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21 June 2018
Grand Jury Indicts Matthews, N.C. Man Previously Arrested in Murder-For-Hire PlotRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A grand jury sitting in Charlotte returned a federal indictment yesterday, charging Bryant Riyanto Budi, 26, of Matthews, N.C. with attempted possession of radioactive material with intent to cause death and use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire. Budi was arrested on Friday, June 1, 2018, for attempting to hire a hitman via the internet to murder a Charlotte-area resident.
John A. Strong, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division and Nick S. Annan, Special Agent in Charge of ICE/Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Georgia and the Carolinas join U.S. Attorney Murray in making today’s announcement.
According to allegations contained in the charging documents, in April and May 2018, Budi contacted an HSI undercover agent (UCA) located in Buffalo, New York via the internet to conduct a murder-for-hire. Court documents allege that Budi used online usernames, encrypted messaging platforms, and encrypted email services to disguise his true identity from the undercover agent. During the course of communications between Budi and the UCA, Budi hired the UCA to murder an individual who resides in the Charlotte area, identified in court documents as “C.S.”
Court documents allege that in April and May 2018, Budi also contacted an FBI online covert employee (OCE) via the internet to purchase a lethal dose of a radioactive substance. In his communications with the OCE, Budi expressed his intent to use the radioactive substance to kill an unnamed individual. Budi also instructed the FBI OCE to ship the radioactive substance to an address in Charlotte. On May 22, 2018, the OCE advised Budi a package containing the radioactive substance was shipped. On May 31, 2018, the package containing an inert substitute for the radioactive material ordered by Budi was delivered to an address in Charlotte as instructed by Budi. On June 1, 2018, at approximately 11:15 p.m., Budi was arrested.
The charge of attempted possession of radioactive material with intent to cause death carries a maximum term of life in prison. The use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire charge carries a maximum prison term of 10 years.
The charges contained in the indictment are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt in a court of law.
In making today’s announcement U.S. Attorney Murray thanked HSI in Buffalo, New York and Charlotte; the FBI in Charlotte and supporting FBI field offices; the FBI’s Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate in Washington, D.C.; the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York, and the Department of Justice’s National Security Division.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Casey Arrowood of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte is in charge of the prosecution, assisted by Trial Attorney Bridget Behling, of the National Security Division.
Gorge “Chico” Duarte Sentenced to 262 Months in Prison for Methamphetamine Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – On June 20, 2018, Gorge “Chico” Duarte, 42, of Mohawk, Tennessee, was sentenced by the Honorable J. Ronnie Greer, U.S. District Court Judge, to serve 262 months in federal prison for his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine (meth) in the Eastern District of Tennessee. According to his plea agreement on file with U.S. District Court, Duarte admitted that he was responsible for at least 500 grams but less than 1.5 kilograms of actual meth.
In early 2015, local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies collaborated and began an investigation into an evolving meth distribution network that distributed multiple kilogram quantities of meth in and around Hamblen County, Tennessee. Duarte served a local source of supply. He obtained meth from a larger trans-national criminal organization and in turn supplied the meth to other local distributors. During the course of committing the offense, Duarte was serving a term of supervised release for a prior federal conviction, conspiracy to distribute cocaine in the Eastern District of Tennessee. He was ordered to serve an additional 37 months consecutive to the 262 months for violating his supervised release.
This investigation was the product of a partnership between the FBI, Hamblen County Sheriff’s Department and Third Judicial Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Christian Lampe represented the United States in court proceedings.
The investigation is a result of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s drug supply reduction strategy. OCDETF was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multi-level attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. Today, OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. 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.
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Girlfriend Admits Crime in Attempt to Save Boyfriend; Gets ArrestedRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—Cody Hiland, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, and Mary Downie, Acting Resident Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), announced today’s arrest of Nicole Blakely, who admitted during a recent trial that she possessed firearms while using illegal drugs.
Blakely, 39, of Little Rock, was arrested on a federal complaint for being an unlawful drug user in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(3). She appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Joe J. Volpe Thursday afternoon and was detained following her initial appearance.
Last week, during the federal criminal trial of Blakely’s boyfriend, Torrioan Neal, Blakely was called as a witness to testify on Neal’s behalf. The charges against Neal included possession with intent to distribute marijuana. Prior to her testimony, her lawyer informed the Court that he had advised her against testifying; she acknowledged that advice to the Judge, indicated that she understood the potential consequences, and insisted on testifying anyway.
According to the federal complaint charging her, Blakely then testified that she was a regular drug user and that she had purchased all the marijuana the police had found in her house. Blakely stated during the trial that the day law enforcement officers located marijuana and a gun in Neal and Blakely’s residence she had gotten off work at 7:00 a.m. When she arrived home, Blakely testified, she smoked marijuana. She also testified that she was the owner of a pistol the police found in the house.
The jury found that Neal was guilty of possessing the marijuana with the intent to distribute it, despite Blakely’s claims that the marijuana was hers alone. Neal now faces a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
The crime with which Blakely is charged is also punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment. Assistant United States Attorney Kristin Bryant is prosecuting the case, which is being investigated by the ATF.
A complaint contains only allegations. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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This news release, as well as additional information about the office of the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available on-line at http://www.justice.gov/edar
Twitter: @EDARNEWS
Former Computer Security Specialist Sentenced to Seven Years in Federal Prison for Receiving Child Sexual Abuse Videos over the InternetRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan has sentenced William Marion Patterson, III (49, Jacksonville) to seven years in federal prison for receiving child sexual abuse videos and images over the internet.
According to court documents, in 2015, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service conducted an undercover online child exploitation investigation of an individual who was using a particular online file-sharing network. At that time, this user, later identified as Patterson, was the most prolific trader of child pornography in the state of Florida on this file-sharing network. On June 11, 2015, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Patterson’s home. During an interview, Patterson admitted, among other things, that he used this file-sharing network and that he was responsible for everything found on his computer. Subsequent forensic analyses revealed that Patterson’s computer media contained approximately 854 videos and 5,394 images depicting young children being sexually abused.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Former Baruch College Basketball Coach and Athletics Official Sentenced to 20 Months in Prison for Embezzling More Than $700,000Read the Press Release
Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that MACHLI JOSEPH was sentenced to 20 months in prison for embezzling more than $700,000 in funds intended for Baruch College for the rental of their athletic facilities. JOSEPH pled guilty in January 2018 before U.S. District Judge Paul A. Crotty, who imposed today’s sentence.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “Machli Joseph used the facilities of Baruch College as his own cash machine, renting them out without approval and without compensation to the school. All told, his scheme diverted nearly three-quarters of a million dollars that should have been paid to the college. Our Office is committed to pursuing those who misappropriate educational funds for their own profit.”
According to the Information and Complaint filed in this case, and statements made during the plea proceeding:
MACHLI JOSEPH served as an athletic department official at Baruch College between 2002 and 2016. He served as Baruch’s women’s basketball head coach between 2004 and 2014, its men’s basketball coach in 2002, as assistant athletic director from 2003 to 2011, and as associate athletic director from 2011 until August 2016. At times when the Baruch College gym was not being used by the school’s athletic teams, it could be rented out to outside parties. In his administrative capacity, JOSEPH had control over those gym rentals and their scheduling.
On numerous occasions between 2010 and 2016, JOSEPH rented the gym to outside parties, ostensibly on behalf of Baruch College. In instructing the renting parties on how to provide payment, however, JOSEPH directed that payment be made to entities that were not, in fact, connected to Baruch College. Instead, they were entities with bank accounts over which JOSEPH had personal control, some of which merely sounded like Baruch-affiliated entities. On several occasions, JOSEPH simply directed that payment be made directly to him or individual associates of his. Many of these funds were ultimately spent on personal expenses and items for JOSEPH and his family, including renovations to his home in New Jersey. All told, the scheme improperly diverted over $700,000 of payments intended for Baruch College.
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In addition to the prison term, JOSEPH, 43, of Elizabeth, New Jersey, was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to forfeit $787,194, and to pay the same amount in restitution.
Mr. Berman praised the investigative work of the Department of Education – Office of the Inspector General and the New York State Inspector General’s Office.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Public Corruption Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Catherine E. Ghosh and Martin S. Bell are in charge of the prosecution.
Former Accounting Manager Sentenced for Embezzling $1.1 MillionRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Chesapeake woman was sentenced today to 46 months in prison for embezzling over $1.1 million from a Hampton business.
According to court documents, Susan Gray, 47, engaged in a scheme to embezzle funds from, Harbor Construction Company, Inc., from January 2012 through January 2017. Gray transferred approximately $1,185,245.64 from Harbor Construction’s payroll accounts to her own personal accounts. She used these embezzled funds for own enrichment including making over $100,000 in ATM withdrawals, travel, jewelry, entertainment, restaurants, and retail purchases, and the purchase of a new car. During tax years 2012 through 2016, Gray failed to report $990,932.25 in unauthorized and embezzled funds on her filed income tax returns.
G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Kelly R. Jackson, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Washington, D.C. Field Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Mark S. Davis. Managing Assistant U.S. Attorney Howard J. Zlotnick prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:17-cr-130.
Felon Charged for Two Armed Bank RobberiesRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – A felon who robbed two Las Vegas banks at gunpoint on the same day and stole a total of approximately $22,000 made his initial appearance in federal court today, announced U.S. Attorney Dayle Elieson for the District of Nevada.
Robert Carl Litheredge, 58, of Las Vegas, is charged in a criminal complaint with two counts of armed bank robbery, one count of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, one count of discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and one count of felon in possession of a firearm. He appeared before U.S. District Magistrate Judge Carl W. Hoffman who scheduled a preliminary hearing for July 5, 2018.
According to allegations contained in the complaint, on April 17, 2018, Litheredge, who was wearing a dark colored ski mask and carrying a handgun, entered the Bank of America at 2638 Horizon Ridge Parkway in Henderson. He told the customers and employees to get down on the floor as he waved the handgun in the air. He told a teller that he wanted $100,000 while pointing the handgun at the teller who was overcome with fear. The Branch Manager stepped in and provided Litheredge with cash from the teller’s drawer. He fled the bank with $1,999.
It is further alleged that several hours later, Litheredge entered the Bank of America at 4080 Spring Mountain Road in Las Vegas. He wore a black ski mask and carried a handgun. He demanded $50,000 from a teller, then walked the teller to the back of the bank. The teller went through a door behind the teller stations and closed himself off from Litheredge who was left in the bank’s lobby. Litheredge then fired one round from his handgun into the ceiling. The teller pushed two wrapped stacks of cash totaling $20,000 through the teller window trays. Litheredge then fired another round into the ceiling before fleeing the bank.
Later that day, the Henderson Police Department released the bank robbery suspect’s photo to the media. On April 18, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department received an anonymous tip identifying Litheredge as the perpetrator. The police located Litheredge on April 19, 2018, and arrested him. Litheredge had a .45 caliber handgun on his person when he was taken into custody. Later on April 19, during an interview with detectives from the Henderson Police Department and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, Litheredge admitted to robbing both banks on April 17.
Litheredge is also charged with felon in possession of a firearm. He has eight prior felony convictions including two bank robbery convictions from 2001 and 2007.
The case is being investigated by the FBI, the Henderson Police Department, and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Phillip N. Smith Jr. is prosecuting 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.
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Federal Jury Convicts Grand Prairie Man on Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
DALLAS— Following a two-day trial, a federal jury convicted Eric Gerard McGinnis, 42, of Grand Prairie, Texas, of multiple firearm offenses, announced U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox of the Northern District of Texas.
Specifically, on Wednesday, a federal jury convicted McGinnis of possessing an unregistered short barrel rifle and unlawfully possessing ammunition while he was subject to an active protective order. McGinnis will remain in custody pending sentencing, which is set for October 24, 2018, before U.S. Chief District Judge Barbara M.G. Lynn.
According to evidence presented at trial, a Dallas County court entered a two-year protective order against McGinnis on August 31, 2015, finding that he had committed family violence against a former girlfriend with whom he had lived. The protective order also prohibited him from possessing firearms or ammunition.
On July 28, 2017, officers from the Grand Prairie Police Department responded to the sound of gunshots in a wooded area near North Belt Line Road and East Palace Parkway. There they found McGinnis carrying a backpack that contained an AR-15 rifle that had a receiver made using a 3D printer and had a barrel that was only ten inches long. He also possessed 88 rounds of ammunition for the rifle. McGinnis did not have the short barrel rifle registered to him in the National Firearm Registration and Transfer Record, which is the repository for registrations for weapons that must be registered under the National Firearms Act.
The evidence presented at trial also showed that McGinnis had attempted to purchase a receiver from a federal firearms licensee in 2016, but the transaction required a background check that rejected McGinnis based on the active protective order.
The defendants’ sentence will be determined by the court after a review of the federal sentencing guidelines and factors unique to the case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and Grand Prairie Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian McKay and Rick Calvert are prosecuting the case.
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Federal Drug and Violent Crime Enforcement Operation Nets 18 Defendants Wanted for Guns, Drugs and Other ChargesRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE – As part of Take Back North Carolina Initiative, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Robert J. Higdon, Jr., announces that several cocaine and heroin centered Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force Operations (OCDETF), as well as, violent crime enforcement operations resulted in the arrest of eighteen (18) defendants for outstanding federal charges in a coordinated warrant enforcement operation. Also, at least one defendant related to this operation was found to be in the custody of the North Carolina Department of Corrections and will now face federal prosecution. A federal detainer has been filed against this subject.
In addition to the federal arrests, thirteen (13) defendants were arrested for outstanding state charges in connection with this operation.
This operation was conducted as part of the Eastern District of North Carolina Take Back North Carolina Initiative which brings the full weight and resources of the federal court system in the fight against crime in Nash, Edgecombe, Wilson, and Pitt Counties in partnership with The District Attorney’s Office as well as federal, state, and local law enforcement.
The following individuals were charged by way of Criminal Indictment. The individual charges for each defendant is contained in the parenthesis following the personal information.
- Marquavious Harold Carr, 29, of Elm City, NC (Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute One Hundred (100) Grams or More of Heroin, Twenty-Eight (28) Grams or More of Cocaine Base (Crack), and a Quantity of Cocaine and Marijuana)
- Angelo McKinley Cooper, 29, of Rocky Mount, NC (Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime; and Felon in Possession of a Firearm)
- Ronnie Renault Foreman, 39, of Greenville, NC (Felon in Possession of a Firearm, and Aiding and Abetting)
- Terance Earl Foreman, 33, of Greenville, NC (Felon in Possession of a Firearm, and Aiding and Abetting)
- Cohn Deangelo Hinton, 48, of Rocky Mount, NC (Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Five Hundred (500) Grams or More of Cocaine, One Hundred (100) Grams or More of Heroin, and a Quantity of Cocaine Base (Crack) and Marijuana)
- Keyonta Tarezze Langley, 30, of Greenville, NC (Felon in Possession of a Firearm)
- De’Andre Anthony Lucas, 28, of Wilson, NC (Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Cocaine Base (Crack) and Heroin)
- Shaquandra McAllister, 28, of Wilson, NC (Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Twenty-Eight (28) Grams or More of Cocaine Base (Crack), and a Quantity of Cocaine and Heroin)
- Marquice Quashawn McCoy, 30, of Rocky Mount, NC (Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Cocaine Base (Crack) and Heroin)
- Trawn Joval Rodgers, 38, of Greenville, NC (Distribution of Cocaine)
- Kendrick Dequan Rogers, 25, of Raleigh, NC (Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Five Hundred (500) Grams or More of Cocaine, Twenty-Eight (28) Grams or More of Cocaine Base (Crack), One Hundred (100) Grams or More of Heroin, and Marijuana)
- Travis Kwymaine Ruffin, 28, of Wilson, NC (Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Cocaine Base (Crack) and Heroin)
- Michael Speight, 26, of Elm City, NC (Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Cocaine Base (Crack))
- Rodney Durrell Thomas, 20, of Elm City, NC (Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute One Hundred (100) Grams or More of Heroin, Twenty-Eight (28) Grams or More of Cocaine Base (Crack), and a Quantity of Cocaine and Marijuana)
- Monte Marquis Thorne, 42, of Rocky Mount, NC (Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine and Cocaine Base (Crack); Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime; and Felon in Possession of a Firearm)
- Brendon Rashad White, 20, of Wilson, NC (Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Five Hundred (500) Grams or More of Cocaine, One Hundred (100) Grams or More of Heroin, and a Quantity of Cocaine Base (Crack) and Marijuana)
- Jazmein Jaquae Wiggins, 39, of Rocky Mount, NC (Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition)
- Marcus Antwan Wiley, 29, of Elm City, NC (Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Heroin)
The charges and allegations contained in the Indictments are merely accusations. The defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
The enforcement operation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives (ATF), the United States Marshal Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Nash County Sheriff’s Office, Wilson Police Department, Rocky Mount Police Department, Edgecombe County Sheriff’s Office, Tarboro Police Department, Spring Hope Police Department, Nashville Police Department, Greenville Police Department, Greenville Regional Drug Task Force, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, North Carolina Seventh Prosecutorial District Attorney’s Office, and the United States Probation Office.
Four Gang Members Indicted for Vicious Assault on 15-Year Old BoyRead the Press Release
An indictment was unsealed in Flint charging Doniel A. Heard of Canton, Talasha R. Willis of Flint, Kimberly A. Perryman of Mt. Morris, and Alina D. White of Waterford for their involvement in a vicious assault on a 15-year old boy, United States Attorney Matthew Schneider announced today.
Schneider was joined in the announcement by Acting Special Agent in Charge Timothy T. Waters, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Detroit Division (FBI), John C. Mullaly, Chief of Police of the Genesee Township Police Department, and David S. Leyton, Genesee County Prosecuting Attorney.
Heard, Willis, Perryman, and White are each charged with a count of assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, and a count of interference with commerce by robbery.
According to the indictment, the defendants, Heard, Willis, Perryman, and White, are members of a street gang known as “M.O.B. 662,” which is a set of the Bloods, a national criminal street gang. The defendants beat and robbed the 15-year old victim, then carved “M.O.B. 662” into his chest with a knife. The indictment alleges that the defendants assaulted the victim for the purpose of gaining entrance to and maintaining and increasing position in the gang.
“As alleged in the indictment, this was a brutal attack on a 15-year old boy by a violent street gang,” stated United States Attorney Schneider. “We will continue to vigorously prosecute violent street gangs, especially those who target children.”
“This case is a stark reminder that the influence of violent street gangs extends beyond the big cities and into smaller communities such as our own,” said Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton. “We must be ever-vigilant in thwarting their activities and stopping them from gaining a foothold in Flint and Genesee County and the prosecution of this case is a part of that effort,” he said.
“The defendants’ vicious attack of a 15-year old child is the type of senseless violence that if left unchecked can eat away at the core of a community,” stated Timothy T. Waters, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit FBI. “The FBI, in collaboration with our local and state partners, is dedicated to protecting our neighborhoods from violent street gangs and securing safety for our communities.”
“During the Genesee Township Police Department’s investigation, it became obvious that the nature of the robbery and maiming of the juvenile victim was part of a larger organized gang related activity. Our agency worked closely with the United States Attorney’s Office, the Genesee County Prosecutor’s Office, and with our State and Federal law enforcement partners to identify and apprehend the criminal parties responsible for this heinous attack,” said Chief Mullaly.
The charges in the indictment are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case was investigated by the Genesee Township Police Department and special agents of the FBI, with assistance from the Genesee County Prosecutor’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Chris Rawsthorne, Ann Nee, and Anthony Vance.
Dominican National Sentenced for Identity TheftRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Dominican national, residing illegally in the United States, was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for identity theft and related charges.
Willy Antonio Hernandez Camilo, 34, a Dominican national previously residing in Lawrence, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs to two years and a day in prison and three years of supervised release. Hernandez Camilo will be subject to deportation proceedings upon completion of his sentence. In March 2018, Hernandez Camilo pleaded guilty to one count of passport fraud, two counts of misuse of a Social Security number, and two counts of aggravated identity theft.
In 2014, Hernandez Camilo applied for a passport at a Methuen post office purporting to be a U.S. citizen. On the application he represented that the name, Social Security number, and date of birth of a Puerto Rican man were his. He supported the application with a birth certificate and a 2012 Massachusetts driver’s license, both in the victim’s name. In 2016, Hernandez Camilo went to a Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles office in Haverhill and applied to renew his Massachusetts driver’s license. Again, he represented the victim’s identity to be his own. Hernandez Camilo admitted that he knew the identity he used was not fabricated but belonged to a real person.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Peter C. Fitzhugh, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; and William B. Gannon, Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Field Office of the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Wichers of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
Dominican National Sentenced for Identity TheftRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Dominican national, living illegally in the United States, pleaded guilty yesterday and was sentenced in federal court in Boston in connection with misusing a Social Security number and identity theft.
Saly Romero Aquino, a/k/a Saly Nicaury Romero Aquino, a/k/a Saly Nicauri Romero Aquino, a/k/a Saly Nicauri Romero Tejada, 33, a Dominican national residing in Lawrence, pleaded guilty to one count of misuse of a Social Security number and one count of aggravated identity theft. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani accepted Romero Aquino’s plea and immediately sentenced her to two years and a day in prison and 18 months of supervised release. Romero Aquino will be subject to deportation upon completion of her sentence.
On Feb. 25, 2013, Romero Aquino walked into a Social Security Administration field office in Lawrence and applied for a replacement Social Security card in the name of a U.S. citizen who was born in Puerto Rico and later moved to upstate New York. Romero Aquino claimed that the victim’s Social Security number was her own. As proof of identity, she presented a Massachusetts driver’s license that was in the victim’s name but contained a photo of herself. The application was granted. A replacement card bearing the victim’s name and Social Security number was mailed to the Lawrence address that Romero Aquino had used on her application.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Peter C. Fitzhugh, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; and Scott Antolik, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Division, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Wichers of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
Dominican National Pleads Guilty to Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON - A Dominican national pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to illegally reentering the United States after being deported.
Juan Laboy, 44, a Dominican national residing in Lawrence, pleaded guilty to one count of illegal reentry of a deported alien. U.S. District Court Judge William G. Young scheduled sentencing for Sept. 15, 2018.
Laboy, who is currently on federal supervised release for a 2016 illegal reentry conviction, has previously been deported five times: Oct. 18, 2006; Jan. 12, 2008; April 7, 2010; Dec. 3, 2013; and April 5, 2016.
On Nov. 14, 2017, law enforcement arrested Laboy and charged him with trafficking in cocaine. Laboy’s prints were obtained and found to match the prints in his Alien file. The cocaine trafficking charges are currently pending in Lawrence District Court.
Immediately following his plea hearing before Judge Young, Laboy appeared before U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs for a hearing related to violating his supervised release. Judge Burroughs found Laboy in violation of his supervised release and sentenced him to eight months in prison.
The charge of illegal reentry provides for a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of $250,000, and Laboy will be subject to deportation upon completion of his sentence. 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 Rebecca J. Adducci, Interim Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth G. Shine of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
Dominican National Pleads Guilty to Identity TheftRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Dominican national, who is illegally in the United States, pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to charges related to identity theft.
Kelny Andujar, a/k/a Kelny Alberto Andujar Pinales, 36, a Dominican national residing in Lawrence, pleaded guilty to one count of passport fraud, one count of misusing a Social Security number, and two counts of aggravated identity theft. U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs scheduled sentencing for Sept. 13, 2018. Andujar has been in custody since his arrest in March 2018.
In March 2016, Andujar went to a post office in Lawrence and applied for a U.S. passport. He applied in the name of a U.S. citizen who lives in Puerto Rico and listed that citizen’s date of birth, place of birth and Social Security number. Andujar supported his application with a certified copy of the victim’s birth certificate, a Social Security card bearing the victim’s name and Social Security number, and a Massachusetts ID card bearing Andujar’s photo but the victim’s name. The passport application was denied.
In November 2016, Andujar went to the Registry of Motor Vehicles in Wilmington and applied for a duplicate Massachusetts ID card in the victim’s name. Andujar represented that the victim’s name, date of birth, and Social Security number were his own. The application was granted, and Andujar was issued a replacement ID card bearing his photo with the victim’s name.
The charge of aggravated identity theft provides for a mandatory sentence of two years in prison to be served consecutive to any other sentence imposed, up to one year of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of passport fraud provides for a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of misuse of a Social Security number provides for a sentence of no greater than five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Andujar will be subject to deportation proceedings upon completion of his sentence. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and William B. Gannon, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service, Boston Field Office, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Wichers of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
District Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Robbing Banks in Downtown WashingtonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Timothy L. Jennings, Sr., 61, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to five years in prison for robbing two banks in downtown Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Matthew J. DeSarno, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal Division, and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Jennings pled guilty in April 2018, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to two counts of bank robbery. He was sentenced by the Honorable Tanya S. Chutkan. In addition to the prison term, Jennings was ordered to pay a total of $1,367 in restitution to the two banks. Following his prison term, he will be placed on three years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, Jennings carried out the first robbery on July 17, 2017, at approximately 9:05 a.m., targeting a SunTrust Bank in the 900 block of 17th Street NW. Jennings told a teller: “This is a robbery and I have a gun and I'll shoot you,” and demanded money. The teller handed him a total of $926 and Jennings fled the scene.
The second robbery took place four days later, on July 21, 2017, at approximately 9:20 a.m. This time, Jennings entered an M&T Bank in the 500 block of 12th Street NW and handed the teller a note demanding money. The teller handed him $441 and Jennings fled.
In his plea, Jennings also accepted responsibility for two additional bank robberies, which took place later on the morning of July 21, within an hour of the M&T Bank robbery. In both incidents, he left the banks without money. One attempt took place at a BB&T branch in the 800 block of Connecticut Avenue NW and the other at a Bank of America branch in the 800 block of 17th Street NW. Hours after these incidents, officers from the Metropolitan Police Department located Jennings and arrested him. He has been in custody ever since.
At the time of these offenses, Jennings had been on supervised release for a few months after serving more than 10 years in prison for several additional bank robberies.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu, Special Agent in Charge DeSarno, and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department. They expressed appreciation for the efforts of those who worked in the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including Paralegal Specialists Jeannette Litz and Teesha Tobias and Assistant U.S. Attorney Emory V. Cole, who prosecuted the case.
Decatur Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Plan to Kidnap Woman and Sell Daughter into Sex TradeRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM – A federal judge today sentenced a Decatur man involved in a kidnapping and child sex-trafficking plot to 30 years in prison, announced U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town and FBI Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp Jr.
U.S. District Judge R. David Proctor sentenced BRIAN DAVID “Blaze” BOERSMA, 49, for attempted kidnapping of a minor, attempted kidnapping, attempted sex trafficking of a child, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime. Boersma pleaded guilty to the charges in March.
Boersma had a detailed plan to kidnap a woman and her 14-year-old daughter, sexually assault and torture the woman, and sell her child into the sex trade, according to court records. Boersma falsely implicated the woman’s ex-husband in the kidnapping plot.
“Boersma’s actions will forever remain despicable and the horrors that he intended upon innocent victims was avoided because a concerned citizen heard something and then said something,” Town said. “There is only one place suitably worse than prison for Boersma…and that day will come, too.”
“Boersma is now being held accountable for his depraved and abhorrent behavior,” Sharp said. “I, particularly, want to thank my agents and our partners at the Decatur Police Department for their work in bringing Boersma to justice. The FBI and our law enforcement partners are committed to aggressively seeking out those who exploit innocent victims.”
Boersma worked at the Alabama Farmers’ Cooperative in Decatur shuttling trailers from the storage yard to the warehouse where they would be loaded with merchandise to ship to other locations. His plea agreement with the government lays out his efforts in the fall of 2017 to encourage a co-worker at the co-op to find someone willing to kidnap a woman and her daughter for payment. Boersma, in installments, gave the co-worker $3,440 to hold for a kidnapping payment. The co-worker alerted the FBI to Boersma’s plan in mid-September and the bureau sent two undercover employees to pose as willing kidnappers.
According to Boersma’s plea agreement, he intended to carry out the kidnappings and child sex-trafficking as follows:
Boersma boasted to his co-worker that he would sell the child to a pimp he knew in Memphis, Tenn., and hoped to get as much as $40,000 because she was “a young, clean virgin.” Ultimately, his contact in Memphis offered him only $8,000 for the girl, Boersma said.
Boersma had outfitted a trailer at the co-op with a mattress and restraints for holding the mother and daughter. He also placed inside the trailer a metal “sex device” he had built so the woman could be tied to it, beaten and raped.
Boersma falsely claimed that the woman’s ex-husband wanted the woman and child kidnapped as retribution for the woman divorcing him and taking him to court for child support. He said the ex-husband wanted to beat the woman with a bullwhip and it would be a “bloody mess” in the trailer. He said he put plastic down inside the trailer to help with clean up.
Boersma also told the undercover FBI employees that once the woman was dead, he would “have to go get 300 pounds of lime and dig a hole.” He said he would get the lime from the co-op and bury the body under a nearby bridge.
On Oct. 10, Boersma and his co-worker met at a Decatur hotel with the undercover FBI agents who Boersma believed would kidnap the mother and child. Boersma told the agents what he wanted done, provided photos of the two intended victims and handed the agents $3,440. He then led the agents to the woman’s workplace, to her home and to the co-op, where he showed them the trailer he had prepared for holding the victims.
Shortly after returning to the hotel, police arrested Boersma as he approached his pickup truck. A loaded Smith & Wesson M&P .40-caliber pistol was recovered in a subsequent search of the truck. Boersma was prohibited from possessing the gun because of a felony unlawful possession of a controlled substance conviction in Shelby County, Tenn., in 1998.
The FBI investigated the case in conjunction with the Decatur Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Davis Barlow prosecuted the case.
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Daniel Burgess Imprisoned for Securities FraudRead the Press Release
The United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that Daniel Burgess, 51, of Stowe, was sentenced in United States District Court in Rutland to 24 months of imprisonment following his guilty plea to a charge of wire fraud. Chief U.S. District Judge Geoffrey Crawford also ordered that Burgess serve a three-year term of supervised release following completion of his prison sentence and pay restitution in the amount of $248,900. The court directed Burgess to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on July 24 to begin serving his sentence.
On October 27, 2016, a federal grand jury in Burlington returned a one-count wire fraud indictment against Burgess. According to the indictment, Burgess engaged in the business of buying and selling securities through a company he owned named Tucker Financial Services. The indictment alleges that in July 2011, Burgess entered into a contract with a woman from Nevada in which Burgess agreed to try to sell 520,000 shares of a penny stock the woman owned. Under the terms of the agreement, the woman would receive 80% of the gross proceeds of any stock sales and Burgess would be entitled to the remaining 20%.
The indictment charges that between August and October 2011, Burgess sold all 520,000 shares of the stock for a total of about $619,000. The woman’s 80% share of the sale proceeds was about $495,000. Burgess paid her about $246,000, but fraudulently converted the remaining money to his own use. Among other things, he financed an expensive European wedding and honeymoon with his victim’s money.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Vermont Department of Financial Regulation.
Burgess is represented by Brice Simon. The prosecutor is Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Waples.
Dallas Man Arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on $62.6 Million Investment Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
DALLAS—Christopher A. Faulkner, 41, from Dallas, Texas, was arrested Monday, June 18, 2018, at the Los Angeles International Airport by special agents with the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Division (IRS-CI), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), with assistance from Customs and Border Patrol. Faulkner was arrested on a federal complaint, charging him with securities fraud, mail fraud and money laundering, in connection with a scheme to defraud investors of millions of dollars. The announcement was made today by U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox of the Northern District of Texas.
Faulkner made an appearance Monday in Los Angeles, California before a U.S. Magistrate Judge and will remain in custody pending further court hearings in Dallas, Texas.
According to the filed criminal complaint affidavit, between 2011 and 2016, Faulkner established and controlled several oil and gas companies located in Texas. On April 28, 2016, the IRS-CI and FBI executed search warrants and seized documents and electronic data from Breitling Oil and Gas Inc., Crude Energy, LLC and Patriot Energy, Inc., offices located in Dallas, Texas.
According to the criminal complaint affidavit, as part of the scheme to defraud investors, Faulkner made fraudulent misrepresentations to investors and raised over $62.6 million in investor funds through the sale of working interest units in 16 drilling prospects.
The affidavit alleges Faulkner’s companies marketed the working interest programs using multiple forms of misrepresentations, to include the hyperinflation of reasonable estimated costs to drill and test the well, which resulted in huge undisclosed profits to Faulkner’s companies. Well operators for each of Faulkner’s prospects created a written estimate of costs to drill a well in the form of an “Authority for Expenditure” (“AFE”) and provided these to Faulkner. However, these estimates were never included in the offering materials provided to investors. Instead, examination of emails and Faulkner’s computer, seized from his office, showed he commonly created AFEs in the name of the operator, but grossly inflated the estimated costs.
Additionally, the affidavit claims Faulkner made fraudulent misrepresentations to investors by having oversold many of the programs the company offered, and used inflated reports and production estimates supplied by a third party geologist. An examination of Faulkner’s seized computer and emails, revealed Faulkner was closely affiliated to the third party geologist and increased the already inflated estimates.
The affidavit further alleges that substantially all the investor money was transferred from segregated well accounts into general and operating bank accounts. Faulkner diverted significant amounts of investor funds for his own benefit while investors received minimal returns on their investment.
According to the affidavit, between 2011 and 2013, Breitling received investments totaling $41.4 million. However, the investors received less than $2.4 million of their initial investment. Faulkner, during this same period of time, received approximately $8 million in cash disbursements from Breitling. In addition to these direct cash payments, Faulkner also received at least $1.9 million of additional benefits by virtue of Breitling paying for personal expenses on credit cards and more than $2 million of investor funds on personal expenses in direct charges to its bank accounts.
Additionally, the affidavit states, in 2014 and 2015, Faulkner, by virtue of Crude Energy, LLC and Patriot Energy, Inc., diverted $13.8 million of commingled investor funds by means of $6.1 million in cash disbursements and approximately $7.7 million in personal American Express card charges. Additionally, the companies also paid more than $4 million in personal expenses through its bank accounts.
The complaint alleges Faulkner used the investor money to finance a lavish lifestyle that included high end vehicles, expensive jewelry, clothing, art, home improvements, professional concierge services, and chartered flights.
A federal criminal complaint is a written statement of the essential facts of the offense charged, and must be made under oath before a magistrate judge. A defendant is entitled to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. The U.S. Attorney’s office has 30 days to present the matter to a grand jury for indictment. The maximum statutory penalty for the charged offenses is 35 years in federal prison and a $750,000 fine.
The investigation is being conducted by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Division, Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Stokes is in charge of the prosecution.
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Cross Hill Man Sentenced for Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
Greenville, South Carolina-------United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon stated today that Michael Jerome Davis, age 43, of Cross Hill, South Carolina, was sentenced in federal court in Anderson, South Carolina, for being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g). United States District Judge Timothy M. Cain sentenced Davis to a total term of 180 months in federal prison followed by supervised release.
Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established that on August 7, 2017, Clinton Public Safety officers established surveillance near a residence where Davis and another male were seen driving and acting suspiciously in Clinton. Officers determined that Davis’ license was listed as suspended and conducted a traffic stop when he attempted to drive away from the residence. As officers approached the car, one officer observed what he believed to be a firearm on the passenger side floorboard. Davis was removed from the vehicle and Davis stated he had a firearm under the driver's seat. A search of the vehicle was conducted and from under the driver’s seat officers located a Smith and Wesson .40 caliber pistol.
Davis is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms based upon his prior separate state convictions for Pointing and Presenting a firearm, Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, Manufacturing Methamphetamine, and Assault and Battery 1st degree
The case was investigated by the Clinton Public Safety Department along with agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state and local Project CeaseFire initiative, which aggressively prosecutes firearm cases. Project CeaseFire is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority. In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001.
Assistant United States Attorney Max Cauthen of the Greenville office prosecuted the case.
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Convicted Drug Dealer Receives 56 Months on Gun ChargeRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Richard W. Moore of the Southern District of Alabama announces today that United States District Judge William H. Steele sentenced Jason Edward Barber, 31, a resident of Thomaston and Uniontown, Alabama, to 56 months imprisonment for being a felon in possession of a firearm. The judge ordered that Barber undergo three years of supervised release after finishing his term of imprisonment and pay a $100 mandatory special assessment. The judge also recommended that Barber receive comprehensive substance abuse treatment while incarcerated.
Barber is a convicted felon with prior drug convictions. For example, on July 22, 2013 he was convicted of Unlawful Distribution of a Controlled Substance in the Circuit Court of Perry County, Alabama. As a convicted felon, Barber is prohibited by federal law from knowingly possessing a firearm.
On March 24, 2017, a Uniontown Police Department lieutenant obtained a state warrant to search Barber’s residence in Uniontown. The lieutenant had used a confidential informant to purchase drugs from Barber at the home, providing probable cause for the warrant.On March 26, 2017, law enforcement officials executed the warrant at the premises. During the search, officials found approximately $778 in cash in Barber’s bedroom, two Smith & Wesson magazines loaded with ammunition, and one .38 caliber Rossi revolver. Officials found the firearm beside Barber’s bed. Moreover, agents found approximately 431.5 grams of marijuana and approximately 57.8 grams of cocaine in the trunk of a vehicle adjacent to the residence. The vehicle was previously driven by Barber, who was at the home at the time of the search.
In December 2017, Barber was arrested on a federal criminal complaint. On December 27, 2017, a federal grand jury for the Southern District of Alabama indicted Barber on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. On February 21, 2018, a federal grand jury for the district returned a superseding indictment, adding two drug charges against Barber. On March 8, 2018, Barber pleaded guilty before Judge Steele to the gun charge.
Jason Barber is the brother of Gerald Barber, who was convicted on drug charges in January 2018 after a federal jury trial in Selma, Alabama and who later received a 120-month prison sentence.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Uniontown Police Department investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Sinan Kalayoglu prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama at http://www.justice.gov/usao/als/
Convicted Aggravated Felon Sentenced to Prison for Mailing Threatening Letter to a U.S. District Judge, Former U.S. Attorney and Assistant U.S. Attorney in North CarolinaRead the Press Release
A former Fayetteville, North Carolina man was sentenced to 41 months in prison to be served after the expiration of his state sentence, with the expected release date of 2040, for mailing a threatening communication and retaliating against a federal official in the Western District of North Carolina.
Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Special Agent in Charge John A. Strong of the FBI Charlotte, North Carolina Field Office and U.S. Marshal Greg Forest of the Western District of North Carolina, made the announcement.
George Victor Stokes, 42, was sentenced by Honorable Max O. Cogburn Jr., who sentenced him to three years of supervised release following his prison sentence. According to information included in the indictment and to which Stokes’ agreed to at his guilty plea, Stokes mailed a letter threatening to kill a U.S. District Court Judge, the former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, and an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Specifically, Stokes threatened to “blow” the head off of a U.S. District Court Judge and stated it was “his duty to do this.” Stokes admitted he sent the death threat in retaliation for the victims’ roles in the sentencing and prosecution of Stokes in a prior federal case for similar conduct, mailing a threatening communication.
Stokes is currently incarcerated in state prison for an unrelated crime. After finishing his state prison term, he will be transferred to federal prison to complete his federal sentence.
FBI Charlotte and the U.S. Marshals Service for the Western District of North Carolina investigated the case. Trial Attorneys Matthew K. Hoff and Rachel E. Timm of the Organized Crime and Gang Section prosecuted the case.
Connecticut U.S. Attorney's Office Celebrates Annual U.S. Attorney's AwardsRead the Press Release
The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut hosted its annual United States Attorney’s Office Law Enforcement Awards Ceremony yesterday in New Haven. The ceremony at the City of New Haven’s aldermanic chambers recognized more than 160 individuals for their investigative efforts and other contributions to 31 significant federal criminal prosecutions and civil cases in Connecticut. Approximately 60 of the award recipients are members of local police departments from across Connecticut.
“We in the U.S. Attorney’s Office are persistently mindful that our work and success are dependent on the dedicated efforts of our federal, state and local law enforcement partners,” said U.S. Attorney John H. Durham. “On behalf of everyone in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, my sincere congratulations to all of our award recipients.”
In addition to the criminal and civil case awards, U.S. Attorney Durham presented several special awards during the ceremony.
The U.S. Attorney’s Award for Outstanding Investigator was presented to Special Agent Maria Papageorgiou of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, for her expertise in complex financial fraud and tax investigations during her 17-year career in Connecticut.
The U.S. Attorney’s Award for Outstanding Partnership was presented to Tammy Sneed, Director of Gender Responsive Adolescent Services for the Connecticut Department of Children and Families. Ms. Sneed has been essential in coordinating services for human trafficking victims and assisting with local, state and federal investigations involving the sex trafficking of children.
The U.S. Attorney’s Outstanding Citizen Award was presented to Jose Casanova, Marvin Dixon and Jacqueline Marciano, whose quick thinking and disregard for their own safety helped to save the life of Hartford Police Officer Jill Kidik, the victim of a stabbing attack, on May 17, 2018.
The National Security and Major Crimes Unit Award was presented to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent Allison Haimila for her dedicated investigative work in child exploitation cases.
The Financial Fraud and Public Corruption Unit Award was presented to a team of FBI and IRS-Criminal Investigation special agents that investigated an extensive “pump-and-dump” securities fraud scheme that resulted in more than $20 million in losses to thousands of investors.
The Violent Crimes and Narcotics Unit Award was presented to The Justice Education Center, Inc., a West Hartford-based non-profit organization. For more than a decade, the Justice Education Center and the U.S. Attorney’s Office have worked cooperatively on a number of initiatives, including Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a federal initiative to reduce violence in inner cities and develop prevention and early intervention programs to curb juvenile crime.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is charged with enforcing federal criminal laws in Connecticut and representing the federal government in civil litigation. The Office is composed of approximately 68 Assistant U.S. Attorneys and 57 staff members at offices in New Haven, Bridgeport and Hartford.
Colombian National Sentenced to 10 Years for Trafficking 5 Kilos of HeroinRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – Alberto Mario Perez-Gutierrez a/k/a: Alexander Gomez and Luis Mercado, 46, of Brooklyn, NY, a Colombian national, has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for trafficking more than 5 kilograms of heroin into Rhode Island from New York and for illegal reentry after removal from the United States, announced United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) New England Field Division Brian D. Boyle, and Central Falls Police Chief Colonel James J. Mendonca.
Perez-Gutierrez and a co-defendant, Yesid Antonio Simanca-Pena, 44, a Colombian national, were arrested in Central Falls on February 13, 2017, during the delivery of 5 kilograms of heroin to an individual assisting DEA in the investigation.
On February 13, 2017, the person assisting DEA was in negotiations with Perez-Gutierrez and Simanca-Pena to be provided with 5 kilograms of heroin. These negotiations led to a late afternoon meeting that day at Simanca-Pena’s Central Falls residence. Shortly after the person assisting DEA arrived by vehicle at the residence, Simanca-Pena placed one kilogram of heroin on the floor of the vehicle. Simanca-Pena was immediately taken into custody and the heroin was seized by DEA agents. DEA and DEA Task Force agents, with the assistance of Central Falls Police, then executed a court authorized search of Simanca-Pena’s residence where they seized in excess of an additional 4 kilograms of heroin and arrested Perez-Gutierrez.
At sentencing, U.S. District Court Chief Judge William E. Smith ordered Perez-Gutierrez to serve 10 years in prison followed by 5 years supervised release. The U.S. Sentencing Guidelines range of imprisonment in this matter is 120-121 months. The government recommended the court impose a sentence of 120 months in prison.
Yesid Antonio Simanca-Pena, who pleaded guilty on March 12, 2018, is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge William E. Smith on August 17, 2017.
Immigration detainers have been lodged against both defendants by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Perez-Gutierrez was previously deported January 17, 2006.
The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul F. Daly, Jr.
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Colombian National Pleads Guilty to Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON - A Colombian national pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to illegally reentering the United States after being deported.
Alejandro Suarez, 45, pleaded guilty to one count of illegal reentry of a deported alien. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani scheduled sentencing for June 22, 2018.
On March 22, 2018, law enforcement officers discovered Suarez and determined him to be illegally present in the United States. Suarez was previously deported on July 26, 2000.
Suarez faces a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, a fine of $250,000, and will be subject to deportation proceedings upon completion of any sentence imposed. 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 Rebecca J. Adducci, Interim Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Soivilien of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting this case.
Chinese National Arrested for Conspiring to Illegally Export U.S. Origin Goods Used in Anti-Submarine Warfare to ChinaRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Chinese national was arrested today and charged in connection with violating export laws by conspiring with employees of an entity affiliated with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to illegally export U.S. origin goods to China, as well as making false statements to obtain a visa to enter the United States and to become a lawful permanent resident under the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa Program.
Shuren Qin, 41, a Chinese national residing in Wellesley, Mass., was charged in a criminal complaint with one count of visa fraud and one count of conspiring to commit violations of U.S. export regulations. Qin was arrested today and will appear in federal court in Boston on June 22, 2018.
According to charging documents, Qin was born in the People’s Republic of China and became a lawful permanent resident of the United States in 2014. Qin operates several companies in China, which purport to import U.S. and European goods with applications in underwater or marine technologies into China. It is alleged that Qin was in communication with and/or receiving taskings from entities affiliated with the PLA, including the Northwestern Polytechnical University (NWPU), a Chinese military research institute, to obtain items used for anti-submarine warfare.
In 2001, the Department of Commerce designated NWPU on its Entity List because of the national security risks it poses to the U.S. NWPU has worked closely with the PLA on the advancement of its military capabilities. From at least July 2015 to December 2016, Qin allegedly exported approximately 78 hydrophones (devices used to detect and monitor sound underwater) from the United States to NWPU without obtaining the required export licenses from the Department of Commerce, in violation of U.S. export laws. Qin did so by concealing from the U.S. supplier that NWPU was the end-user and causing false information to be filed with the United States Government.
As alleged in court documents, in 2014, Qin made false statements on his visa application. Specifically, he falsely certified that he had never “engaged in export control violations or other unlawful activity.” However, it is alleged that Qin engaged in numerous violations of U.S. export laws since 2012. In his petition to become a legal permanent resident of the U.S., Qin again falsely certified that he had never committed any crime. Furthermore, during a November 2017, interview with Customs and Board Patrol Officers, Qin stated that he “only” exported instruments that attach to a buoy. However, Qin had allegedly exported remotely-operated side scan sonar systems, unmanned underwater vehicles, unmanned surface vehicles, robotic boats, and hydrophones. These items have military applications and can be used for weapon delivery systems, anti-submarine warfare, mine counter-measures as well as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance activities.
The charge of conspiring to violate U.S. export laws provides for a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $1 million. The charge of visa fraud provides for a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Andrew Lelling; Peter C. Fitzhugh, Special Agent in Charge of the Homeland Security Investigation, Boston Field Office; Leigh Alistair-Barzey, Special Agent in Charge of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Northeast Field Office; William Higgins, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Commerce, Office of Export Enforcement, Boston Field Office; Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; and Leo Lamont, Special Agent in Charge of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Northeast Field Office made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney B. Stephanie Siegmann, Chief of Lelling’s National Security Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Charleston Man Indicted on Hate Crime ChargeRead the Press Release
The Justice Department today announced that John Perry Taylor IV, 34, from Charleston, West Virginia, was indicted by a federal grand jury in the Southern District of West Virginia on a charge of violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.
The indictment alleges that on or about the evening of Oct. 7, 2017, and into Oct. 8, 2017, in the Southern District of West Virginia, Taylor willfully caused bodily injury to a woman, A.P. The indictment alleges that Taylor caused bodily injury to A.P. using a dangerous weapon because of A.P.’s actual and perceived sexual orientation. Specifically, Taylor made derogatory comments regarding A.P.’s actual and perceived sexual orientation and used a glass bottle to hit A.P. multiple times on her head, causing her to suffer a laceration, bruising, and pain.
If convicted, Taylor faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Civil Rights Division Trial Attorney Christine M. Siscaretti and Assistant United States Attorney Gabe Wohl.
Caribou Man Sentenced to Five Years for Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Bangor, Maine: United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Ryan T. Card, 22, of Caribou, Maine, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Chief Judge Nancy Torresen to five years in prison and 20 years of supervised release for possessing child pornography. Card pleaded guilty on February 27, 2018.
According to court records, between about November 2016 and April 2017, Card possessed images of child pornography on his cell phone. At least one of the images, which he had sought out and downloaded from on-line storage accounts on the internet, depicted a child under the age of 12.
The investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Caribou Police Department, and the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
California Man Sentenced to 15 Months in Federal Prison for Illegal Possession of a HandgunRead the Press Release
BILLINGS - The United States Attorney’s Office announced that Luis Javier Gaspar, a 20 year-old resident of San Jose, California, was sentenced on June 20, 2018 to 15 months in prison, 3 years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Gaspar was convicted of felon in possession of a firearm in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1).
In March 2017, a Montana Highway Patrol Trooper pulled over a car occupied by Gaspar and his co-defendant, Francisco Calderon, for a traffic infraction. During the stop, the trooper developed probable cause to search the car and law enforcement found a loaded revolver in the middle console. Gaspar was prohibited from possessing the firearm based on a prior felony conviction in California.
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.
California Man Sentenced for Selling Oxycodone Pills in Great FallsRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS - The United States Attorney’s Office announced today that 46-year old Lafaven Adams of Corona, California, was sentenced to 54 months in prison, 3 years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided over the hearing.
In February of 2017, law enforcement officers in Great Falls, Montana, became aware of large shipments of oxycodone arriving in Great Falls from California. That month, detectives examined a package that contained approximately 200 oxycodone pills, which possessed a street value of approximately $12,000. Through further investigation, officers learned that similar shipments had arrived in Great Falls and surrounding areas, and all of them came from Long Beach, California.
Officers later identified the source of these shipments as the defendant, Lafaven Adams. In March of 2017, detectives found Adams in Great Falls and watched him complete numerous drug deals in various parking lots. Pursuant to a search warrant, detectives found 544 oxycodone pills in Adams’ hotel room. The pills had a street value of approximately $32,000 and were of the same type and manufacture as the pills previously seized.
Through additional investigation, detectives learned that Adams frequently traveled to Great Falls from Long Beach, and distributed hundreds of pills from his hotel room and throughout town. When Adams was not in Great Falls, he sent numerous packages that contained pills to Great Falls for redistribution. Adams has an extensive criminal history that includes numerous prior drug trafficking convictions.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Betley and investigated by the Russell Country Drug Task Force and Homeland Security Investigations.
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.
Caddo County Man Charged with Shooting Woman in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – MARTIN ROCHA, 56, a resident of Caddo County, has been charged with assaulting a woman in Indian Country with a rifle with the intent to murder her, along with other charges, announced Robert J. Troester, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma.
According to an affidavit in support of a criminal complaint filed in federal court on May 19, 2018, officers with the Binger Police Department and the Caddo County Sheriff’s Office requested assistance from the Bureau of Indian Affairs Law Enforcement after a 911 call reported Rocha’s shooting of a woman with a Winchester 30-30 rifle. According to the affidavit, Rocha was estranged from his wife and not allowed to live with her. The investigation determined that Rocha drove up to the residence, got out of his car, and fired a single shot that caused life-threatening injuries to the victim. Rocha has been in custody since the evening of the shooting.
On June 20, a federal grand jury returned a five-count indictment against Rocha. He is charged with assault with intent to commit murder, assault with a dangerous weapon, assault resulting in serious bodily injury, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and using a firearm during a crime of violence. The assault charges are federal crimes because the indictment alleges the victim is an Indian and the shooting took place in Indian Country. More specifically, the affidavit identifies the victim as a member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes and also states that Rocha is not an Indian.
If Rocha is convicted of assault with intent to commit murder, he could be imprisoned for up to twenty years, followed by up to three years of supervised release, and fined up to $250,000. Convictions on the other two assault counts and on the felon-in-possession count could lead to prison sentences of ten years, three years of supervised release, and fines of up to $250,000. If convicted of using a firearm during a crime of violence, he would face a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years and a maximum of life. Imprisonment imposed based on this last count would be consecutive to sentences on the other counts. Rocha could also be ordered to pay restitution to his victim.
These charges are the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, with assistance from the Binger Police Department and the Caddo County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Arvo Mikkanen is prosecuting the case.
The public is reminded that these charges are merely allegations and that Rocha is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Reference is made to public filings for further information.
Businessman Charged with Stealing Thousands of Dollars from San Antonio Cash Network ATMsRead the Press Release
In San Antonio this morning, FBI agents arrested 54-year-old Joseph Vasquez, a principal of San Antonio Cash Network, for allegedly stealing over $145,000 from his company’s ATMs, announced United States Attorney John F. Bash and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs, San Antonio Division.
A federal grand jury indictment returned yesterday charges the defendant with four counts of embezzlement. The indictment alleges that in October and November 2016, Vasquez removed cash without authorization from four different San Antonio Cash Network ATMs.
The indictment also seeks a monetary judgment in this case in the amount of $1,084,600, which represents with the value of the proceeds obtained from the defendant’s overall scheme. Each charge calls for up to 30 years in federal prison and up to a $1,000,000 fine upon conviction.
The FBI and the Texas Department of Public Safety investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney William R. Harris is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
It is important to note that an indictment is merely a charge and should not be considered as evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Buffalo Man Sentenced in Cross Country Drug ConspiracyRead 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 Gabriel Rodriguez, 40, of Buffalo, NY, who was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, 100 kilograms or more of marijuana, was sentenced to serve 60 months in federal prison by Senior U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy C. Lynch, who handled the case, stated that between 2004 and July 12, 2012, the defendant conspired with others to distribute large quantities of marijuana in the Buffalo area. In April 2009, codefendants Jordan Ali and Shane Grafman began assisting one another in their drug distribution businesses. The defendants obtained the narcotics in the State of Arizona, and then utilized several methods to send the marijuana and cocaine to the Buffalo area, including cars, trucks, shipping crates and United States Postal Service parcels. Grafman also utilized private jets to travel from Arizona to Buffalo to pick up his drug proceeds. During this time, Rodriguez obtained more than 2,000 pounds from Grafman and Ali for distribution in the Buffalo area.
During the investigation, law enforcement officers seized approximately $1,000,000 in United States currency, including $671,385 from a hidden compartment within a Honda Ridgeline driven by Grafman.
A total of six defendants were arrested and convicted in this case.
The sentencing is the culmination of investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of James J. Hunt, Special Agent-in-Charge, New York Field Division; Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly; the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge James D. Robnett; the United States Postal Service Inspection Service, under the direction of Acting Inspector-in-Charge Delany E. De Leon-Colon; the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Gary Loeffert; the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Byron Lockwood; the Erie County Sheriff's Department, under the direction of Sheriff Tim Howard; the Niagara Frontier Transit Authority, under the direction of Chief George Gast; the Tempe, Arizona Police Department; the Apache County, Arizona Sheriff's Department; and the Oklahoma State Police.
Buffalo Man Sentenced in Cross Country Drug ConspiracyRead 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 Gabriel Rodriguez, 40, of Buffalo, NY, who was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, 100 kilograms or more of marijuana, was sentenced to serve 60 months in federal prison by Senior U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy C. Lynch, who handled the case, stated that between 2004 and July 12, 2012, the defendant conspired with others to distribute large quantities of marijuana in the Buffalo area. In April 2009, codefendants Jordan Ali and Shane Grafman began assisting one another in their drug distribution businesses. The defendants obtained the narcotics in the State of Arizona, and then utilized several methods to send the marijuana and cocaine to the Buffalo area, including cars, trucks, shipping crates and United States Postal Service parcels. Grafman also utilized private jets to travel from Arizona to Buffalo to pick up his drug proceeds. During this time, Rodriguez obtained more than 2,000 pounds from Grafman and Ali for distribution in the Buffalo area.
During the investigation, law enforcement officers seized approximately $1,000,000 in United States currency, including $671,385 from a hidden compartment within a Honda Ridgeline driven by Grafman.
A total of six defendants were arrested and convicted in this case.
The sentencing is the culmination of investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of James J. Hunt, Special Agent-in-Charge, New York Field Division; Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly; the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge James D. Robnett; the United States Postal Service Inspection Service, under the direction of Acting Inspector-in-Charge Delany E. De Leon-Colon; the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Gary Loeffert; the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Byron Lockwood; the Erie County Sheriff's Department, under the direction of Sheriff Tim Howard; the Niagara Frontier Transit Authority, under the direction of Chief George Gast; the Tempe, Arizona Police Department; the Apache County, Arizona Sheriff's Department; and the Oklahoma State Police.
Buffalo Man Indicted for Being A Felon in Possession of AmmunitionRead 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 a federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Larry Watkins, Sr., 51, of Buffalo, NY, with being a felon in possession of ammunition. The charge carries a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul C. Parisi, who is handling the case, stated that according to the indictment and statement by the Government to the Court, on June 16, 2018, the defendant discharged a firearm on Stanton Street in Buffalo in broad daylight. In April of 1993, Watkins was convicted of a felony in Erie County Court. In May 2005, the defendant was convicted of a felony in federal court. As a result of those prior convictions, Watkins is legally prohibited from possessing ammunition.
The defendant was arraigned this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer and is being held pending a detention hearing on June 25, 2018, at 2:00 p.m.
The indictment is the culmination of investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Gary Loeffert; the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Byron Lockwood, and the Erie County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Timothy Howard.
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.
Buffalo Man and Woman Charged in Superseding Indictment with Heroin and Fentanyl ConspiracyRead 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 a federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment charging Jawayne Watkins, 29, aka Weezy, and Anika Williams, 42, both of Buffalo, NY, with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin, and 4-fluoroisobutyryl fentanyl, and possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, heroin and 4-fluoroisobutyryl fentanyl. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of 40 years in prison, and a fine of $5,000,000.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Adler, who is handling the case, stated that according to the superseding indictment and a previously filed complaint, in July 2017, an undercover officer made a $1,500 controlled purchase of heroin and 4-fluoroisobutyryl fentanyl from Watkins. On November 9, 2017, Watkins made a second sale, this time a mixture of heroin and 4-fluoroisobutyryl fentanyl.
Watkins was on New York State parole and living in a halfway house at the time of his arrest in November 2017.
Anika Williams was arraigned before U.S, Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy and released on conditions following a detention hearing this morning. Jawayne Watkins is scheduled to be arraigned on June 26, 2018 at 3:00 p.m.
The superseding indictment is the result of an investigation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly, and the Erie County Sheriff’s Department, under the direction of Sheriff Timothy Howard.
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.
Biopharmaceutical Company Executive Sentenced for Insider TradingRead the Press Release
BOSTON – An executive of a California-based biopharmaceutical company was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston in connection with trading on insider information and profiting nearly $1 million.
Robert Gadimian, 48, of Burbank, Calif., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge William G. Young to 27 months in prison, two years of supervised release and ordered to pay a fine of $25,000. In November 2017, Gadimian pleaded guilty to seven counts of securities fraud and insider trading.
From November 2011 to October 2014, Gadimian was the Senior Director of Regulatory Affairs at Puma Technology Inc., a biopharmaceutical company based in California whose principal focus was the development of a breast cancer drug called neratinib. Puma was involved in several ongoing drug trials for neratinib including one that a Massachusetts-based consulting firm was conducting for Puma.
By virtue of his position at Puma, including his attendance at steering committee meetings and project team meetings related to ongoing drug trials, Gadimian learned sensitive, non-public information about the ongoing trials. Gadimian traded on that inside information and made significant profits, in violation of Puma’s insider trading policy. For example, in July 2014, Gadimian purchased a series of short-term Puma call options in advance of a July 22, 2014, public announcement that Puma achieved positive results during one of the trials. The following day, Puma’s stock price jumped approximately 295 percent, and Gadimian then sold all the call options he purchased and profited $910,000 from his illegal trades. In total, Gadimian made profits of $95,000 in 2013 and $1,060,000 in 2014.
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. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission provided assistance in bringing this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil J. Gallagher Jr. of Lelling’s Economic Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
Area Law Enforcement Meeting Held in SomersetRead the Press Release
SOMERSET, KY. – Federal, state and local law enforcement officials met yesterday in Somerset, to discuss initiatives of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Department of Justice that are designed to combat drug trafficking and violent crime.
Approximately 40 officials, including local prosecutors, police chiefs and sheriffs, met at the Center for Rural Development, to discuss current trends in drug trafficking and violent crime affecting the south central region of Kentucky. Representatives from Appalachia High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (AHIDTA) gave an intelligence briefing on the current trends.
U.S. Attorney Robert M. Duncan, Jr., his executive staff, and members of federal law enforcement agencies, have been traveling across the Eastern District of Kentucky and meeting with local law enforcement to provide information on two major initiatives: the Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods Enforcement Initiative and the U.S. Attorney’s Opiate/Opioid Prosecution Initiative. Attendees were given an overview of each initiative and provided tools, both to help them combat these problems on a local level and to develop appropriate cases for the prosecution of individuals under federal law.
“Our goal is to establish and maintain partnerships with local and state law enforcement, in a joint effort to remove violent offenders from our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Robert M. Duncan, Jr. “We also want to do our part in fighting the opioid epidemic, by providing tools to our local partners to assist in fighting the drug scourge impacting our communities.”
This is the third such meeting conducted by U.S. Attorney Duncan and was hosted and organized by Chief William Hunt of the Somerset Police Department. U.S. Attorney Duncan previously met with law enforcement partners in Ashland and Pikeville.
Alleged Gang Member Sentenced for Dealing FirearmsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – An alleged member of the Latin Gangsta’ Disciples gang in Lawrence was sentenced yesterday to three years in prison for federal firearms trafficking. Defendant sold 11 firearms, 18 magazines and 359 rounds of ammunition (including 59 rounds of hollow point ammunition, sometimes referred to on the street as “cop killers).
Eric Valentin, a/k/a “Jefe,” 22, of Nashua, N.H., was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Rya W. Zobel to three years in prison and three years of supervised release. In April 2018, Valentin pleaded guilty to dealing firearms without a license and conspiracy to deal firearms without a license. In February 2018, Valentin was charged along with co-defendants Jose Ilarraza, a/k/a “Kae-Kae,” 26, of Newburyport, and Bryan Torres-Almanzar, a/k/a “Flex,” 19, of Nashua, N.H.
According to court documents, in September 2017, a cooperating witness working for federal investigators was approached by an individual in the Middleton House of Corrections, after that individual learned that the cooperator was interested in obtaining firearms for shipment to the Dominican Republic. The cooperating witness was instructed to contact Torres-Almanzar, who was allegedly heavily involved in firearms trafficking.
Investigators used this information and another cooperating witness to purchase firearms from Torres-Almanzar and his partner, Valentin, on six occasions between Sept. 12, 2017, and Oct. 19, 2017. For example, on Sept. 14, 2017, the cooperating witness arranged to purchase a 9mm semiautomatic pistol with a laser sight, three magazines and 50 rounds of 9mm ammunition for $1,000 from Torres-Almanzar and Valentin. During the sale, Torres-Almanzar and Valentin talked about future gun purchases and told the cooperating witness that “we do business and will take care of you.” They also said that they were in the business of “growing our organization” and repeatedly urged the cooperating witness to buy more firearms.
During the course of the investigation, the cooperating witness purchased a total of 11 firearms, 18 magazines and 359 rounds of ammunition (including 59 rounds of hollow point ammunition, sometimes referred to on the street as “cop killers”) from Torres-Almanzar and Valentin for a total of $12,300. During an Oct. 4, 2017 sale, Valentin provided the cooperating witness with a “price list” that indicated the range of firearms that Valentin and Torres-Almanzar allegedly had for sale.
Torres-Almanzar previously pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 26, 2018. Ilarraza’s case remains pending.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Mickey D. Leadingham, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division; Lawrence Police Chief Roy P. Vasque; Essex County Sheriff Kevin F. Coppinger; Essex County District Attorney Jonathan W. Blodgett; Lowell Police Chief Jonathan C. Webb; and Nashua (N.H.) Police Chief Andrew J. Lavoie made the announcement today.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Alien Charged with Illegally Reentering U.S.Read the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that, on June 14, 2018, a federal grand jury in Hartford returned an indictment charging MIGUEL ANGEL ARCOS-VASQUEZ, also known as “Dimas Fernando Herrarte,” 26, with one count of illegally reentering the U.S. after being deported. ARCOS-VASQUEZ, a citizen of either Mexico or Guatemala, last resided in Norwalk.
ARCOS-VASQUEZ appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah A. L. Merriam in New Haven and entered a plea of not guilty to the charge.
As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, ARCOS-VASQUEZ illegally entered the U.S. in or before 2014. In March 2014, he was arrested by the Stratford Police Department for a burglary offense. In April 2014, he also was charged with failure to appear. He was not encountered by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at this time.
It is also alleged that, in January 2016, ARCOS-VASQUEZ attempted to enter the U.S. three times through Texas, but was removed to Mexico after each attempt.
It is further alleged that, on January 24, 2017, ARCOS-VASQUEZ was arrested by the Stamford Police Department on charges of threatening in the first degree. On January 27, 2017, under the name of Dimas Herrarte-Ramirez, he was charged by the Norwalk Police Department with sale of a hallucinogen/narcotic and criminal possession of a firearm. ARCOS-VASQUEZ has been detained since that time, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was notified.
In October 2017, the state charges against ARCOS-VASQUEZ were resolved and he is currently serving a sentence of five years of imprisonment, execution suspended after two years.
If convicted of the charge of illegal reentry, ARCOS-VASQUEZ faces a maximum term of imprisonment of two years.
Immigration authorities are in the process of determining if ARCOS-VASQUEZ is a citizen of Mexico or Guatemala.
U.S. Attorney Durham stressed that an indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial at which it is the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Deborah R. Slater.
Albuquerque Felon Sentenced to 92 Months in Prison for Unlawfully Possessing a Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Manuel Herrera, 51, of Albuquerque, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court to 92 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Herrera will be on supervised release for three years after completing his prison sentence.
Herrera was arrested in Jan. 2017, on an indictment charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition on Sept. 11, 2016, in Bernalillo County, N.M. According to the indictment, Herrera was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because of his prior felony convictions for forgery, aggravated driving while intoxicated, bribery and intimidation of a witness, being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession of a controlled substance, and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
On March 13, 2017, Herrera entered a guilty plea to the indictment.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Sandoval County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel A. Hurtado prosecuted the case as part of a federal anti-violence initiative that targets violent, repeat offenders for federal prosecution. Under this initiative, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and federal law enforcement agencies work with New Mexico’s District Attorneys and state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to target violent or repeat offenders primarily based on their prior criminal convictions for federal prosecution offenders with the goal of making communities in New Mexico safer places for people to live and work.
Additional Charges Filed Against Defense Attorney and Client for Smuggling Drugs into Anchorage PrisonRead the Press Release
Anchorage, Alaska – U.S. Attorney Bryan Schroder announced today that a 25-count superseding indictment has been filed against a criminal defense attorney and her client for allegedly smuggling drugs into the State of Alaska Department of Corrections (DOC) Anchorage Correctional Complex (ACC) for distribution to inmates.
Kit Lee Karjala, 55, a criminal defense attorney in Anchorage, and her client, Christopher Brandon Miller, aka “Mellow,” 34, who is currently an inmate at ACC, have both been named in the superseding indictment. Karjala and Miller are both charged with drug conspiracy, conspiracy to provide contraband in prison, money laundering conspiracy, as well as additional drug and money laundering charges. The charges filed today supersede the original 2-count indictment filed in this case.
According to court documents, the drug conspiracy began in June 2016 and continued until May 2017. Karjala allegedly passed drugs to co-conspirator inmates, including Miller, during in-person attorney-client visits. Because Karjala was an attorney and represented to DOC that these meetings were professional visits, DOC permitted her to meet with Miller and the other co-conspirator inmate in rooms with no physical barriers separating Karjala from the inmate she was visiting. During these visits, Karjala would hand a package of drugs to the inmate and the inmate would then hide the drugs inside his body. After Karjala delivered the drugs, the inmate would then smuggle the drugs back to his jail cell, where the inmate would later distribute the drugs to other ACC inmates for profit.
The superseding indictment also alleges that Karjala and Miller conspired to conduct financial transactions involving drug proceeds, which were designed to promote the drug conspiracy and to conceal and disguise the nature, location, source, ownership, and control of those drug proceeds.
In addition, a separate indictment has been filed against Karjala for intentionally failing to appear for a bail review hearing that was scheduled for June 19, 2018, as was required by her conditions of release related to the initial charges. A warrant has been issued for Karjala’s arrest.
If the public has any information regarding Karjala’s whereabouts, please call the FBI at (907) 276-4441.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and the Alaska State Troopers (AST) conducted the investigation, with substantial assistance from DOC, leading to the charges in this case. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea W. Hattan.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
20 June 2018
Wisconsin Man Sentenced to 235 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
HAMMOND – Denton Jerome, 32 years old, of Doylestown, Wisconsin, was sentenced by District Court Judge James Moody to 235 months imprisonment followed by five years of supervised release after pleading guilty to one count of attempted sex trafficking of a minor, announced United States Attorney Thomas L. Kirsch II.
U.S. Attorney Kirsch said, “Crimes committed against innocent children are particularly egregious. Others who commit these type of offenses, should be warned by this sentence. We and our law enforcement partners aggressively focus our efforts on bringing offenders like Mr. Jerome to justice.”
“Crimes like these have a grave impact on our children,” said James M. Gibbons, Special Agent in Charge of HSI Chicago. “Mr. Jerome’s lengthy prison sentence is a harsh reminder that law enforcement and the courts will not tolerate those who steal the innocence of the children and of our communities.”
According to documents in the case, Jerome was apprehended as a result of an undercover operation targeting customers of child sex tourism. On April 18, 2017, Jerome drove from Wisconsin to a hotel in Munster, Indiana, with the intent to engage in commercial sex acts with a 10-year-old female. Less than a year earlier, Jerome was convicted for attempted child enticement in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, also as the result of an undercover sting operation, and sentenced to three months imprisonment. Jerome committed the instant offense while on probation from his first conviction.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with the assistance of Hammond Police Department, and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Abizer Zanzi.
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West Monroe felon sentenced for possessing pistol after fleeing police, hiding in trash canRead the Press Release
MONROE, La. – United States Attorney David C. Joseph announced that a felon from West Monroe was sentenced last week to 21 months in prison for illegal possession of a firearm.
Marquarius D. York, 22, of West Monroe, Louisiana, was sentenced June 13, 2018 by U.S. District Judge S. Maurice Hicks Jr. on one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He was also sentenced to three years of supervised release. According to the February 5, 2018 guilty plea, a resident on Mitchell Avenue in West Monroe on June 29, 2017 reported seeing a man who was later identified as York. A subsequent search led to police locating York hiding in a trash can as well as the firearm that he fired in the street. The weapon was a Cougar 800, 9mm caliber pistol. York told police he knew he was not allowed to possess the firearm as he had been previously convicted of a felony. York has a 2013 conviction from Ouachita Parish for attempted simple burglary and a 2015 Ouachita Parish conviction for attempted simple escape.
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 out neighborhoods safe 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 Session announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001.
The ATF and West Monroe Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Aaron Crawford prosecuted the case.
Virginia Man Pleads Guilty to Enticement of a Minor and Child Pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
A Roanoke, Virginia man pleaded guilty yesterday to charges of enticement of a minor, receipt or attempted receipt of child pornography, and possession of child pornography, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Thomas T. Cullen for the Western District of Virginia.
Scott Curtiss Pieritz, 57, pleaded guilty before Chief U.S. District Judge Michael F. Urbanski to charges of enticement of a minor, receipt or attempted receipt of child pornography, and possession of child pornography.
In July 2017, law enforcement agents were notified that Pieritz, who had a duty to register as a sex offender as a result of three prior child pornography convictions, was using various social media applications to entice minors to produce and send him child pornography. A search warrant for his electronic devices confirmed that Pieritz was in possession of numerous images and videos of child pornography, had posed as a minor online, and had exchanged money and gifts for images from minors. The defendant also admitted to this conduct in an interview with law enforcement agents.
Pieritz is schedule to be sentenced on Oct. 1.
The case was investigated by the Virginia State Police. Trial Attorney Nadia Prinz of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nancy Healey of the Western District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Virginia Man Pleads Guilty to Enticement of A Minor and Child Pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
Roanoke – A Roanoke, Virginia man pleaded guilty yesterday to charges of enticement of a minor, receipt or attempted receipt of child pornography, and possession of child pornography, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Thomas T. Cullen for the Western District of Virginia.
Scott Curtiss Pieritz, 57, pleaded guilty before Chief U.S. District Judge Michael F. Urbanski to charges of enticement of a minor, receipt or attempted receipt of child pornography, and possession of child pornography.
In July 2017, law enforcement agents were notified that Pieritz, who had a duty to register as a sex offender as a result of three prior child pornography convictions, was using various social media applications to entice minors to produce and send him child pornography. A search warrant for his electronic devices confirmed that Pieritz was in possession of numerous images and videos of child pornography, had posed as a minor online, and had exchanged money and gifts for images from minors. The defendant also admitted to this conduct in an interview with law enforcement agents.
Pieritz is schedule to be sentenced on Oct. 1.
The case was investigated by the Virginia State Police. Trial Attorney Nadia Prinz of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nancy Healey of the Western District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Presents Case Study on “Swastika Branding Case” During Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission’s Hate Crime Awareness SeminarsRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – The U.S. Attorney’s Office is participating in two Hate Crime Awareness Seminars sponsored by the Office of Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission on June 20 and 21, 2018, in Albuquerque, N.M. The first seminar is taking place today at the Albuquerque Indian Center at 105 Texas Street SE, and the second takes place tomorrow at Albuquerque & Bernalillo County Government Center.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is presenting on the federal prosecution of United States v. Paul Beebe, et al., 10-Cr-3104-MV (DNM), the first case to be charged under the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act (Shepard/Byrd Act). Three men from San Juan County, N.M., were indicted by a federal grand jury in Nov. 2010 under this law, which was enacted in October 2009, for their racially motivated assault on a 22-year-old developmentally disabled man of Navajo descent.
Court records reflect that the defendants took the victim to an apartment in Farmington, N.M., which was adorned in racist paraphernalia, including a Nazi flag and a woven dream catcher with a swastika in it. After the victim had fallen asleep, the defendants defaced the victim’s body by drawing on him with blue, red and black markers. When the victim awoke, one of the defendants branded the victim, who sat with a towel in his mouth, by heating a wire hanger on a stove and burning the victim’s flesh, causing a permanent deep impression of a swastika in his skin. The defendants used a cell phone to create a recording of the victim in which they coerced him to agree to be branded.
The defendants also defaced the victim’s body with white supremacist and anti-Native American symbols, including shaving a swastika in the back of the victim’s head and using markers to write the words “KKK” and “White Power” within the lines of the swastika. They also mocked the victim’s heritage by drawing an ejaculating penis and testicles on the victim’s back, telling him that they were drawing his “native pride feathers,” all the while recording the incident on a cell phone to later play for law enforcement, as “proof” that the victim consented to their acts.
All three defendants subsequently pled guilty to violating the Shepard/Byrd Act and served prison sentences.
The case study will be presented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Roberto D. Ortega, who prosecuted the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle T. Nayback, who supervises the Indian Country Crimes Section in the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The agendas for the Hate Crime Awareness Seminars are attached.
Hate Crime Seminar AgendaTwo Colorado Financial Services Executives Sentenced in Multimillion-Dollar Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
A former CEO and a former corporate counsel of a Colorado financial services company were sentenced on June 19 and June 20, in Denver, Colorado, for their participation in a multimillion-dollar investment scheme in which they falsely told investors that they could access substantial financing, including hundreds of millions in cash in an overseas bank account, in exchange for up-front fees.
Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Inspector in Charge Craig Goldberg of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Denver Division, and Acting Inspector in Charge Bill Hedrick of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Chicago Division, made the announcement.
Brian G. Elrod, 59, of Buffalo Creek, Colorado, formerly the CEO of a financial services company known as Compass Financial Solutions Ltd. (CFS), was sentenced to serve 38 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Additionally, Elrod was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $2,440,051.29. William E. Dawn, 80, who was CFS’s corporate counsel, was sentenced to time served. U.S. District Judge William J. Martinez handed down the sentence for Elrod, and U.S. District Judge Robert E. Blackburn sentenced Dawn and ordered him to pay restitution in the amount of $366,752.01.
Elrod pleaded guilty on Feb. 19, 2015, in the District of Colorado to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud. As part of his plea agreement, Elrod admitted that from approximately 2005 to 2011, while he served as the CEO of CFS, he marketed and sold to investors promissory notes that were purportedly guaranteed by CFS and others. With respect to the notes that were guaranteed by CFS, Elrod promised investors high returns through monthly interest payments and represented to investors that the proceeds from the notes would be used to operate CFS. However, Elrod instead used the investors’ funds for, among other things, payments to other investors and to himself. After Elrod defaulted on the notes, he conspired with Kenneth Brewington, who purported to be a wealthy financier, and told investors that Brewington would assume CFS’s obligations on these notes. To induce CFS’s investors to sign these assumption agreements, Elrod showed investors fraudulent documents that falsely claimed Brewington had 500 million euros in an overseas bank account. Elrod also sold additional promissory notes that were guaranteed by Brewington personally. To induce investors to purchase the notes guaranteed by Brewington, Elrod again showed investors similar fraudulent documents purporting to show Brewington’s wealth and told some of the investors that their investments would be used to release Brewington’s money overseas. Elrod acknowledged that his scheme resulted in over $2.5 million in losses to investors.
Dawn pleaded guilty on Feb. 25, 2015, in the District of Colorado, to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud. As part of his plea agreement, Dawn admitted that from approximately 2002 to 2010, he served as in-house counsel at CFS. Dawn also admitted that he drafted promissory notes sold by Elrod and Brewington in order to solicit investor funds. In doing so, Dawn knew that the proceeds from these notes were going to be used by CFS to make payments to other investors, which had not been disclosed to the purchasers of these notes. To disguise from investors the fact that the proceeds from the notes were not in fact going to be used to release the millions of euros supposedly held by Brewington overseas, the defendant allowed his attorney-client trust account to be used to receive the investors’ money. Dawn acknowledged that his scheme resulted in over $200,000 in losses to investors. He also acknowledged that he owes $366,752.01 in restitution.
Brewington, 55, of Corona, California, was convicted on multiple counts of fraud and money laundering on May 18, in the District of Colorado, following a two-week jury trial. Brewington’s sentencing is set for Aug. 17, before U.S. District Court Judge Philip A. Brimmer, who presided over the trial of the case.
The investigation was led by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission also provided substantial assistance in this matter. Trial Attorneys Anna G. Kaminska, Kyle C. Hankey, and Jennifer G. Ballantyne, as well as Assistant Chief Henry P. Van Dyck of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case.
Twice Deported, Dominican National Sentenced to Federal Prison for Illegal Reentry into the United StatesRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – A Dominican national deported from the United States in 1999 and 2011, and arrested in Rhode Island in December 2017, has been sentenced to federal prison for illegal reentry into the United States.
Manolo Ruiz, 47, formerly of Lawrence, MA, has been sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge William E. Smith to 18 months in federal prison, announced United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch and Rebecca J. Adducci, Interim Field Office Director, for the ICE Enforcement & Removal Operations (ERO) Boston Field Office.
Ruiz, by his own admission, is a native and citizen of the Dominican Republic. He admitted that he was previously deported from Miami, FL, to the Dominican Republic on September 5, 1999, and from Alexandria, LA, to the Dominican Republic on June 16, 2011.
On December 20, 2017, Ruiz was arrested in Rhode Island by Rhode Island State Police on a charge of providing a false document to a public official. He was released from Rhode Island state court on December 21, 2017, into the custody of United States Immigration and Custom Enforcement.
The U.S. Sentencing Guidelines range of imprisonment in this matter is 21-27 months. The government recommended the court impose a sentence of 21 months in prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Zechariah Chafee, Border Security coordinator for the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island.
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Twenty-Two Members of Manhattan Crew Charged in Manhattan Federal Court with Narcotics and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, William F. Sweeney Jr., the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), and James P. O’Neill, the Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), announced the unsealing today of an Indictment charging 22 members of a crew operating in and around the Thomas Jefferson Houses in Manhattan with narcotics conspiracy and firearms offenses.
A total of 14 defendants were taken into custody today; two other defendants were already in federal custody. Sixteen of the 22 defendants will be presented and arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Henry B. Pitman later today. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Andrew L. Carter.
U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “In this Office’s continuing effort to improve the quality of life for the law-abiding and rent-paying residents of NYCHA housing, today’s indictment charges 22 members with allegedly operating a serious drug distribution network to deal crack cocaine in and around the Jefferson Houses in East Harlem. These drugs destroy lives and cripple communities. In addition, members of the crew allegedly possessed firearms to further their drug operation, bringing the danger of gun violence to the streets of New York. Thanks to the outstanding work of the FBI and NYPD, the defendants will now face justice in federal court.”
FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William F. Sweeney Jr. said: “As alleged, these drug dealers hold communities hostage by creating an atmosphere of fear, and the wares they’re pushing are now having a deadly impact beyond our city. The FBI Metro Safe Streets Task Force, which made today’s arrests, is committed to deterring street violence and will continue to pursue those that endanger New York City communities.”
As alleged in the Indictment unsealed today in Manhattan federal court and in other court papers[1]:
From 2014 up to June 2018, JOSE HERNANDEZ, a/k/a “Cheerio,” a/k/a “Bheerio,” CHRISTOPHER LAWRENCE, a/k/a “Hood,” a/k/a ”H.O.,” a/k/a “Peanut,” LUIS AVILES, a/k/a “Toby,” GERALDO BUSANET, a/k/a “Bunazie,” SAMMUEL CABAN, a/k/a “Sammy,” JASON DAVENPORT, a/k/a “Jay,” JAMER DAVIS, a/k/a “J-Rock,” JERRELL FULCHER, a/k/a “Relly,” a/k/a “Butta,” RICO GONZALEZ, CLARENCE GRANDY, a/k/a “Butta,” TITO LLANES, a/k/a “Reek,” BENJAMIN LUCRE, a/k/a “Gotti,” DERRICK RICHARDSON, a/k/a “Fazo,” PARIS ROBERTS, a/k/a “Rambo,” ROCKY SANCHEZ, EDWIN SANTANA, a/k/a “E.B.,” a/k/a “Fat,” a/k/a “Defat,” LARRY SMITH, a/k/a “Scrap,” SHAHIEME SMITH, a/k/a “Mills,” a/k/a “Ira,” ISAAC SOLER, a/k/a “Doughboy,” DYLAN WILLIAMS, a/k/a “Rock,” a/k/a “Rockyo,” JAMES WILSON, a/k/a “Gotti,” and ROBERT WRIGHT, a/k/a “Rob Santana,” participated in a conspiracy to distribute 280 grams and more of crack cocaine and in around the Jefferson Houses, a public housing project in East Harlem, New York.
From 2014 up to June 2018, certain members of this Crew, namely JOSE HERNANDEZ, CHRISTOPHER LAWRENCE, BENJAMIN LUCRE, EDWIN SANTANA, LARRY SMITH, ISAAC SOLER, and DYLAN WILIAMS used, carried, and possessed firearms in furtherance of the crack cocaine conspiracy of which they were members.
* * *
Charts containing the names, charges, and maximum penalties for the defendants are set forth below. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI and NYPD, and commended the NYPD's Manhattan North Narcotics, Major Case.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Lauren Schorr, Jessica Feinstein, Jacob Warren, and Christopher Clore are in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Indictments are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
COUNT
CHARGE
DEFENDANTS
MAX. PENALTIES
1
Narcotics conspiracy
21 U.S.C. §§ 841(b)(1)(A) and 846
JOSE HERNANDEZ, 31
CHRISTOPHER LAWRENCE, 34
LUIS AVILES, 31
GERALDO BUSANET, 31
SAMMUEL CABAN, 28
JASON DAVENPORT, 30
JAMER DAVIS, 23
JERRELL FULCHER, 21
RICO GONZALEZ, 21
CLARENCE GRANDY, 20
TITO LLANES, 22
BENJAMIN LUCRE, 18
DERRICK RICHARDSON, 21
PARIS ROBERTS, 19
ROCKY SANCHEZ, 23
EDWIN SANTANA, 29
LARRY SMITH, 28
ISAAC SOLER, 27
DYLAN WILLIAMS, 20
JAMES WILSON, 29
ROBERT WRIGHT, 23
Life in prison
Mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison
2
Using or carrying a firearm during and in relation to, or possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime
18 U.S.C. §§ 924(c ) and 2
JOSE HERNANDEZ
CHRISTOPHER LAWRENCE
BENJAMIN LUCRE
EDWIN SANTANA
LARRY SMITH
ISAAC SOLER
DYLAN WILLIAMS
Life in prison
Mandatory minimum of five years in prison
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment constitutes only allegations, and every fact described herein should be treated as an allegation.
Three Indicted for Health Care Fraud Conspiracy, Money Laundering, Aggravated Identity Theft, Obstruction, Wire Fraud, and Falsifying DocumentsRead the Press Release
Columbia, South Carolina ---- A federal grand jury has returned a thirty-eight count superseding indictment Tuesday charging Cameron Banks (a/k/a Reggie Staggers), age 32, of Georgetwon, S.C., Angela Pyatt, age 49, of Conway, S.C., and Solomon Pyatt, age 56, of Conway, S.C. with Conspiracy to Commit Health Care Fraud, individual counts of Health Care Fraud, Money Laundering, Aggravated Identity Theft, Obstruction of a Health Care Crime Investigation, Wire Fraud, and Falsifying Documents. The indictment marks the second superseding indictment in the case.
Banks was originally the sole defendant in the first two indictments. The first superseding indictment added allegations of Money Laundering and Falsifying Documents to the original indictment, which included seven counts of Health Care Fraud, in connection with an alleged scheme to submit fraudulent loan applications for dental services.
The second superseding indictment adds defendants Angela and Solomon Pyatt, alleging that Banks used his position as an employee of a dentistry practice to conspire with them, and others, to submit loan applications in the names of patients to a medical financing program operated by a federally insured bank. The indictment alleges, however, that in a number of instances, no services were requested or provided to the patient or Banks fraudulently inflated the cost, causing the transfer of funds that Banks converted to his own personal use.
Including the Health Care Fraud Conspiracy, the second superseding indictment adds sixteen counts of Money Laundering, which allege that Banks conducted a number of financial transactions in an effort to conceal the source of the proceeds of the Health Care Fraud scheme and convert them to his own use. These transactions included cash withdrawals and transfers in amounts ranging from $2,975 to $51,000. Additionally, the indictment contains allegations of Aggravated Identity Theft and Obstruction of a Health Care Crime Investigation.
Unrelated to the Health Care Fraud Conspiracy, the second superseding indictment also includes two counts of Wire Fraud, both of which relate to fraudulent loan applications Banks used to purchase a 2014 Bentley Flying Spur and a 2015 Cadillac Escalade.
Last, the second superseding indictment includes four charges alleging Banks falsified documents he filed with the United States Department of Transportation in order to register as a commercial motor carrier and bus operator. Specifically, Banks filed Motor Passenger Carrier Authority applications as the representative of several separate, individual entities including the Abundant Faith Lighthouse, Delta Trailways, New Generation Christian Church, and CJ Banks Transportation. Banks is alleged to have knowingly falsified the filings for each entity by purposely withholding his involvement with the other entities as required by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
The maximum penalty each of the three defendants could receive for Conspiracy to Commit Health Care Fraud is 10 years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000.
The maximum penalty Banks could receive for each count of health care fraud is 20 years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000. The maximum penalty he could receive for the money laundering counts is 20 years and a fine of $500,000 or twice the value of the property involved in the transaction, whichever is greater. The maximum penalty he could receive for the Aggravated Identity Theft counts is a mandatory sentence of two years, which would run consecutively to any sentence imposed for any convictions of Health Care Fraud, the underlying felony. The maximum penalty Banks could receive for the falsification of documents counts is 20 years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000.
The case was investigated by agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, and the United States Department of Transportation - Office of Inspector General. The case is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Matt Austin of the Charleston office for prosecution.
All charges in indictments are merely accusations and that all defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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