either informed the manufacturer that the product would remain in the U.S. or completed an end-user certification indicating that the product would not be exported.
After the products were purchased, they were shipped by the manufacturer to the defendants in Connecticut. The products were then shipped to Pakistan on behalf of either the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (“PAEC”), the Pakistan Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (“SUPARCO”), or the National Institute of Lasers & Optronics (“NILOP”), all of which were listed on the U.S. Department of Commerce Entity List. The defendants never obtained a license to export any item to the designated entities even though they knew that a license was required prior to export. The defendants received the proceeds for the sale of export-controlled items through wire transactions to a U.S. bank account that the defendants controlled.
On June 1, 2017, KHAN pleaded guilty to one count of violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. In pleading guilty, he specifically admitted that, between August 2012 and January 2013, he procured, received and exported to PAEC an Alpha Duo Spectrometer without a license to do so.
On March 5, 2018, KHAN’s father, Muhammad Ismail, and his brother, Kamran Khan, each pleaded guilty to one count of international money laundering, for causing funds to be transferred from Pakistan to the U.S. in connection with the export control violations. In pleading guilty, Ismail and Kamran Khan specifically admitted that, between January and July 2013, they procured, received and exported to SUPARCO, without a license to do so, certain bagging film that is used for advanced composite fabrication and other high temperature applications where dimensional stability, adherence to sealant tapes and uniform film gage are essential. The proceeds for the sale of the bagging film was wired from Pakistan to the defendants in the U.S.
On July 18, 2018, Judge Underhill sentenced both Muhammad Ismail and Kamran Kahn to 18 months of imprisonment. Ismail and Kamran Khan are both citizens of Pakistan and lawful permanent residents of the U.S.
This matter was investigated by the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacabed Rodriguez-Coss in coordination with Trial Attorney Scott McCulloch of the Justice Department’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section (CES).