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Thursday 12 July 2018
United States Attorney Mike Stuart Announces Unprecedented Growth in SDWVRead the Press Release
ADDITIONAL AUSA POSITION ALLOCATED IN CONJUNCTION WITH OPERATION SYNTHETIC OPIOID SURGE (S.O.S.)
SDWV Receives 1 of only 10 positions in the Country
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Earlier today, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and U.S. Attorney Mike Stuart today announced Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (S.O.S.), a new program that seeks to reduce the supply of deadly synthetic opioids in high impact areas and to identify wholesale distribution networks and international and domestic suppliers.
As part of Operation S.O.S., the Department of Justice selected the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia (SDWV) as one of only 10 districts in the nation, to launch this important enforcement surge. With Operation S.O.S., a new additional AUSA is being allocated to the District solely to focus on implementing the new surge.
In addition to the new resources of Operation S.O.S., the Attorney General and DOJ previously announced an additional four prosecutors are being allocated to the SDWV. The new prosecutors represent the largest single increase of new prosecutors in the history of the SDWV and the largest percentage increase for any district in the nation.
“In the six months since I became United States Attorney, five additional prosecutors have been allocated to my office,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “It is unprecedented. More new positions than Miami, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Phoenix, or many of the largest, fastest growing areas in the country. Literally the largest percentage increase of any district in the entire nation. This is the largest increase of new AUSAs in the history of the SDWV and is a testament to the hard work and accomplishments of my entire team.
The number of cases we are prosecuting, particularly in the area of drugs and violent crimes, have substantially and exponentially increased since I took office. For example, we have seen a nearly 400% and 80% increase in prosecutions of illegal firearms and illicit narcotics, respectively. IT’S BIG! IT’S HUGELY BIG!
With five additional prosecutors, I can assure you this trend will continue and we can dedicate even more resources to our offices in Beckley and Huntington in addition to our growth in Charleston. I am beyond grateful for the trust and confidence the Attorney General and the Department of Justice have demonstrated in my leadership and in the efforts of my staff by awarding the District with such a significant increase in prosecutors.
We are excited by the opportunity to grow the office and bring in even more bright, capable, hard-working attorneys to focus on crime issues important to the citizens of West Virginia.
These are exciting times and maybe the most significant time for law enforcement in the history of southern West Virginia. We are literally shaping the future of law enforcement in this district for at least the next generation.”
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US Attorney Boyce Announces Resignation, Steven Weinhoeft Assumes Role of Acting US AttorneyRead the Press Release
Donald S. Boyce has announced his resignation from the position of United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, effective at midnight on July 21, 2018.
Mr. Boyce was sworn-in as United States Attorney on July 8, 2016, after his appointment by then United States Attorney General Loretta Lynch. Mr. Boyce was later re-appointed United States Attorney by the Judges of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois on October 28, 2016.
Prior to his appointment as United States Attorney, Mr. Boyce had served as an Assistant United States Attorney since 2006, most recently as Chief of the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force. Mr. Boyce is also a former St. Louis police officer.
Effective on July 22, 2018, Steven D. Weinhoeft will assume the role of Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois. Mr. Weinhoeft has served as an Assistant United States Attorney since 2008, including serving as First Assistant United States Attorney from 2016 to the present. Prior to joining the United States Attorney’s Office, Mr. Weinhoeft served as First Assistant in the Sangamon County, Illinois, State’s Attorney’s Office in Mr. Weinhoeft’s home town of Springfield, Illinois.
U.S. Attorney's Office Hosts Roundtable on Sexual Harassment in HousingRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL - The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida (MDFL) and the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division hosted a roundtable today for community organizations to discuss the problem of sexual harassment in housing, U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announced. More than 50 community partners, including local law enforcement agencies, legal aid offices, fair housing organizations, domestic violence centers, housing authorities, and other housing providers from across the MDFL attended. Participants included organizations that often work with vulnerable populations who are most likely to become the victims of sexual harassment in housing.
The Department of Justice, through the various U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Civil Rights Division, enforces the federal Fair Housing Act, which prohibits discrimination in housing on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, familial status, national origin, and disability. Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination prohibited by the Act. Sexual harassment in housing may appear in many forms, including allegations involving individuals who sexually expose themselves to current or prospective tenants, request sexual favors in exchange for reduced rents or making necessary repairs, make unrelenting and unwanted sexual advances to tenants, and evict tenants who resist their sexual overtures.
“Fair housing is a protected right,” said U.S. Attorney Chapa Lopez. “No one should ever have to surrender their dignity in exchange for a place to live. Sexual harassment, intimidation, and the abuse of power and position by landlords, property managers, or their employees should never be used as keys of extortion. Our office is committed to working with our community partners to expose such violations and prosecute them vigorously.”
In October 2017, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division announced the Sexual Harassment in Housing Initiative, an effort to combat sexual harassment in housing. On April 12, 2018, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the nationwide expansion of that initiative and the formation of a joint task force with the Department of Housing and Urban Development to address this issue. The Justice Department’s initiative seeks to identify barriers to reporting sexual harassment in housing, increase awareness of the Justice Department's enforcement efforts among survivors and responsible agencies, and collaborate with federal, state, and local partners to increase reporting, and connect survivors with federal resources.
Through roundtable discussions like those held today, the U.S. Attorney’s Office is working closely with the Civil Rights Division to spread information to local communities about fair housing laws and resources available to victims of sexual harassment in housing. During the meetings, various entities exchange ideas on how to better detect, report, and enforce violations. In addition, various strategies are discussed on how to better share critical resources and strengthen interdisciplinary partnerships throughout central Florida.
Many instances of sexual harassment in housing continue to go unreported. Not only should victims of sexual harassment be aware of the Justice Department’s enforcement efforts, but a concerted effort must be made by the public at-large to encourage others to become involved and report acts of misconduct. In addition to the local authorities, victims should report violations to the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The Department encourages anyone who has experienced sexual harassment in housing, or knows someone who has, to contact them by calling 1-(844) 380-6178 or emailing [email protected].
In support of the Sexual Harassment in Housing Initiative, U.S. Attorney Chapa Lopez has produced Public Service Announcements (PSAs) specifically designed to raise awareness, and make it easier for victims all over the country to find resources and report harassment. (See below to download MDFL PSAs).
Individuals who believe that they may have been victims of a civil rights violation may also file a complaint with the U.S. Attorney's Office.
MDFL Civil Rights Unit
Phone: (813) 274-6095
Email: [email protected]
www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl/civil-rights
U.S. Attorney Davis Announces New Leadership Roles within OfficeRead the Press Release
BOISE – Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Nicholas J. Woychick is now the District of Idaho’s Civil Chief, announced U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis. Previously, AUSA Syrena C. Hargrove served dual roles, as Civil Chief and Appellate Coordinator. She has now assumed the role of Appellate Chief. U.S. Attorney Davis also announced AUSA Joanne P. Rodriguez will serve as an additional Senior Litigation Counsel for the office, joining current Senior Litigation Counsel Raymond E. Patricco who has filled this role since July 2014.
Mr. Woychick has been an AUSA since April 1995. He has served in several roles, including Civil Chief, Senior Litigation Counsel, and Ethics Advisor. He has also been an active civil litigator throughout his tenure with the office, and will continue to litigate cases in addition to filling the role of Civil Chief.
Ms. Hargrove has been an AUSA since March 2008. She served as Appellate Coordinator since 2008 and Civil Chief and Appellate Coordinator since 2010. In her new role, she will expand her work on appeals within the office and will remain part of the management team.
Ms. Rodriguez has been an AUSA since May 1983. A litigator with extensive criminal and civil experience, she has acted as an informal mentor for less experienced AUSAs for years. She will continue her mentoring, in a more formal capacity, as Senior Litigation Counsel. She will also continue to litigate civil cases and will serve on the management team.
“I came into office to find that I have an outstanding staff, including Nick, Syrena, and Joanne,” said U.S. Attorney Davis. “In light of the office’s growth and increasing workload, I am pleased that I am able to have a Civil Chief, Appellate Chief, and additional Senior Litigation Counsel and I am doubly pleased that Nick, Syrena, and Joanne, respectively, have assumed those roles. I look forward to working alongside of them and with the entire management team, going forward.”
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Two-Time Bank Robber Sentenced for Robbing Narragansett BankRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – William H. Dority, 56, of South Kingstown, was sentenced on Wednesday to time served plus seven days for robbing a Narragansett bank of $4,635 in November 2017. Dority has been detained since his arrest on November 28, 2017.
At sentencing, U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., also ordered Dority to serve 2 years supervised release upon completion of his term of incarceration. Dority pleaded guilty on April 2, 2018, to a charge of bank robbery.
The U.S. Sentencing Guideline imprisonment range in this matter is 37- 46 months. As stipulated in a plea agreement filed with the court, both the government and the defense recommended the court impose a sentence of 37 months incarceration.
According to information presented to the court, on November 28, 2017, Dority entered a Centerville Bank branch office in Narragansett, handing the teller a note demanding cash. As Dority fled, a panic alarm was sounded and a 911 call from another employee resulted in a rapid response by members of the Narragansett Police Department. An alert Department of Environmental Management K-9 (“Bear”), brought in to assist Narraganset Police in the search for the robber, located Dority hiding in a shed not far from the bank about 30 minutes later.
At the time of Dority’s arrest, police recovered $4,615 from the shed.
According to court records, Dority was convicted of bank robbery by force in May 1993 in Virginia, and sentenced to a total of 45 years in prison, 30 years suspended with probation. Dority was on probation at the time of his arrest for robbing the Centerville Bank branch office in Narragansett.
Dority’s sentence is announced by United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch, Narragansett Police Chief Sean Corrigan, and Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division Harold H. Shaw.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard W. Rose.
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Two Thomasville Residents Plead Guilty to Possession with the Intent to Distribute CocaineRead the Press Release
Charles E. Peeler, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, announces that Gina Curry age 35, and Ronnie Jones, age 37, both of Thomasville, Georgia, plead guilty on July 12, 2018, to possession with the intent to distribute cocaine in violation of 21 USC §§ 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C). The pleas were entered before the Honorable Hugh Lawson, Senior United States District Court Judge in Valdosta, Georgia. Their pleas subject both Ms. Curry and Mr. Jones to maximum sentences of twenty (20) years, a maximum fine of $1,000,000.00, or both, a term of supervised release of three (3) years, and $100 mandatory assessment fee.
The facts contained in the defendants’ plea agreements revealed that on August 2, 2016, law enforcement agents spoke with Gina Curry, who informed them that Ronnie Jones, a/k/a “Dank,” stored cocaine and cash inside her home and that some cocaine was currently there. Prior to this meeting, agents had monitored a court-authorized wiretap on a phone used by Ronnie Jones. In so doing, agents had heard many calls regarding Jones storing cocaine at Curry’s residence or in which Jones directed Curry to deliver drugs to him or to his customer. The agents executed a search warrant at 1111 Roberts Street, Pavo, Thomas County, Georgia. Inside the residence, agents located $11,818.00 in U.S. Currency, 51.5 grams of cocaine base, 273.8 grams of powder cocaine, a Highpoint handgun and items indicating that cocaine base had been manufactured inside the residence and packaged for resale. These items included such things as baking soda, cups, mugs and baggies, all of which tested positive for cocaine residue. The weights and chemical compositions of the cocaine and crack cocaine mentioned above were confirmed by laboratory analysis.
“Cocaine and its evil derivative, cocaine base or ‘crack,’ continue to be major drugs of abuse in the Middle District of Georgia. My office and the Drug Enforcement Administration will continue to investigate and prosecute these cases to the fullest extent possible in order to reduce and eradicate the scourge of illegal drug use in our communities,” said United States Attorney Peeler.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration. 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.
Trump Administration Completes Reunification for Eligible Children Under 5Read the Press Release
HHS Secretary Alex Azar, DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, and Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued the following joint statement regarding reunification efforts for eligible children under 5 years old:
“Dedicated teams at the Departments of Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, and Justice have worked tirelessly to ensure the safety of Ms. L class members. As of this morning, the initial reunifications were completed. Throughout the reunification process, our goal has been the well-being of the children and returning them to a safe environment. Our agencies’ careful vetting procedures helped prevent the reunification of children with an alleged murderer, an adult convicted of child cruelty, and adults determined not to be the parent of the child. Of course, there remains a tremendous amount of hard work and similar obstacles facing our teams in reuniting the remaining families. The Trump administration does not approach this mission lightly, and we intend to continue our good faith efforts to reunify families.
“Certain facts remain: The American people gave this administration a mandate to end the lawlessness at the border, and President Trump is keeping his promise to do exactly that. Our message has been clear all along: Do not risk your own life or the life of your child by attempting to enter the United States illegally. Apply lawfully and wait your turn.
“The American immigration system is the most generous in the world, but we are a nation of laws and we intend to continue enforcing those laws. Establishing the immigration system demanded of our political leaders by the American people for more than 30 years—one that serves the national interest—will allow our nation to further realize the foundation of freedom, safety, and prosperity we inherited from our Founders.”
Below are more details on HHS, DHS, and DOJ progress on reunification, as of 7 a.m. EST, July 12, 2018:
There are 103 children under age 5 covered by the court case. Of the 103 children:
- 57 children have been reunified as of 7 a.m. EST on July 12; and
- 46 children were acknowledged by the court to be ineligible for reunification or determined by HHS, DHS, and DOJ to be ineligible under court-approved criteria.
Of those 46 ineligible for reunification:
22 children have been found ineligible due to safety concerns posed by the adults in question:
- 11 adults have a serious criminal history (charges or convictions for child cruelty, kidnapping, murder, human smuggling, domestic violence, etc.);
- 7 adults were determined not to be a parent;
- 1 adult had a falsified birth certificate;
- 1 adult was alleged to have abused the child;
- 1 adult planned to house the child with an adult charged with sexually abusing a child; and
- 1 adult is being treated for a communicable disease.
24 children are not currently eligible for reunification due to circumstances of the adults in question:
- 12 adults have been deported and are being contacted;
- 9 adults are in custody of the United States Marshals Service for other offenses;
- 2 adults are in custody of state jails for other offenses; and
- 1 adult's location has been unknown for over a year.
Three Sentenced for Tax Fraud and Identity TheftRead the Press Release
VALDOSTA: Charles E. Peeler, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, announces that Saferia Johnson, age 34, formerly of Valdosta, Georgia; Leo McGill, age 51, of Valdosta, Georgia; and Detrone Middleton, age 38, of Douglas, Georgia, were sentenced on July 11, 2018, by the Honorable Hugh Lawson, Senior United States District Judge for aggravated identity theft and for involvement in a fraudulent income tax fraud scheme seeking more than $2 million in refunds. Ms. Johnson and Mr. McGill were each sentenced to serve 70 months in federal prison and Mr. Middleton was sentenced to serve 64 months in federal prison. The defendants were also sentenced to jointly pay the Internal Revenue Service $1,498,776 in restitution. There is no parole in the federal system.
In 2012, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI) began an investigation after receiving information that a number of accounts controlled by the three co-defendants and others had received a large number of federal tax refund deposits issued in the name of people other than the owners of the bank accounts. IRS-CI identified individuals whose identities had been used on the returns in question and determined that Ms. Johnson, Mr. McGill and Mr. Middleton were involved in a scheme where fraudulent federal incomes tax returns were filed for tax years 2010 and 2011 and refunds deposited into 45 separate bank accounts.
The defendants admitted to filing approximately 984 fraudulent returns using stolen identities (many being those of minors) for tax years 2010 and 2011. The fraudulent returns, which were filed without the knowledge or permission of the individuals whose identities had been stolen, sought total refunds of $2,082,275.00. Refunds totaling $1,498,776.00, the restitution amount ordered, were actually paid. Both Mr. McGill, and Mr. Middleton admitted that those amounts were received by them or their associates.
“The sentences imposed on these three defendants bear witness to the fact that easy money means hard time in the federal criminal justice system. Stealing from the government is stealing from the American people, and it is made all the more despicable by using the identities of children to do it,” said United States Attorney Peeler.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service–Criminal Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Robert D. McCullers is prosecuting 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.
Three Individuals Arrested Based on 15 Pound Heroin Seizure at U.S. Border Patrol Checkpoint in Alamogordo, New MexicoRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – This morning in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., three individuals made their initial appearances on heroin trafficking charges arising out of the seizure of more than 15 pounds of heroin at a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint in southern New Mexico on July 10, 2018. The three defendants are temporarily detained pending preliminary hearings and detention hearings, which have yet to be scheduled.
Goretty Aguirre, 18, a Mexican national, and Mario Chavez, Jr., 18, and Nicholas Ramon Diaz, 18, both of El Paso, Texas, are charged in a criminal complaint with conspiracy and possession of heroin with intent to distribute. According to the criminal complaint, U.S. Border Patrol Agents arrested the defendants on July 10, 2018, after seizing approximately seven kilograms (15.43 pounds) of heroin allegedly concealed in a vehicle driven by Chavez and in which Aguirre and Diaz were passengers. The agents allegedly found the heroin while inspecting Chavez’s vehicle at the U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint near Alamogordo, N.M., in Otero County, N.M.
If convicted of the charges in the criminal complaint, Aguirre, Chavez and Diaz each face a statutory mandatory minimum penalty of ten years and a maximum of life in federal prison. Charges in criminal complaints are merely accusations and criminal defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Border Patrol and the Las Cruces office of the DEA. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Joni Autrey of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office is prosecuting the case as part of the New Mexico Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Initiative. The HOPE Initiative was launched in January 2015 by the UNM Health Sciences Center and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in response to the national opioid epidemic, which has had a disproportionately devastating impact on New Mexico. Opioid addiction has taken a toll on public safety, public health and the economic viability of our communities. Working in partnership with the DEA, the Bernalillo County Opioid Accountability Initiative, Healing Addiction in our Community (HAC), the Albuquerque Public Schools and other community stakeholders, HOPE’s principal goals are to protect our communities from the dangers associated with heroin and opioid painkillers and reducing the number of opioid-related deaths in New Mexico.
The HOPE Initiative is comprised of five components: (1) prevention and education; (2) treatment; (3) law enforcement; (4) reentry; and (5) strategic planning. HOPE’s law enforcement component is led by the Organized Crime Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the DEA in conjunction with their federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement partners. Targeting members of major heroin and opioid trafficking organizations for investigation and prosecution is a priority of the HOPE Initiative.
Tennessee Man Pleads Guilty to Filing False Retaliatory Lien and Making A False Claim for Tax RefundRead the Press Release
A Rogersville, Tennessee resident pleaded guilty today to filing a fraudulent multi-million dollar lien against a government employee and filing a false claim for a tax refund, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division.
According to court documents, Brian Leo Snow failed to pay his federal tax liabilities for the years 2000 – 2008 and then became the subject of collection activity by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). After being held in contempt of court for failing to provide documents and records to the IRS, Snow filed false retaliatory liens claiming that various government officials, including an IRS revenue officer, an Assistant United States Attorney, and a United States District Court Judge for the Eastern District of Tennessee owed him millions of dollars. Each of these government officials had been involved in attempts to collect Snow’s back taxes. Snow also filed three false claims with the IRS claiming over $144 million in tax refunds to which he was not entitled. Snow owes the IRS over $150,000 in taxes.
Sentencing is scheduled for November 28, 2018. Snow faces a statutory maximum sentence of fifteen years in prison. He also faces a term of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Zuckerman commended special agents of the offices of Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration and IRS Criminal Investigation, who conducted the investigation, and Tax Division Senior Litigation Counsel Jen E. Ihlo and Trial Attorney Jason M. Scheff, who are prosecuting the case.
Tennessee Man Indicted on Federal Charges in Cyberstalking and Identity Theft CaseRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Andrew T. Maliska, 27, of Nashville, Tennessee, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia following an investigation into the creation and circulation of doctored images, related postings, and the personal information of the victim.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Nancy McNamara, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
Maliska was indicted by a grand jury on one count of cyberstalking and indicted on two counts of identity theft. The indictment, which was unsealed today, was returned on May 24, 2018, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
According to the indictment, Maliska resided in the District of Columbia from September 2009 until June 2013, where he studied at a local university and met the victim. The indictment alleges that in 2013 and 2015, during the course of his friendship with the victim, Maliska without authorization, accessed and obtained non-sexual images from the victim’s social media accounts. According to the indictment, Maliska then doctored those images to sexualize them and posted them on various online forums.
The indictment alleges that Maliska also posted the victim’s name, phone number, and address on an escort website in May of 2015. This posting resulted in the victim receiving multiple inquiries from individuals seeking escort services from her. The indictment further alleges that the nature of the other postings were pornographic, racist, and defamatory.
The victim and her family filed a civil suit against Maliska in October of 2015. The following year, the victim and her family obtained a civil settlement in which Maliska acknowledged the postings and content were authored by him, stated he would remove the content, and agreed that he would refrain from engaging in further defamatory postings of the victim.
As alleged in the indictment, in August 2017, after Maliska entered into the civil settlement, he continued to commission sexual images of the victim, posted about the victim, and reactivated a fake social media account in her name. The indictment alleges that Maliska used the victim’s name, biographical information, and images to create the fake social media account. Maliska used the fake social media account to befriend and communicate with others online.
Maliska was arrested on May 31, 2018. He made his first appearance on May 31, 2018, in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee. He pled not guilty to the charges and was detained pending his initial appearance in the District of Columbia. He made his initial appearance today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He was released pending further court proceedings.
The charge of cyberstalking carries a statutory maximum of five years in prison and potential financial penalties. The charge of identity theft carries a statutory maximum of five years’ incarceration and potential financial penalties.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.
This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Youli Lee and Sumit Mallick of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Assistance was provided by Assistant U.S. Attorney Byron Jones of the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Middle District of Tennessee and Bianca Evans, formerly of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
Tax Preparer Admits Conspiring to File False Income Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – A former employee of Tax Pro’s and Tax Solutions & Associates, tax preparation businesses located in Essex and Union counties, admitted today to conspiring to defraud the United States by filing false income tax returns, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Tony V. Russell 47, of Stone Mountain, Georgia, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp in Trenton federal court to Count One of an indictment charging him with conspiracy to defraud the IRS.
Two members of the conspiracy have previously pleaded guilty to their roles in the fraud and await sentencing. Damien Askew, 39, of Union, New Jersey, pleaded guilty June 6, 2017, to conspiracy to defraud the IRS and filing a false federal personal income tax return. Rudolph Sanders, 41, of Newark, New Jersey, pleaded guilty May 10, 2018, to conspiracy to defraud the IRS.
Two other members of the conspiracy, Joseph Kenny Batts, 49, of Elkridge, Maryland, and Angelo K. Thompson, 38, of Reistertown, Maryland, were arrested April 17, 2018, on charges of conspiracy to defraud the IRS and aiding and assisting in the preparation of false federal income tax returns.
According to documents filed in this and related cases and statements made in court:
From at least 2009 to April 2015, Batts was co-owner, along with Askew, of Tax Pro’s, a tax return preparation and payroll business in Essex County, where Russell, Sanders, Batts, Thompson, and Askew prepared tax returns. To boost their business, the defendants conspired to falsify their clients’ federal income tax returns to generate refunds from the IRS in amounts that their clients were not entitled to receive. Russell, Sanders, Batts, Thompson, and Askew inflated tax refunds by fabricating and inflating credits for education and childcare; deductions, such as charitable contributions and unreimbursed employee expenses; and business losses.
Russell and other members of the conspiracy also permitted Batts to use their Preparer Tax Identification Numbers (PTIN) – the identification number that paid tax preparers are required to place on tax returns they have prepared – when preparing tax returns to conceal Batts’ identity as the actual tax return preparer; Batts had a prior federal tax fraud conviction.
After law enforcement executed a search warrant at Tax Pro’s in April 2015, Batts discontinued Tax Pro’s and opened Tax Solutions and Associates in Union, where Russell, Thompson, and Batts continued preparing false federal income tax returns.
By fraudulently inflating the amounts of the tax refunds, Batts, Askew, Thompson, Russell, and Sanders caused a total tax loss to the IRS of approximately $900,000.
The conspiracy charge carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison. The aiding and assisting in the preparation of a false return charge and the filing a false return charge both carry a maximum potential penalty of three years in prison. All offenses carry a statutory maximum fine equal to the greatest of $250,000 or twice the pecuniary gain by the defendant or loss by any victims. Russell’s sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 29, 2018.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Bryant Jackson, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cari Fais and Jihee Suh of the Special Prosecutions Division.
The charges and allegations against Batts and Thompson are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Statement of U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman on the Conviction of Buffalo Billion DefendantsRead the Press Release
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “The inscription, ‘The true administration of justice is the firmest pillar of good government,’ is set in stone in the New York County courthouse. Those words have never been more poignant for the citizens of New York, as in quick succession less than four months apart they have seen this Office secure convictions in separate prosecutions against the State Assembly Speaker, a close confidant and executive aide to the governor, and now the president of SUNY Polytech, the executive leading the expansive ‘Buffalo Billion’ initiative. The guiding principle of the Southern District holds that true justice can only be achieved through independence from politics or influence, and that has never been more important than today. I commend the career prosecutors of our Public Corruption unit for their enduring commitment to true justice in our government.”
Slater Man Indicted for Transporting a Minor for Illicit SexRead the Press Release
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Slater, Mo., man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for transporting a 16-year-old victim across state lines for illegal sexual activity.
Daniel Lee Kirby, 34, was charged in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Jefferson City, Mo., on Wednesday, July 11, 2018. The federal indictment replaces a criminal complaint that was filed against Kirby on July 3, 2018.
The federal indictment alleges that Kirby transported an individual under the age of 17 between March 4, 2018, and June 25, 2018, with the intent to engage in sexual activity.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, the 16-year-old victim was discovered missing from her bedroom in East Ridge, Tenn., at approximately 1:20 a.m. on March 4, 2018. Kirby was employed as a truck driver with Celadon Trucking, who reported their GPS tracking of Kirby’s rig showed him at a nearby parking lot, with its motor off, at approximately the same time. Kirby denied having contact with the child victim. Celadon Trucking searched Kirby’s rig for the child victim on multiple occasions.
On June 25, 2018, law enforcement received information that the child victim was living with Kirby in Slater. She was located with Kirby, who was arrested, and placed into emergency foster care by the Missouri Department of Social Services Children’s Division.
The charge contained in this indictment is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charge must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley S. Turner. It was investigated by the Slater, Mo., Police Department, the FBI and the State Technical Assistance Team.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Singaporean Shipping Company to Pay $1 Million Fine for Oil Tank Vessel PollutionRead the Press Release
HONOLULU – Earlier today, U.S. District Court Judge Helen Gillmor sentenced Hai Soon Ship Management, a Singaporean shipping company, to pay a fine of $1 million and serve a two-year term of probation for charges stemming from its the failure to maintain an accurate oil record book in violation of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS), and false statements concerning the illegal dumping of oil contaminated bilge water at sea. The company pled guilty to the charges on June 14, 2018. Pursuant to its plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Hai Soon Ship Management’s vessels operating in U.S. waters will be required to comply with a comprehensive environmental compliance plan that provides for regular inspections under the supervision of an independent auditor.
According to court documents and information presented in court, Hai Soon Ship Management is the operator of the 3,878 gross ton oil tank vessel called the Hai Soon 39. The Hai Soon 39 provided refueling services to fishing vessels operating at sea. International and U.S. law require that vessels like the Hai Soon 39 use pollution prevention equipment to prevent the discharge of oil-contaminated bilge into the sea. Should any overboard discharges occur, they must be recorded in an oil record book, a log that is inspected by the U.S. Coast Guard. In October of 2017, the Chief Engineer of the Hai Soon 39, along with other engine room staff, constructed a hose in the engine room to bypass the ship’s pollution prevention equipment, including its oil water separator, and pump oily waste directly overboard. The resultant discharges were never recorded in the ship’s oil record book, as required by APPS, and the Chief Engineer made false entries in the oil record book to make it appear that the discharges had been routed through the oil water separator when in fact they had not.
“The marine environment that surrounds the Hawaiian Islands is unique, and part of the Islands’ natural beauty,” said U.S. Attorney Kenji M. Price. “This Office will continue to work with the U.S. Coast Guard and use every tool at its disposal to bring to justice those who violate the law by polluting the sea.”
As part of its sentence, Hai Soon Ship Management will be placed on a two-year term of probation that includes the environmental compliance plan to ensure, among other things, that all of the ships the company operates that come to the United States fully comply with all applicable marine environmental protection requirements established by national and international laws. The compliance plan will be implemented by an independent auditing company and supervised by a court-appointed monitor.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Coast Guard’s Investigative Service and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ken Sorenson and Amalia Fenton.
Shreveport tax preparer sentenced to 36 months in prison for filing false tax returns for self, customersRead the Press Release
SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney David C. Joseph announced that a woman who owned a Shreveport tax preparation business was sentenced Wednesday to three years in prison for filing false tax returns for herself and her clients.
Deborah A. Turner, 47, of Shreveport, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge S. Maurice Hicks Jr. on one count of making and subscribing a false tax return and one count of aiding and assisting in making and subscribing a false return. She was also sentenced to one year of supervised release and ordered to pay $128,828 restitution. According to the January 22, 2018 guilty plea, Turner owned Tax Express Refund, a tax preparation business located in Shreveport. The IRS revoked her Electronic Filing Identification Number (EFIN) in January 2014, but she instead started using her daughter’s EFIN to continue filing tax returns. She filed numerous tax returns for clients for tax years 2011 to 2013 containing false information so they could claim deductions, credits and expenses to increase the size of their refunds. She also filed a false individual tax return for tax year 2013 where she failed to report $336,865 of income she received from her business.
“Those who file federal taxes on the behalf of others have a responsibility to follow the law and conduct business honestly and ethically,” Joseph stated. “I want to thank the IRS agents and prosecutors assigned to this case for their hard work in holding this tax preparer accountable.”
“As a paid preparer, Deborah Turner was afforded a high level of trust from both her clients and the United States government,” Special Agent in Charge, Thomas J. Holloman, III, IRS – Criminal Investigation Atlanta Field Office, stated. “Turner violated that trust when she filed false income tax returns for herself and others, earning herself significant jail time. IRS - CI will continue to pursue the prosecution of return preparers who engage in the same or similar criminal activities.”
IRS-Criminal Investigations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tennille M. Gilreath and Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Cytheria D. Jernigan prosecuted the case.
Shreveport felon sentenced for possession of pistolRead the Press Release
SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney David C. Joseph announced today that a Shreveport felon was sentenced to 57 months in prison for illegally possessing a pistol after being convicted of multiple felonies.
Gabriel Jones, 37, of Shreveport, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge S. Maurice Hicks Jr. on one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He was also sentenced to three years of supervised release. According to the January 26, 2018 guilty plea, Shreveport police officers were executing a warrant for someone else on August 7, 2017 at Jones’ residence. During a search of the residence, police found marijuana in plain view, and they found a Ruger, Model P85, 9 mm pistol, crack cocaine and additional marijuana in the back bedroom closet. The pistol had a 30-round extended magazine inside it. The other occupants of the residence denied ownership of the gun and said it belonged to Jones. Police also searched Jones’ cell phone and found images and data showing the pistol belonged to him.
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.
The ATF, U.S. Marshals Service and Shreveport Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Aaron Crawford prosecuted the case.
Sentencings for July 9 & 11, 2018Read the Press Release
JUAN CASTILLO-PADILLA, 24, of Guadalajara, Mexico was sentenced by Federal District Court Judge Nancy D. Freudenthal on July 9, 2018 for conspiracy to distribute heroin. Castillo-Padilla was arrested in Cheyenne, Wyoming. He received sixty months of imprisonment, to be followed by forty-eight months of supervised release. The Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation and Wyoming Highway Patrol investigated this case.
YONIK ARMENDARIZ-HERNANDEZ, 22, of Mexico was sentenced by Federal District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson on July 11, 2018 for illegal re-entry of a previously deported alien into the United States. Armendariz-Hernandez was arrested in Gillette, Wyoming. He received time served plus ten days to allow for deportation proceedings and ordered to pay a $100.00 special assessment at the time of deportation. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency investigated this case.
San Antonio Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Shooting a U.S. Mail CarrierRead the Press Release
In San Antonio today, a federal judge sentenced 24-year-old Bradley Ahearn to 20 years in federal prison for shooting a U.S. Mail carrier last year in Spring Branch, TX, announced United States Attorney John F. Bash; Inspector in Charge Adrian Gonzalez, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Houston Division; and, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus.
In addition to the prison term, Chief United States District Judge Orlando Garcia ordered that Ahearn pay $13,540.88 in restitution and be placed on supervised release for a period of five years after completing his prison term.
On February 22, 2018, Ahearn pleaded guilty to seven a total of seven federal charges including aiding and abetting carjacking; aiding and abetting use of a firearm during a crime of violence; aiding and abetting robbery of U.S. Mail; and, four counts of aiding and abetting assault on a federal officer.
By pleading guilty, Ahearn admitted that on February 11, 2017, he shot a female U.S. Mail carrier as she was delivering mail to a cluster of mailboxes in Spring Branch, TX, because the victim would not give him her cell phone. The victim is still recovering from the gunshot that pierced both of her legs. Ahearn left the scene in the victim’s pickup truck while it still contained the victim’s purse and personal effects as well as a considerable amount of U.S. Mail. According to court records, Ahearn’s co-defendant, 27-year-old Sarah Richford, followed Ahearn in a maroon/brown colored Toyota Venza as he left the scene.
Two days after the shooting, a U.S. Postal Inspector spotted the Toyota Venza at a restaurant near the location of the shooting. The Postal Inspector attempted to initiate an investigative stop, but was unsuccessful as Ahearn fired a handgun in the direction of the federal officer. Ahearn admitted to firing his weapon at the U.S. Postal Inspector and another federal agent during a subsequent 19-mile-long, high-speed pursuit. Ahearn and Richford managed to avoid capture.
According to court records, on February 14, 2017, employees of a local motel notified investigators of the presence of a large amount of U.S. Mail and a handgun case in one of the motel rooms. Much of the discovered mail, originating from locations across the country, was destined for addresses in the Spring Branch, TX area. That same day, not far from the motel, investigators recovered the abandoned Toyota Venza. From motel surveillance footage, investigators discovered Ahearn, Richford and 41-year-old Piper Lee leave the motel in Lee’s yellow Volkswagen and requested San Antonio police to initiate a stop of the vehicle. While failing to yield to SAPD officers, Ahearn began shooting at the police officers and another high-speed pursuit ensued. Ultimately, the defendants abandoned their vehicle inside a parking garage of a local mall and managed to elude capture by law enforcement.
On February 15, 2017, San Antonio police officers, acting on information provided to investigators, arrested Ahearn, Richford and Lee without incident in a parking lot of a different local motel.
Richford, who remains in federal custody, is scheduled to be sentenced on September 6, 2018. She faces 20 years in federal prison after pleading guilty on February 23, 2018, to five charges--aiding and abetting carjacking; aiding and abetting use of a firearm during a crime of violence; aiding and abetting robbery of U.S. Mail; and, two counts of aiding and abetting assault on a federal officer.
Lee, who also remains in federal custody, is charged with two counts of aiding and abetting the assault of a federal officer; one count of aiding and abetting use of a firearm during a crime of violence; and, one count of possession of stolen mail. He is currently set for jury selection on August 20, 2018, before Chief U.S. District Judge Orlando L. Garcia.
It is important to note that an indictment is merely a charge and should not be evidence of guilt. A defendant is considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service together with the San Antonio Police Department, Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Rangers, Comal County Sheriff’s Office, Bulverde Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Marshals Service and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Bettina Richardson and Christina Playton are prosecuting this case on behalf of the Government.
Rome Man Sentenced to More than 15 Years in Prison for Drug Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Eugene James, age 34, of Rome, New York, was sentenced today to serve 188 months incarceration in connection with his guilty plea to federal drug trafficking charges, announced United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge James J. Hunt of the New York Division. The Court further ordered James to serve a term of supervised release of 8 years following his release from prison, and to forfeit a money judgment of $90,000.00.
As part of his guilty plea, the defendant admitted that, for more than a year from 2016 into 2017, he was involved in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine, heroin, and crack cocaine in Oneida County. The defendant further admitted that he, and others working at his direction, made multiple trips to drug suppliers in New York City and Long Island, New York; and that on other occasions, the defendant’s suppliers traveled to the Utica, New York, area to deliver drugs to James. In total, the defendant trafficked multiple kilograms of cocaine, as well as additional quantities of heroin and crack cocaine.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office, the New York State Police, the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office, the Nassau County Police Department, the City of Rome Police Department, and the Utica Police Department, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicolas Commandeur.
Richardson Homes Owner Receives Three Years in Prison for Theft and Gun OffensesRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – DENNIS LEE, 45, of Nichols Hills, has been sentenced to 36 months in federal prison for possession of stolen property that crossed a state boundary and possession of a firearm after a felony conviction, announced Robert J. Troester, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma.
A five-count indictment filed on June 20, 2017, alleged Lee was involved in the theft of motor vehicles and other items from Texas, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. Those involved in the theft were alleged to have transported the stolen property to the Oklahoma City area, where they "fenced" it for profit. According to the indictment, some of the property was stored at Lee’s business, Richardson Homes, LLC, on South Portland Avenue in Oklahoma City. Count Two charged Lee with receiving, possessing, concealing, and storing a stolen tractor in September 2016. Lee was charged in Count Five with being a felon in possession of firearms. It also alleged Lee had been convicted of a crime punishable by one year or more in prison, which made it a federal felony for him to possess a firearm. According the indictment, Lee possessed eighteen guns, including revolvers, shotguns, and rifles.
Lee pleaded guilty to both of these counts on November 3, 2017.
Today U.S. District Judge David L. Russell sentenced Lee to 36 months in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release. Lee will be required to pay restitution to victims in an amount to be determined later and will forfeit sixteen firearms. In imposing the 36-month sentence, the court noted that Lee participated in theft over a period of time rather than on one occasion.
This case is the result of an investigation by the FBI Major Theft Task Force, the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food & Forestry Investigative Service ("ODAFF"), and the Oklahoma City Police Department. The Major Theft Task Force consists of the FBI, ODAFF, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, and the Garvin County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward J. Kumiega prosecuted the case.
Reference is made to court records for further information.
Renee Tartaglione Sentenced to 82 Months in Federal Prison for Fraud Scheme that Looted Millions of Dollars from Nonprofit ClinicRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain announced that the former president of a mental health clinic was sentenced today to 82 months in federal prison for perpetrating a multiyear fraud scheme through which the defendant stole over two million dollars that was supposed to be spent to help some of the most at-risk individuals in her community.
Over a year ago, on June 23rd, 2017, a jury found Renee Tartaglione, 62, of Philadelphia, PA, guilty on 53 counts of conspiracy, fraud, theft, and tax crimes. In addition to today’s sentence, U.S. District Court Judge Joel H. Slomsky previously ordered Tartaglione to forfeit $2.4 million in proceeds from her scheme and today ordered her to pay $2,076,024 in restitution to the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, which will hold that money in trust until a successor charitable organization can be identified.
“The defendant funneled millions of dollars, meant to help economically disadvantaged people with mental health issues, into her own pockets for her own pleasure,” said U.S. Attorney McSwain. “Nonprofit organizations – especially those that provide important services to the disadvantaged – exist for the people they serve and not for the personal enrichment of their leaders. Tartaglione can contemplate that fact while she sits in prison, where she belongs.”
According to the evidence presented at trial, between 2007 and 2015, Tartaglione, as President of the Board of Directors of the Juniata Community Mental Health Clinic (“JCMHC”), defrauded and stole money from JCMHC through a series of actions designed to benefit her personally at the expense of the clinic. For example, Tartaglione purchased the building on 3rd Street in Philadelphia that housed the clinic and then proceeded to raise the rent repeatedly, causing the clinic’s rent for the 3rd Street building to increase from $4,500 per month to $25,000 per month.
Additionally, as of 2010, Tartaglione’s company, Norris Hancock LLC, acquired an interest in a building on 5th Street in Philadelphia, and Tartaglione caused the clinic to spend money to fix up that building. In December 2012, Tartaglione leased that building to JCMHC under a lease that called for rent of $35,000 per month for the first two years, and $75,000 per month for the next three years. The rent Tartaglione charged the nonprofit clinic at both buildings was wildly in excess of the market rent.
None of the JCMHC rent increases or the lease agreements were approved by JCMHC’s Board of Directors. Tartaglione and her co-conspirators created false and fictitious documents in an attempt to make the transactions appear legitimate.
In previously ordering the forfeiture of proceeds in April 2018, Judge Slomsky ordered the forfeiture to be paid from the proceeds of the sale of Tartaglione’s properties on 3rd Street and 5th Street in Philadelphia, as well as other properties, including two homes at the New Jersey shore.
"Honest and law abiding citizens are fed up with the likes of those who use deceit and fraud to line their pockets with other people’s money as well as skirt their tax obligations," said Guy Ficco, Special Agent in Charge, IRS-Criminal Investigation. “It is time for Renee Tartaglione to face the consequences of her actions, which includes going to prison and being branded a convicted felon for the rest of her life.”
“I am pleased to partner with U.S. Attorney Bill McSwain to investigate, prosecute and root out public corruption wherever we find it,” said Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro. “In this case, one of our legal experts provided testimony and will assist in the restitution process. This type of collaboration is key to protecting our democracy and ensuring honest government. I commend U.S. Attorney McSwain for his fine leadership.”
This case was investigated by the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, and the Philadelphia Office of the Inspector General, with additional assistance from the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bea L. Witzleben and Department of Justice Trial Attorney Peter Halpern.
Quitman Men Sentenced for Credit Card and Bank FraudRead the Press Release
VALDOSTA: Charles E. Peeler, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, announces that on July 11, 2018, Senior United States District Court Judge Hugh Lawson sentenced Darius Hollis, age 25, of Quitman, Georgia, to 26 months to serve in federal prison and Leon Thomas, Jr., age 28, of Quitman, Georgia, to 24 months to serve in federal prison for their parts in a credit card and bank fraud scheme. Mr. Hollis was also sentenced to pay $130,168.84 in restitution to banks and individuals in Valdosta and Thomasville and national banks that were defrauded. Mr. Thomas was sentenced to pay $28,550.47, jointly with Mr. Hollis, in restitution to one of the out of state banks defrauded.
The investigation in this matter was initiated in September 2016, when the United States Secret Service in Albany, Georgia was contacted by the Louisville, Kentucky Police Department regarding fraudulent money transfers being debited from the Kentucky Fair and Expo Center’s bank account with Fifth Third Bank. The payments were being applied to a Capital One credit card and a Synchrony Bank Belt credit card. Mr. Hollis was the account holder of the Capital One card and Mr. Thomas was the account holder of the Belk card. The investigation revealed that 78 fraudulent payments, totaling more than $40,000, were made by wire transfer from the Kentucky Fair and Expo Center bank account.
The conspiracy also included fraud against financial institutions in South Georgia, including Thomasville National Bank and First Federal Savings and Loan in Valdosta, Georgia. Multiple credit cards were opened by Mr. Hollis under various individuals’ names, and nearly $90,000 in funds from business and individual bank accounts in Valdosta and Thomasville were fraudulently used to pay the amounts due on the credit card accounts.
A total of $130,168.84 in loss, the restitution amount ordered, is attributable to the scheme.
"Mr. Hollis and Mr. Thomas were clever enough to swindle these banks and their customers for a while, but they weren't smart enough to indefinitely elude apprehension and punishment for their misdeeds," said United States Attorney Peeler. "I commend the fine work done by our federal and local law enforcement for unravelling this greed-driven scheme and bringing these defendants to justice."
This case was investigated by the United Stated Secret Service, the Thomas and Lowndes County, Georgia Sheriff’s Offices, and the Louisville, Kentucky Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Robert D. McCullers 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.
Queens Man Pleads Guilty to Six Gunpoint RobberiesRead the Press Release
Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, Sean Jack pleaded guilty to a Hobbs Act robbery conspiracy and multiple Hobbs Act robberies as well as to brandishing firearms during the commission of robberies. The charges arise from Jack’s role in robbing six gas stations and convenience stores in Queens, New York. Today’s plea took place before United States Magistrate Judge Vera M. Scanlon.
Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent-in-Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, New York Field Division (ATF), and James P. O’Neill, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the plea.
“As he has now admitted, Sean Jack participated in numerous armed robberies including one in which an employee of a gas station was pistol-whipped,” stated United States Attorney Donoghue. “Combatting gun-related crime is a priority of this Office and, together with our law enforcement partners, we will work tirelessly to prosecute criminals like the defendant who terrorize hard-working citizens of our community.”
Each of the robberies followed the same pattern. The defendant and a co-conspirator would enter the store or gas station and shop for various items. After bringing their selections to the counter, one of the robbers would brandish a firearm while the second robber would take money from the cash register. In each of the robberies, one or both of the robbers wore a wig.
When sentenced, Jack faces up to life and a minimum of seven years in prison.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Nicholas Moscow and Erin Reid are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
SEAN JACK
Age: 36
Jamaica, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 17-CR-569 (RRM)
President of Michigan Trucking Business Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud and Failure to File A Tax ReturnRead the Press Release
The president of a Michigan truck hauling business pleaded guilty today in Detroit federal district court to wire fraud and to willfully failing to file a tax return, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division.
According to information presented in open court and filed documents, Arshawn Kenard Hall, a resident of Farmington, Michigan, operated a truck hauling business called RAMA Enterprise, Inc. Hall was hired to transport plastic crates filled with automobile parts on behalf of an automobile company. After transporting the parts, Hall was expected to return the empty crates to a facility in Detroit. Instead, Hall diverted these plastic crates and sold them to a plastic recycling company for approximately $460,000. The actual value of the plastic crates that Hall stole was approximately $2,921,000.
In addition, Hall failed to file a 2012 federal income tax return on behalf of RAMA and failed to pay the taxes due. The tax loss associated with Hall’s conduct is $142,069.
U.S. District Judge Terrence G. Berg scheduled sentencing for November 29, 2018. Hall faces a statutory maximum sentence of twenty years in prison for his wire fraud conviction, and one year in prison for failing to file a tax return. He also faces a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Zuckerman thanked special agents of IRS Criminal Investigation, who conducted the investigation, and Tax Division Trial Attorneys Abigail Burger Chingos and Kenneth C. Vert, who are prosecuting the case, as well as Tax Division Paralegal Tiffany Thompson.
Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the division’s website.
Pittsburgh Teen Charged with Federal Drug Trafficking and Firearms CrimesRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA – Daryl Williams has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh for committing drug trafficking and firearm crimes, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
The indictment, returned on July 10 and unsealed today, charges Williams, age 19, of Pittsburgh, with possession of a mixture of heroin and para-fluoroisobutyryl fentanyl with intent to distribute on May 6, 2018; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime on May 6, 2018; possession of mixtures of heroin and para-fluoroisobutyryl fentanyl, heroin and fentanyl, and heroin with intent to distribute on May 29, 2018; and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime on May 29, 2018.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not less than 30 years and up to life in prison, and a fine of up to $2,500,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Craig W. Haller is prosecuting this case on behalf of the United States.
This case is being prosecuted under Project Safe Neighborhoods, a collaborative effort by federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, and communities to prevent, deter, and prosecute gun crime. The Green Tree Police Department, the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Phony “Prince” Charged with Committing Child Sex OffensesRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain announced that a Philadelphia man was charged by indictment today with 16 counts of child sex offenses.
David Milliner, 49, was charged with four counts of enticement of a minor to engage in illicit sexual conduct, six counts of manufacture and attempted manufacture of child pornography, one count of transfer of obscene material to a minor, four counts of receipt of child pornography, and one count of possession of child pornography.
The indictment stems from Milliner’s alleged online sexual communications with at least four minor boys, and his inducing the boys to manufacture sexually explicit images of themselves and send them to Milliner. According to the indictment, as part of his scheme to sexually exploit the boys, Milliner allegedly falsely represented himself to be a wealthy prince by the name of Daniel David De’Rothschild, and claimed to be living in Beverly Hills, California. In reality, Milliner was unemployed and living in Philadelphia. Some of Milliner’s victims were as young as eight years of age.
If convicted, Milliner faces a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a 15-year mandatory minimum term of incarceration, 5 years up to a lifetime of supervised release, a $4,000,000 fine, mandatory restitution to his victims, and $76,600 in special assessments.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the Philadelphia Police Department, and the Wayland, Michigan Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Rotella.
Pair Plead Guilty to Distribution of CocaineRead the Press Release
VALDOSTA: Charles E. Peeler, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, announces that on July 12, 2018, Miguel Angel Lebron-Santana, age 19, of the Bronx, New York, and Aneudy Ortega-Tejada, age 28, of Miami, Florida, pled guilty before Senior United States District Court Judge Hugh Lawson in Valdosta to Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine.
At their guilty plea hearing, Mr. Lebron-Santana and Mr. Ortega-Tejada admitted that they were traveling North on Interstate 75 on a La Cubana bus when agents from the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration conducted a search of the bus and discovered suitcases belonging to the pair containing approximately 40 kilograms of cocaine.
“I commend the diligence and good work of the Lowndes County Deputies and DEA agents who worked this case. Their efforts show that no matter how clever drug smugglers attempt to be, law enforcement authorities will find them out and bring them to justice,” said United States Attorney Peeler.
The case was investigated by the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant United States Attorney Julia C. Bowen is prosecuting 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.
Owner of New Jersey Hedge Fund Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Wire Fraud and Securities Fraud for Defrauding Investors of $4 MillionRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – The owner and manager of a New Jersey hedge fund was sentenced today to 72 months in prison for defrauding two investors of $4 million, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Nicholas Lattanzio, 62, of Montclair, New Jersey, was previously convicted on all counts of an indictment charging him with two counts of wire fraud and two counts of securities fraud following a three-week trial before U.S. District Judge Kevin McNulty, who imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and the evidence at trial:
From June 2013 through November 2014, Lattanzio orchestrated a large-scale scheme through which he, his hedge fund, the Black Diamond Capital Appreciation Fund L.P. (BD Fund), and several other related entities collected millions of dollars in upfront fees from two unsuspecting corporate investors in exchange for the promise of future loans or investment opportunities that did not materialize. Instead of investing the victims’ money as promised, Lattanzio stole the majority of the funds and used them to pay himself more than $500,000 in salary. He used the money for numerous personal expenses, including the purchase of a $1 million home in Montclair, New Jersey, a new Range Rover, a $10,000 diamond ring, and the payment of $500,000 in credit card debt that he incurred for other personal expenses. Lattanzio lied to the victims about the status of their funds to conceal the scheme and mislead them into believing that their investments were safe.
In addition to the prison term, Judge McNulty sentenced Lattanzio to three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay restitution of $3.93 million.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie in Newark, for the investigation leading to today’s sentencing. He also thanked the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s New York Regional Office, under the direction of Marc P. Berger, and the N.J. Bureau of Securities, within the State Attorney General’s Division of Consumer Affairs, under the direction of Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas P. Grippo and Daniel V. Shapiro of the Economic Crimes Unit, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Gaeta of the Office’s Asset Recovery and Money Laundering Unit.
Nicaraguan National Sentenced for Illegal Re-Entry of a Removed Alien Previously Convicted of a FelonyRead the Press Release
U. S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that NORWIN CASTELLON-LOPEZ, age 35, a citizen and national of Nicaragua, was sentenced today after previously pleading guilty to a one-count Bill of Information charging him with illegally re-entering the United States having previously been deported as an illegal alien who had been previously convicted of a felony.
According to court documents, CASTELLON-LOPEZ was found in the United States on or about January 11, 2017, after having been previously removed from the United States on December 22, 2010, and October 7, 2015. Further, on August 30, 2010, CASTELLON-LOPEZ was convicted of a felony in Orleans Parish Criminal District Court.
United States District Judge Lance M. Africk sentenced CASTELLON-LOPEZ to a term of imprisonment of thirty months, a term of supervised release of three years, and a mandatory $100 special assessment.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson is in charge of the prosecution.
New London Man Sentenced to 6 Years in Prison for Gun and Drug Offenses, Violating Supervised ReleaseRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JAMES BOWERS, 32, of New London, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny in Hartford to 72 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for illegally possessing a firearm and distributing marijuana while on federal supervised release.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on October 6, 2008, BOWERS was sentenced in U.S. District Court in New Haven to 120 months of imprisonment and eight years of supervised release for possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon and possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine. He was released from federal prison in December 2014.
On June 30, 2016, while BOWERS was on supervised release, law enforcement officers conducted a court-authorized search of BOWERS’ New London residence and seized a loaded .45 caliber handgun, more than one kilogram of marijuana packaged for distribution, other items used to process and package marijuana, and $2,600 in cash. The firearm had been reported stolen in Ohio.
BOWERS has been detained since his arrest on related state charges on June 30, 2016. On February 17, 2017, he pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon, and one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana.
Judge Chatigny sentenced BOWERS to 60 months of imprisonment for the firearm and marijuana offenses, and a consecutive 12 months of imprisonment for violating the conditions of his supervised release.
This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Connecticut State Police Statewide Narcotics Task Force-East, which includes members from the Norwich, Groton City and New London Police Departments. The case was prosecuted by U.S. Attorney Durham.
New Hampshire Man Charged with Laundering Money Stolen from Texas RetireesRead the Press Release
Federal and state authorities arrested 34-year-old Lukman Shina Aminu in Manchester, NH, today for his alleged scheme to launder thousands of dollars from multiple fraudulent schemes, including thousands stolen from former Texas state employees retirement plans, announced United States Attorney John F. Bash, Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs, San Antonio Division, and Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steven McCraw.
A federal complaint unsealed in Austin today charges Aminu with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. The complaint alleges that beginning in June 2017, personally identifiable information (PII) from state employees was used to make changes to their accounts in the Employees Retirement System of Texas internet portal. Bank deposit information on file in the system was changed which re-routed retirement payments to a debit card Aminu controlled. Aminu then used the debit card for cash withdrawals and to purchase money orders which were used for personal expenses and to purchase used vehicles to be shipped overseas to Nigeria and Benin for resale. The complaint also alleges that Aminu received multiple transfers from victims of other schemes on other debit cards that had been opened using their PII. The complaint states that this scheme involving used car purchases and shipments is a common way for perpetrators of fraud in the United States to send money back to Nigeria (in the value of the shipped car), while simultaneously laundering the funds or “cleaning the money” to make the money appear as legitimate income.
Aminu remains in federal custody following his arrest. He is awaiting a detention hearing in the District of New Hampshire and a subsequent transfer to the Austin Division of the Western District of Texas. Upon conviction, Aminu faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
This criminal complaint resulted from a continuing investigation by the FBI and the Texas Department of Public Safety – Public Integrity Unit. Assistant United States Attorney Michael Galdo is prosecuting this case on behalf of the Government.
It is important to note that a criminal complaint is merely a charge and should not be considered as evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Nebraska Man Sentenced to Prison for Viewing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
A Nebraska man was sentenced yesterday to 76 months in prison for accessing with an intent to view child pornography, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Joseph P. Kelly of the District of Nebraska.
Donald Blevins, 65, of Norfolk, Nebraska, pleaded guilty on April 4, to accessing with the intent to view child pornography. U.S. District Court Judge John M. Gerrard of the District of Nebraska sentenced Blevins and also ordered him to serve 10 years of supervised release.
According to the admissions made in connection with his plea, Blevins admitted that he accessed a video conferencing platform multiple times between January 2016 and July 2017 to view child pornography.
The charges are the result of an investigation by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. The matter is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Kaylynn N. Shoop of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael P. Norris of the District of Nebraska.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Nebraska Man Sentenced to Prison for Viewing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
A Nebraska man was sentenced today to 76 months in prison for accessing with an intent to view child pornography, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Joseph P. Kelly of the District of Nebraska.
Donald Blevins, 65, of Norfolk, Nebraska, pleaded guilty on April 4, to accessing with the intent to view child pornography. U.S. District Court Judge John M. Gerrard of the District of Nebraska sentenced Blevins and also ordered him to serve 10 years of supervised release.
According to the admissions made in connection with his plea, Blevins admitted that he accessed a video conferencing platform multiple times between January 2016 and July 2017 to view child pornography.
The charges are the result of an investigation by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. The matter is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Kaylynn N. Shoop of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael P. Norris of the District of Nebraska.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Murder for Hire Plot Results in Federal Charges for Nashville ManRead the Press Release
George Anhalt, Jr, 48, of Nashville, Tennessee, was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury on charges of obstruction of justice; possession and distribution of heroin; being a felon in possession of a firearm; and possessing a firearm during the commission of a federal drug crime, announced U.S. Attorney Don Cochran of the Middle District of Tennessee.
According to the documents filed with the court, in June 2018, Anhalt was charged in a criminal complaint with conspiring to possess and distribute heroin and methamphetamine in 2017. That case resulted from an extensive investigation in 2017 into the Filmon Mehtsentu drug trafficking organization. Mehtsentu and 12 associates were subsequently indicted in December 2017, and charged with conspiracy to distribute heroin, fentanyl, and methamphetamine.
The charges in the indictment filed yesterday are based upon Anhalt’s attempt to kill a witness whom he believed to be cooperating with federal law enforcement in the Mehtsentu case. As described at Anhalt’s detention hearing, in late May 2018, Anhalt contacted a DEA agent, operating in an undercover capacity, to discuss how to kill that witness. Anhalt discussed providing two doses of drugs to the witness, whom he believed was an addict, with the second dose intending to cause an overdose. Anhalt agreed to provide those two doses to the agent in exchange for $1,000 and two firearms.
On June 7, 2018, Anhalt met with the undercover agent and accepted an initial payment of $500.00, which Anhalt stated he would use to purchase the two doses of drugs. When Anhalt subsequently met with the agent at a Nashville hotel on June 10, 2018, he provided two doses of drugs to the agent. The first dose contained heroin and the second dose contained heroin and Seroquel, an anti-psychotic drug. Anhalt then took possession of another $500 and two handguns as payment for the heroin and ATF agents arrested him in the hotel room.
This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Hannafan is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Montgomery County One of Ten Areas in DOJ Operation Synthetic Opioid SurgeRead the Press Release
DAYTON – Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Benjamin C. Glassman, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, today announced Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (S.O.S.), a new program that seeks to reduce the supply of deadly synthetic opioids in high impact areas and to identify wholesale distribution networks and international and domestic suppliers.
As part of Operation S.O.S., the Department will launch an enforcement surge in ten districts with some of the highest drug overdose death rates, including the Southern District of Ohio.
Each participating United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) chose a specific county in which to prosecute every readily provable case involving the distribution of fentanyl, fentanyl analogues, and other synthetic opioids, regardless of drug quantity. The surge will involve a coordinated DEA Special Operations Division operation to insure that leads from street-level cases are used to identify larger scale distributors. Operation S.O.S. was inspired by a promising initiative of the United States Attorney’s Office in the Middle District of Florida involving Manatee County, Florida.
"When it comes to synthetic opioids, there is no such thing as a small case," Attorney General Sessions said. "In 2016, synthetic opioids killed more Americans than any other kind of drug. Three milligrams of fentanyl can be fatal--that's not even enough to cover up Lincoln's face on a penny. Our prosecutors in Manatee County, Florida have shown that prosecuting seemingly small synthetic opioids cases can have a big impact and save lives, and we want to replicate their success in the districts that need it most. This new strategy—and the new prosecutors who will help carry it out—will help us put more traffickers behind bars and keep the American people safe from the threat of these deadly drugs."
“We recommended including Montgomery County in this nationwide effort because of the way the community has stepped up enforcement, treatment and prevention efforts to battle the opioid epidemic since overdose deaths began their rapid climb in 2015,” U.S. Attorney Glassman said. “This focus will boost our efforts to dismantle the organizations that bring synthetic opioids into the area, track down the organization’s leaders and prosecute them for their crimes.”
Glassman noted that Montgomery County Coroner’s Office has preliminary numbers documenting 128 overdose deaths countywide so far in 2018. The coroner’s office reported a record 566 overdose deaths in 2017, most due to opioids including fentanyl. In 2016, the coroner recorded 349 overdose deaths in Montgomery County.
In addition, the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Executive Office will send an additional two-year term Assistant United States Attorney to each participating district to assist with drug-related prosecutions.
The ten participating districts are:
Northern District of Ohio
Southern District of Ohio
Eastern District of Tennessee
Eastern District of Kentucky
Southern District of West Virginia
Northern District of West Virginia
District of Maine
Eastern District of California
Western District of Pennsylvania
District of New Hampshire
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Missouri Man Pleads Guilty to Disabling an Amtrak Train in NebraskaRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Joe Kelly announced today that Taylor Michael Wilson, 25, of St. Charles, Missouri, pleaded guilty in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska, to one count of violence against a mass transportation system. Because there were passengers on board the train at the time of the offense, the charge carries a penalty of up to life in prison. Wilson also pleaded guilty in the District of Nebraska to a charge from the Eastern District of Missouri for possessing an unregistered short barrel rifle in violation of federal firearms law. This charge carries a penalty of up to ten years in federal prison. The pleas were entered before Magistrate Judge Cheryl Zwart. Sentencing was scheduled for October 5, 2018, at 10:00 a.m. before the Honorable John M. Gerrard, United States District Court Judge.
According to admissions made in his plea, Wilson admitted that on October 19, 2017, he boarded an Amtrak train in California. He remained on the train until it crossed into Nebraska on October 21, 2017. As the train neared the Furnas County line in Nebraska, Wilson, armed with a concealed .380 caliber handgun, broke into a secured engine compartment of the train, disabling the train and cutting the lights to the passenger compartment. His actions brought the train to a screeching halt in a remote area. Some passengers tried to escape through windows of the train as word reached their compartments that another passenger had accessed the secured engine compartment. Amtrak conductors immediately made their way to the engine compartment. Several conductors, working together, were able to subdue Wilson, who declared that he was now the conductor of the train. As he resisted them, one conductor saw him reach for his waistband, where deputies responding to the scene would later find Wilson had concealed the handgun. Conductors were able to get Wilson off the train and hold him in custody until deputies from two counties reached the location of the train. Wilson carried calling cards of the National Socialist Movement, one of which read, “Conquer we must, for our cause is just!” Wilson stated that he was “trying to save the train from the black people.”
The FBI conducted a search of Wilson’s residence in St. Charles, Missouri. They found hidden journals and propaganda about the National Socialist Movement, as well as a copy of Mein Kampf and a pressure plate of the kind used to build an explosive device. The FBI also recovered his weapons collection, which included illegal unregistered firearms – to include a short barrel rifle and a submachine gun. Also found was a play that Wilson wrote about taking over America, and numerous derogatory writings about the American government and the American media.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Mexican National Pleads Guilty to Falsely Obtaining A U.S. PassportRead the Press Release
VALDOSTA: Charles E. Peeler, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, announces that on July 12, 2018, Frederico Pimentel Perez, age 62, a citizen of Mexico, most recently from Omega, Georgia, pled guilty before Senior United States District Court Judge Hugh Lawson in Valdosta to Making a False Statement in an Application for a Passport.
At his guilty plea hearing, Mr. Perez admitted that he fraudulently obtained a U.S. Passport and Social Security benefits using the identity of another individual.
Judge Lawson accepted the guilty plea and sentenced Mr. Perez to time served and ordered him to make restitution to the Social Security Administration in the amount of $87,436.50.
The case was investigated by the United States Diplomatic Security Service, the Fraud Prevention Unit at the United States Embassy in Mexico City and the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorney Julia C. Bowen is prosecuting 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.
Mexican National Facing Federal Drug Charge Following 26.65 Pound Methamphetamine Seizure at U.S. Border Patrol Checkpoint South of Alamogordo, New MexicoRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – This morning, a U.S. Magistrate Judge sitting in Las Cruces, N.M., found probable cause to support a criminal complaint charging Perfecto Lopez-Olivas, 44, a Mexican national, with a methamphetamine trafficking offense arising out of the seizure of 26 pounds of methamphetamine at a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint in southern New Mexico on July 7, 2018. Lopez-Olivas was remanded into custody pending trial, which has yet to be scheduled.
U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested Lopez-Olivas on July 7, 2018, after seizing approximately 12.09 kilograms (26.65 pounds) of methamphetamine allegedly concealed in the gas tank of Lopez-Olivas’ vehicle. According to the criminal complaint, the agents allegedly found the methamphetamine while inspecting Lopez-Olivas’ vehicle at the U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint on Highway 54 south of Alamogordo, N.M., in Otero County, N.M.
If convicted of the charges in the criminal complaint, Lopez-Olivas faces a statutory mandatory minimum penalty of ten years and a maximum of life in federal prison, and will be deported after serving his term of incarceration. Charges in criminal complaints are merely accusations and criminal defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Border Patrol and the Las Cruces office of the DEA. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Joni Autrey is prosecuting the case.
Member of Bernalillo County-Based Drug Trafficking Ring Pleads Guilty to Federal Heroin Trafficking ChargeRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Clayton Arellano, 39, of Albuquerque, N.M., who was charged as the result of a DEA-led investigation targeting a Bernalillo County-based drug trafficking organization that distributed heroin and methamphetamine in the Albuquerque-area, pled guilty yesterday in federal court to a heroin trafficking charge.
Clayton Arellano’s co-defendant Orlando Romero, 30, also a resident of Albuquerque, was charged in a criminal complaint filed in Aug. 2016, with five counts of possession of heroin with intent to distribute and one count of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. The complaint alleged that Romero committed the offenses between Oct. 26, 2015 and June 7, 2016 in Bernalillo County, N.M. Romero subsequently was charged in a six-count indictment filed on Sept. 13, 2016, with heroin and methamphetamine trafficking offenses.
In Dec. 2016, the indictment was superseded to add three co-defendants, including Clayton Arellano, and two additional charges. The superseding indictment charged Romero, Clayton Arellano, Bart Arellano, 36, and Clayton Arellano, Jr., 20, all residents of Albuquerque, with conspiring to distribute heroin from Jan. 2015 through Dec. 2015, in Bernalillo County. It also charged Romero with distributing heroin on five occasions between Oct. 2015 and April 2016, and with distributing heroin and methamphetamine in June 2016, and Clayton Arellano and Clayton Arellano, Jr., with possession of heroin with intent to distribute in July 2016. The superseding indictment charged the defendants with committing the offenses in Bernalillo County.
During yesterday’s proceedings, Clayton Arellano pled guilty to possession of heroin with intent to distribute. In entering the guilty plea, Clayton Arellano admitted that from Jan. 20, 2015 until his arrest in Dec. 2016, he conspired with others to purchase bulk quantities of heroin, store the heroin in stash locations, and distribute the heroin to others. Clayton Arellano also admitted regularly using his cellular phone to arrange for the supply and distribution of heroin to other distributors and drug users in Albuquerque, and that he subsequently learned that law enforcement authorities intercepted his communications pursuant to court orders.
According to the plea agreement, law enforcement authorities intercepted various calls and text messages between Clayton Arellano and individuals interested in buying drugs from Clayton Arellano on multiple occasions from May 2016 through July 2016, during which they discussed the locations, distribution and sale of heroin using coded language. Clayton Arellano acknowledged that during the course of the conspiracy, he was responsible for possessing more than 100 grams of heroin with the intention of distributing the heroin to others.
At sentencing, Clayton Arellano faces a statutory mandatory minimum penalty of five years and a maximum of 40 years in federal prison. A sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled.
Clayton Arellano’s three co-defendants have entered not guilty pleas to the charges against them and are awaiting trial. Charges in criminal complaints and indictments are merely accusations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty in a court of law.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the DEA as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) program, which combines the resources and unique expertise of federal agencies, along with their local counterparts, in a coordinated effort to disrupt and dismantle major drug trafficking organizations.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kristopher N. Houghton and Joel R. Meyers are prosecuting this case as part of the New Mexico Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Initiative. The HOPE Initiative was launched in January 2015 by the UNM Health Sciences Center and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in response to the national opioid epidemic, which has had a disproportionately devastating impact on New Mexico. Opioid addiction has taken a toll on public safety, public health and the economic viability of our communities. Working in partnership with the DEA, the Bernalillo County Opioid Accountability Initiative, Healing Addiction in our Community (HAC), the Albuquerque Public Schools and other community stakeholders, HOPE’s principal goals are to protect our communities from the dangers associated with heroin and opioid painkillers and reducing the number of opioid-related deaths in New Mexico.
The HOPE Initiative is comprised of five components: (1) prevention and education; (2) treatment; (3) law enforcement; (4) reentry; and (5) strategic planning. HOPE’s law enforcement component is led by the Organized Crime Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the DEA in conjunction with their federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement partners. Targeting members of major heroin and opioid trafficking organizations for investigation and prosecution is a priority of the HOPE Initiative.
Massachusetts Man Sentenced to 15 Months for Passport FraudRead the Press Release
Portland, Maine: United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Juan Santana, 42, of Lowell, Massachusetts, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge Jon D. Levy to 15 months in prison and three years of supervised release for making a false statement in a passport application and aggravated identity theft.
According to court records, in October 2016, Santana, who was a citizen of the Dominican Republic and therefore ineligible to receive a U.S. passport, submitted a U.S. passport application falsely identifying himself as another individual. He presented a birth certificate and Maine driver’s license in the other individual’s name. When he was arrested in October 2017, he was in possession of several documents in the other individual’s name, including a Maine driver’s license, social security card and debit card.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and the U.S. Marshals Service.
Maryland Man Found Guilty of Stalking Former Co-Worker, Now Accused of Fleeing U.S. to IcelandRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Ranjith Keerikkattil, 30, of Catonsville, Md., has been found guilty by a jury of stalking a junior co-worker, starting while they were both employed at a consulting firm, and continuing after he was fired, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced today.
Keerikkattil was found guilty of the stalking charge on July 9, 2018, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Robert A. Salerno released Keerikkattil following the verdict, pending sentencing. The judge ordered him to appear the next morning to have a GPS monitoring device installed. However, he failed to appear, and fled the United States to Iceland. A grand jury subsequently indicted him on July 11, 2018, on a charge of violating the Bail Reform Act. He will be re-arrested upon his return to the United States.
According to the government’s evidence at trial, the criminal conduct began in May 2015, while Keerikkattil was a senior consultant at a consulting firm in Rosslyn, Va. The victim, who resided at the time in the District of Columbia, had begun her first job out of college in 2015 as a business technology analyst for the firm. Keerikkattil was her first mentor on her first project. After the victim performed countless evening and weekend hours on the project, Keerikkattil, told her that he only brought her onto the project to get close to her and that he was merely giving her busy work. He ignored her wishes to keep their relationship strictly professional and continued to pursue her. After she repeatedly tried to resolve the matter herself, she reported Keerikkattil, on June 1, 2015, to her human resources counselor.
Keerikkattil was fired on June 19, 2015, for not being forthcoming about his conduct, which was captured on texts between the two, during the firm’s internal investigation of the matter. He blamed the victim for his termination and then began a stalking campaign in retaliation. His stalking acts included publishing false allegations about the victim on the Internet and through mass e-mails to the victim and former company employees in order to seriously frighten and defame her. When ignored, he escalated his actions. Almost two months after being fired, he sat in a café that was frequented by company employees, including the victim. He was able to obtain eye contact with the victim on one occasion inside this café, frightening her even more. The victim’s attorney notified Keerikkattil, instructing him not to have any further contact with her, but he continued to text her statements like, “Every morning I wake up thinking about you and go to bed thinking about you.”
With the victim continuing to ignore him, Keerikkattil decided to take a plane almost 3,000 miles to Seattle and then rent a car and travel an additional three hours to pay an unannounced visit to the victim’s parents in a remote suburb of Portland, Ore. On Oct. 24, 2015, he knocked on the door to the victim’s childhood home, which was at the bottom of a long driveway, and asked her father for directions to the nearby parks. It took a moment for the father to piece things together. Once he was able to figure out whom the defendant was, he slammed and locked the door and called 911. Keerikkattil texted the victim shortly thereafter, “Was nice meeting your dad today.” An arrest warrant was obtained shortly thereafter, and Keerikkattil was arrested on Dec. 19, 2015, and charged with stalking.
Before fleeing to Iceland, the defendant was scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 14, 2018, facing 12 months of incarceration for the stalking charge. He now also faces an additional maximum of five years of incarceration if convicted of the felony Bail Reform Act charge. The charge in the indictment is merely an allegation, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
In announcing the stalking verdict, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. She also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Lynda Randolph and Stephanie Siegerist, Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Allen, and Victim/Witness Services Coordinator La June Thames.
Finally, she commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ethan Carroll and Kristina Wolf, who assisted in investigating the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney John Giovannelli who prosecuted and tried the case to verdict.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney and FBI Announce Recovery of Stolen Robert Motherwell PaintingRead the Press Release
Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and William F. Sweeny Jr., the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced today the return of a stolen painting, Untitled, created in 1967 by Robert Motherwell.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said: “The storied past of this magnificent piece may never be known. But now, thankfully, 40 years after Robert Motherwell began painting this piece, this work of art is where it should be: with the Dedalus Foundation and for the benefit of the public.”
FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William F. Sweeny Jr. said: “Robert Motherwell was an influential and iconic artist of his time. His love of the abstract inspired him to create works enjoyed by many still today. Unfortunately, several of his paintings went missing about four decades ago – the 1967 Untitled piece is but one of them. Motherwell never titled this work of art before it vanished. Maybe, after all, that’s part of its story – one that begins a new chapter here today. We are honored to restore this extraordinary piece to the Dedalus Foundation, so that those who appreciate the value of fine art may now come to know the true narrative of the painting’s past, present, and future.”
Robert Motherwell, a 20th century American painter, printmaker, and editor, was among a group of visual artists – including Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock, and Mark Rothko – often considered together as the “New York School.” Throughout much of the 1960s and 1970s, Motherwell exclusively employed the Santini Moving Company (“Santini”) to transport and store his artwork. In or around 1978, Motherwell changed storage companies, and in the process of preparing and itemizing his artwork for the move, identified dozens of paintings, including Unitled, as missing or stolen.
Following Motherwell’s death in 1991, virtually all of his paintings were deeded to the Dedalus Foundation (“Dedalus”). In 2017, the son of a former and now deceased Santini worker contacted the Dedalus Foundation regarding the authenticity of Untitled, which had been in his father’s possession for the past 30 years. After being contacted by Dedalus, the FBI approached that individual, who voluntarily relinquished Untitled to a special agent assigned to the FBI’s Art Crime Team. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI are now returning the painting to its rightful owners.
Mr. Berman thanked the FBI’s Art Crime Team and the Dedalus Foundation for their assistance.
The case is being handled by the Office’s Money Laundering and Asset Forfeiture Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan E. Rebold is in charge of the case.
Malden Man Pleads Guilty to Defrauding EmployerRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Malden man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to his role in a wide-ranging conspiracy to defraud his employer, a large facilities services company with offices in the Greater Boston area.
Vence Pires, 58, pleaded guilty one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. U.S. District Court Senior Judge Rya W. Zobel scheduled sentencing for Sept. 25, 2018. Co-defendant Lou Amaral, 52, also of Malden, pleaded guilty on July 9, 2018, to one count of conspiracy to commit honest services mail fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of money laundering, and one count of tax evasion. U.S. District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock scheduled sentencing for Oct. 9, 2018.
Amaral and Pires worked for the same facilities services company in the Greater Boston area. Amaral was the supervisor of the Special Services Department, and as such, he had the ability to hire employees and to contract with third-parties to provide temporary labor. Pires was an account manager who worked for Amaral in Special Services. Amaral first began taking bribes from a temporary labor company in order to steer contracts to that company. In 2014, Amaral opened up his own temporary labor company and, with the help of Pires, awarded himself the temporary labor contracts. Through this scheme, Amaral made approximately $10 million in revenue over a three-year period, resulting in harm to his employer of more than $4 million.
Pires faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Kristina O’Connell, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation in Boston; and Delany De Leon-Colon, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Rosen of Lelling’s Economic Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
MEDIA ADVISORY-- U.S. Attorney, APD Police Chief and Other Officials to Participate in 2018 Camp Fearless Graduation CeremonyRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – This week the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) collaborated with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Boys & Girls Club of Central New Mexico, Albuquerque Fire and Rescue, DEA, New Mexico State Police, New Mexico Army National Guard, and Isleta Pueblo Tribal Police Department to host its second week of Camp Fearless, a summer youth prevention program.
U.S. Attorney John C. Anderson, Albuquerque Police Chief Michael Geier and other officials will join the campers for the second week of Camp Fearless during a graduation ceremony scheduled for tomorrow, Friday, July 13, 2018, at 1:15 p.m., at the Boys & Girls Club of Central New Mexico at 3333 Truman Street NE in Albuquerque. The graduation ceremony is OPEN PRESS.
The 2018 Camp Fearless Program marks the 22nd year that the U.S. Attorney’s Office and its law enforcement and outreach partners have collaborated to operate summer youth camps with a youth drug, gang and gun violence prevention emphasis. The summer camp program originated as part of the Justice Department’s Weed & Seed Project and its Project Safe Neighborhoods program. This year, APD assumed leadership of the summer camp program as part of its Community Policing Program.
The two one-week camps, which were free of charge to youth from nine to 12 years of age, were designed to keep youth free of substance abuse and criminal involvement by providing physically challenging recreational and life skills activities, interaction with positive role models, and evidence-based gang and substance abuse resistance training. Campers also participated in a field trip to the Albuquerque Fire and Rescue training complex, an APD crime lab simulation, low ropes and obstacle courses, bowling and other fun physical activities, and classes during which law enforcement officers and Guardsmen made presentations on drug, gang and violence prevention.
WHO:
U.S. Attorney John C. Anderson
Albuquerque City Councilor Diane G. Gibson, District 7
APD Police Chief Michael Geier
APD Deputy Police Chief Harold J. Medina
Albuquerque Fire and Rescue Deputy Chief Gene Gallegos
Tim Sheahan, President, Boys & Girls Clubs of Central New Mexico
WHEN:
Friday, July 13, 2018, 1:15 p.m.
WHERE:
Boys & Girls Club of Central New Mexico, 3333 Truman Street NE, Albuquerque, NM 87110
NOTE: Media representatives must present government-issued photo I.D. (i.e., driver’s license) as well as valid media credentials. Media representatives may begin to arrive at 1:00 p.m. RSVPs and inquiries regarding logistics should be directed to USAO Media Coordinator Alyssa Ferda, contractor, at (office) 505-224-1480, (cell) 505-366-1463, or [email protected].
Lutherville Man who Illegally Distributed “Bath Salts” Obtained from China Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Carlo D’Addario, age 48, of Lutherville, Maryland today to five years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances--specifically, “bath salts” chemically manufactured in China.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Don A. Hibbert of the Drug Enforcement Administration – Baltimore District Office; and Interim Police Commissioner Gary Tuggle of the Baltimore Police Department.
According to his plea agreement, at least between 2014 and 2016, D’Addario corresponded via e-mail with sources of supply in China to obtain “bath salts,” which are substances that are chemically manufactured to mimic, and create a “high” similar to MDMA (ecstasy) and methamphetamine. Specifically, D’Addario illegally imported alpha-pyrrolidinopentiophenone (“a-PVP”), which became a controlled dangerous substance in March 2014, and 4-Chloro-alpha-pyrrolidinovalerophenone Hydrochloride (“4C-a-PVP”) and 1-(5,6,7,8-tetrahydronaphthalen-2-yl)-2-(pyrrolidin-1-yl)pentan-1-one (“TH-PVP”), both of which were manufactured to mimic the effects of controlled dangerous substances. D’Addario created and used fake e-mail addresses to mask his identity when corresponding with his Chinese suppliers. In his e-mails, D’Addario specifically requested a-PVP or substances that would have an equivalent effect, including TH-PVP. Between 2014 and 2016, D’Addario, either personally or through co-conspirators, sent more than $53,000 through Western Union and other wire services to his Chinese sources of supply for the purchase of “bath salts,” including a-PVP, TH-PVP, and other similar substances. After making these payments, the Chinese suppliers would send the bath salts to D’Addario, who would then in turn distribute them to his downstream customers. In a few instances, D’Addario received other unknown substitute substances and observed that the product sent from China had severe adverse effects on his customers, including vomiting and prolonged loss of consciousness.
On October 6, 2016, law enforcement executed a search warrant at D’Addario’s residence. Law enforcement recovered: parcel boxes sent to D’Addario’s residence from China; approximately 659 grams 4C-a-PVP; drug paraphernalia, including packaging materials and digital scales; and $4,709.82.
At the time of this offense, D’Addario was on supervised release for a previous federal drug trafficking conviction. Judge Bennett ordered that today’s sentence be served concurrent to the one year in prison that D’Addario was ordered to serve for violating his supervised release in that case.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur praised the DEA in Baltimore and Gulfport, Louisiana, and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jason D. Medinger and Burden C. Walker, who prosecuted the case.
Lorain County one of 10 locations selected for pilot project targeting synethetic opioidsRead the Press Release
Attorney General Jeff Sessions and U.S. Attorney Justin E. Herdman Northern District of Ohio, today announced Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (S.O.S.), a new program that seeks to reduce the supply of deadly synthetic opioids in high impact areas and to identify wholesale distribution networks and international and domestic suppliers.
As part of Operation S.O.S., the Department will launch an enforcement surge in ten districts with some of the highest drug overdose death rates, including the Northern District of Ohio.
Each participating United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) will choose a specific county and prosecute every readily provable case involving the distribution of fentanyl, fentanyl analogues, and other synthetic opioids, regardless of drug quantity. Lorain County has been designated as the area as it has been deluged with opiate overdoses. In 2014, the Lorain County Coroner reported 39 heroin overdose deaths with 13 of those overdose deaths involving fentanyl. In 2015, that number climbed to 41 heroin deaths with 20 of those overdose deaths involving fentanyl. The staggering amount of overdose deaths in Lorain County related to heroin/fentanyl increased significantly in 2016. In 2016, there were 131 overdose deaths and in 2017, the number remained steady at 132. The impact has affected both large and small towns in Lorain County. Investigators have noticed that overdose deaths have sometimes occurred in clusters and are related to the recent influx of fentanyl, carfentanil laced heroin and other analogues.
In addition, the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Executive Office will send an additional two-year term Assistant United States Attorney to each participating district to assist with drug-related prosecutions.
In Manatee County, a county just south of Tampa with a population of about 320,000, overdoses and deaths skyrocketed in 2015 (780 overdoses/84 opioid related deaths) and 2016 (1,287 overdoses/123 opioid related deaths). In summer of 2016, local law enforcement reported frequent, street-level distribution of fentanyl and carfentanil for the first time.
To combat this crisis, the Middle District of Florida committed to prosecuting every readily provable drug distribution case involving synthetic opioids in Manatee County regardless of drug quantity. The effort resulted in the indictments of 45 traffickers of synthetic opioids. . Further, from the last six months of 2016 to the last six months of 2017, overdoses dropped by 77.1% and deaths dropped by 74.2%. Overall, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office went from responding to 11 overdoses a day to an average now of less than one per day.
The United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, will coordinate with the Lorain County Prosecuting Attorney Dennis Will, Chief Duane Whitely of the Elyria Police Department, Chief Cel Rivera of the Lorain Police Department, Sheriff Phil Stammitti of the Lorain County Sheriff’s Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to work together on this initiative in an effort to aggressively combat opiate drug crimes. These charges represent a coordinated effort on behalf of the Federal and State partners to hold accountable these individualswho all have significant prior drug charges and have continued to peddle illegal opiate narcotics in Lorain County.
"When it comes to synthetic opioids, there is no such thing as a small case," Attorney General Sessions said. "In 2016, synthetic opioids killed more Americans than any other kind of drug. Three milligrams of fentanyl can be fatal--that's not even enough to cover up Lincoln's face on a penny. Our prosecutors in Manatee County, Florida have shown that prosecuting seemingly small synthetic opioids cases can have a big impact and save lives, and we want to replicate their success in the districts that need it most. This new strategy—and the new prosecutors who will help carry it out—will help us put more traffickers behind bars and keep the American people safe from the threat of these deadly drugs."
“These drugs have killed thousands of our friends and neighbors and caused pain and heartbreak to their families.” United States Attorney Justin Herdman said. “ This initiative will allow us to work in a collaborative, targeted way on the enforcement side to reduce the drug supply, while continuing to partner with others in our community to help drive down demand.”
Elyria Police Chief Duane Whitely said: “We are grateful for the excellent working relationship between all the Lorain County law enforcement agencies and our Federal partners. We will continue working together to attack the illegal drug trade throughout Lorain County.”
“Through the cooperation of local, state and federal law enforcement agencies working together to share their resources, intelligence and manpower we can aggressively investigate drug trafficking organizations,” said Lorain County Sheriff Phil Stammitti. “These organizations from the street level dealer to the main source suppliers are drastically having a devastating effect on our communities. In conjunction with the newly formed Lorain County HIDTA, we are proud of all the units that work together to aggressively investigate drug traffickers.”
This operation demonstrates another example of the significant federal presence in Lorain County and the cooperation that exists between federal and state agencies over the last several years to work hand in hand with Lorain County partners in seeing that those who repeatedly violate drug laws in Lorain County are held accountable and comes directly of the heels of significant Lorain County arrests last month.
On June 27, 2018, twenty-five people were arrested after a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging them for their roles in a conspiracy to traffic drugs in Elyria and the surrounding area, including fentanyl, carfentanil, heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine and fentanyl analogues pressed to look like pills of Percocet.
According to the 59-count indictment unsealed in U.S. District Court in Cleveland:
Troy Davis traveled to South Carolina to buy from Jenkins pills that were laced with furanyl fentanyl and pressed to look like 30 mg Percocet pills. Davis brought the pills to Ohio, where he sold them to Phares and others.
Troy Davis sold cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, fentanyl and various fentanyl analogues to other drug dealers and customers in the Elyria area. Troy and Elonzo Davis, who are uncle and nephew, were supplied by Vaughn, Jarell Davis, Washington, Oliver and Rogers. The Davis’ then resold the drugs to Lawrence, White, Pryor, Hobson and others.
The Davis’ and others used homes in Elyria to store and sell the drugs. They also used numerous vehicles, including rental cars, as well as multiple pre-paid cellular telephones, to facilitate the shipment and sale of drugs.
Other recent cases handled by the United States Attorney’s Office with assistance from Lorain County Law Enforcement including the Elyria Police Department, The Lorain Police Department, The Lorain County Sheriff’s Department the FBI, DEA and the Lorain County Prosecutor’s office are as follows:
-Russell Davis was convicted after a trial of multiple counts of distributing heroin fentanyl with of the distributions caused an overdose and resulted in death to a person. Davis was out on bond from Lorain County Court of Common Pleas when he committed the new offense. He had at least defendant had at least one previous drug trafficking felony conviction. Davis is facing a mandatory life sentence.
-Delante Lunn was convicted after a trial of multiple counts of distributing heroin fentanyl with a specification that the distributions caused an overdose and resulted in death to a person. Lunn was out on bond from Lorain County Court of Common Pleas when he committed the new offense. He had at least one previous felony drug trafficking conviction. Lunn was sentenced to 25 years incarceration.
The Northern District of Ohio is one of ten districts selected for this initiative. The other participating disricts are as follows:
Southern District of Ohio
Eastern District of Tennessee
Eastern District of Kentucky
Southern District of West Virginia
Northern District of West Virginia
District of Maine
Eastern District of California
Western District of Pennsylvania
District of New Hampshire
Lexington Man Sentenced to 15 Years on Federal Drug and Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon stated that Bryshun Genard Furlow, age 34, of Lexington, was sentenced in federal court to 180 months (15 years) imprisonment with 6 years of supervised release to follow. Furlow plead guilty in April to possession with intent to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine, and a substance containing both methamphetamine and cocaine, as well as to being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(C), and 851 and Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1), 924(a)(2), and 924(e). Senior United States District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie, of Columbia, imposed the sentence.
Evidence presented in court established that on November 3, 2016, the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department executed a state search warrant at Furlow’s Wessinger Street apartment after having made three separate controlled purchases of crack cocaine in September and October 2016 from Furlow at the apartment. During the search of the apartment, deputies recovered baggies of cocaine, methamphetamine, and tablets consisting of cocaine and methamphetamine. Deputies also recovered two digital scales, $5,422, a pyrex dish with cocaine residue, a .40 caliber handgun, a .38 caliber revolver, and various rounds of .40 caliber and .38 caliber ammunition. Furlow, his girlfriend, and two children were at the apartment at the time of the search. After being advised of his rights, Furlow admitted to the drugs in the apartment.
Furlow is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms and ammunition based upon his prior Georgia state convictions for possession with intent to distribute cocaine (2003), possession with intent to distribute marijuana (2003), possession of cocaine (2008), aggravated stalking (2008), arson 1st degree (2 counts)(2008), terroristic threats (2008) and his prior South Carolina state conviction for distribution of crack cocaine (April 2016). Due to his extensive prior record, Furlow was classified as an armed career criminal and career offender, which increased his potential sentences.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department and was prosecuted as part of Project CeaseFire, a joint federal, state and local initiative focused upon aggressively prosecuting firearm cases in an effort to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer. Project CeaseFire is South Carolina’s implementation of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a crime reduction strategy originally launched in 2001. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority and reinstituted PSN nationwide. Assistant United States Attorney Stacey D. Haynes of the Columbia office handled the case.
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Kansas Men Charged with Distributing Child PornRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – Two Kansas men were indicted Wednesday in separate cases on charges of distributing child pornography, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said.
Brian Fuchs, 48, Lawrence, Kan., is charged with one count of distributing child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography. The indictment alleges Fuchs used a peer-to-peer network to share child pornography with other users.
If convicted, he faces not less than five years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on the distribution charge, and up to 10 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the possession charge.
The FBI investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Flannigan is prosecuting.
Duane Allen, 54, Leavenworth, Kan., is charged with one count of distributing child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography. The indictment alleges Allen used a peer-to-peer network to share child pornography with other users.
If convicted, he faces not less than five years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on the distribution charge, and up to 10 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the possession charge.
The FBI investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Flannigan is prosecuting.
Both cases are being prosecuted under the Justice Department’s Project Safe Childhood (PSC) initiative. For more information, see the PSC web site at https://www.justice.gov/psc
OTHER INDICTMENTS
Ricky Stevens, 29, Kansas City, Mo., is charged with two counts of stealing gift cards from the mail while he worked for the U.S. Postal Service. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in 2015 and 2016 in Johnson County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces up to five years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each count. The U.S. Postal Service investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Leon Patton is prosecuting.
Diego Cesar Oyarzun Ruiz, 29, and Jonathan Sebastian Zuniga Contreras, 22, both citizens of Chile who are being held in the Johnson County Adult Detention Center, are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. In addition, Oyarzun Ruiz is charged with one count of aggravated identity theft. The indictment alleges they used stolen credit cards to buy electronic devices at retail stores, including a Best Buy in Overland Park, Kan.
If convicted, they face up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on the wire fraud charge and two years (consecutive) on the identity theft charge. The U.S. Secret Service investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Oakley is prosecuting.
Charles W. Ochlech, 46, who is in the custody of the Bureau of Prisons, is charged with assaulting another inmate at Leavenworth Penitentiary in April 2014.
If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The FBI investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Oakley and Assistant U.S. Attorney Trent Krug are prosecuting.
In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.
Judge Sentences Ambridge Fentanyl Dealer to 18 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH – Jeffrey Rogers, formerly of Ambridge, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 18 years in prison for conspiring to distribute over 40 grams of fentanyl and for then distributing fentanyl, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
The sentence was imposed yesterday by Chief United States District Court Judge Joy Flowers Conti. Rogers was also sentenced to serve eight years of supervised release upon release from prison.
Rogers was convicted following his guilty pleas in March 2018. As part of his plea agreement, Rogers accepted responsibility for causing the death of H.P. through fentanyl distribution. Also as part of his guilty plea, Rogers acknowledged that he was responsible for the distribution of at least 280 grams of fentanyl. Rogers was previously convicted of drug trafficking in 2007 in the Beaver County Court of Common Pleas.
Assistant United States Attorneys Katherine A. King and Craig W. Haller prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States.
The conviction and sentence in this case was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration in partnership with the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General, Ambridge Police Department, New Brighton Police Department, Beaver Police Department, Aliquippa Police Department, Moon Township Police Department, Wilkinsburg Police Department, West Mifflin Police Department, Allegheny County Police Department, Duquesne Police Department, Munhall Police Department, Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, and the Pennsylvania State Police.
The investigation was a product of the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Program (OCDETF). The OCDETF program supplies critical federal funding and coordination that allows federal and state agencies to work together to successfully identify, investigate, and prosecute major interstate and international drug trafficking organizations and other criminal enterprises.