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11 July 2018
Convicted Felon Sentenced to 100 Months Imprisonment for Possessing Stolen FirearmRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN – Louis Driver, 43, of Lauderdale County, has been sentenced to 100 months in federal prison for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a stolen firearm. U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant for the Western District of Tennessee announced the sentence today.
According to information presented in court, on January 27, 2017, Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office received information that Louis Driver was involved in a burglary in which several firearms were stolen. Law enforcement conducted an investigation that led them to Driver’s residence. After receiving consent to search the residence, investigators located Driver in a bedroom. Upon searching the bedroom, investigators located a Heckler & Koch .45 caliber pistol, loaded with 12 rounds of ammunition, which was stolen during the burglary. Driver, who was on parole at time he committed this offense, admitted to possessing the firearm.
U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said: "This defendant has a long criminal history of felony and misdemeanor convictions involving violence, drug possession, and property damage, and was on parole for felony drug offenses when he was found in possession of a stolen firearm from a home burglary. Mr. Driver has devoted his adult life to a career of criminal conduct in Lauderdale County, and that prior history has finally caught up with him. This sentence removing him from the community for more than 8 years will make Lauderdale County and West Tennessee a safer place."
This case was investigated by the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Columbia Man Pleads Guilty to Meth Conspiracy, Faces 15 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Columbia, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and to illegally possessing a firearm.
Gary Deangelo Warren, 32, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Willie J. Epps, Jr., to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possessing a firearm in relation to a drug-trafficking crime.
Co-defendant Michael Scott Bilderback, 39, pleaded guilty on May 31, 2018, to his role in the drug-trafficking conspiracy.
Warren was arrested on May 8, 2017, when he arrived at the arranged meeting place to sell methamphetamine to a confidential informant. Warren was carrying two plastic baggies with a total of approximately 16.1 grams of methamphetamine and a loaded Jimenez Arms .380-caliber semi-automatic pistol. Officers also found a plastic bag containing approximately 445.2 grams of pure methamphetamine inside a shoebox on the rear passenger floorboard of the vehicle Warren was driving.
Bilderback, who was arrested on the same day, received methamphetamine from Warren to distribute to others. Bilderback admitted to selling at least eight ounces of methamphetamine a day during the two months prior to his arrest. Columbia police officers seized approximately 112.7 grams of methamphetamine during the execution of a search warrant at Bilderback’s motel room in Columbia.
Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, the government and Warren agree to a sentence of 15 years in federal prison without parole. The sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lawrence E. Miller and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Jolly. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Columbia, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Colorado Woman Sentenced for Civil Disorder During the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) Project ProtestRead the Press Release
BISMARCK – United States Attorney Christopher C. Myers announced that on July 11, 2018, Chief United States District Judge Daniel L. Hovland sentenced Redfawn Fallis, age 39, of Colorado, on charges of Civil Disorder and Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition by a Convicted Felon during the DAPL protest in October 2016. Judge Hovland sentenced Fallis to serve 4 years and 9 months in federal prison, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, and was further ordered to pay a $200.00 special assessment.
On October 27, 2016, law enforcement officers began an effort to remove individuals protesting the DAPL project at a location where protesters had erected an illegal roadblock on Highway 1806, south of Mandan, ND, and who were criminally trespassing on private property. Law enforcement officers gave advisements over a loudspeaker system asking people to voluntarily leave the roadway and to travel back to the established protest camps. Law enforcement officers assisting with moving protesters identified Red Fawn Fallis as an instigator who was acting disorderly. Fallis was wearing a gas mask, screaming at officers and failing to move back when ordered to do so. Officers approached Fallis and during a struggle, took her to the ground and attempted to handcuff her. Fallis resisted officers as they tried to gain control of her hands; however, Fallis kept her left arm tucked under her body. One of the officers briefly stopped pulling on Fallis’ left arm, which he was attempting to release from under her body in order to make it easier for another officer to place her right hand into a flex handcuff. As the officer released Fallis’ left arm, Fallis fired three gunshots in a quick succession. The officer saw a revolver underneath Fallis’ stomach as she turned slightly on her left side. He yelled “gun” and grabbed onto it as she brought it back underneath her stomach. The officer struggled with Fallis for control of the firearm, and was eventually able to gain control of the weapon. The firearm was a Ruger .38 Special revolver. A search of her person resulted in the recovery of multiple rounds of .38 caliber ammunition in her jacket pocket.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATFE); North Dakota Highway Patrol; Pennington County Sheriff’s Department, Rapid City, SD; and the Morton County Sheriff’s Office.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Hagler and Gary Delorme.
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Clayton Man Sentenced for Receipt of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
RALEIGH – United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. announced that today in federal court, Chief United States District Judge James C. Dever, III sentenced JAMIE BROOKS FRANKLIN, 37, of Clayton to 180 months in prison, 10 years of supervised release for the Receipt of Child Pornography (CP). FRANKLIN pled guilty to the charge on January 23, 2018.
On September 19, 2014, Xoom.com, an online international money transfer service, notified Yahoo! that a number of Yahoo! accounts were engaged in the sale of material depicting child exploitation. A Xoom.com Cybertip Report was forwarded to Yahoo!’s Electronic Crimes Investigative Team (ECIT). The ECIT conducted an investigation and observed that several Yahoo! electronic accounts operating in the Philippines were involved in the sale of materials portraying the sexual abuse of minors. Based on the investigation, search warrants were obtained for the seller accounts and executed in February 2015. The search uncovered a chat conversation between a seller and a buyer using an email account later identified to be FRANKLIN’S. They discussed the sale of pictures, videos, and live webcam shows depicting minors engaged in sexual activity. The seller and FRANKLIN exchanged emails as a means of communication. In September 2014, the seller sent FRANKLIN multiple images which depicted the sexual exploitation of minors. The images were provided to FRANKLIN for his consideration when making a purchase. The seller also provided the FRANKLIN with 26 additional images of child pornography which included bestiality.
Agents learned that several of the login IP addresses utilized by FRANKLIN were assigned to Time Warner Cable (TWC). On December 10, 2015, Yahoo! notified the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that the defendant’s account received at least one video depicting child pornography (CP) in November 2015. The video depicted two nude prepubescent females between the ages of 12 and 15 engaged in sexual activity with each other. As the investigation progressed, at least six seller accounts were identified as being associated with and used by FRANKLIN to purchase CP. FRANKLIN received CP from sellers through his email and Dropbox accounts.
A search warrant was obtained and executed at FRANKLIN’S residence on November 9, 2016. Prior to the search, FRANKLIN made an unprotected statement to investigating agents. Specifically, the defendant advised he began viewing CP approximately five years earlier, and he preferred females between the ages of 8 and 9 to adulthood. The defendant acknowledged currently possessing a “couple of hundred” images and videos of CP in his Dropbox account. FRANKLIN also acknowledged utilizing his Yahoo! email and Kik Messenger, an instant messenger application for mobile phones, to locate like-minded individuals and share CP. Once a like-minded individual was located, the defendant and the individual exchanged Dropbox URLs to gain access to each other’s collection of CP. FRANKLIN also acknowledged utilizing Skype, a video chat program, to watch live sex shows with other adults.
The investigation recovered at least 42,610 images of CP, many of which depicted nude prepubescent minors engaged in explicit sexual conduct. Many of the images and videos depicted prepubescent children less than 12 years of age and several of the images and videos portrayed sadistic or masochistic conduct or other depictions of violence.
Mr. Higdon commented: “Today the Court imposed a 15 year sentence on a defendant who preyed upon numerous of our most vulnerable citizens. Through the collection and distribution of child pornography the defendant victimized our children in the most degrading and base way. The sentence imposed by the court is extremely appropriate and should be a warning to others who would threaten our children in this way. We will seek sentences like this in other cases in our unwavering effort to stop this type of behavior and to protect our children. I want to thank the investigators with the FBI and the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office for their outstanding work.”
The case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office. The federal prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Ethan A. Ontjes.
This case was part of the Project Safe Childhood initiative, a national program aimed at ensuring that criminals exploiting children are effectively prosecuted by making full use of all available law enforcement resources at every level. For more information about this important national project, Project Safe Childhood, go to www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Clairton Man Sentenced for Role in Cocaine Trafficking SchemeRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA – A resident of Clairton, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to three years’ probation, 180 days of which is to be served in home confinement, and a $7,500 fine on his conviction of conspiracy to distribute narcotics, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
United States District Judge Arthur J. Schwab imposed the sentence on Samuel Lopresti, 56.
According to information presented to the court at the time he entered a guilty plea, Lopresti, from March through June 2017, regularly purchased cocaine in 1.5 ounce to four ounce quantities from his codefendant, Skyler Carter, for personal use and for further distribution in the Clairton area. He was held responsible for the distribution of between 400 and 500 grams of cocaine during that period. Lopresti is the fourth of the 21 defendants charged in the conspiracy to be sentenced.
Assistant United States Attorney Carolyn J. Bloch is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation led the multi-agency investigation of this case, which also included the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, the Allegheny County Police Department, and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police. The investigation was funded by 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.
Charleston Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Charleston man caught selling methamphetamine in June 2017 pleaded guilty today to a federal drug conspiracy charge, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart. William Naylor, 30, entered his guilty plea to an indictment charging him with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Stuart praised the joint investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Violent Crime and Drug Task Force West, and the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Department STOP Team.
“We are prosecuting an increasing number of meth defendants,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “This is a most disappointing trend. And for those drug users that think meth is safer than heroin – beware – we are finding that meth is often laced with other drugs and leading to overdoses.”
Naylor admitted that from at least June 2017 to September 2017, he worked with Melody Legg to distribute methamphetamine in Kanawha County. As part of the plea agreement, Naylor admitted to distributing methamphetamine to a confidential informant in June 2017.
Naylor faces up to 20 years in federal prison when he is sentenced on October 4, 2018.
The plea hearing was held before United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin. Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie S. Taylor handled the prosecution.
The drug prosecution is part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the illicit sale and misuse of prescription drugs and heroin. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of opiate painkillers and heroin in communities across the Southern District.
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Chalmette Woman Charged with Stealing over Two Million Dollars from Her EmployerRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that JENNIFER GUILLOT (GUILLOT), age 40, of Chalmette, Louisiana was charged on Monday, July 9, 2018 by a Bill of Information for Bank Larceny, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2113(b).
According to the Bill of Information, GUILLOTT began working at a local business, located in the Eastern District of Louisiana, in 1996 as a secretary/bookkeeper. Sometime after she started working there GUILLOT and her husband began having financial difficulties. GUILLOT, through three separate and distinct schemes stole money from the accounts of the victim in the custody of Hibernia National Bank, now Capital One Bank. The accounts of Hibernia National Bank were then insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (F.D.I.C.), thus giving the federal jurisdiction.
GUILLOT defrauded the company by writing company checks to herself without the permission of the victim. The loss to the victim through GUILLOT’s first scheme was $563,927.26.
GUILLOT stole money in a second scheme by writing company checks to her credit card companies for personal expenses without the company’s permission. The loss to victim through this scheme was $866,077.10.
GUILLOT stole money in a third scheme by logging on to the victim company’s Automated Clearinghouse Account (ACH) electronically and without the victim company’s permission and paying personal credit bills. The loss to the victim through this scheme was $640,668.85.
When bank statements would arrive in the mail, GUILLOT would “white out” any entities which showed she stole money. She made copies of the altered statements. She would shred the originals and cancelled checks. GUILLOT would further conceal her schemes by falsely showing payments made to herself to appear as payments to vendors of the victim.
The grand total of GUILLOT’s schemes is $2,070,673.21.
U. S. Attorney Evans reiterated that a Bill of Information is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
If convicted, GUILLOT faces a maximum penalty of ten (10) years imprisonment, followed by up to three (3) years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000.00, and a mandatory $100 special assessment, as well as restitution to the victim.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the United States Postal Inspection Service. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Carter K. D. Guice, Jr., Assistant U.S. Attorney.
Buffalo Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing FentanylRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Calvin Elston, Jr., 41, of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, 400 grams or more of fentanyl, before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara. The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum of life, and a $10,000,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Adler, who is handling the case, stated that between July 2013 and May 2015, the defendant conspired with co-defendants Brandon Coburn, Jennifer L. Courton, Rodney Courton, John Davis, Jessica Howard, Samuel Nappo, Tashaira Vazquez, Terrance Williams, Johanna Sanchez-Rodriquez, Luis Diaz, and others, to distribute fentanyl, oxymorphone, oxycodone, and amphetamines, Schedule II controlled substances.
Over the course of the conspiracy, Elston obtained prescriptions in his own name, and in the names of others, from co-defendant Brandon Coburn, a nurse practitioner. Neither he, nor the others, ever saw Coburn for treatment. The defendant and co-defendant, Jennifer L. Courton, would then recruit various individuals who would agree to go to pharmacies to submit prescriptions. These individuals, including Rodney Courton, John Davis, Jessica Howard, Samuel Nappo, Tashaira Vazquez, Terrance Williams, Johanna Sanchez-Rodriquez, Luis Diaz, and others, would be paid money for their services. Coburn would also be paid for writing each prescription.
In total, from July 2013 to May 2015, 253 prescriptions were issued by co-defendant Coburn without any legitimate medical purpose.
A total of 10 defendants have been convicted in this case.Today’s plea is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of James J. Hunt, Special Agent-in-Charge, New York Field Division.
Sentencing is scheduled for October 22, 2018 at 12:30 p.m. before Judge Arcara.
Buffalo Man Arrested, Charged with Drug and Gun PossessionRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Edwin Colon, 24, of Buffalo, NY, was arrested and charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The charges carry a mandatory minimum sentenced of five years in prison, a maximum of life, and a $1,000,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth T. Molisani, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, on March 19, 2018, the Erie County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at the defendant’s residence at 187 Hickory Street in Buffalo. Deputies recovered a .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol, 42 rounds of ammunition, and a quantity of cocaine.
The defendant appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer for a detention hearing this morning and was released on conditions.The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Erie County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Timothy Howard, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Gary Loeffert.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.Brunswick Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Illegally Possessing a Sawed-Off ShotgunRead the Press Release
Portland, Maine: United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Joshua Knight, 35, of Brunswick, Maine, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Chief Judge Nancy Torresen to 10 years in prison and three years of supervised release for possession of a firearm by a felon. Knight pleaded guilty to the charge on January 5, 2018.
According to court records and evidence presented at the sentencing hearing, in August 2016, Knight possessed a Remington 12 gauge semi-automatic sawed-off shotgun at his Brunswick residence that he once held to the head of a girlfriend and threatened: “This is what it feels like right before you die.” Knight was prohibited from possession the firearm because he had prior Maine felony convictions for aggravated marijuana furnishing and operating under the influence with priors.
In imposing the statutory maximum sentence, Chief Judge Torresen said: “Your criminal history shows trends that are very disturbing… the things you have done are, frankly, heinous.”
The investigation was conducted by the Brunswick Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. 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 a 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.
Bradenton Fentanyl Trafficker Sentenced to PrisonRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday has sentenced Bobby Harper (23, Bradenton) to five years in federal prison for distributing more than 40 grams of fentanyl. Harper pleaded guilty on April 23, 2018.
According to court documents, on April 12, 2017, a Drug Enforcement Administration undercover agent (“UC”) and a confidential informant (“CI”) made a controlled purchase of narcotics from Harper. The CI called Harper and requested two ounces of heroin. Harper agreed to meet the CI at a location in Manatee County and sell him two ounces of heroin for $5,600. Once at the meeting location, Harper entered the UC’s vehicle and exchanged the package containing the drugs for the cash. A subsequent lab test revealed that the substance weighed 56.694 grams and was a mixture of heroin and fentanyl.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shauna S. Hale. This case is the result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (“OCDETF”) investigation entitled “Hot Batch.” The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s drug supply.
Braddock Felon Charged with Illegally Possessing Heroin and GunsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA – A former resident of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of violating federal drug and firearms laws, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
The three-count indictment, returned on July 10, named Javell R. Garner, a/k/a "Vell", a/k/a "Trill", age 25, of Braddock, Pennsylvania, as the sole defendant.
According to the Indictment, in May 2017, Garner possessed a .22 caliber semi-automatic Phoenix Arms pistol; and on June 14, 2018, he possessed a .45 G.A.P. caliber semi-automatic Springfield Armory pistol and .45 G.A.P caliber ammunition, after having been convicted of previous felony drug trafficking offenses. The Indictment further alleges that on June 14, 2018, Garner possessed with intent to distribute heroin, a Schedule I controlled substance.
The defendant faces a maximum total penalty of up to 40 years in prison, a fine of $1,500,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Ross E. Lenhardt is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) conducted the investigation leading to theiIndictment in this case with valuable assistance from the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, the Port Authority Police Department, the Allegheny County Housing Authority, the Braddock Police Department, and the Pennsylvania State Police. 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.
An indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions Welcomes Brian A. Benczkowski as Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal DivisionRead the Press Release
Attorney General Jeff Sessions today welcomed the confirmation of Brian Allen Benczkowski as the Department of Justice’s Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division.
“Brian is an outstanding lawyer with a diverse public service and criminal law background spanning over 20 years,” said Attorney General Sessions. “This will be the sixth senior position Brian has held at the Department, and we are fortunate to have someone with his breadth of experience and strong leadership skills willing to serve again. At a time like this—with surging violent crime and an unprecedented drug epidemic—this position is especially important.”
Mr. Benczkowski’s diverse legal background including over 10 years of public service experience in the federal government in key leadership positions. He previously served as the Chief of Staff for the Office of the Attorney General and the Office of the Deputy Attorney General from 2008 to 2009. As the principal legal, policy and political advisor to the two senior leaders of the Department of Justice, he played an integral role in overseeing the overall direction of the Department, including operational, policy and public relations efforts. Mr. Benczkowski, 48, has also served as Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Legislative Affairs, where he managed the Department’s relationship with Congress. During that time, he was responsible for directing the Department's response to congressional investigations and requests for information and documents, and preparing numerous witnesses and nominees for testimony before Congress. Mr. Benczkowski also served as chief of staff at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and staff director and senior counsel to the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Policy.
Prior to his nomination by the President to serve as the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division, Mr. Benczkowski served as a partner in a large Washington, DC law firm where Mr. Benczkowski’s practice focused on white-collar criminal defense as well as government and internal investigations. Mr. Benczkowski received his J.D., with high honors, from the Washington University School of Law in St. Louis, Missouri, and his B.A. from the University of Virginia.Athens Residents Sentenced for Possessing Firearms in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking Under Project Safe NeighborhoodsRead the Press Release
ATHENS: Charles E. Peeler, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, announces that on July 11, 2018, United States District Court Judge C. Ashley Royal sentenced Robert Jackson, age 24, of Athens, GA, and Donald Hatfield, age 22, of Jefferson, GA, to 60 months’ imprisonment each for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
There is no parole in the federal system.
The pair entered guilty pleas on April 10, 2018. As stipulated in their plea agreements, on December 14, 2016, Athens-Clarke County Police Department officers executed a search warrant at Jackson and Hatfield’s shared apartment based on information that marijuana and other drugs were being distributed from the residence. In the subsequent search, police seized five loaded firearms, along with digital scales, suspected alprazolam pills, marijuana, and marijuana edibles. Receipts recovered at the scene also showed that both Jackson and Hatfield had spent large amounts in cash for cars and jewelry, despite the fact that neither one was employed.
“In the short term, selling drugs may lead to cars and jewelry,” said United States Attorney Charles Peeler. “But in the long term, it will only lead to prison time.”
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 case was investigated by the Athens-Clarke County Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Assistant United States Attorneys Graham A. Thorpe and Peter D. Leary 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.
Ashland City Woman Sentenced to Four Years in Federal Prison for Credit Card Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Samantha Jean Thompson, 39, of Ashland City, Tennessee, was sentenced Monday to four years in federal prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release, for bank fraud and aggravated identity theft, announced U.S. Attorney Don Cochran for the Middle District of Tennessee. Chief U.S. District Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw, Jr., also ordered Thompson to pay $569,231.78 in restitution.
Thompson was indicted in August 2017 and pleaded guilty to six counts of bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft on March 1, 2018.
According to documents filed with the Court, between May 2014 and October 2016, Thompson was employed as the office manager and bookkeeper of Builder's Supply Source, Inc., a cabinetry supply company in Nashville. Thompson admitted that she used her position to make fraudulent charges to American Express credit cards issued to company employees, utilizing the mobile payment application Square, Inc. Thompson renamed her account with Square to closely resemble the name of a legitimate vendor and then used Square to process cash transfers to her personal bank account. During the execution of this scheme, Thompson made fraudulent transfers 289 times that totaled more than $500,000.
According to testimony at the sentencing hearing, Builder’s Supply Source participates in area Re-entry initiatives and employs persons being released from prison. The future of all employees was placed into jeopardy when the company was almost bankrupted by Thompson’s actions. The scheme was uncovered after Christmas bonuses were paid and the bank notified the company that there was insufficient funds in their account.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Siji Moore prosecuted the case.
Alabama man pleads guilty to enticing a minor to engage in sexual activityRead the Press Release
NEWNAN, Ga. - Christopher Bradley Braden, who on two separate occasions arranged to meet minor girls for sex, pleaded guilty to enticing a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity.
“Braden was lurking on the internet seeking to prey on young girls,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “On two separate occasions, the defendant drove for hours hoping to have sex with the girls. Thanks to the vigilance of our local law enforcement partners, Braden will be held accountable for his depraved conduct.”
“The FBI’s Violent Crimes Against Children unit, along with the FBI Atlanta Metro Atlanta Child Exploitation Task Force (MATCH) remain vigilant for predators who pose a threat to our children,” said J. C. Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Braden’s plea should send a message to child predators that law enforcement is hunting them just as they are hunting victims.”
“The internet is a tool that has provided our society with many wonderful conveniences, however, the internet also has a dark side that sexual predators can use to prey on children,” said Marietta Police Chief Dan Flynn. “This case is a good example of federal, state, and local law enforcement collaborating to counter criminal activity on the internet in order to protect our children.”
“Our department is fortunate to have teamed up with federal, state and local law enforcement partners to stop this predator,” said Bremen Police Chief Keith Pesnell. “I’m also grateful for the hard work of my officer who was involved in taking Braden off the street to protect our children.”
According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: In November 2016, Braden started communicating with a young girl on the cell phone app - Meet24. She told him that she was 13 years old. He immediately initiated sexual conversations with the minor, asking about her body development and her sexual experience. Braden sent her a video of himself masturbating. He made arrangements to meet her for the purpose of having sex with her on December 1, 2016. When Braden showed up at the pre-arranged location in Marietta, Georgia, he was met by two Marietta Police Department officers and was arrested. He was later released on bond. The 13-year-old girl was actually an undercover police officer.
In May 2017, almost six months later, Braden met a 14-year-old girl on the same cell phone app – Meet24. Like before, he asked the minor questions about her body development and her sexual experience. He even sent the girl a photo of his erect penis. Braden made arrangements to meet the minor at a gas station in Bremen, Georgia. While traveling to the gas station, he sent the girl a message confirming that she was 14 years old. When Braden showed up near the gas station, he was pulled over and arrested by Bremen Police Department officers. Like before, the 14-year-old girl was actually an undercover police officer.
Christopher Bradley Braden, 40, of Jasper, Alabama was charged in a federal indictment with two counts of enticing a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity. He pleaded guilty to one count, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for October 11, 2018, at 10:00 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Timothy C. Batten, Sr.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Marietta Police Department and the Bremen Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul R. Jones is prosecuting the case.
This case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, the Attorney General launched Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices around the country, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
10 July 2018
Wapello Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
DAVENPORT, Iowa – On July 9, 2018, United States District Court Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger, sentenced Jack Lee Coleman, age 65, of Wapello, Iowa, to 360 months in prison for production of child pornography announced United States Attorney Marc Krickbaum. Coleman was ordered to serve five years of supervised release following his imprisonment, pay $100 to the Crime Victims’ Fund, and comply with the sex offender registry requirements upon release.
On February 2, 2018, Coleman pleaded guilty to one count of production of child pornography. The investigation began in 2016 when a minor victim disclosed being sexually abused by Coleman. During the investigation, a computer belonging to Coleman was seized and examined. That computer contained nude images of five minor children produced by a hidden camera placed in the bathroom by Coleman. The computer also contained child pornography images of another minor child.
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.
VA Medical Center Nurse Indicted, Arraigned for Allegedly Tampering with and Stealing Prescription OpioidsRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A nurse employed at the Providence VA Medical Center was arraigned and pled not guilty today in U.S. District Court in Providence to a federal grand jury indictment charging him with stealing liquid opioids for his own personal use and replacing them with saline.
Jared Scott, 34, of West Warwick, was indicted on June 28, 2018, on one count each of tampering with consumer products and acquiring a controlled substance by deception and subterfuge.
Scott was released on unsecured bond following his arraignment before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Lincoln D. Almond.
According to information presented to the court, Scott, as a Providence VA Medical Center nurse, had access to vials of liquid opioids for patient use. Scott would access the vials, often for patients that were not his, remove vials of the drug for his own personal use, and leave behind vials filled with saline.
The indictment and arraignment of Jared Scott are announced by United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch; Sean J. Smith, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General; and Jeffrey J. Ebersole, Resident Agent in Charge of the United States Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations.
An indictment is merely an allegation and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Tampering with a consumer product is punishable by statutory penalties of up to 10 years in federal prison, 3 years supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Obtaining a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, deception and subterfuge is punishable by statutory penalties of up to 4 years in federal prison, 1 year supervised release and a fine of $250,000.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Terrence P. Donnelly.
The matter was investigated by the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General and the United States Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations.
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University of Colorado Professor Pleads Guilty to Mail FraudRead the Press Release
DENVER – Oleg Viktorovich Vasilyev, age 50, of Boulder, Colorado, a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Colorado in Boulder, pled guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge William J. Martinez to mail fraud and aiding and abetting, U.S. Attorney Bob Troyer and Department of Energy Acting Inspector General April G. Stephenson announced. The defendant had been indicted by a federal grand jury in Denver on September 12, 2017. The sentencing hearing will be held on October 25, 2018, before Judge Martinez.
According to court documents, including the defendant’s plea agreement, in the summer of 2006, Vasilyev submitted an application to the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) to obtain a federal contract worth $234,000.00. The defendant did this without the knowledge or approval of the University of Colorado’s Office of Contracts and Grants (OCG), which customarily would oversee such a contract. Over the next five to six years, Vasilyev caused invoices to be submitted directly to LANL purportedly to pay his salary, as well as the salary of a graduate student. LANL received the defendant’s invoices and forwarded monies to an auxiliary account held by the University of Colorado for Vasilyev. Vasilyev then obtained this money from the auxiliary account by submitting travel vouchers and other requests for reimbursement to the University of Colorado. Vasilyev later admitted that these requests for reimbursement included unallowable costs, such as more than $140,000 for international travel unconnected to any work for LANL. Other unallowable costs included dues, subscriptions, conference registration fees, and out of state travel. Vasilyev agreed to repay the University of Colorado a total of $185,879, but the total actual loss associated with Vasilyev’s fraud remains in dispute.
This case was investigated by the Department of Energy Office of Inspector General. The United States is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy Sibert.
United States Settles False Claims Act Allegations Against Liberty Ambulance for $1.2 MillionRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, FL – Today, after a multiple-year investigation and the government’s intervention into a whistleblower suit in 2015, the United States announces a $1.2 million settlement with Liberty Ambulance. In reaching this settlement, the parties have resolved allegations that, from June 29, 2005, to January 2016, Liberty Ambulance knowingly up-coded claims for life support services from “Basic” to “Advanced” without justification, unnecessarily transported patients, and unnecessarily transported patients to their homes in an emergent fashion.
“The United States Attorney’s Office is committed to taking the steps necessary to protect Medicare, TRICARE, and other federal healthcare programs from fraud and abuse,” said U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez. “Whenever founded, our Office will vigorously pursue these cases and recover taxpayers’ money.”
“When health care providers participate in fraudulent billing schemes in order to increase profits, they steal from the pockets of the taxpayer and jeopardize federal healthcare programs,” said Shimon Richmond, Special Agent in Charge for the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “We will continue to be relentless in our efforts to hold such providers accountable.”
“This settlement highlights the commitment of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) and its law enforcement partners to protect the integrity of the Department of Defense (DoD) health care program,” said Special Agent in Charge John F. Khin, Southeast Field Office. “DCIS aggressively investigates health care providers that defraud the DoD, to preserve American taxpayer dollars intended to care for our Warfighters, their family members, and military retirees.”
Today’s settlement involved false claims submitted to Medicare, TRICARE, Medicaid, and the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program managed by the Office of Personnel Management. The claims resolved by this settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability. This case was initiated by the filing of a qui tam lawsuit filed by Shawn Pelletier, a former employee of Liberty Ambulance. Mr. Pelletier collected more than $1.2 million in proceeds from prior settlements, and will receive approximately $264,000 from the present settlement with Liberty.
The government’s action in this matter illustrates its emphasis on combating health care fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services, at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Office of Personnel Management, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - Office of Counsel to the Inspector General, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - Office of Inspector General, Office of Audit Services, the Florida Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, and the Defense Health Agency Program Integrity Office. It was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Shea Gibbons.
Textbook Theft Duo Targeted University of Wisconsin SchoolsRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Matthew D. Krueger of the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on July 10, 2018, a federal grand jury returned an indictment against Ryan Scott Lewis (age: 35) and Genisis Garcia Abellar (age: 35) both of Houston, Texas.
According to the indictment, Lewis and Abellar stole textbooks from instructors’ offices at several University of Wisconsin System schools, including: University of Wisconsin – Green Bay, University of Wisconsin – Whitewater, University of Wisconsin – Stout, and University of Wisconsin – River Falls. Lewis and Abellar then shipped the textbooks to a business in the State of Texas, which in turn sold the books to college students. The duo are also alleged to have carried out this scheme at colleges in Minnesota, North Dakota, Arizona, New Mexico, and Washington State.
Both face charges of conspiracy to transport stolen goods and interstate transportation of stolen property, contrary to Title 18, United States Code, Sections 371 and 2314. If found guilty of the charges, Lewis and Abellar each face up to 15 years’ imprisonment.
This case was investigated by the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay Police Department, the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel R. Humble.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and are entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove them guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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Stock Defrauder Sentenced for His Role in “Pump and Dump” SchemeRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain announced that Colorado resident Frank J. Morelli, III, 62, was sentenced today to 84 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Morelli previously pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy, wire fraud, and securities fraud charges.
Morelli was a significant player in a scheme involving six others to defraud investors and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). As part of this scheme, Morelli and his fellow fraudsters took control of the majority of the stock in Supernova Resources, Inc. (ticker symbol SNRR), a publicly traded company that purported to manufacture interactive kiosks for, among other things, operation in national retail stores, when in reality no functioning kiosks had been placed in any well-known retail stores.
In order to be able to manipulate Supernova stock, Morelli and his fellow fraudsters filed false documents, used nominees, and put stock in offshore accounts to hide their stock ownership, all in an effort to deceive the SEC that SNRR stock was eligible to be traded when it was not. They also caused Supernova to issue false and misleading press releases and timed the issuance of these press releases with trades organized amongst themselves. This gave potential investors the false impression that the stock was increasing in value based on legitimate market activity when it was not. The fraudsters also agreed to bribe brokers in order to help carry out their scheme. The schemers had made several million dollars from the scheme and would have continued with their plans to manipulate the stock had the SEC not halted trading in SNRR.
“Hard working, innocent individuals who try to save money for the future are the ones who lose big when crooks like Morelli manipulate the markets with pump and dump stock schemes,” said U.S. Attorney McSwain. “Market manipulation also causes our economy to take a hit because the public cannot trust that the markets are free and fair. Thanks to the excellent work of the FBI, SEC, and prosecutors from this Office, Morelli’s days of profiting off of others’ misfortune, created by his own handiwork, are over.”
"All of the machinations that went into perpetuating this 'pump and dump' scheme show a clear disregard for the free market, and a willful disregard for the law," said Michael T. Harpster, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Philadelphia Division. "Mr. Morelli and his accomplices were scam artists, plain and simple, cashing in at the expense of unwitting investors without a second thought. The FBI is firmly committed to finding fraudsters who are selling a false bill of goods, and holding them accountable."
Morelli is the fifth of seven fraudsters to be sentenced in connection with this scheme. James Wheeler, the CEO and President of Supernova who controlled the company on behalf of the schemers, was sentenced to 63 months’ imprisonment. Daniel Starczewski, Morelli’s longtime partner, was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment. Carl Marciniak and Jeffrey Weinfurter, stock manipulators whom Morelli recruited early in the scheme, received sentences of 24 months’ and 36 months’ incarceration, respectively. The final two schemers, Louis Buonocore and Danny Colon, are scheduled to be sentenced later in 2018.
The case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with the assistance of the SEC. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Patrick J. Murray and Judy Smith.
Statement from U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling Regarding the Legalization of Recreational Marijuana in MassachusettsRead the Press Release
As of July 1, 2018, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts legalized the distribution of marijuana for recreational and other non-medical uses and, based on public reports, the Cannabis Control Commission is now reviewing applications for licenses to grow and sell marijuana products.
Marijuana distribution, however, remains illegal; it is specifically prohibited by federal law. Because I have a constitutional obligation to enforce the laws passed by Congress, I will not effectively immunize the residents of the Commonwealth from federal marijuana enforcement. My office’s resources, however, are primarily focused on combatting the opioid epidemic that claims thousands of lives in the Commonwealth each year.
Having considered these factors, and the experiences of other states that have legalized marijuana distribution for non-medical use, I anticipate focusing my office’s marijuana enforcement efforts in the following areas:
- Overproduction: Despite regulatory efforts to address this problem, licensed outdoor marijuana cultivation still creates a significant risk of overproduction, which in turn creates the risk of illegal, and lucrative, marijuana sales to users in nearby states where recreational marijuana use remains illegal. These out-of-state sales are nearly always cash transactions and so often involve federal tax fraud designed to hide the illicit cash or its true source.
- Targeted Sales to Minors: Advocates for state-level legalization fail to emphasize the risks marijuana use poses for minors. And, despite state-mandated age requirements, marijuana use among minors will surely now increase. Study after study confirms that regular marijuana use is dangerous to adolescent brain development, a process that appears to continue into a person’s early 20s. The targeted sale of marijuana to minors may warrant federal prosecution.
- Organized Crime and Interstate Transportation of Drug Proceeds: Drug proceeds often finance organized criminal activities. My office will continue to prosecute organized criminal groups, like MS-13, that distribute drugs in violation of federal law, regardless of whether that distribution is legal under state laws. To that end, federal investigators will continue to police the Commonwealth for incoming or outgoing shipments of cash as well as use of the federal banking system.
This list is not exclusive, but only intended to clarify which aspects of the state-level marijuana industry are most likely to warrant federal involvement. My office will continue to review all potential marijuana enforcement matters on a case-by-case basis, guided by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Principles of Federal Prosecution.
Spencer Drug User Pleads Guilty to Illegal Possession of FirearmsRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – FREDERICK EUGENE JENKINS, 30, of Spencer, Oklahoma, pleaded guilty today to possessing firearms illegally based on his status as a drug user, announced Robert J. Troester, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma.
According to a criminal complaint filed on March 8, 2018, Oklahoma City Police Officers determined that Jenkins had methamphetamine in his residence. On March 7, officers executed a search warrant based on this information and found a burnt marijuana cigarette and a Maadi 7.62 caliber, AK-47-style rifle in the residence. Jenkins acknowledged to officers he was a user of marijuana, cocaine, and methamphetamine.
A federal grand jury returned an indictment against Jenkins on March 20, 2018.
Today Jenkins pleaded guilty to being a drug user in possession of a firearm that was in and affecting interstate commerce. In particular, he admitted before U.S. District Judge Scott L. Palk that he possessed both the Maadi rifle and a Taurus revolver while being an unlawful user of drugs classified as controlled substances under federal law.
At sentencing, Jenkins faces up to ten years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and three years of supervised release.
Jenkins remains in custody and will be sentenced in approximately 90 days.
This case is the result of an investigation by the Oklahoma City Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives. Prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jacquelyn M. Hutzell and Nicholas J. Patterson, the case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a Department of Justice program to reduce violent crime. In October 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the reinvigoration of Project Safe Neighborhoods and directed U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop crime-reduction strategies that incorporate lessons federal law enforcement has learned since the program’s launch in 2001.
Reference is made to court filings for further information.
Solano County Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Methamphetamine and Firearms ConvictionsRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Wesley Keith Smith, 35, of Fairfield, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez to 15 years in prison for possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute it and for being a felon in possession of firearms, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.
According to court documents, in September 2016, police officers executed search warrants on Smith, a car he drove, and a house he was known to frequent. In that search, the officers found that Smith was in possession of more than a pound of methamphetamine, a digital scale, clear plastic baggies, $4,000 in cash, and two firearms. At the time of the search, Smith had prior state-law convictions for possession of controlled substances for sale. Smith was taken into custody at the time of the search and has remained in custody since then. He will now be transferred to the Bureau of Prisons to serve the balance of his sentence.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Fairfield Police Department and the FBI Solano County Violent Crimes Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Owen Roth prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.
Seven Charged in Methamphetamine Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
DAYTON – A federal indictment unsealed today charges seven people with engaging in a methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy in the Miami Valley and across southern and central Ohio.
Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio and Timothy J. Plancon, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), announced the charges contained in the indictment.
The indictment charges the following people with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, a crime punishable by a sentence of at least ten years and up to life in prison:
* Salvador Ramirez, aka “Listo”, 23, West Chester
* Tamara McQueen, 21, Hamilton
* Luiz Roberto Diaz-Magana, 29, Queretaro, Mexico
* Jesus Garcia, aka “Jesse Garcia”, 49, West Chester
* Joshua L. Leach, 34, Plain City - Fugitive
* Brandi Danyell Loy, aka Brandi Richey, 34, Plain City - Fugitive
* Takeea Trammell, 41, Dayton
Anyone with information on Leach or Loy is asked to call the Dayton DEA tipline, 937 903-5860. The six-count indictment also charges the defendants with manufacturing and distributing methamphetamine and money laundering. The indictment also seeks forfeiture of all proceeds of the crimes.
“This ongoing investigation by DEA and the members of their task force has already led to the pleas or convictions of seven people dealing drugs in our region,” U.S. Attorney Glassman said, noting that so far agents have seized more than 140 pounds of meth, seven kilograms of fentanyl, two kilograms of heroin and more than $130,000 in cash.
Glassman also commended Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Tabacchi, who is representing the United States in this case, and the DEA agents and task force officers who are investigating the case.
Agencies investigating the case include the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the Warren County Sheriff’s Office and the police departments in Monroe and Middletown.
An indictment merely contains allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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Santa Fe Cardiologist Sentenced to 51 Months in Federal Prison for Health Care Fraud and Obstruction of Justice ConvictionsRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Chief U.S. District Judge William P. “Chip” Johnson sentenced Roy G. Heilbron in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., this afternoon to 51 months of imprisonment for his convictions on health care fraud and obstruction of justice charges. The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney John C. Anderson, Acting Special Agent in Charge Maxwell D. Marker of the FBI’s Albuquerque Division, and U.S. Marshal Sonya K. Chavez.
Heilbron, 54, a cardiologist residing in Santa Fe, N.M., was sentenced to 24 months for his conviction on a health care fraud charge, and 27 months for his conviction on an obstruction of justice charge arising out of his attempt to obstruct and impede sentencing proceedings on the health care fraud case. Heilbron was ordered to serve the two sentences consecutively for an aggregate of 51 months of imprisonment. Heilbron will be on supervised release for three years after completing his prison sentence. Heilbron also was ordered to pay $623,477.25 in restitution to the victims of his health care fraud crimes.
A federal grand jury indicted Heilbron in June 2015, and charged him with health care fraud and wire fraud offenses. The 24-count indictment charged Heilbron, a physician who was then licensed to practice medicine in New Mexico who specialized in cardiology, with executing a scheme to defraud Medicare and other health care benefit programs between Jan. 2010 and May 2011 by submitting false and fraudulent claims. According to the health care fraud indictment, Heilbron executed his scheme by:
- Performing and billing for a wide array of unnecessary tests on every new patient and submitting false diagnoses with the billing claims to justify the tests to the insurance plans;
- Inserting false symptoms, observations, and diagnoses into patients’ medical charts to provide written support for the tests he ordered or performed;
- Inserting photocopied clinical notes, diagnostic test results, and ultrasound images in patients’ medical charts to create a written record of procedures that were either not performed or that had not been sufficiently documented to support the billing;
- Submitting the photocopied notes, results, and images to the insurance plans when the plans requested documentation to support the claims submitted;
- Submitting claims to health plans for procedures that were never performed;
- Submitting claims for procedures performed on two consecutive dates to increase the amount paid for services that were actually rendered together on one single date; and
- Misusing billing codes and modifiers in order to increase his rate of reimbursement.
On Feb. 17, 2017, Heilbron pled guilty to one count of health care fraud. In his plea agreement, Heilbron acknowledged that at all times relevant to the crimes charged in the indictment, he was a doctor involved in the private practice of medicine. Heilbron further admitted from Dec. 2009 through Dec. 2011, he provided medical services as A Well for Health Church, Inc., a medical clinic in Santa Fe, where he contracted with several health care benefit programs including Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico and Medicare. Under the terms of those contracts, Heilbron would bill the programs for medical services he provided to patients covered by those programs and included his medical diagnosis or other justifications for the services for which he requested compensation. In his plea agreement, Heilbron admitted devising and executing a scheme to deceive and obtain money from health care programs that covered his patients by misrepresenting his patients’ diagnoses.
On Aug. 7, 2017, Heilbron’s attorney filed a motion to continue Heilbron’s sentencing hearing on the health care fraud charge, which was then scheduled for Aug. 28, 2017, to permit Heilbron to begin chemotherapy in Costa Rica for prostate cancer. The motion included two attachments: a one-page “Treatment Protocol for Roy Heilbron” dated Aug. 3, 2017, which purported to detail Heilbron’s alleged prostate cancer diagnosis, and a three-page “Clinical Summary” dated June 24, 2017, which purported to outline a four-cycle chemotherapy treatment plan. The two documents purported to be authored by a physician with offices in San Jose, Costa Rica, and Miami, Fla.
On Aug. 9, 2017, a U.S. Magistrate Judge issued a warrant for Heilbron’s arrest based on a criminal complaint charging him with making and presenting fraudulent documents regarding his medical condition to a U.S. Probation Officer, and submitting the fraudulent documents for the purpose of postponing or avoiding sentencing in the pending health care fraud prosecution. The complaint outlined the FBI’s investigation into the claims made in the “Clinical Summary” and “Treatment Protocol,” and asserted that Heilbron created the two documents himself and that Heilbron was not a patient of the physician whose name appears on the fraudulent documents. According to the complaint, Heilbron provided the fraudulent documents to his U.S. Probation Officer on Aug. 4, 2017, in support of a request to postpone his sentencing hearing. Heilbron was subsequently charged on Sept. 6, 2017, in a two-count indictment setting forth the same charges as those contained in the complaint. The indictment alleged that Heilbron committed the two crimes in Bernalillo County, N.M., and elsewhere, between Aug. 3, 2017 and Aug. 7, 2017.
On Feb. 2, 2018, Heilbron entered a guilty plea to the obstruction of justice charge of the indictment. In his plea agreement, Heilbron acknowledged that he previously pled guilty to a health care fraud charge on Feb. 17, 2017, and had a sentencing hearing on Aug. 28, 2017. Heilbron also admitted that on Aug. 4, 2017, he sent his Probation Officer an email requesting to postpone his sentencing hearing based on the representation that he was scheduled to begin chemotherapy treatments in Costa Rica on Aug. 14, 2017. In support of his request, Heilbron attached a clinical summary and treatment protocol purportedly authored by Heilbron’s physician. Heilbron admitted that the email was false and created for the purpose of delaying or avoiding the sentencing hearing on his health care fraud plea, and at the time he made the request for the postponement, he was on vacation in Europe with no intention of beginning chemotherapy treatments in Costa Rica beginning on Aug. 14, 2017.
In entering the guilty plea, Heilbron acknowledged that when he sent the false email, he was on release under a July 1, 2015 order of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico relating to his health care fraud charge that put him on notice of the effect of committing crimes while on presentence release.
The obstruction of justice case was investigated by the Santa Fe and Albuquerque offices of the FBI, with assistance from the Charlotte office of the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Santa Fe office of the FBI investigated the health care fraud case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys George C. Kraehe, Jeremy Peña and Paige Messec prosecuted the cases.
Rhode Island Man Guilty of Large Scale Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
SCRANTON—The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Angel Prado, age 46, of Providence, Rhode Island, pleaded guilty on July 9, 2018, to possession with intent to distribute more than a kilogram of heroin before U.S. District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani.
According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Prado admitted to transporting six kilograms of heroin (which is equivalent to approximately 240,000 retail bags of heroin) from Chicago to the Middle District of Pennsylvania. The six kilograms of heroin were seized from a vehicle Prado was driving on Interstate 80 in Monroe County by members of the Pennsylvania State Police on December 19, 2013.
Judge Mariani ordered a presentence report to be completed. Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date.
Prado was indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2015, following an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Pennsylvania State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Francis P. Sempa and Phillip Caraballo are prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Heroin Initiative targets heroin traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit heroin related offenses.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
The maximum penalty under federal law is life in prison, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. The charge also carries a mandatory minimum penalty of ten years’ imprisonment. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.
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Reynoldsburg Man Sentenced for Defrauding 44 Clients out of More Than $1.4 millionRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Edward I. Campbell, 41, of Reynoldsburg, Ohio, was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 60 months in prison for charges related to a $1.4 million investment fraud scheme that defrauded at least 44 individuals.
Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Angela L. Byers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, and Ryan L. Korner, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigation announced the sentence handed down today by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson.
According to court documents, between July 2011 and June 2013, Campbell operated an investment business known as Rosewood Consulting LLC in Baltimore, Ohio. Campbell told victims their contributions would be invested through Rosewood Consulting into two types of investment programs: historical bonds issued by China and the exchange of Bougainville Kina – illegal currency from the autonomous region of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea – into U.S. dollars.
Campbell represented that he had access to a trading platform in which he could monetize gold-backed bonds issued by China in 1913 for a very high return. Campbell offered to sell the historical bonds to investors for $10,000 to $15,000 each for a promised return on investment of anywhere from $50,000 to upwards of possibly $10 million per bond within 10 to 60 days.
Campbell also offered to exchange the Bougainville Kina, which he allegedly possessed, into U.S. dollars if the investors hired him for a $100,000 fee. The investors were supposed to receive a return of $1.5 million or more within 10 to 120 days.
Campbell told investors that their investments were refundable if the returns were not paid within the provided timeframes. In addition, he told investors that he had prior success with these investment programs, was a former Navy SEAL, once worked in an investment house, had traveled internationally closing deals and he had nearly 600 investors.
The investigation revealed that none of the investors received the returns on their investments that Campbell had promised. Only a few of the 44 investors have been refunded the money they paid for his services and those refunds were paid for with other investors’ funds.
Campbell usually depleted the funds he received from investors shortly after receiving them, by using the funds for personal expenses, including the purchase of two automobiles and expenses at hotels and restaurants.
To appease investors regarding delays in paying them the returns on their investments, Campbell represented that their money was being held up by various United States agencies and or catastrophes to his family or other individuals who were important for these deals to be completed.
For example, Campbell told investors his niece was a student and had been shot at Sandy Hook Elementary School, but later changed his story when the names of the school-shooting victims were released to the public. He also fabricated that his attorney’s daughter had been in a motorcycle accident.
Campbell pleaded guilty on September 21, 2017 to charges of money laundering and wire fraud. As part of his plea agreement, Campbell agreed to pay $1,408,854 in restitution.
“Campbell blatantly and repeatedly lied to and violated the trust placed in him by the individuals who invested with him,” U.S. Attorney Glassman said. “Besides falsely representing experience and expertise, he told contemptable lies about a tragic incident.”
“When you knowingly mix deceit and trickery into the financial well-being of individuals, you create a recipe for devastation that could last a lifetime,” said Ryan L. Korner, Special Agent in Charge, IRS, Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office. “Today's sentencing demonstrates how federal law enforcement will band together to help put an end to the criminal behavior of those who prey on investors for their personal financial gain. IRS Criminal investigators will continue to use their financial expertise to identify and trace laundered funds in these types of investor fraud schemes.”
U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the FBI and IRS, as well as Assistant United States Attorney Jessica H. Kim, who represented the United States in this case.
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Pittsburgh Woman Sentenced for Conspiring to Distribute CocaineRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A former resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to three years probation, with the first eight months to be served on home detention with electronic monitoring, on a charge of violating federal narcotics laws, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
Chief United States District Judge Joy Flowers Conti imposed the sentence on Sharima Zyhier, 41, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
According to information presentenced to the court, from in and around January 2016, and continuing thereafter to in and around May 2016, Zyhier conspired with others to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, cocaine, a Schedule II controlled substance.
Assistant United States Attorneys Cindy K. Chung and Katherine A. King prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady commended the federally administered Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) for conducting the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Sharima Zyhier. The task force is headed by the Drug Enforcement Administration and is comprised of members drawn from 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 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.
Pittsburgh Man Took Nearly $120K During 2016 Bank Robbery Spree across Southwestern PARead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of armed bank robbery and bank robbery, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
Gregory Magee, 48, pleaded guilty to two counts of armed bank robbery and four counts of bank robbery before United States District Judge Nora Barry Fischer.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that Magee robbed six banks between January through November of 2016.
The court was advised that on the afternoon of January 20, 2016, Magee entered First Niagara Bank located at 20111 Route 19, Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, wearing a hooded sweatshirt, cap, sunglasses, gloves, and scarf covering this face. Upon entering the bank, Magee brandished a black handgun and demanded money from several tellers, who gave him $5,526.
The court was further advised that on the afternoon of February 29, 2016, Magee entered First Merit Bank located at 2090 West State Street, New Castle, Pennsylvania, wearing a green poncho, sunglasses, gloves, and scarf covering his face. Upon entering the bank, Magee brandished a black handgun, handed plastic bags to several tellers, and demanded money from the tellers, who complied and gave him $10,126. Magee fled the scene of the robbery in his personal vehicle, a black Cadillac ATS with black rims, which was observed on video surveillance and by an eyewitness.
The court was further advised that around noon on March 31, 2016, Magee entered First Niagara Bank located at 4073 Washington Road, McMurray, Pennsylvania, wearing sunglasses and gloves. Upon entering the bank, Magee threatened that he had a gun, gave plastic bags to tellers, and demanded money from the tellers, who complied and gave him $9,133. Magee carried an open umbrella inside the bank while committing this robbery. Magee fled the scene of the robbery in a bronze Cadillac ATS, which he was driving as a loaner vehicle. This vehicle was captured on surveillance video and observed by an eyewitness.
The court was further advised that late morning on June 8, 2016, Magee entered First Commonwealth Bank located at 5847 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, wearing a hooded sweatshirt, sunglasses, and gloves. Upon entering the bank, Magee threatened that he had a gun, handed out plastic bags to several tellers, and demanded money from the tellers, who complied and gave him $3,709. Magee again held an open umbrella during this robbery.
The court was further advised that on the afternoon of August 11, 2016, Magee entered Citizens Bank located at 2537 Constitution Boulevard, Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, wearing a hooded sweatshirt, baseball cap, sunglasses, gloves, and scarf covering his face. Upon entering the bank, Magee threatened to have a bomb, handed plastic bags to several tellers, and demanded money from the tellers, who complied and gave him $12,559. Magee again carried an open umbrella in the bank while committing this robbery. Magee’s hat was left at the scene of the robbery. DNA was recovered from the hat and found by the FBI laboratory to match a DNA sample from Magee. Magee was observed fleeing the scene in a Buick Regal, which he was driving as a loaner vehicle that day.
The court was further advised that around noon on November 8, 2016, Magee entered S&T Bank located at 4580 Broadway Boulevard, Monroeville, Pennsylvania, wearing a hooded jacket, sunglasses, and gloves. Upon entering the bank, Magee threatened to have a bomb and displayed a bag with protruding wires. Magee handed plastic bags to several tellers and demanded money from them, and they complied. Magee also demanded access to the bank’s vault. The bank manager opened the vault and gave cash from the vault to Magee. Magee stole $78,643 during this robbery. Magee was apprehended by law enforcement shortly after the robbery hiding in a drainage pipe in a wooded area near the bank. Magee was in possession of the stolen currency and bag with protruding wires, later determined to be Ethernet cables. Magee had driven a loaner Cadillac vehicle, which was located near the scene of the robbery.
After his arrest, a 9mm Kel-Tec handgun loaded with nine rounds of ammunition was recovered from Magee’s personal vehicle.
Judge Fischer scheduled sentencing for November 29, 2018. With respect to each armed bank robbery, the law provides for a maximum sentence of not more than 25 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. With respect to each bank robbery, the law provides for a maximum sentence of not more than 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney David Lew is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Cranberry Township Police Department, Union Township Police Department, Peters Township Police Department, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, Chippewa Township Police Department, Monroeville Police Department, and Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation leading to the guilty plea in this case.
Pennsylvania Man Indicted for Trafficking TurtlesRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury sitting in Philadelphia indicted David Sommers, 62, of Levittown, Pennsylvania for trafficking in protected diamondback terrapins. The indictment charges Sommers with smuggling turtles and submitting false records for a package shipped to Canada and four violations of the Lacey Act for trafficking over 3,500 turtles in interstate commerce.
The USFWS seized over 3,400 diamondback terrapin hatchlings from Sommers’ house in October while executing a search warrant. They were able to coordinate with biologists and return the hatchlings back into their New Jersey native habitat.
Photo Credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceThe indictment alleges that throughout 2017 Sommers poached diamondback terrapins and their eggs from coastal marshes in New Jersey. He would then illegally sell the turtles in violation of the Lacey Act. The Lacey Act is the nation’s oldest wildlife trafficking statute and prohibits the sale of wildlife that had been taken in violation of law. The indictment also charges that in 2014, Sommers smuggled turtles to Canada and falsely labeled the package by claiming it contained a book.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey H. Wood for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania William M. McSwain, and Acting Assistant Director Edward Grace of the Office of Law Enforcement for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced the indictment today.
“The distinctive coloration and pattern of the diamondback terrapin make it highly susceptible to illegal poaching and smuggling,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Wood. “The Department of Justice will continue to work with its law enforcement partners to prosecute those who break our nation’s wildlife protection statutes for the sake of illegal profit.”
“Wildlife trafficking decimates many species worldwide and undermines the rule of law,” said U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain. “Through the ongoing collaboration between ENRD, USFWS, and my Office, we have worked hard to stop wildlife trafficking dead in its tracks. Today’s indictment reaffirms our commitment to ending this destructive practice.”
"It is one of the highest priorities for special agents of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement to investigate transnational criminal organizations targeting our native wildlife species. 3,400 protected turtles, native to the United States were interdicted and returned to the wild with cooperation from other federal, state and local agencies to support imperiled wild populations,” said Acting Assistant Director Edward Grace of USFWS’s Office of Law Enforcement.
Diamondback terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin) are a semi-aquatic species of turtle native to brackish waters in eastern and southern United States. They are not found in the wild in Pennsylvania, but have a dwindling habitat range in neighboring New Jersey. The terrapins are prized in the reptile pet trade for their unique, diamond-shaped shell markings. The turtles are protected under New Jersey law and by an international treaty, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
The United States, Canada, and approximately 181 other countries are signatories to CITES, which provides a mechanism for regulating international trade in species whose continued survival is threatened by such trade. Due to declining populations, CITES listed the diamondback terrapin as threatened in 2013, and New Jersey banned collecting, possessing, and transporting them in 2016.
If convicted, Sommers faces a maximum sentence of 10 years incarceration on the smuggling charge and five years for the Lacey Act violations. The indictment also seeks to forfeit from Sommers all the turtles involved in the investigation.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The USFWS conducted the investigation with assistance from the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife. The government is represented by Trial Attorney Ryan Connors of the Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joan Burnes of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Pawtucket Woman Sentenced for Participation in Opioid Prescription ConspiracyRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – A Pawtucket woman who admitted to participating with three other individuals in a conspiracy to create fraudulent prescriptions for opioid pills using stolen medical practitioner identification numbers has been sentenced to 24 months in federal prison.
Victoria Rose-Coccia, 29, was also ordered to serve 3 years supervised release upon completion of her term of incarceration. Rose-Coccia pleaded guilty on February 28, 2018, to conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute Oxycodone.
The U.S. Sentencing Guidelines range of imprisonment in this matter is 108 to 135 months. The government recommended the court impose a sentence of 44 months in prison.
According to information presented to the Court, between January 2014 and September 2016, Rose-Coccia participated in a conspiracy to create and fill fraudulent Oxycodone prescriptions. The fraudulently obtained pills were then sold to others.
At the time of her guilty plea, Rose-Coccia admitted to the Court that in addition to assisting in the overall operation of the conspiracy, she filled fraudulent Oxycodone prescriptions in her name which the group then sold.
Three other individuals, Michael Slonski, 48, of Johnston, and David Rose, 59, and Robert Rose, 52, of Providence, have pleaded guilty to charges related to their participation in the conspiracy and are awaiting sentencing.
Rose-Coccia’s sentence is announced by United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch and Jeffrey J. Ebersole, Resident Agent in Charge of the United States Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dulce Donovan.
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Owner of Philadelphia Pain Management Clinic Pleads Guilty to Illegal Distribution of Oxycodone and XanaxRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain announced that Arthur Miriana, the owner of a Philadelphia pain management clinic, pled guilty today to conspiracy to distribute and distribution of oxycodone and alprazolam, commonly known as Xanax.
“This defendant significantly contributed to our region’s crippling opioid epidemic,” said U.S. Attorney McSwain. “The misuse of opioids is killing our citizens, and we have to do everything possible to stop the illegal distribution of these deadly drugs under the guise of ‘pain management.’ This defendant was operating nothing more than a corrupt pill mill.”
Miriana, 52, formerly of Medford, New Jersey, owned and operated Life-Line Health and Wellness, purportedly a pain management clinic located at 1341 North Delaware Avenue, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Miriana recruited drug dealers and drug addicts to visit his pain management clinic.
These drug dealers and drug addicts paid $260 to $360 in cash for prescriptions for commonly abused controlled substances such as oxycodone and Xanax. Miriana was not a physician, so he hired Dr. Barbara Schneider to sign these prescriptions. Dr. Schneider did not perform medical examinations as required to lawfully prescribe controlled substances. She typically met with “patients” only as long as it took for her to sign the prescriptions. Additionally, Dr. Schneider gave pre-signed blank prescriptions to Miriana for use when she was not in the office.
Dr. Schneider previously pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute oxycodone and alprazolam, and she is scheduled to be sentenced on September 21, 2018.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General, with assistance from the Philadelphia Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Robert J. Livermore and Timothy M. Stengel.
Ohio Man Pleads Guilty to Cheating NFL Players in $25,000 Charity Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – An Ohio man who defrauded multiple NFL players – including a player for the Kansas City Chiefs – out of nearly $25,000 earmarked for charitable causes, pleaded guilty in federal court today.
Camario A. Richardson, 39, of Maple Heights, Ohio, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to one count of mail fraud.
Richardson claimed to have contacts with Nike and agreed to deliver Nike-branded merchandise to five NFL players. None of the victim players are identified by name in court documents.
The specific charge to which Richardson pleaded guilty involved a Kansas City Chiefs player who paid $6,000 to Richardson to provide 300 Nike-branded backpacks. The backpacks were for a “Book Bag Giveaway” charitable event for children in need of a school backpack at the start of the 2016 school year. Richardson was paid in April 2016, but never delivered any backpacks.
Richardson also admitted that he engaged in the same fraud scheme by taking $17,280 from the players of three other NFL teams, all as payment for backpacks those players planned to give away at similar charitable events. In June 2016, Richardson took $6,480 from a Tampa Bay Buccaneers player and $6,480 from an Indianapolis Colts player, each of whom were promised 300 backpacks that Richardson failed to deliver, and $4,320 from a Cincinnati Bengals player who was promised 200 backpacks that Richardson failed to deliver.
As a result of Richardson’s fraud scheme, all four victim players purchased backpacks from another source for their charitable events.
Richardson also admitted that he engaged in a fraud scheme by taking $1,500 from a San Diego Chargers player in March 2016 for athletic shoes that he failed to provide.
The total fraud loss caused by Richardson’s criminal conduct was $24,780. Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, Richardson must pay $24,780 in restitution to his victims.
Under federal statutes, Richardson is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Criminal Division Chief Gene Porter. It was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and the Lee’s Summit, Mo., Police Department.
Ocracoke Man Arrested for Cultivating Marijuana on Federal PropertyRead the Press Release
RALEIGH – The United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Robert J. Higdon, Jr., announces that JAMES DANIEL GARRISH, III was arrested today, July 10, 2018.
GARRISH was named in an Indictment filed on May 2, 2018, charging him with cultivating marijuana on federal property, the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. If convicted of that charge, he would face a maximum term of 5 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and a term of up to three years supervised release following any term of imprisonment. Additionally, GARRISH was charged with introducing plants into the park ecosystem, littering, trespassing, and defacing and damaging real property. Each of these charges carries up to 6 months’ imprisonment, a $5,000 fine, up to one year supervised release, and/or up to 5 years’ probation.
Mr. Higdon stated: “Criminal acts which blemish the beauty of our public seashore and the safety of its visitors will not be ignored,” and he reinforced the committment of his office to partnering with all law enforcement agencies in the Eastern District of North Carolina to keep its communities safe.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
Investigation of this case is being conducted by the National Park Service. Assistant United States Attorney Daniel Smith is representing the government.
Ocean City Bank Robber Sentenced to 8 Years in Federal Prison for Brandishing a Gun During the 2016 RobberyRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced Tyrone D. Pierce, age 60, of Ocean City, Maryland today to eight years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, specifically, a bank robbery.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Chief Ross C. Buzzuro of the Ocean City Police Department; and Interim Worcester County State’s Attorney William H. “Bill” McDermott.
According to his plea agreement, on August 24, 2016, Pierce, who was then employed at a motel in Ocean City, Maryland, robbed a bank in the 12000 block of Coastal Highway, in Ocean City. Specifically, Pierce parked a vehicle in a commercial parking lot near the bank. Pierce, who was clearly wearing a fake beard, was seen by motorists and pedestrians as he walked a circuitous route to the entrance of the bank. After entering the bank, Pierce pulled out a semi-automatic handgun and pointed it at one of the tellers, threatening to shoot the teller if she did not comply with Pierce’s demands for money. Pierce also said there was a bomb near the drive-thru window, although no device was found. Pierce took cash and left the bank, inadvertently leaving a glove on the teller counter that he removed during the robbery.
Crime scene investigators recovered the glove and were able to obtain a DNA specimen. In January 2017, DNA analysis of the specimen was matched to Pierce, who has a 1999 conviction for bank robbery in Salisbury, Maryland, and had previously submitted a DNA sample.
As part of Pierce’s sentence, Judge Blake ordered that Pierce pay restitution of $9,169.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur praised the FBI, the Ocean City Police Department, and the Worcester County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney P. Michael Cunningham, who prosecuted the case.
New York Man Indicted on Bank Fraud Conspiracy, Producing/Passing Fictitious Obligations, Access Device Fraud, and Aggravated Identity TheftRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON – Robert J. Higdon, Jr., the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, announced that a Federal grand jury in Wilmington returned a seven-count indictment charging GIANNI ARMANI VINCENT, age 20, of Brooklyn, New York, with one count of Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud, two counts of Producing/Passing Fictitious Obligations, two counts of Access Device Fraud, and two counts of Aggravated Identity Theft.
The indictment alleges that beginning in or around September 2016, and continuing until in or around March 2018, VINCENT and his co-conspirators engaged in a scheme to defraud financial institutions out of money by producing and depositing counterfeit checks into conspirator bank accounts. Additionally, VINCENT is alleged to have been involved in access device fraud by possessing numbers that granted him access to the bank accounts of unsuspecting consumers. According to evidence and testimony presented at VINCENT’s recent detention hearing, when the Cary Police Department and United States Secret Service encountered VINCENT on December 1, 2017, he was in possession of over two-hundred counterfeit checks, a computer with check-writing software, approximately twenty-five counterfeit cards, and more than fifty account numbers, among other things.
If convicted on all counts, VINCENT could face a maximum penalty of sixty-seven years imprisonment, a $1,750,000 fine, and a term of supervised release following any term of imprisonment. His arraignment is currently scheduled for September 2018.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
The case is being investigated by the United States Secret Service.
Multiple Defendants Plead Guilty to Federal Methamphetamine ChargesRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Multiple defendants pled guilty to federal methamphetamine charges today, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart. Stuart praised the efforts of law enforcement agencies working in partnership with his office to fight the recent resurgence of methamphetamine in West Virginia.
“As methamphetamine continues to become the illicit drug of choice throughout southern West Virginia,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart, “my Office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to vigorously prosecute meth distributors peddling their poison in our communities. We are going to use every resource available to us to ensure that today’s meth doesn’t become the crisis that opiates have posed to our communities and families.”
TWO PLEAD GUILTY TO ROLES IN FEDERAL DRUG CONSPIRACY
Travis Thomas, 26, and Melody Legg, 43, entered their guilty pleas to an indictment charging them with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. The joint investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Violent Crime and Drug Task Force West, and the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Department STOP Team.
Thomas admitted that from at least June 2017 to September 2017, he supplied Melody Legg and others with five grams or more of methamphetamine to distribute for money in Kanawha County. As part of the plea agreement, Thomas admitted to distributing approximately 23 grams of methamphetamine to Melody Legg in August 2017. Legg admitted that from at least June 2017 to September 2017, she distributed methamphetamine for Travis Thomas and others in Kanawha County. She conspired with Travis Thomas, William Naylor, Timothy Boggs, and Michael Ginther to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine in exchange for money.
Thomas faces at least 5 years but not more than 40 years in federal prison and Legg faces 10 years to life in federal prison when they are sentenced on October 3, 2018.
The plea hearings were held before United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin. Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie S. Taylor is in charge of the prosecutions.
CHARLESTON MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO DISTRIBUTION OF METHAMPHETAMINE
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Charles Smith, 42, of Charleston, pled guilty today before United States District Court Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr., to distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Department conducted the investigation.
Smith admitted to providing approximately 5 ounces of methamphetamine to a confidential informant working with the DEA in exchange for $1800 on January 30th of this year. The transaction occurred on the parking lot of the Save-A-Lot Store on Virginia Street west in Charleston.
Smith faces from 10 years to life imprisonment and a $10,000,000 fine when he is sentenced on October 16, 2018. AUSA John Frail is handling the prosecution.
BOONE COUNTY MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO METHAMPHETAMINE CHARGE
Larry Dingess, 49, of Nellis, Boone County, also pled guilty before United States District Court Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr., to possessing methamphetamine for distribution. The Boone County Sheriff’s Department conducted the investigation.
Dingess admitted that on March 17, 2016, he was found to be in possession of a large quantity of methamphetamine during a search of his person by members of the Boone County Sheriff’s Department. Deputy Sheriff’s had gone to Dingess’ Nellis home to arrest him on an unrelated warrant when he was found in possession of methamphetamine.
Dingess faces from 5 to 40 years imprisonment and a $5,000,000 fine when he is sentenced on October 11, 2018.
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###Milford Woman Pleads Guilty to Stealing $2.7 Million from EmployerRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Milford woman pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to stealing approximately $2.7 million from her employer, and then using the money to purchase luxury items, many of which she resold to consignment shops.
Debra Mulloy, a/k/a Debra Depaul, 57, pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV scheduled sentencing for Oct. 9, 2018.
From 2004 through 2016, Mulloy was responsible for most of the financial and organizational duties at the company for which she was employed. On multiple occasions from April 2012 to December 2016, Mulloy used the company’s credit card account in the name of another employee to make hundreds of unauthorized charges totaling nearly $2.4 million. Most of those unauthorized purchases were for clothing, furs, and jewelry at boutique stores in the Boston area. Mulloy then sold many of the luxury items at consignment shops. As part of her scheme, Mulloy also caused company checks to be issued for her personal benefit, primarily to pay her personal credit card bills. In total, Mulloy defrauded her employer of approximately $2.7 million.
The charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater, and restitution. The charge of aggravated identity theft provides for a mandatory two-year sentence that must run consecutively to any other sentence imposed, one year of supervised release, a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater, and restitution. 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 and Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark J. Balthazard of Lelling’s Economic Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
Middlesex County Man Gets 10 Years in Prison for Conspiracy to Distribute over 140 Kilograms of Heroin and CocaineRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – An Edison, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 120 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to distribute 140 kilograms of narcotics in New Jersey, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Gemal Singleton, 41, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian R. Martinotti to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than one kilogram of heroin and five kilograms of cocaine. Judge Martinotti imposed the sentence today in Trenton federal court.
According to the documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Singleton, Siddeeq Q. Williams, 40, of Cranford, New Jersey, and others arranged for cocaine and heroin to be shipped to New Jersey via tractor trailer. On Aug. 27, 2017, the tractor-trailer arrived in New Jersey and was pulled over by law enforcement after the driver committed several traffic violations.
A subsequent search of the tractor-trailer recovered five large duffle bags containing a total of 56 kilograms of heroin and 85 kilograms of cocaine. Singleton and Williams admitted that they were supposed to meet the tractor-trailer to collect the narcotics for eventual distribution.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Martinotti sentenced Singleton to five years of supervised release. Williams has also pleaded guilty to his role in the scheme and awaits sentencing.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Valerie A. Nickerson in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s sentence.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Meredith Williams, Co-Chief of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Public Protection Unit in Newark.
Defense counsel: Robert DeGroot Esq., Newark
Michigan City Man Sentenced to 96 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
SOUTH BEND – Faheem Pasha, age 38, of Michigan City, Indiana was sentenced before District Court Judge Robert L. Miller, Jr. for being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Kirsch.
Pasha was sentenced to 96 months in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release.
According to documents in this case, on or about January 12, 2018, Pasha, who was previously convicted of a felony offense in LaPorte County, possessed and sold a firearm to an individual. Other documents in the case show that he has been convicted of felonies on four prior occasions, had probation revoked three times, and had eleven misdemeanor convictions before possessing the firearm in this case. He also had four cases pending at the time.
This case was investigated by the ATF with assistance from the LaPorte County Drug Task Force and Michigan City Police Department, and was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank Schaffer.
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Mexican National Pleads Guilty to Distribution of Methamphetamine and an Immigration OffenseRead the Press Release
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Jose Jesus Navarro-Rios, a.k.a. “La Daga,” a Mexican National illegally residing in Lancaster, Ky., has pled guilty to three counts of distributing more than 500 grams of Methamphetamine and to unlawfully reentering the United States after previously being deported.
In his guilty plea, Navarro-Rios admitted that, on three occasions in the Spring of 2018, he sold methamphetamine in excess of 500 grams, to a cooperating witness for law enforcement. During the course of the joint federal and state investigation, law enforcement agents seized more than 12 pounds of methamphetamine, worth more than $125,000. Navarro-Rios admitted that he was unlawfully present in the United States, after being deported for a prior federal conviction for unlawfully reentering the United States, in 2013.
Robert M. Duncan Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Angela L. Byers, FBI Cincinnati; Amy Hess, FBI Louisville; Kristoffer Cortex, Acting Assistant Field Office Director, ICE; and Richard Sanders, Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police, jointly announced the guilty plea.
The investigation was conducted by FBI, KSP and ICE. The United States was represented in the case by Assistant United States Attorney Roger W. West.
Navarro-Rios is currently scheduled to appear for sentencing, in Lexington, on November 2, 2018, at 1:00 p.m. Navarro-Rios faces a prison sentence of not less than ten years nor more than Life imprisonment. However, any sentence will be imposed by the Court, after its consideration of the United States Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of sentences.
Meriden Man Pleads Guilty to Running Cocaine and Crack Ring While IncarceratedRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that WESTLEY NORTHRUP, also known as “Piff,” 30, of Meriden, pleaded guilty yesterday in Hartford federal court to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base (“crack”).
This matter stems from a joint investigation headed by the DEA New Haven Task Force that has included the use of court-authorized wiretaps, controlled purchases of crack cocaine, and seizures of cocaine and cash proceeds. The investigation revealed that NORTHRUP operated a cocaine and crack cocaine trafficking ring while he was incarcerated in state custody at the Cheshire Correctional Institution. The investigation, which included consensually-recorded prison calls, revealed that NORTHRUP conspired with others to purchase cocaine from suppliers, convert some of the cocaine to crack cocaine, and then distribute crack and cocaine through a network of dealers in central Connecticut.
On July 20, 2017, a grand jury in New Haven returned a nine-count indictment charging NORTHRUP and 10 other individuals with various offenses.
NORTHRUP faces a maximum term of imprisonment of life. He is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant on October 24, 2018.
This matter is being investigated by the DEA New Haven Task Force, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Middletown and New Britain Police Departments. The DEA New Haven Task Force includes participants from the New Haven, Hamden, West Haven, North Haven, East Haven, Branford, Ansonia, Meriden and Derby Police Departments, and the U.S. Marshals Service.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney H. Gordon Hall.
Marion County man indicted on drugs and firearms chargesRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – William A. Six, of Fairmont, West Virginia, was indicted today by a federal grand jury on charges of heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine distribution and firearms violations, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Six, age 27, is charged with one count of “Distribution of Heroin,” two counts of “Distribution of Cocaine Base,” two counts of “Possession of a Stolen Firearm,” two counts of “Unlawful Possession of a Firearm,” one count of Possession of a Firearm in a School Zone,” and one count of “Distribution of Methamphetamine.” Six is accused of selling heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine in Marion County in August and September 2017. Six, having previously been convicted of two felonies, is also accused of having a 12-gauge shotgun, and a semi-automatic rifle, both believed to be stolen, on the grounds of Washington Irving Middle School in Harrison County in September 2017.
Six faces up to 20 years incarceration and a fine of up to $1,000,000 for each of the drug charges. Six faces up to 10 years incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000 for the stolen firearms charge and the unlawful possession of a firearms charge, and faces up to five years incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000 for the firearms in a school zone charge. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
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.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Traci M. Cook is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Three Rivers Drug Task Force, and the Fairmont Police Department investigated.
An indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Malden Man Pleads Guilty to Defrauding EmployerRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Malden man pleaded guilty yesterday 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.
Lou Amaral, 52, pleaded guilty 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. Co-defendant Vence Pires, 58, also of Malden, was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and is scheduled to plead guilty on July 12, 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.
Amaral faces a maximum sentence on the conspiracy and money laundering counts of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 on each count. The charge of tax evasion provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, one year of supervised release, and a fine of $100,000. Amaral has agreed to forfeit approximately $2 million that has been seized from him. 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.
MS-13 Member Sentenced for RICO Conspiracy and Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
BOSTON – An MS-13 member was sentenced today in federal court in Boston on drug trafficking and RICO conspiracy charges.
Edgar Pleitez, a/k/a “Cadejo,” 28, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to five years in prison and four years of supervised release. In March 2018, Pleitez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity, more commonly referred to as RICO conspiracy, and conspiracy to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin.
Pleitez, who was a “homeboy” or full member of MS-13’s East Boston Loco Salvatrucha clique, conspired with other MS-13 members to distribute heroin and further the criminal activities of MS-13. In 2015, a cooperating witness made three separate purchases of heroin from Pleitez. Pleitez was arrested and charged in January 2016 following a three-year investigation which targeted dozens of leaders, members, and associates of MS-13 in Massachusetts. While numerous defendants committed violent acts on behalf of the gang, other defendants, including Pleitez, engaged in other criminal activity, such as drug trafficking, to help finance the operations of the gang.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Peter C. Fitzhugh, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Commissioner Thomas Turco of the Massachusetts Department of Corrections; Essex County Sheriff Kevin F. Coppinger; Suffolk County Sheriff Steven W. Thompkins; Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley; Middlesex County District Attorney Marian T. Ryan; Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett; Boston Police Commissioner William Evans; Chelsea Police Chief Brian A. Kyes; Everett Police Chief Steven A. Mazzie; Lynn Police Chief Michael Mageary; Revere Police Chief James Guido; and Somerville Police Chief David Fallon made the announcement.
Long Beach Man Sentenced to over 26 Years in Prison for Leading Counterfeit Opioid Scheme that Distributed Fentanyl AnalogueRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – The leader of a narcotics distribution ring that imported a powerful fentanyl analogue from China and produced hundreds of thousands of opioid pills that were distributed in bulk across the nation was sentenced yesterday to 320 months in federal prison.
Gary Resnik, 33, of Long Beach, led a conspiracy that imported acetylfentanyl, a drug very similar to fentanyl, a powerful and highly addictive opioid. Acetylfentanyl, which is many times more potent that heroin, is not approved for any legal use in the United States.
Resnik pled guilty in August 2017 to two felony offenses – conspiracy to manufacture and distribute narcotics (including acetylfentanyl and ecstasy), and possession with the intent to distribute acetylfentanyl.
According to court documents, Resnik “was the leader of a conspiracy to manufacture, possess with intent to distribute, and distribute hundreds of thousands of pills designed to look like legitimate pharmaceuticals such as Vicodin and OxyContin, but which actually contained highly potent, illegal drugs that defendant imported from China,” including acetylfentanyl, ecstasy, alprazolam, and a designer drug known on the street as PVP.
“Resnik led a sophisticated operation that used dangerous Chinese-made chemicals to manufacture counterfeit pharmaceuticals,” said United States Attorney Nick Hanna. “Through his makeshift labs, he put thousands of fentanyl analogue pills on the streets, risking the lives of unsuspecting people. This sentence is well-deserved.”
When he pled guilty last year, Resnik admitted to importing from China bulk chemicals, including acetylfentanyl, that were used to manufacture opioid pills. His drug organization also illegally imported pill presses from China that were used to make pills in homemade labs in a Long Beach storage unit and Baldwin Park house. Resnik acknowledged that drug enforcement agents seized over 11 kilograms of acetylfentanyl from the Long Beach lab in addition to other large quantities of acetylfentanyl and other illegal drugs from both labs.
“Mr. Resnik preyed on our communities by flooding our streets with fentanyl. Today’s lengthy prison sentence is appropriate and further emphasizes the dangers that fentanyl and opioids pose to our communities,” said DEA Los Angeles Acting Special Agent in Charge Daniel C. Comeaux. “The DEA will tirelessly collaborate with our local, state and federal counterparts to take vicious drug traffickers, like Mr. Resnik, off the street.”
Over the course of nine months in 2015 and 2016, Resnik’s organization sold approximately 40,000 to 45,000 pills each month, for between $4 to $8 per pill, according to prosecutors.
On one occasion during the course of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, authorities seized narcotics – including thousands of opioid pills containing acetylfentanyl, alprazolam pills, and ecstasy pills – from a man who had just purchased the drugs from members of the drug-trafficking organization operated by Resnick.
A co-defendant in this case – Christopher Bowen, 32, of downtown Los Angeles – was sentenced in May of this year to 320 months in federal prison for participating in the drug-trafficking conspiracy.
The case was investigated by agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration with substantial assistance from the Huntington Beach Police Department.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michael G. Freedman of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Section and David Ryan of the General Crimes Section.
Levittown Man Indicted for Trafficking Protected TurtlesRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain announced that a Levittown, PA man was indicted today for trafficking in protected diamondback terrapins. David Sommers, 62, was charged with smuggling turtles and submitting false records for a package shipped to Canada. He was also indicted for four violations of the Lacey Act for trafficking over 3,500 turtles in interstate commerce.
The indictment alleges that throughout 2017, Sommers poached diamondback terrapins and their eggs from coastal marshes in New Jersey. He would then illegally sell the turtles in violation of the Lacey Act, the nation’s oldest wildlife trafficking statute. The Lacey Act makes it a federal crime to break the wildlife laws of any state, tribe, or foreign country and then move or trade the wildlife across U.S. borders. The indictment also charges that in 2014, Sommers smuggled turtles to Canada and falsely labeled the package by claiming it contained a book.
Diamondback terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin) are a semi-aquatic species of turtle native to brackish waters in eastern and southern United States. They are not found in the wild in Pennsylvania but have a dwindling habitat range in neighboring New Jersey. The terrapins are prized in the reptile pet trade for their unique, diamond-shaped shell markings. The turtles are protected under New Jersey law and by an international treaty, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (“CITES”).
The United States, Canada, and approximately 181 other countries are signatories to CITES, which provides a mechanism for regulating international trade in species whose continued survival is threatened by such trade. Due to declining populations, CITES listed the diamondback terrapin as threatened in 2013, and New Jersey banned collecting, possessing, and transporting them in 2016.
Along with U.S. Attorney McSwain, today’s indictment was announced by Acting Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey H. Wood for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, and Acting Assistant Director Edward Grace of the Office of Law Enforcement for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (“USFWS”).
If convicted, Sommers faces a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment on the smuggling charge and five years’ imprisonment for each of the Lacey Act violations (for a total of 35 years). The indictment also seeks to forfeit from Sommers all the turtles involved in the investigation.
This case was investigated by the USFWS with assistance from the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife. It is being prosecuted by trial attorney Ryan Connors of the Justice Department’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joan E. Burnes.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Laurel Felon Sentenced to 9 Years in Federal Prison for Drug Dealing and Illegal Possession of FirearmsRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced James E. Goldsberry, age 35, of Laurel, Maryland today to nine years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute heroin and cocaine, possession of a firearm by a felon, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. A federal jury convicted Goldsberry of those charges on March 15, 2018.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; and Chief Gary L. Gardner of the Howard County Police Department.
According to the evidence presented at his four day trial, on September 20, 2016 Howard County Police officers conducted a search of Goldsberry’s residence, where he lived with his girlfriend and three children, locating Goldsberry in his bed. Officers recovered $893 cash in rolled up bills located along the front railing of the bed. On the bed’s left railing, immediately next to where Goldsberry had been found, was his cell phone. Near the phone, also on the left bedrail, was a sandwich bag containing 10 clear ziploc baggies of heroin and three small ziploc baggies of cocaine. On the floor, near the top of the left hand side of the bed, police found a 9mm caliber pistol, with the frame of the gun on the floor and the grip positioned up towards the ceiling. The gun was loaded with 17 rounds of ammunition.
Witnesses testified that more guns and drugs were found in the master bedroom closet, including: a 10mm pistol; two extra barrels; two extended magazines, one loaded with 13 rounds of hollowpoint ammunition; and a.38-caliber revolver. A black plastic bag which contained 100 small baggies of cocaine, 25 more baggies of heroin, and a larger sandwich bag filled with heroin was found on a shelf in the closet. The packaging of the cocaine and heroin found in the closet matched that of the baggies found on the bedrail next to Goldsberry. Additional drug paraphernalia was found in other areas of the residence, including a digital scale and hundreds of unused baggies.
According to the trial evidence, police downloaded text messages to and from Goldsberry’s phone that were indicative of drug trafficking and used coded language commonly used by drug traffickers and their customers. For example, Goldsberry sent three text messages to three different customers advertising that he had obtained some high-quality drugs, or “got some good,” as he put it.
Officers recovered a total of approximately 11.29 grams of heroin and 16.85 grams of cocaine, mostly in the bedroom, with a street value of approximately $1,500 to $2,000. In addition, officers recovered three firearms from the bedroom. Goldsberry had a previous felony conviction and was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur praised the ATF and Howard County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Burden H. Walker and Daniel C. Gardner, who prosecuted the case.